Advice on DIY double glazing install please ?

[tigler]

Sounds like another stooopid regulation to me !! New double glazed windows will be a massive improvement over the exisitng windows so what could be the problem !

 

[brightspark]

They could and will if they want to, if you've broken the rules, expect to pay, not if, when.

When you come to sell, planning approval certificates will be required, if you don't have them you'll have to fork out for indemnity cover, it may be cheap for some things but could seriously cost you for others...

I do do my own work, but I check first, where I live you can get seriously big problems arguing, I've know people like you to have been forced to knock everything down, themselves.


Remember, their the ones that make to rules, if you choose to break them it's at your expense, or the person you sell the house to for the loss they make after paying you for something that had to be removed or put right...
Very poor showmanship IMHO

lol indemnity 75 quid a go each fault peanuts . my mates just sold his house 1.5 million he built a conservatory and changed all windows without planning permission . cost him 150 quid indemnity a pi ,.,./.,/s in ocean at that price. my house is worth 400 grand it only cost 28 grand to buy and same amount to renovate so who cares i dont . thats life

 

[Omniata]

Sounds like another stooopid regulation to me !! New double glazed windows will be a massive improvement over the exisitng windows so what could be the problem !

Depends on age of house, area it's located, required ratings, etc, etc...
The list is endless...


Best contacting building control, if you can fit "standard uPVC A-Rated" frames or "B-Rated" frames go for it...

Don't fit them without asking though, you can and will be forced to remove them


Some councils specify "timber only", or specialist requirements for the glass, such as georgian bar or leading...


And there will be some jobsworth, typically a uPVC fitter that wants the work that will report you to make your life a misery for saving money

 

[tigler]

Thats my point though, the existing windows are single glazed and not even draught proofed so how could a modern, hardwood double glazed unit be worse ?!

 

[Omniata]

Thats my point though, the existing windows are single glazed and not even draught proofed so how could a modern, hardwood double glazed unit be worse ?!

I'm not saying it could be worse

Just that yes they'll probably agree but want the "finish" to a specification for the area...

A company I deal with regularly has loads of "fun" with conservation areas that allow uPVC, but the finishes have to match neighbours buildings on the front faces of the houses...
Some of the customers didn't even know they were in a conservation area

Others had to have the glass units changed from leaded to georgian bar because of building control in normal residential areas...



If you choose hardwood double glazed your making the best choice, I know how much they cost, as in cost to buy from a manufacturer
I also know the guarantees

If you don't ask anything else special from the makers, ask for "micro porous paint", only has to be extremely lightly sanded every two years and a single thin coat of the same paint to renew them...

 

[brightspark]

I'm not saying it could be worse

Just that yes they'll probably agree but want the "finish" to a specification for the area...

A company I deal with regularly has loads of "fun" with conservation areas that allow uPVC, but the finishes have to match neighbours buildings on the front faces of the houses...
Some of the customers didn't even know they were in a conservation area

Others had to have the glass units changed from leaded to georgian bar because of building control in normal residential areas...



If you choose hardwood double glazed your making the best choice, I know how much they cost, as in cost to buy from a manufacturer
I also know the guarantees

If you don't ask anything else special from the makers, ask for "micro porous paint", only has to be extremely lightly sanded every two years and a single thin coat of the same paint to renew them...

i had my hardwood windows made 20 years ago there as good as the day they were made every 2 years they get rubbed down with wire wool [ NOT SANDED } and 2 coats of farbaline microporous wood stain aplied

 

[Omniata]

i had my hardwood windows made 20 years ago there as good as the day they were made every 2 years they get rubbed down with wire wool [ NOT SANDED } and 2 coats of farbaline microporous wood stain aplied

They'll be guaranteed rot free for 30 years, providing they're looked after


Wire wool or lightly sanded with ~1500 grit, it doesn't matter, it's the paint that's important , as long as the "leafs" or raised bits are removed it amends the surface itself...
Stains are still available but a "paint" is now being used that's a surface finish and not sub-surface...

It was pioneered in Scandinavia and is suitable for softwood too


Timber Windows.com - This is one of the manufacturers I deal with, their products are "exclusive" to the UK and of a very high quality...

Sadly "Joe Public" wanting to buy/install will be disappointed to know that they only sell through their registered and approved installers to ensure all the guarantees they offer stand throughout the life of the windows...
NB: That's the "life" of the windows, not the "guaranteed life"...

 

[Chickenjohn]

Sounds like another stooopid regulation to me !! New double glazed windows will be a massive improvement over the exisitng windows so what could be the problem !

EXACTLY!

We should ignore these regulations, in a few years they will be overturned.

 

[Nomad]

For DIY UPVC, I got our local double glazing place to make some "supply only" to my measurements.

