The windows in these blocks are mostly original, and a fair number are now genuinely past repair rather than merely worn. So this is one of the few areas where replacement really is the right answer more often than not, and the useful conversation is about what to put in rather than whether to.
Aluminium or uPVC, decided by the opening
Both are good and they suit different situations, and the honest answer depends on the opening rather than on preference.\n\nuPVC seals better and insulates better, and its frames are thicker, which eats into the glass area on a small window.\n\nAluminium has slimmer sections, so a small opening keeps more light, and it handles a large span better. So on a small window we usually suggest aluminium and on a bedroom window facing noise we usually suggest uPVC. We will say which applies to each opening rather than quoting one material throughout.
What a replacement actually disturbs
Taking an old window out affects the plaster and paint around the opening, and that is the part people are not warned about.\n\nA neat removal limits it to a band a few centimetres wide around the frame, which is easily made good.\n\nWe cut the old frame out rather than lever it, precisely to keep that band narrow. It is slower and it is the difference between touching up around a window and replastering a wall. We include making good in the quote rather than leaving it as your problem.
Doing a flat in stages
Replacing every window in a flat at once is a large cost, and it does not have to happen at once.\n\nThe windows that matter most are the ones facing weather and noise, and those are usually a minority of the flat.\n\nSo we would list them in priority order and let you do two or three a year if that suits. The only thing to fix at the start is the specification, so that the last ones match the first. That costs nothing to decide now and cannot be corrected later.
How the job works
- Tell us about the jobSend a few photos, rough sizes and what you need. Use WhatsApp or the form. For a repair, a short video of the door moving helps a lot.
- We call you back in about 2 minutesWe confirm what you need and a time to visit. Where we can, we give you a rough price on the call.
- We come and measureWe measure the opening and check the walls, floor and ceiling around it. Anything made to size is made to these measurements, so they must be right.
- You get a written priceIt lists each item, with GST as its own line. If anything about the job changes, we tell you before we go ahead.
- We fit itYou approve the price and pay the advance. Our own team fits the work, checks that every door and window opens and closes properly, and clears up. Most jobs are done in 3 to 4 days.
