This one reason is why I had to pay three times as much as I wanted to replace the windows in my home, but it turns out it was the right decision

When we bought our higgledy-piggledy renovation project I had a giant list of the work the work needed. One of the list items was replacement windows for the 1970s extension, which actually makes up the majority of living spaces.

The windows were cracked single glazed units with a cottage style frame splitting the glass into tiny panes. Initially we had hoped that since this section was not the adjoining 1700s stone cottage we could get away with using high quality uPVC windows in a heritage style.

However, as our home is in a Conservation Area, we quickly found this wasn’t the case. And so began an almost eight month battle, which ended up with us having to go with a option that cost us almost three times as much. This is why.

What does it mean that our house is in a Conservation Area?

There are Conservation Areas up and down the country; they are special designated zones in areas of historic interest. The general gist is that these areas no longer have the usual rights to permitted development, which allows other houses to build extensions, replace windows, make alterations (within certain criteria) and so on without local authority approval.

In a Conservation Area, even minor changes to the front of a property need planning permission from the local planning department. Although some homeowners chance it with the view that no one will find out or hope that they can seek retrospective planning permission, this can cause huge issues down the line and it is technically a criminal offence.

Fortunately my partner and I are absolute sticklers for the rules anyway, plus we may eventually need to leave the area, and so we were diligent in including as much as we could in our planning application to maximise our chances of approval.

Although we were both keen to renovate and maintain the timber windows of our 1700s stone cottage, our1970s extension single glazing was a prime target for improving our energy efficiency and comfort in the house.

We hoped that, as the extension itself was inappropriate for the area, uPVC replacement windows might be approved, especially if they were in a heritage style that suited the rest of the village (and we've spotted lots of other local homes that have uPVC windows, even in their stone cottages).

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The heritage-style windows we were keen on included details that are not often included in more modern-looking uPVC windows, including an astragal bar (a decorative feature applied to the interior and exterior surfaces to give the appearance of divided panes of glass), textured wood effect, bevels. Plus they offer replication of original functions (such as sliding sashes), which help them feel more inkeeping with an older property.

Unfortunately, this was nearly immediately rejected by our local planning department. Our desired uPVC windows were definitely a no-go.

As a result we needed to research timber alternatives that would be a lot more acceptable to the planners.

‘Timber is preferred and in many cases required simply because traditional materials are more in keeping with the historic setting,’ explains Theo Jones, Director at Fynn Architects. ‘Conservation areas and listed buildings are protected precisely because of their character, and windows are one of the most visually prominent elements. It's nicer to look at and nicer to touch, and I believe it's worth paying a little extra for, regardless of whether you're in a conservation area or not.’

Sadly, these timber options were going to be significantly more expensive.

Theo Jones

Theo Jones specialises in sustainable architecture for heritage homes at his practice Flynn Architects.

Why were the timber windows so much more expensive?

By their very nature wooden windows are always more expensive than uPVC due to the cost of the raw materials and craftmanship required. Fortunately, I had set aside a large chunk of money from the sale of our old house that we could use in case the application for uPVC replacement windows was rejected.

In terms of cost differences, our initial quote for uPVC heritage-style flush casement windows was £7,738 from a local company and £16,051 from a national brand (this also included three patio doors). When the planning officer insisted on timber for our replacement windows, the national brand quote shot up to £29,594, almost twice as expensive. Although the local heritage uPVC company didn’t offer timber, another local supplier provided a cost of the timber windows at £24,656. Our almost 8k had tripled to 24k. Not a position anyone wants to be in.

Even though that cost increase smarted at the time, I do accept that timber windows are a significantly better material for our home and that will (hopefully) last for another 100 years.

‘Although timber typically costs more when installed, wooden window frames significantly increase property resale value and save money in the long term due to their extended lifespan and energy savings, which usually offset the higher costs over time,’ comments Joe Buckley, Founder of Heritage Joinery.

Joe Buckley

Joe founded Heritage Joinery in 2017 and has over 20 years of hands-on experience supplying handmade, bespoke joinery to homeowners across the UK.

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How we coped with the increase in costs alongside our other renovations

After years as a journalist covering all aspects of self build and renovation, and an experienced renovator, I was well versed in local planning policy and my partner and I had anticipated that the uPVC windows may be rejected. But we were hopeful, considering we were surrounded by other homes (still in the Conservation Area) with new heritage uPVC windows.

Just in case, we had already sought quotes from our local joiners for timber windows so we had partially come to terms with the additional cost and what this could mean for the rest of our renovation budget.

For those in a similar boat, I would still advise trying to get permission for uPVC replacement windows, especially if the cost of timber is well out of your price range.

However, although they cost significantly more, to say I’m delighted with our timber windows is an understatement. Knowing they can be refurbished and repainted when the time comes to give them another few decades of life is really encouraging for the rest of our renovation works. Plus the process has definitely made us less short-sighted in terms of costs versus what is best for the house as a whole.