When it’s time to choose windows for your home, the choice is daunting and the jargon bewildering. Read on to find out why I never opt for uPVC windows.
We’ve been conned into thinking uPVC windows are the best thing since sliced bread.
Back in the 1970s, the standard of double glazing came on in leaps and bounds and it was definitely a step up from single panes of glass. Let’s face it, in good condition, single panes of glass didn’t do much more than keep the wind and rain out!
My two spinster aunts had Crittal single-glazed windows in their 1930s house. I remember the bracing experience of using the bathroom during winter! I don’t suppose they ever considered replacing them – it was a daily ritual to be cold, naked and wet all at the same time!
By the way, Crittal windows are all the rage now in their new double-glazed form and offer some of the thinnest frames of any window and door range. Highly aspirational.
The house my parents built in the 1960s had double glazing with little loose crystals along the base of the cavity between the two panes. I have no clue how good they were at insulating, but they did last a remarkable number of years before they needed replacing. They have never been replaced with UPVC windows, though. The original frames from the 1960s are still in situ, only the glazing is new.
Take it from me – Nothing is maintenance free
The wide-scale introduction of uPVC windows across Britain is a national tragedy in my opinion. Those ubiquitous, thick-framed plastic jobs continue to blight many a house, whether the grimy white ones, the fake wood-effect (the horror!) and, all the while, claiming to be maintenance-free.
I just did a calculation of the ratio of frame to glass on this window in the photo below. The frame takes up 50% of the total opening (the total size of the window). I checked it twice because I was shocked at the figure.
I cannot fathom why anyone would pay good money to have 50% less light coming into your home. Admittedly it’s not quite as much as 50%, because you do need some sort of frame for every sort of window, even one that doesn’t open, aka fixed glazing.
Why would you block 50% of your natural light?
uPVC frames have to be thick to provide the structural strength. Wooden windows don’t require that thickness because wood has natural structural strength. As a result, the ratio of glass to frame is better with wooden windows. And you do want more glazing.
I’m convinced the matter of uPVC window insulation was glossed over, probably because the frames offered almost no insulation at all. They got away with it, because not enough people understand how insulation works.
Simply put, it is the principle of trapped air. Think of it as a Crunchie bar or an Aero chocolate bar with teensy tiny holes and air is trapped in every single hole. That’s what slows down heat loss. If there is just a single cavity (or void) the heat escapes very quickly. As a result, this window could be leaking heat from 50% of the surface!
Apparently wood-effect uPVC windows were introduced because owners of more upmarket homes wanted something that emulated wooden windows. Well, I’m not buying that, literally. They failed in that endeavour.
I’ve never bought a plastic window in my life. Nor will I ever.
In my numerous personal, self-build projects, I have bought hundreds of windows, some triple-glazed, some imported, factory-finished and glazed, some made in the UK and some that I hand finished myself. What they all had in common was wood. And paint coatings (in any colour) with at least 10-year guarantees.
uPVC windows are one of my pet peeves
- cleaning round the openings is just painful
- they are not maintenance free
- frames are far too thick/wide
- insulation performance isn’t made clear
- not much colour choice
- the blight of glazing bars blocking more light
- hard-sell merchants we used to call “double-glazing salesmen”
Give me a jolly joiner craftsperson any day of the week.
I’m Eileen and I help busy professionals to transform the home they are in by making the space really work for their individual lifestyles. I have opinions on everything house-related and a long list of pet peeves – not just plastic windows.
Check out my other blog posts here and inspire yourself to add some drama with amazing windows like these. After all, windows are the facial expression on your home.