Easy enough to fit plain windows.
If looking at a bay window, suggest you get someone else to measure it up - not an easy job and plenty of ways to get it wrong
If fitting larger windows, make sure you support the aperture when you remove the old window, just to stop anything above shifting when the window is removed

For UPVC, keep an eye on Ebay etc and you might get lucky. For hardwood I guess you will need to have custom made.

Not a difficult DIY job, paperwork is the main problem

 

[Jammy James]

My dad made all the hardwood windows and the conservatory from scratch and then glazed them himself all double glazing about 17 years ago he restains them every2-3 years.

 

[tigler]

Wish I could manage that but it's beyond my joinery skills, even with a mitre saw etc !!!!

 

[jugs]

Tigler

Just a thought,
make sure you get your DG units made with "K glass" as it reflects infrared back into the room & now isn't much more than std glass.

 

[tigler]

Cheers, I'll be sure to specify that.

 

[Robotstar5]

Tigler

Just a thought,
make sure you get your DG units made with "K glass" as it reflects infrared back into the room & now isn't much more than std glass.

I thought DG units HAD to be fitted with "K" glass since sometime in 2003?

 

[bill_gj]

Hmm....won't be long now until you have to be accompanied by a gastro-enterologist for a visit to the toilet. Government legislation, y'know.

 

[the artfull-codger]

I thought DG units HAD to be fitted with "K" glass since sometime in 2003?

if you're replacing a damaged unit to an existing frame you were able replace like for like, but if you are installing new frames you have to fit them with pilks' ''k'' glass[ or equivalent eg saint gobain's version] if units are fitted into a pvc frame it's a drained system, ie any water that gets in through the gasket [& it does] the units are on packers & the water drains out through the drain holes in the bottom of the frame, if the drain holes are blocked [or not drilled in the first place] the unit will fail eventually as the unit sealent will not take standing in water [hence units that have misted up] & no broken glass.

slan go fol

 

[mike os]

As said the rules were changed to try & remove the rogue elements.... but as usual they dont give a toss & just ignore them

replacement is a legally regulated process ( building regs) and you are therefore in a position to "do it by the book" or face the possible concequences.

Mainly they are concerned with energy efficiency and means of escape, and of course background ventilation. Other aspects are safety (glass) and structural detailing (instalation).

UPVC is the easy choice as they are almost always fully compliant with all aspects of the regulations ( particularly energy & draught), wood needs to be done right.... and I would always want to ensure the manufacturer could certify their compliance with the current standards... as they can make you replace them if not.

Stuff to be aware of:- (basic requirements)

all glazing units must contain 1 pane of energy efficient glass.. K or similar. and be fitted the right way round.

Rooms requiring background ventilation (trickle vents)... basically all

Means of escape... all bedrooms MUST comply as far as practical (ie if it can it must, if it cant it must be as near compliant as possible) 1 opening to the sizes in the relevant sections of the regs.

Glass in doors, within 450mm of a door or opening, or less than 800mm off the floor must be safety glass.... toughened or laminated (again an absolute requirement)


Council typically charge about £80 for the inspection.... a no brainer for me..... you need to tell them when you are starting & they will probably only visit once during the work & then when you finish... leave teh "K glass" stickers on the units till they have been

If you are set on hardwood then I would discuss it with building control first to make sure they are happy with the supplied windows.

Easy peasy job.... look at the monkeys most window firms employ.....

 

[pedrobedro]

Our upstairs window sill is less than 1 metre from the floor so the new ones had to be fitted with tempered glass so you don't fall through and break them. The old windows had been in since we moved here about 30 years ago and no-one ever fell through one of them. I made a couple of frames on the back of the house from soft wood and they are still solid 25 years later, I Cuprinol treated them before fitting and used Sadolin after.

 

[Bobtail4x4]

Im a BCO,I often get calls from people who had a "mate" fit windows and now they cant sell the house,
I saw one today the windows opened so you had 200mm to squeeze through, the staircase went into the kitchen so wasnt any good for escape.

the indemnety policys are not always accepted, as they are not worrth the paper they are written on, and dont cover you for the kids dieing really?

 

[pidgeon chit welder]

if u look on all double glazing units the date and details of manafacture are etched on the glass in the corner somewhere or on the spacer bead inside

I had aLL REPLACEMENT GLASSES FITTED YER HONOUR

I did three of the last five homes I've owned the fourth was a FENSA company who should have been called Bodgit and Scarper when I tried to get the faulty work sorted .


I was in a spinal hospital when they left my lass at home with a four inch gap above the patio doors in January 2001 nursing a three week old bairn.

I found out it only covered companies who had been bankrupted .
Fensa means SFA even if the job is registered for they still say take it to the county court.