What does it cost to replace windows?

Why there is no price per window

Two windows the same size can cost double one another. That is not sales talk. A window is not a catalogue product, it is a specific opening in a specific wall.

When someone fires a fixed price at you on WhatsApp without visiting, either they are quoting the cheapest possible number to hook you and will raise it at the measuring visit, or they are going to fit the cheapest material they can find. Both end the same way.

What actually moves the price

• The material. PVC, thermally broken aluminium, or composite. It is not just a price difference, it is a performance difference. I cover it fully in the PVC or aluminium guide.
• The size of the opening. Obvious, but not linear: past a certain size the profile has to be reinforced and the price climbs faster than the centimetres.
• The opening type. A slider and a tilt-and-turn the same size are not the same money. The tilt-and-turn seals far better and carries more hardware.
• The glazing. A large slice of the budget goes here, and it is where people cut without realising. Standard double glazing and acoustic glazing look alike and perform nothing alike.
• The blind. If the housing has to change, or it needs motorising, or the opening has to be adapted, that is a separate line. Sometimes the existing one can be kept, sometimes not.
• The installation. A third floor villa at street level and a seventh floor with no goods lift are different jobs. Same material, different work.

What a serious quote should contain

When you compare two quotes, check they are describing the same thing. If one says “PVC window” and the other specifies the system, the chamber count, the glazing and the hardware, you are not comparing prices. You are comparing a price against an unknown.

• The specific material and system, not just “PVC” or “aluminium”
• Measurements for each opening
• The glazing build-up
• The opening type for each window
• Whether removal and disposal of the old window is included
• Whether the internal and external finishing is included
• Manufacturing lead time and fitting date
• The guarantee, and for how many years

A quote that fits on one line is not a cheap quote. It is an incomplete one, and whatever is missing turns up later.

How I do it

I come to your home, measure the openings, look at which way they face and where the noise is coming from, and send you a written quote covering everything on that list. The visit costs nothing and there are no chasing calls afterwards.

And if it turns out yours can be fixed with a catch and a seal, I will tell you, even though I earn less that way.