Timber is the right answer in fewer situations than it used to be, but where it is right, nothing else will do. Period houses, protected structures and conservation areas often require it, and there are houses where a uPVC window simply looks wrong. The honest trade off is maintenance, and it is worth going in with clear eyes about that.
When is timber the right choice?
When the house is a protected structure or in an architectural conservation area, or when the proportions and detail of the original windows are part of what the house is.
Planning conditions decide it in a lot of cases. A protected structure or a house in a conservation area will often have a condition requiring timber, and the profile and glazing bar pattern may be specified too. That is a question for your local authority before anything is ordered.
Outside of planning, it comes down to how the house reads. On a Georgian or Victorian house with fine glazing bars, the heavier sections of a uPVC frame change the proportion of the window and it shows from the street.
What does maintaining timber windows actually involve?
Repainting on a cycle, checking the seals, and dealing with any bare timber before weather gets into it.
Modern factory finished timber windows are a long way from the bare softwood of decades ago. The finish lasts years rather than seasons, but it is a finish and it will eventually need renewing, sooner on a south or west facing elevation that takes the weather.
The thing that actually destroys timber windows is water getting into unprotected end grain and joints. Catching a chip or a crack early is the whole game.
What about sash windows?
Sliding sash is the traditional pattern in most Irish period houses, and it can be replaced like for like or the existing boxes refurbished.
Where the existing sash boxes are sound, refurbishment with new sashes and draught seals often gives a better result than replacement, and is usually easier to get past planning on a protected structure.
Where they are beyond repair, new sash units are made to the original sight lines. Getting the glazing bar thickness and the meeting rail height right is what makes a replacement look correct rather than approximate.
Is timber worth it if there is no planning requirement?
Sometimes, and it depends on how much the look matters to you against the maintenance you are taking on.
We will give you a straight answer at the design stage rather than a sales one. On a lot of houses uPVC or aluminium is the better decision, and we will say so. On a period house where the windows are a defining feature, timber earns it.
If timber is not required and not right, our uPVC and aluminium pages cover the alternatives.
Windows carry a ten year warranty against defects.
How it works
Send us photos, a short video and rough sizes of each window and tell us what you want. You get a free 3D design of the windows in your own house and one complete itemised quote, with every window and door priced on its own line. Once you agree it, we measure every opening on site before anything is made. Nothing is ordered and nothing is charged until you say yes.
Everything we supply is premium and made to the highest spec, and it is priced to that standard. Quality at this level is not a budget purchase, and we would rather say so here than after you have waited for a quote. If you are working to a tight budget, we are honestly not the right fit.
One team for the windows and the rest of the job
Our own team fits your windows, and we also do kitchens, fitted wardrobes and media walls and fitted furniture. If more than one thing needs doing, it is one contractor, one schedule and one point of contact.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need planning permission to replace windows?
On a protected structure or in an architectural conservation area, usually yes, and the material and profile may be conditioned. Check with your local authority before ordering anything.
Is there a minimum order for windows and doors?
Yes. The minimum order is 5 windows or doors, in any mix: 5 windows, 5 doors, or 3 doors and 2 windows. We do not quote for one or two on their own, because the freight alone would cost more than the door or window.
Can you match an existing window profile?
Timber can be made to a specified profile and glazing bar pattern, which is exactly why it is used on period houses.
How often will they need painting?
A modern factory applied finish lasts years rather than seasons, with exposed elevations needing attention sooner. Catching damage early matters more than the interval.
What makes timber windows more expensive to own?
Not the purchase so much as the upkeep. Painted timber needs recoating on a cycle, and that maintenance is the cost people forget to count.