uPVC windows

[asalcedo]

I am planning to replace my wooden windows for uPVC ones.

What are the two or three best brands?

Thanks,

Antonio

[Tim Streater]

Don't go with the large companies such as Everest or Anglia. They use all the 2nd hand car salesman techniques such as quoting an inflated price and then offering "deals" (which always expire today) to get the price down to only 50% more than a small local company.

You will find that a small local cpy will give you a quote, and then you'll never hear from them again unless you contact them to accept it. Unlike Everest etc who will pester you for up to a year after you've turned them down.

Learn what is meant by a window profile, equal sightlines, internal or external glazing, getting extra security bolts on the hinge side, 90deg opening.

Basically you'll need to research this and become (for a while) a double-glazing expert. In our case SWMBO found five local companies and we spent a day going round them all. After that process it became obvious who to pick.

[Roger Mills]

There aren't any! Look for small local firms which make their own windows rather than the large national companies.

Even better, go for thermal-break aluminium rather than uPVC.

[Tim Watts]

On Tuesday 13 August 2013 17:18 asalcedo wrote in uk.d-i-y:

are pretty good - though a little hard to pop the beading in.

Good website to get a cost of unit quote and see the options.

Croft Glass (of Kent) make nice units.

Bear in mind - there ar eonly a few makes of the extrusions - everyone just buys those in and chops and welds them into the final unit.

[Mentalguy2k8]

+1

My mum had one of these Everest parasites round, fortunately she remembered to tell me about it and I was there. He quoted her 3 grand for a new single back door, but shock horror he could "do it for £2,200 if you sign now". He even did the "I'll phone my boss while you listen to the call and I'll pretend to argue with him to get another 200 quid off" crap. 3 times he tried to push her into signing up there and then, despite me telling him not to, and that I have power of attorney over her finances and was getting more quotes from other firms. I had to ask him to leave in the end. He packed up his little laptop and stomped off in a huff, I'm quite glad I wasted an hour of his time.

[stuart noble]

Very few companies find it worthwhile to make their own windows these days. Most local firms are just buying stuff in from a handful of large concerns and getting whatever markup they can. Fortunately it's a very competitive market

[dennis]

I went around five this morning. That's within five miles. They nearly all use the same Swish branded extrusions. They all quoted similar prices too, well within 20%. I don't think they make the double glazing panels though, just the frames.

[Tim Streater]

Also, look up "ovolo profile". Those uPVC frames look more like wooden ones in terms of shape - the problem with most DG in my view is that it looks like DG.

[Tony Bryer]

They're harder to find but when I replaced windows on my UK home I used thermal break aluminium which I reckon better from a sightline and long term durability pov. Mine (2008) came from Royale Glazing, Hounslow

[Bill Wright]

Yorkshire Windows are very good, and cover a wide area.

Bill

[Andy Burns]

Looks like they've gone ...

[asalcedo]

So far, I am getting names of installers. Which is helpful.

But, what about brand names of the actual windows? Are there not meaningful differences between them?

[Geoff Pearson]

None of them is very durable and are irreparable. I am now looking at a set of Everest windows, 20 years old in brown uPVC, which will have to be replaced soon. The plastic has perished, the rubber seals torn and the aluminium worn. If they had been decent timber, they would be easily maintained, easy to repair and look better. My own house is 120 years old and has all its original windows. My previous house was built in 1809 - same story.

[harryagain]

You can buy and fit your own. Small ones are quite easy. They get harder to fit as they get bigger.

Double doors are difficult.

[jgh]

Make sure (ie, specify) that any openers are hinged on the longest side. This weird fad for hinging openers on their shortest side just makes the opened window look as though whoever installed it can't tell one end of a ruler from the other - they look like they're going to take somebody's head off.

JGH

[Tim Streater]

Look up web sites of various companies which install windows. Then look to see who they use as their suppliers of frames and glass. Them look up

*those* companies and read up on their products.

You should also visit the showrooms of your small local suppliers and have a look at what they are offering. I'd suggest doping your homework first though, to decide what features are important to you. That should give you a list of questions to ask when you visit them. The transparency of the answers gives a clue to the company. You can also ask them whose products they use.

We had (nearly) our whole house redone 3 years ago by Mark Russell Glazing (Whitstable) and haven't regretted it. They charged a bit under £15k for that (this was quite a few windows and 3 complete bays). For the same windows, Everest initially quoted more than £50k and with "offers" and "deals", brought it down to something over £20k. Their windows weren't even nice looking, unlike the ones we got which use the ovolo profile.

Note that the skill of the installers is also very important.

[sm_jamieson]

You mean the hinge on the top instead of on the side for windows that are taller vertically ? I don't like that look, but an advantage is they can be left open in the rain. Simon.

[matthelliwell]

Where in the country are you? May be people could then suggest someone suit able. As well as profiles etc. make sure you understand U-values and the WE R. In a similar situation I ended up with triple-glazed windows from a loca l company. Over all U-value was 0.9.

Matt

[Huge]

Bear in mind that there are only 3 or 4 firms making the extrusions in the whole country.

[Huge]

And would you have the upstairs ones installed by flying pigs?