Want to fit replacement double glazed windows.

[evildrome]

Given the comedy prices I've seen quoted for windows, is it an idea to have someone come & measure up the windows, take those measurements, buy the windows myself and have someone fit them?

TBF, this was a long time ago, but a friend told me his company was getting £50 per window to fit replacement windows.

Which seems plausible.

There's guys round the corner from my unit that make windows. I'll get a deal off them and I have friends of friends that fit windows.

 

[RobinBHM]

you might struggle to get somebody to do a survey.

window and door surveyors tend to get about 0.5% of the contract value -could be wrong but thats from memory

you could measure them yourself but your problem will be ensuring you have specified windows which will comply with current regulations


£50 a window was probably 25 years ago


you might have friends who do installs but Im sure they would be able to provide the CERTASS / FENSA self certification for building regs if you buy the windows

 

[Ollie78]

Just mesure the brick to brick openings take of 5 or 10mm to give you a little wiggle room when fitting.

Fitting windows is incredibly easy unless there is compications like a bay, or particularly awkward access so you could just do it yourself.
The place you buy them from should have a disposal skip as part of the arrangement to get rid of the old ones.

The manufacturer should be making them in accordance with the ggf guidelines. It is unlikely their software will allow you to spec a window which doesn`t meet regs`s. usually a warning will pop up and if you do want one with no vents etc. you have to take responsibility for it.
I always spec egress/ easy clean hinges on everything and toughened glass, trickle vents are mandatory now.

You can get a building inspector to have a look instead of getting a Fensa installer or just don`t worry about it.
This is not legal advice.

 

[Lorenzl]

When I built a house years ago I fitted my own. The company I brought them from measured up and supplied everything I needed to fit.

Installation:
Screw the outside windowsill to the frame
Put frame in the hole and centre up, square with packing and fix with hammer in fixings
Put the glazed unit into the frame and pack out - will pull the frame square.
Add the plastic bit - can't remember what its called now.
Cut and push in the rubber seal.
Silicone around the frame.

Although this was 20+ years ago.

In theory you would need a building control certificate for this.

 

[Bingy man]

A friend of mine did this against my advice , he took the measurements the guy quoted but got them made elsewhere at a cheaper price. They were delivered but they didn’t fit . The original guy that did the quote only did rough measurements and then if his quote was accepted he would come back and re measure to get the exact size ..no wonder it only took him ten minutes to measure the entire 3 storey , 5 bedroom house ..so be careful with others trades measurements.

 

[Daniel Fyfe Bespoke Carpe]

Given the comedy prices I've seen quoted for windows, is it an idea to have someone come & measure up the windows, take those measurements, buy the windows myself and have someone fit them?

TBF, this was a long time ago, but a friend told me his company was getting £50 per window to fit replacement windows.

Which seems plausible.

There's guys round the corner from my unit that make windows. I'll get a deal off them and I have friends of friends that fit windows.

Doors and windows have to be signed off now.

So it isn’t the cheapest thing to have done now.

 

[flying haggis]

I didn't know replacement wi dows needed to be signed off now. Are you sure? I was quoted £4500 for replacement patio doors that I actually bought for £1200 and fitted my self!
I used this company and can't fault them.
https://www.modernupvcwindows.co.uk...JnUn3_FZtiDqmVJu0Dj6L5KN9ly14QJxHOQc76bPRm0cF

 

[Doug71]

I didn't know replacement wi dows needed to be signed off now. Are you sure?

If the person fitting them isn't FENSA registered you should go through building control, you fill in a few forms and they charge you £150+ depending on how many windows etc.

 

[Kayen]

UPVC windows aren't born equal, so be careful who you buy them from. The composition of the PVC varies in quality and the lower quality is prone to yellowing - they mix titanium into it, as I understand it, the amount added (it's expensive) decides its resistance to UV rays.

Steel reinforcement is added - these vary between none, round rods and box sections of varying thickness, which again has an impact on the quality of the final product.

Personally I hate using friends or friends of friends to do jobs for me - I'd rather do it myself or employ someone independent.

As Ollie said above, they're easy to measure and fit yourself (if flat) - buy a tower, rent a cherry picker or get some scaffolding put up. You won't have a Fensa certificate, but unless you're planning on selling your home in the near future, who cares!

 

[Agent_zed]

My dad replaced all the windows and doors in a rental a couple of months ago. Just used an online supplier, measured it all up and they supplied. Dad did all the fitting. It's not rocket science, mostly getting it square is the main thing (check your openings are square when you measure up).

Only problem he had was he was a bit heavy handed on fitting one of the panes of glass and broke it, but given he saved ~£1500 on getting someone to fit them it didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

Didn't realise you had to get a Fensa certificate. Seems like a con to me. I can understand building regs for the safety aspect but a door or window replacement? My current door is mostly hanging on by a thread and I intend to make my own door and frame, it will be far better, more secure and more efficient than what is currently there, the idea that i have to pay someone for a certificate seems crazy, when i could just leave the rubbish door there instead.

