Sash window questions, answered
Costs, timings, listed buildings, mess, guarantees and insurance — the honest answers, with our prices stated in full.
The questions we get asked on the phone most days, answered properly — prices, timings, listed buildings, insurance and guarantees. If yours is not here, call 01622 470019 or message us on WhatsApp.
How much does sash window repair cost?
Our prices are published in full. Draught-proofing is £280 + VAT per window. Sash cord replacement is £250 + VAT per window. Rotten timber repairs are from £80 + VAT per section. Freeing a window painted shut is £100 + VAT. Slim double glazing is £980 + VAT per window. Full restoration is £1,280 + VAT per window. Everything is quoted in writing after a free survey.
Is it better to repair or replace sash windows?
Repair, in almost every case. The box frame and the sashes in a Victorian or Georgian window are slow-grown timber that outlasts modern replacements, and rot in a sill, rail or stile is a localised repair. Replacement is the honest answer only when the box frame itself has gone, or when the window is not the original.
Can sash windows be draught-proofed without changing how they look?
Yes. The seals are concealed in routed grooves in the sash and the staff bead, so from inside and outside the window looks exactly as it did. It also stops the rattle and most of the road noise.
Can original sash windows be double glazed?
Often, yes. Slim double glazed units can be fitted into the original sashes where the rebate allows, at £980 + VAT per window. Where it does not, or where a conservation condition rules it out, secondary glazing gives you the insulation without altering the window.
Do you work on listed buildings and in conservation areas?
Regularly. Repair and like-for-like restoration is normally what a conservation officer wants to see, and we can supply the specification and detail for your application. We tell you where you stand before work is agreed.
How long does the work take?
Draught-proofing is two to three hours per window. Cord replacement is about half a day per window. A full restoration is one to two days per window. Most houses are finished in a few days, and we work room by room so you are not living on a building site.
Practical questions
Will there be a lot of mess?
We work with dust sheets and take the sashes out to work on them where we can. Everything is cleaned up as we go, and we do not leave a window open overnight.
Do you charge for a survey or a quote?
No. The survey is free, there is no call-out charge, and the quote is fixed and in writing. If the window does not need the work you were quoted for by someone else, we will say so.
Are you insured?
Yes — £5m public and employers’ liability, certificates on request. Our fitters hold CSCS cards for commercial and site work.
Do you guarantee the work?
Yes. Draught-proofing is guaranteed for 10 years and all other workmanship for 1 year, both stated on your written quote.
Which areas do you cover?
All of Kent, Greater London and the South East — Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks, Canterbury, Faversham, Gravesend, Bromley, Greenwich and everywhere between. There is no extra charge for travel within that area.
Will you really beat any quote?
Yes, on a genuine, written, like-for-like quote dated within the last 30 days. Send it over with the photos and we will price against it.