*I received a small discount on these windows for sharing the DIY installation process on the blog. All words and opinions are my own and I only promote products I genuinely can recommend.
Back in May, we started the process of DIY installing new windows for the front of the house. But not just any new windows, uPVC sash windows! Yes, SASH WINDOWS. Albeit, plastic. But actual sashes! Can you tell how excited I am about this?!
So, let’s start at the beginning. Our living room window had some major flaws and needed replacing (read: it didn’t lock – eek!). We put off replacing it, not just for one year, two, three, or four, but five whole years! The problem is, when you replace one window you end up wanting to replace them all, otherwise, they won’t quite match. If you’ve been there – you know! And that’s the reason why we’ve waited so long. The expense of replacing all three front windows.
Why uPVC Sash Windows? The Price!
I always loved the idea of reinstating the original style sash windows, but I never thought it would be possible with our budgets. At £700+ a window, we probably would have needed to win the lottery. But I was so committed to the idea, I didn’t want to just buy any old window, I thought if I waited long enough, maybe one day, we could afford them.
Earlier this year, I was introduced to Colin’s Sash Windows – uPVC sash windows starting at £299 for virtually ANY SIZE. Yes, you did read that right – not a typo, £299 for any size (up to 1250mm wide and 2300mm high). What?! I couldn’t quite believe it either! I questioned the quality of the windows and how realistic they would look, but the reviews and photos all looked really good. So, after much deliberation, we decided to invest.
And I’m so glad we did! I wanted to do a proper round-up post showcasing the before and afters of this transformation because I think it’s pretty epic and we’ve finally finished installing all three windows! Windows really CAN do wonders for a house, especially when they’re sash windows! Even uPVC ones. I mean, can you tell they’re not wood?!
uPVC Sash Style: Offset Three Light
The way it works is that £299 is the starting price for a basic uPVC sash in white. This includes A+ rated glass (toughened glass on the bottom sash), 150mm cill, white window furniture and plant-on horns. Any extra feature, such as astragal bars, coloured frames, deeper cills or upgraded run-through horns are charged as extra, so you can tailor your window entirely to suit your budget. Check this link to see what a £299 uPVC sash looks like.
Sash windows come in loads of different styles, just like skirting, fireplaces or other original period features you would find in an old home. The design and requirements of your window will entirely depend on your personal choice and the age/style of your home.
The style of sash we opted for is called “offset three light” which basically relates to two astragal bars being offset from the centre of the window. This style matches the other properties on our street, however, ours are probably a bit more spaced apart than our neighbours (the only thing I would change, although Grant says he personally prefers ours, ha)!
You can, of course, opt for a single bar, a grid (like you’d find on Georgian properties) or even no bars. I really like the astragal bars thought and I think they make the windows look more grand, more sophisticated and more of a feature. I think the quality of the window is brilliant though and they genuinely look authentic!
We also added a deeper bottom rail with internal upstand, which basically means the bottom of the window frame is deeper. This sounds like a weird extra to pay for, but it’s slightly more authentic to the original style sashes, however, it does mean we have slightly less glass.
Safety and Security Features
As you know, the reason we needed to replace the window in the first place was because of a security issue. The original window didn’t lock – so the security of our new windows was clearly important to us.
Each window comes with a lock (we upgraded to the chrome finish) and travel restrictors. These essentially restrict the window being opened further than around 10cm when they’re left in their open position. It means a child cannot open the window further – and neither can anyone from the outside. It’s a really small clever feature which I think is pretty genius.
Living on a fairly busy street with lots of foot traffic means leaving the downstairs window open would have always have been a concern for us. Without travel restrictors, someone could easily push the window full up and climb right in. However, that can’t happen! Even if we forget to lock the window, the window will only ever open around 10cm, unless the restrictors are opened from the inside.
And what’s more – when you close the window the travel restrictors automatically revert back into their open position, so you don’t even need to remember to change them! You only ever need to close them in order to push the window further up – not the other way round. I love this feature!
Great for Ventilation and Easy Cleaning
Two other features I love is the fact you can open both the top and bottom sash and even have both open at the same time! Apparently, this is the best way to maximise ventilation in a room and I’ve definitely noticed a difference in airflow and being able to cool the room. You have much greater control, being able to open the window in various ways.