 

[deema]

My dad replaced all the windows and doors in a rental a couple of months ago. Just used an online supplier, measured it all up and they supplied. Dad did all the fitting. It's not rocket science, mostly getting it square is the main thing (check your openings are square when you measure up).

Only problem he had was he was a bit heavy handed on fitting one of the panes of glass and broke it, but given he saved ~£1500 on getting someone to fit them it didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

Didn't realise you had to get a Fensa certificate. Seems like a con to me. I can understand building regs for the safety aspect but a door or window replacement? My current door is mostly hanging on by a thread and I intend to make my own door and frame, it will be far better, more secure and more efficient than what is currently there, the idea that i have to pay someone for a certificate seems crazy, when i could just leave the rubbish door there instead.

You don’t if your ‘repairing’ the door / frame / window. I often had to do ‘extensive’ repairs to doors / windows at my last house.
I spoke to building control and we concluded that there was no definition of what a repair was and it was totally acceptable that ‘over time’ a door frame may rot out become replaced and then say the door rot out and be again become fully replaced through repairs. They were happy that for some repairs it might require a frame to be removed and refitted, not requiring inspection.
I just kind of accelerated the repair schedule!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Trigger's broom.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus

 

[Daniel Fyfe Bespoke Carpe]

Yeah. If you put your property on the market you need to provide a FENSA certificate for the doors and windows.

If you fit them yourself you can contact your local council and they can come out and sign them off for a fee.

 

[flying haggis]

But if you say you can't find the fensa certificate........

 

[Pedronicus]

Then you can buy a copy from FENSA (assuming you have one in the first place!).

 

[Lard]

I didn't know replacement wi dows needed to be signed off now. Are you sure? I was quoted £4500 for replacement patio doors that I actually bought for £1200 and fitted my self!
I used this company and can't fault them.
https://www.modernupvcwindows.co.uk...JnUn3_FZtiDqmVJu0Dj6L5KN9ly14QJxHOQc76bPRm0cF

I recently recommended a local window fitter to a mate of mine who's renovating his house. The window fitter is someone I've used several times (in regard to several properties - albeit the last one around 5yrs ago) and never had an issue with.....however, the price he's now quoted works out at about £800 per window!

Am I missing something or have window prices suddenly gone crazy?

I had a look at that online seller link (as above) and they look very good....anyone else have any experience of them? Any good?

 

[Daniel Fyfe Bespoke Carpe]

I recently recommended a local window fitter to a mate of mine who's renovating his house. The window fitter is someone I've used several times (in regard to several properties - albeit the last one around 5yrs ago) and never had an issue with.....however, the price he's now quoted works out at about £800 per window!

Am I missing something or have window prices suddenly gone crazy?

I had a look at that online seller link (as above) and they look very good....anyone else have any experience of them? Any good?

A big part of the price increase will be in the cost of the glass. Because glass is made from a certain sand and our main supplier of sand is Ukraine it went through the roof because of the war.

 

[maitland.selwyn]

I have had 4 lots of windows and doors fitted by “reputable” FENSA registered companies. Each experience has been appalling. They’ve all leaked. To be fair the various companies eventually put things almost right, although my front door and rear bi-fold doors still leak in a little. The triple glazed German tilt and turn windows were eventually replaced by the manufacturer, after the opening lights themselves were shown not to be airtight. The front door was replaced twice. Some sliding sashes were fitted with no sealant whatsoever between the wall and the frame….I have become quite adept at the “candle in the wind” short film (apologies to Elton)
I am not FENSA registered but have made and installed wooden windows for clients and bought and installed upvc ones. It is fairly straightforward. I would love to know if any of the FENSA registered fitters actually received any training.
On another note, I still struggle to understand why the government wants to improve home insulation, but thinks it is sensible to mandate trickle vents, (I have heard all the arguments about condensation and mould) but spending £££ on a sealed window which then has holes drilled in it puzzles me.

 

[Agent_zed]

Not being aware of this Fensa thing I replaced a cracked single glazed metal window set in a rotting wooden frame, with numerous cable holes drilled over the years, in my pantry with a double-glazed unit with an oak frame I made myself.

Not being a manufactured window installed by a company It wouldn't get a Fensa cert so I would have to get building regs to look at it. This would cost ~£150 to look at my window which only cost me less than £100 to make and install. I'm not one to flout the rules per say but It seems over the top to pay all that money to certify that my new double glazed unit is better than the cracked single glazed unit it replaced.

I'm doing an extension soon anyway so I guess I can try and get the building inspector to sign off on this at the same time.

 

[Jacob]

Yeah. If you put your property on the market you need to provide a FENSA certificate for the doors and windows.

You don't have to have a Fensa cert. You just tell your potential buyer about any work that's been done and let them decide on what to think about it. In fact it's a good idea to tell your buyer about any/all problems, rather than having them go through the process and then drop out half way through, over a small detail or two.

If you fit them yourself you can contact your local council and they can come out and sign them off for a fee.

I wouldn't bother.