Stop! Save Our Sash Windows From UPVC Invasion
PreviousNext
Stop! Save Our Sash Windows From UPVC Invasion
Anyone that comes across me knows that I am a big fan of keeping our British heritage property intact. We have some unique property in this country that in my opinion should be preserved. I’m not talking about true listed heritage, but our more common or garden variety Victorian and Edwardian street terraces which can be found in most of our towns and cities.
Sash Is Best
One of my biggest bug bears is the wanton ripping out of old style wooden sash windows in favour of cheap looking plastic (UPVC) ones for no real reason other than double glazing or modernisation. In many cases a lot of the windows I’ve seen taken out are perfectly serviceable and could be rescued with a little work and a LOT less expense than replacing with cheapo plastic or aluminium rubbish which do not suit the building. Add to this the fact that when you replace windows you often have to take out all the internal woodwork too, which, on the whole is replaced with cheapo MDF, or worse- more plastic! Nice.
Consider also, that most of the cost in UPVC double glazing comes in the making good after they are fitted, not in the windows themselves, which are relatively inexpensive to produce.
Another Builder, Another Sash Rip Out
Two doors down from me this is happening again. Builders have moved in on a property. It’s a lovely decorative large Victorian terrace. Builders have ripped out the sashes and replaced with the cheapest, ugliest windows I’ve seen in a long time. This type of replacement is destroying the very soul of our streets and creating a mish-mash of styles and quality.
I wandered past there yesterday after they had left to *ahem* inspect the sashes taken out.There was nothing wrong with them that a few quick repairs that a competent chippie could not sort out. When I see this going on, my heart sinks. Another hatchet job on lovely old windows, which will more than likely end up at landfill.
Lets Start A Campaign!
Personally I would love to start a campaign to ban this type of practice so that the integrity of our streets can be kept and not destroyed by the absence of proper planning rules. If I had my way, Victorian and Edwardian property would have some form of lower listed buildings consent required, particularly for external works.
For The Record…
Old sash windows can now be repaired to obtain drought proof, non rattle, double glazed windows which are in keeping with the style of the building and dont look like some alien has taken root at the front of your home. These new style repairs are just as efficient as UPVC or aluminium, so come on people, have some taste, save some money and keep your old windows.
Think of the saying “the eyes are the windows of the soul” and transfer that to buildings as; ‘windows are the eyes to the soul of the interior” then you will get the idea. Windows hint at the taste level I will find inside. Or is that just me??
If you would like to comment on this rant …er…blog ….please do so below.
You may be interested in this article too: Does UPVC Double Glazing Save Money?
Our ethos is to help people to really understand property investing without all the guff and marketing hype and bias. We are proud to be wholly independent and ethical. No nonsense advice about tax, pensions, property investment and finance via our blogs and social media channels.
If you like our articles, please comment below, join us, or forward them to your social media fans
Janet Trowell Discountletting.co.uk Join me on Twitter LinkedIn Google plus
By editor|June 16th, 2022|Categories: Property Development, Restoring Property|Tags: development, Plastic, property, Replacing, Sash, Stop, UPVC, Windows|6 Comments
Categories
Select Category Architecture Blogs Banking Problems Solved Be2camp East Event Buy To Let Property Design & Decor ECO Issues Economy News Estate & Lettings Agents Ethical Property Investing Finance, Mortgages & Funding Foreign Property Garden Blogs Guest Bloggers Health & Safety Issues Investing & investments Mentor Moments Money & Tax Personal Announcements Politics Of Property Property Development Property Networking Property Related Posts Restoring Property Social Media In Property special posts UK Property Market Comment Video Blogs
Featured Posts
-
Why Tax Is About Knowledge Not Morals
-
Barclays Versus Savills And The Property Industry Valuations Fraud
-
FSA, LIBOR And Interest Rate Swap Loans
-
Help With Your Mortgage Debt, Repossession, Or Liquidation
Blogroll
- https://www.conveyancingfees.org.uk. Low cost conveyancing compare over 25 solicitors today
- Landlord Law Legal landlord and tenant expert Tessa Shepperson’s site teaching both tenants and landlords their legal rights and obligations.
Banking Debt Problems
- Copyright © MyPropertyMentor.co.uk 2025 All rights reserved
X
Username
Password
Remember me
Join Us
Password Reset Please enter your e-mail address. You will receive a new password via e-mail.
Email:
I love what you’re doing here. We are doing the same!
*comment edited* External links not allowed in comments.
Thanks.
The future we are planning a lot of updates, so come back here every day
Around southport many sash windows are being removed due to new regs meaning double glazing must be installed and of course upvc is the cheapest options for the landlords
I doubt you’ll agree with any of my comments, as I work for a leading uPVC sash window manufacturer, but there are a couple of points I’d like to make in response to your post.
Firstly, I agree with the overall sentiment you express – it really is a shame to see original sash windows ripped out and replaced with cheap, unsuitable, aesthetically jarring uPVC casement windows. However, I wonder whether you and your readers are aware of uPVC sliding sash windows as a product.
These windows, (which we and a handful of competitors manufacture) are a different proposition to standard uPVC casements, and are completely authentic in appearance. With fully mechanical joints (like timber), run-through horns (like timber), grained finishes (like timber) we are happy to challenge anyone to spot the difference once they are properly installed. Indeed, we have challenged many different people before, including Conservation Officers, planners and joiners – some of whom have been dead set against uPVC from the outset – and every time they are surprised at just how good these windows look.
I’ve added a photo of this type of window to this post, and although it would be crass for me to try and post a link to our website, I would encourage you and your readers to search for my company and judge for yourselves. I’m hope and believe you may be surprised.
I’d also like to challenge your assertion that repairing old timber sashes will be cheaper than and equally effective as replacing them with high quality uPVC sashes. Not true! Typically a full window restoration by a quality joiner will cost as much as if not more than replacing it with one of our windows (which are typically quite expensive in their own right – you get what you pay for!). And no repair or restoration job can approach uPVC sash windows in terms of thermal efficiency and security. Of course, that’s before you consider the cost and effort involved in regularly maintaining the restored windows, to stop them getting back into the same state they were in before.
So, to sum up, I don’t disagree with your desire to keep period properties looking authentic and attractive, but I DO disagree when you say that uPVC windows are always unsuitable. High quality uPVC sash windows are certainly not unsuitable, and I would argue that they are – in many cases – a better solution than restoration.
As I said in the blog, this is not just about UV values or potential recyclability of old UPVC, it is as much about taking out windows made from wood which can easily be repaired for less than the cost of new UPVC. Wood can also be treated for waterproofing and can be retrospectively double glazed which covers draft and noise issues in the same way.