The windows also tilt inwards, so we can even clean them from the inside ourselves too! A nice way to save on window cleaning (sorry window cleaners!).
An Inside View
From the inside, I think they look great too! Of course, we still need to finish some of the internal work, but I think they’re so much more pleasing on the eye than the old windows. I was kinda worried the astragal bars might feel a bit prison-like, but I don’t think they do!
DIY Installation
We chose to DIY install, simply because we couldn’t afford to have someone fit them for us! You know the story, budgets are slim, so it means we have to learn new skills. That included everything from taking our own measurements to figuring out the tools we needed and how to actually fit the window.
It wasn’t too complicated, but it was definitely a tad awkward and heavy. I mean, just getting the windows up our narrow and curved stairs was definitely a challenge!
Grant did the prep-work on his own, which involved removing the old window, the old sash frame and then padding out the sides with new lengths of timber. You can read the full DIY sash window fitting process here. We then installed the windows together and we used a
With sash windows, everything needs to be perfect in order for the windows to slide, lock and for the draught seals to work properly. This means the windows need to be perfectly level and the screws shouldn’t be over-tightened or they may distort the frame. It took a bit of back and forth to get it right, but we got there in the end. I think if you have a reasonable amount of DIY experience, this is definitely do-able DIY style.
Full Breakdown of Costs
Here’s a breakdown of all the extras we added (on top of the starting £299 price):
- Astragal Bars in the style “offset three light” – £48
- Chrome window furniture (an upgrade from the standard white) – £10
- Run-through horns (an upgrade from plant-on horns) – £25
- Deep bottom rail with decorative internal upstand (this is slightly more authentic to the original sash designs) – £48
Total Cost Per Window: £430
If you can do the math, you’ll know that makes a total spend of £1260 for three new uPVC sash windows at the front of the house. We could definitely have saved ourselves a bit by not opting for the deep bottom rail, but you know what – I’m glad we did! It’s a bit more authentic to the original style of sash windows and considering we only ever want to buy windows ONCE, I’m glad we went all out.
So yeah, if you can’t tell – I’m pretty delighted with our purchase! uPVC was definitely a great choice for us, not just because it meant the windows were cheaper, but also because there’s far less maintenance involved. You guys know how much DIY/renovation work we’re constantly doing, so there really isn’t much time for yearly maintenance. A quick clean is all uPVC sash windows need – and that’s enough work for me!
We won’t be fitting new windows at the back of the house, just purely because it’s a bit too much for us to afford. At least, it is right now. Oh, and in case you want to see a proper before and after from the horror of how the house looked when we moved in:
It’s changed a bit, huh? I’m so so happy with it
Remaining Plans for the Front of House
Obviously, it’s not finished yet! Whilst our new uPVC sash windows have made a HUGE improvement to the house in many ways, we still have a few more things to do to before I’m 100% happy with everything.
Replacing the front door is a definite MUST – I’m currently keeping an eye out on eBay for an original style victorian door. And I’d also like to repaint the window sill and lintel too. You can probably see they’re in need of a bit of a touch up!
And then finally, I think some window boxes and plant pots around the door would go a long way too. And possibly even a bin store! All jobs for next year of course, but it will look amazing when complete!
So what do you reckon? Have these uPVC sash windows surprised you?
*Disclaimer: We purchased these windows with a discount for sharing on the blog! All words and opinions are my own.
**This post may also contain affiliate links.
2 Comments
If you’re looking for an original Victorian front door, you don’t want Ebay, you need to pay a visit to Les Oakes reclamation yard in Cheadle (Staffordshire) on the edge of the Peak District (probably about an hour and a half from you). They have an entire barn filled with period doors of every size and style. We got a Victorian back door for £25 – though I should point out out wasn’t finished in any way and we had to strip out ourselves. The main thing to note is that all the doors are stacked in a higgledy fashion and it’s very dirty, so you’ll need to take your scruffs and be prepared to move a lot of doors to find your perfect door. There’s usually nobody around except in the office where you pay, you just wander in. Also take cash.
Amazing!! This sounds right up my street, thank you! Will definitely take a look and hopefully manage to pop by and have a look before the end of the year. I love a good reclamation yard! Thank you 🙂