Double glazing and property values

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Permalink Reply by JB on March 6, 2012 at 14:16

Thanks for the reply. No it is not a conservation area at least.

I would agree that the bog standard upvc may not be preferable to wooden sash windows but how about the upvc ones that are in a sash style? some of them look quite like the original sash.

I have looked into having windows restored (quotes were about £3000 for one bay) or having wooden bespoke souble glazed sashes made (£4500 again for just the down stairs front bay) and cannot afford these options. Therefore the next best option would be the upvc sash style windows ... if it doesn't devalue the property...

any more thoughts would be great...! thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Paul on March 6, 2012 at 14:22

If you notice, the houses on the ladder that are south facing to their front (north facing to rear) have mostly double glazed units. This is because the sun hits the windows and rots them.  The other side of the road have mostly original sash windows as the sun doesnt beat down on them.

 

The front of my property is south-facing, and some of my neighbours (only a couple) are continually painting and maintaining their wooden sash windows.  I fitted my windows recently and can recommend a really good double glazing company who supplied excellent upvc units - probably one the best in the UK. If you are good at DIY, you may even enjoy it. If not, they normally charge around £60 or £70 each window to fit.

If you want box sash double glazed units, they are very pricey.

If you replace them with upvc, you don't have to take the box sash sections out, leave it as a feature - the upvc windows just slot in.

Call me if you need advice.

Paul (07956-205699)

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Permalink Reply by JB on March 6, 2012 at 14:43

Thanks for the info Paul. You are right!! we are south facing at the front so the windows take a real beating from the sun! I never noticed that north facing tend not to be double glazed...

Do you have photos of how they look when you leave the box sections in and insert the upvc?

just thinking that our sash have a curved top so maybe we can't insert upvc all that easily....

thanks for your thoughts and contact details.

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Permalink Reply by 3er6ls1zjbfys on March 7, 2012 at 17:57

Please dont fit inserts (PVC, Aluminium or timber) into the existing frames unless you are just replacing the sashes with new sashes. Its cheap, it looks awful and devalues your home, casements tend to be fixed at the bottom which make it a death trap, or they are fixed at the top trapping air and preventing effective ventilation!

Replace sash with sash. Just because you live in a conservation area that doesnt mean you must do as the conservation officer advises! Normally you need their permission if your home is not a single dwelling, if it is rented or has commercial activities there, or if its multi occupancy. Most families living in their own home do not get caught by these rules. But take advice.

You have some excellent specialist companies in north london. I am not promoting any single company however there is a web site that lists local companies that may be worth a look and they have an article on this very subject here..http://www.doubleglazingcompanies.com/double-glazing-blog/

Oh yes bad windows of any material devalue homes, good windows dont, PVC is no longer the devils material and some planners are quoted as saying "they are indistinguishable from timber originals....even at close quarters" But yes they are expensive.

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Permalink Reply by Rachella on March 6, 2012 at 15:12

You are correct. Houses with their original features are more valuable than those without.When I was looking for a house to buy I was advised to offer $40,000 less to those homes with plastic doors and windows.

Also from an ecological point of view, UPVC windows damage the environment in their manufacture and their disposal. The sash UPVC are less obnoxious than the other tacky style, and can certainly pass from afar, but up close, it's easy to spot the difference.

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Permalink Reply by David Deane on March 6, 2012 at 15:48

I'm just about to have double glazing fitted, and must say I'm thoroughly looking forward to it.

However we have horrid nasty rotting wooden windows which must at some point have replaced the original sashes. I've already replaced part of one of them, that was so rotten I could push a pencil through the wood, blunt end first, but my workmanship can only be classed as semi-professional at best ( good enough from the outside, but needed to much filler on the inside...). as for value, ours are so bad that the value can only go up

We looked at getting replacement sashes instead (double glazed), but like you, found the cost was prohibitive.

There are several kinds of locks that can be retro fitted to sashes to improve their security over and above the standard fittings, or you could go the rather drastic route of screwing them shut (or painting them shut as has happened in several places I've stayed... less secure, but probably also less deliberate), or screwing rebated wooden blocks to the runners to prevent the window being raised more than a few inches (rebate is to allow the cord to run). No doubt nowadays there are similar, but less intrusive versions of this; it's a long time since I needed to use a screwdriver to escape and return undetected from an upstairs window

If you are going to get rid of the sashes, then get double glazing with mullions/glazing bars to match what you had - then your house won't look very different from other houses on the street - it always jars to see a row of houses with sashes interrupted by one with a large bottom light and a tiny top vent. even worse are those that are leaded. suitable on a tudor (or mock tudor) property, but not on a victorian terrace. and as mentioned above, it looks better if you get them all done the same, rather than mixing and matching styles throughout the house... If you're in a flat look at what your neighbours have.

for quotes, Anglia are having a half price sale at the moment, and you ought to be able to beat them down to around a third of their initial outrageous full price quote,or there are a number of local firms - there's one in the ad panel on the fright of the screen, though I couldn't comment on their quality.

I'd get a few quotes, and don't stand for any nonsense. Whatever they say, double glazing will not solve your damp problem, it will not prevent condensation (rather it'll move it to somewhere less obvious than the windowpane). Don't get taken in. don't mess about with wood effect frames. if you had wooden frames you'd paint over them, wouldn't you?

Sit them down, and tell them that you don't want any messing about, you just want to hear what their best price is, then thank them and send them on their way. You can always negotiate later once you've chosen who you're going with and knock them down even more.

hope that helps.

Dave

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Permalink Reply by byl999 on April 12, 2012 at 22:12

Hello Jerry... If it's not too late, can i offer my advice?  I work for the 20th Century Society (architectural conservation working closely with English Heritage) and we believe PVC windows are absolutely detrimental to Uk street scenes up and down the country.  In terms of selling your house and value, they will also severely reduce the 'pavement appeal' of any property (as they are ugly!).  If i might quote our pals at the Georgian Group:

"Issue
PVC windows and doors are everywhere - but not only do they wreck the appearance of historic buildings, they are deeply damaging environmentally, releasing toxins into the atmosphere at all stages of production and disposal. Consumers have been gulled by effective marketing into believing that PVC is an efficient insulator - but traditional softwood sash windows can provide insulation that is just as effective, while allowing buildings to breathe, maintaining the appearance of historic buildings and, most importantly, not contributing to a toxic timebomb.

Our view
PVC windows and doors should be banned in conservation areas and on listed buildings and the prohibition should be rigorously enforced by planning authorities. Outside conservation areas, householders should be encouraged to restore original fittings such as sash windows or replace them like for like with fittings from sustainable sources. Consumers should be alerted to the damaging environmental effects of PVC. The Government should consider fiscal disincentives including an environmental tax on PVC producers and purchasers.

Result
Consumers are more and more discerning, less willing to buy environmentally unsound products and better prepared to source fixture and fittings appropriate to their properties. Suppliers and restorers of traditional fittings such as wooden sash windows are increasingly easy to find. And, we hope, planning authorities are more willing to back up their policies for conservation areas with action against transgressors."

The WWF have also produced their findings into this interesting article:

http://www.wwf.org.uk/wwf_articles.cfm?unewsid=564

I highly recommened you invest in double glazed timber framed windows. I would suggest looking to a window-maker a little further out of town for better prices. ( Northumberland Park industrial estate).

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