How would you re-glaze a garage window?

[Mentalguy2k8]

Opposite end to the up&over door is an old fashioned single-glazed window roughly 3 foot high by 6 foot wide, 3 panes with one of them opening. 2 of the panes are broken and need replacing. Should I stick with glass (if I can find a glazier shop anywhere) or is there some new plastic/perspex that's better and/or cheaper? If so, where's a good place to buy it and is it easier to work with (ie cut to size) than glass? Opaque would be preferable but clear is OK.

[polygonum]

If looks are not important, and the breaks are not "entire pane in pieces" (e.g. a corner has gone, or a crack), I'd be tempted to do what the shop window people do - stick a layer of something (probably clear plastic sheet) to the existing glass using translucent/clear silicone.

[stuart noble]

A local glazier will do that for you on site. IME they don't charge a lot. Alternatively, clear the rebates of glass shards, old putty, pins, and anything else that might cause an obstruction, measure up, and collect the glass from the glazier's shop. Can end up being "one of those jobs" if you're not used to handling glass

[Mentalguy2k8]

Both panes have a big hole in the middle, I have no idea how. And I also have no idea where to get plastic sheeting from

[Mentalguy2k8]

I've fitted a small pane before but not something this size. I might check out the local glaziers and see about a call out, there used to be at least 3 local glazier shops but they're all gone now, I suppose the double-glazing and PVC industry had something to do with it.

[Bob Minchin]

Never use perspex. This will craze, yellow and become brittle. Polycarbonate sheet - one trade name is Makrolon - is the stff to use if you want plastic. get the variant with UV inhibitor film on it and fit that side to the outside. Polycarbonate is reasonably vandal resistant with stones etc bouncing off.

[John Williamson]

+1 for the polycarbonate. I had one of the local vandals trying to break a window in my flat with a single pane the size of your entire window for about an hour shortly after I fitted it. He failed, as I knew he would, as I used 6mm thick sheet. If you want translucent, then self adhesive plastic file will stick to the inside.

I got my polycarbonate sheet from my local glazier.

[newshound]

Polycarbonate is stocked by B&Q (at a price) or just google "plastic sheet".

Relatively easy to cut to size at 3 mm, score deeply with repeated cuts. I tend to use the corner of a wood chisel cutting edge. Initially scribing along a straight edge as you would with a knife, then once the groove is established, held in a vertical plane normal to the sheet but angled at 45 degrees to give a symmmetric 90 degree groove. Then support the sheet and snap along the score. It will saw, but needs to be done slowly with light loading to avoid melting.