London's #1 Window Repair Expert

In conservation areas, you will need to ask for planning permission to modify period timber windows on the street-facing side, while listed buildings will have protections on all windows in the house.

If you are permitted to replace the windows, it is usually on the condition that the replacement are conservation approved period replicas, built exact to the millimeter with the originals.

Because of the cost involved in producing such replicas, you need to consider whether it is more cost effective to repair or replace period windows. Except for the most extreme situations of long-term neglect, most timber windows can be repaired.

Rotten sections of timber can be cut away and replaced, while warped framed can be planed and sanded back into shape. Mould is often a result of condensation, which is an issue with ventilation and moisture permeability in the property, not an issue with the window itself.

Are PVC or timber windows better for period homes?

Contrary to popular opinion, PVC windows aren’t more durable than traditional timber frames. This has been proven by the fact that many PVC windows installed in the 90s are already having to be replaced, while timber windows from the Edwardian era are still going strong.

Due to their typically very high quality hardwood construction, it is almost always advised to repair rather than replace period windows, especially because many of the problems people associate with timber windows are a result of disrepair, not the design themselves.

A well-maintained timber window will be sealed from draughts, bone dry to the touch and open and close smoothly. They add significant value to period properties and, once fully repaired, should last a lifetime.

If you want to improve the thermal or acoustic performance of your windows, we can install a second removable interior pane with opens inwards inside the property. This solution is accepted by planning departments and won’t damage historic fabric.

Sash window repairs in London

Sash windows slide up and down using a rope pulley and counterweight. This simple and durable system has lasted for hundreds of years, and with the appropriate maintenance there is no reason not to continue using sash windows.

A sash window should be able to move smoothly with no more force than the push of your finger, with no friction and no rattle and form an airtight seal when closed.

That might sound too good to be true if you’re used to poorly maintained sash windows, but we can this is how they’re supposed to work and exactly how sash windows perform after we have repaired them.