UPVC: do you get what you pay for?

[Andrew]

I'm (slightly reluctantly) considering UPVC french windows, on the basis that I can't afford anything wooden that I've looked at (online at least). There seems to be a wide price range of UPVC doors and windows online, and yet they all look identical. Can anyone suggest, from experience, what sport of differences I'd see between this

at =A3495 and this at =A3379? I'm after

1800mm french windows, so if anyone can suggest a wooden alternative that comes in at less than, say, =A3700, I'd be keen to hear about it! This is going into a rather exposed location not far from the coast, so weather-tightness and longevity are factors. Thanks in advance for any insights...

[stuart noble]

Very competitive at the manufacturing end, with a handful of companies supplying a whole host of sales based companies, and the latter making whatever markup they can get away with. We used to have a couple of firms locally that made their own frames but they just buy the stuff in now. Find a small local firm with no sales division would be my advice.

[Tim Streater]

No they don't. The justdoors ones appear to use an ovolo profile which will make them look more attractive.

The problem with most DG is that it looks like - double glazing. This is for two reasons:

1) The awful angular look they have. 2) The fact that most people haven't heard of, and consequently don't consider, something called equal sightlines.

The general advice is to find a few (say five) local outfits and go visit them, see their showrooms, get a feel for the people there. Wide boys? Don't bother. Oily buggers who snow you with alphabet soup? Don't bother. Etc.

If looks matter to you, then see (1) and (2) above. If they don't then don't bother. In any case, for french doors, (2) will not apply.

You then want to look at whether they're A rated, or argon filled, or Pilkington K glass, etc.

Ask them how they got into the business. Our people used to be fitters themselves and realised they could run a company better than the folks employing them.

Google for things like "double glazing profile" or "double glazing glass heat transmission". You need to understand what you're buying. I'd also ask what they do when they install them. How they remove old windows, protect from damage, who makes their glass units, do they take all old windows away.

We became reasonably expert for a short while :-)

[Tim Streater]

Except that the actual installation is just as important. If a small company buys in the glass and the frames, and does a bloody good job of installing them, I'd take that over a company that makes their own but does a crap install.

[Roger Mills]

As far as I can see, the first one is made to your exact measurements but the second one only comes in 3 sizes - which is fine for new build but may not suit a retro-fit job unless you're lucky. Also, the first one is inclusive of VAT but the second one is +VAT - so there's really only about £50 in it.

Have you considered thermal break aluminium windows? More expensive than uPVC but better looking, and much stronger. [I don't know whether they'd be within your budget or not].