Window Dilemna

hotdog10

Hi All - first time poster here, hope I'm putting this in the right spot! We are in the middle of a new build, and are at the windows decision stage and are struggling a bit so I thought I would try to get some opinions from others in the know.

We have already decided to have triple glazing, but are unsure of what material to go for for the window frames. We love the look and feel of wood, but obviously, don't love the idea of the maintenance. PVC has come on a long way from what it used to be and with the wood effect etc it's not unappealing but we have both always disliked the idea of PVC windows. At the same time, if we put in wood windows and end up having a cold house because of the windows, we'd be kicking ourselves for not going with PVC.

Then there is AluClad, lovely wood on the inside and maintenance free, but there has been some talk banded about of water getting trapped behind the aluminium and rotting the wood from the inside out..not to mention AluClad are top dolla pricing. Again, if we pushed the boat out and ended up with rotting windows we'd really be fuming at ourselves!

At a bit of a standstill here so if anyone has opinions to offer, on both aesthetics and practicality we'd really really appreciate it. Also if anyone made it to the end of this long post - kudos!

kkelliher

hotdog10 wrote: »

Hi All - first time poster here, hope I'm putting this in the right spot! We are in the middle of a new build, and are at the windows decision stage and are struggling a bit so I thought I would try to get some opinions from others in the know.

We have already decided to have triple glazing, but are unsure of what material to go for for the window frames. We love the look and feel of wood, but obviously, don't love the idea of the maintenance. PVC has come on a long way from what it used to be and with the wood effect etc it's not unappealing but we have both always disliked the idea of PVC windows. At the same time, if we put in wood windows and end up having a cold house because of the windows, we'd be kicking ourselves for not going with PVC.

Then there is AluClad, lovely wood on the inside and maintenance free, but there has been some talk banded about of water getting trapped behind the aluminium and rotting the wood from the inside out..not to mention AluClad are top dolla pricing. Again, if we pushed the boat out and ended up with rotting windows we'd really be fuming at ourselves!

At a bit of a standstill here so if anyone has opinions to offer, on both aesthetics and practicality we'd really really appreciate it. Also if anyone made it to the end of this long post - kudos!

It really does come down to preference and budget. All have different elements to add to a property. I would try and avoid UPVC if your budget allows as whilst they are fit for purpose, they add little to any property (outside of budget of course).

I personally love aluclad and would happily put it in every property, budget allowing.

Curious Geroge

hotdog10 wrote: »

Hi All - first time poster here, hope I'm putting this in the right spot! We are in the middle of a new build, and are at the windows decision stage and are struggling a bit so I thought I would try to get some opinions from others in the know.

We have already decided to have triple glazing, but are unsure of what material to go for for the window frames. We love the look and feel of wood, but obviously, don't love the idea of the maintenance. PVC has come on a long way from what it used to be and with the wood effect etc it's not unappealing but we have both always disliked the idea of PVC windows. At the same time, if we put in wood windows and end up having a cold house because of the windows, we'd be kicking ourselves for not going with PVC.

Then there is AluClad, lovely wood on the inside and maintenance free, but there has been some talk banded about of water getting trapped behind the aluminium and rotting the wood from the inside out..not to mention AluClad are top dolla pricing. Again, if we pushed the boat out and ended up with rotting windows we'd really be fuming at ourselves!

At a bit of a standstill here so if anyone has opinions to offer, on both aesthetics and practicality we'd really really appreciate it. Also if anyone made it to the end of this long post - kudos!

We're at the same stage. The talk of aluclad and our lack of knowledge in hard/soft woods and how pressure treatment and knots affect the wood makes the decision harder again. Then we find statements in the warranties around fungal infection in the wood not been covered so that was that !!!

Our latest is aluminium windows. Seems to be offering same U values with the nice external finish but I've not been able to get a good level of good or bad feedback.

fclauson

from an aesthetic perspective I went Aluclad

The should last longer than wood with no maintenance
they are a pleasure to look at on the inside
and simple to maintain on the out

as mentioned its a aesthetic beauty vs cost calculation

1930sRevamp

Hi Guys,

Interesting thread. We're going UPvc sliding sash (Alucald would be gorg, but so would money!), as they suit the style of the building. I've got quotes from 3 different companies, but the most recent gives two different quotes - the first for the windows to have an Irish certification. The second for the windows with a EU certification - there's a 2.5k price difference, so I'd like to know if this is just sales buff? It seems strange to me, that the same company would have two sets to Upvc Sliding Sash, each with different certificates. What's the story does anyone know?? Both quotes are for windows with no lead, and 10 year guarantee, both double glazed with u-value of 1 for window and frame together.

By the way, have quote from MJ also, & quote for their triple glaze is same as higher of teh above quotes. From what I've read on here, I'm veering towards the above company, although its only double glazed. Is this a good choice, in your opinion?

Any advice gladly received.

hotdog10

Thanks for the replies so far everyone, it does come down to cost really but at the stage of the build that we are at, we've cut a few corners and plan to with a few other things so it doesn't necessarily come down to budget only with us.

Now having said that, we've gotten quotes for Wood from 4 companies who are all in and around the same range give or take 1 or 2 k, and same for alu clad. Then we've gotten a quote for wood and alu clad from another large company and their wood windows are half the price of the other quotes. Their alu clad are a little bit closer, but still significantly cheaper than the others.

We are slightly concerned that this company is coming in so much cheaper than the others - and are wondering if this is something that we should worry about! Also - not too sure about naming names I know thats generally frowned upon so maybe if anyone has any recommendations or otherwise of a few window companies they might PM them to me? If you can't tell already - all assistance greatly appreciated at this stage guys!

nudedragon

HI,just wondering what decision ye made after in regards to your window choice and are ye happy??? new build happening myself in the new year.

Cheers.