Advice on Choosing Material - AluClad / Timber / uPVC?

[soapstar]

Hi Folks,

 

Going round the bend here trying to decide on what type of windows we want to install on our upcoming new build. We thought we were all set for timber windows however we have been suggested by our potential builder that using uPCV windows will save us a huge amount of money (approx 20k). Saving this amount is critical for us and may even mean we can actually start our build.

 

However! As per usual its a constant battle between myself, contractor and architect. The architect is adamant that timber windows are a far better option given the superior thermal properties (which i don't dispute) of timber and also that the profile of timber windows will be much thinner than uPCV - something which I am not entirely convinced with - perhaps someone can clarify from experience?

 

A big factor which is swaying me towards uPVC is we are located beside the coast and it concerns me even though we upkeep and maintain timber windows the salty air will eventually win the battle and turn them into a rotten mess - like a lot of other properties in the area.

 

With our location in mind we did consider AluClad however we are reading conflicting information regarding the suitability of these on the coast in that the Aluminium will corrode if not treated properly - again adding to maintenance costs like timber windows.

 

Has anyone got any experience on choosing a material for your windows in a coastal location? Any information on your decision and end result would be a huge help for us!

[dpmiller]

will the architect come and treat/paint the windows for you?

[lizzie]

I have timber ali clad which is perfect for my inland exposed location.  If I were on the coast without question I would go for upvc. I grew up on the coast and remember well the constant battle to keep the timber windows in good order.

[MrMagic]

If you're on the coast - uPVC all the way. I would also recommend shopping about and talking to various suppliers - there are some really nice uPVC profiles available now which look almost identical to alu-clad/timber.

 

These for example look really nice (IMO) - https://www.kjmgroup.co.uk/products/windows/residence-9-

 

If you pay peanuts, of course, you will get the bog standard, 'safe style' ugly white stuff.

[soapstar]

It seems rather obvious the way to go then!

 

 

36 minutes ago, MrMagic said:

If you're on the coast - uPVC all the way. I would also recommend shopping about and talking to various suppliers - there are some really nice uPVC profiles available now which look almost identical to alu-clad/timber.

 

These for example look really nice (IMO) - https://www.kjmgroup.co.uk/products/windows/residence-9-

 

If you pay peanuts, of course, you will get the bog standard, 'safe style' ugly white stuff.

 

Thanks @MrMagic as this is one of my concerns, i do not want to be able to tell from a glance they are PVC if possible. I originally had in my head a light wood texture colour to the windows, however I would like to see an example of the wood effect PCV in real life.

 

One thing I forgot to mention is we are in a conservation area - so we hope we can get away with PVC. I see this company have options to try replicate the look and feel of timber windows for conservation areas - may be worth looking into!

[ragg987]

7 minutes ago, soapstar said:

I see this company have options to try replicate the look and feel of timber windows

Do make sure you see samples of this. I have no personal experience, but have seen many replacement windows in houses and the fake timber can be spotted easily from the street, looks nasty IMO.

[Mr Punter]

Alu clad uPVC is another option if the planners don't like uPVC. I think the timber colour looks a bit naff.

[soapstar]

Thanks guys. I do have a worry that timber effect windows may look 'cheap'. We have a large gable feature window on our house so the window frames will have to look good or it may bring down the whole look of the house.

 

Given the popularity of gable feature windows these days does anyone have any photos of theirs to show for comparison? It would seem in our neck of the woods the common colours are white render and anthracite window frames.

 

 

[dpmiller]

We went with a bog-standard anthracite coloured UPVC (which has a woodgrain texture outside, gloss white internally) and it's remarkable how much the profiles have changed in recent times- the glazing rubbers are just-about hidden. Perfectly happy with our choice.

[Ralph]

We looked at some UPVC windows that were foiled and others that were sprayed with Kolorbond and they were much better looking than I expected.

 

[soapstar]

@Ralph Given you seem to be relatively close to where our plot is I would be interested to know what supplier you used? Really want to see some examples in the flesh.

[DavidFrancis]

A house near us got some new flush windows about three years ago. Liked the look of them, so called in to see where they got them from. It was only when I got to about three feet away that I could tell they were not wood and that was only because of the glazing bars. They were Residence 9.

[lizzie]

There is a company locally who advertise spraying in situ...garage doors, window frames, front doors even whole rendered walls, if it can be sprayed they will do it.  No experience of the product but quite a lot of white upvc windows are turning anthracite grey around here!

[Ralph]

36 minutes ago, soapstar said:

@Ralph Given you seem to be relatively close to where our plot is I would be interested to know what supplier you used? Really want to see some examples in the flesh.

Unfortunately we are yet to break ground, we ended up starting from scratch this year with a new design about a month from starting (it was just costing too much). We're currently specifying aluclad Rationel for this build. 

 

I think the windows we looked at before were https://www.internormbyscotia.co.uk/ They do UPVC and UPVC Aluclad and http://www.ecowindowsscotland.co.uk 

 

Once we get started, hopefully Sept/Oct you're more than welcome to have a look at anything we're doing.Where about is your bulid? We're not too far from Brechin.

[soapstar]

1 hour ago, DavidFrancis said:

A house near us got some new flush windows about three years ago. Liked the look of them, so called in to see where they got them from. It was only when I got to about three feet away that I could tell they were not wood and that was only because of the glazing bars. They were Residence 9.

Seem to be hearing a lot about these Residence 9 windows - looks like its worth investigating further. Get a feeling they are expensive!

 

1 hour ago, Ralph said:

Unfortunately we are yet to break ground, we ended up starting from scratch this year with a new design about a month from starting (it was just costing too much). We're currently specifying aluclad Rationel for this build. 

 

I think the windows we looked at before were https://www.internormbyscotia.co.uk/ They do UPVC and UPVC Aluclad and http://www.ecowindowsscotland.co.uk 

 

Once we get started, hopefully Sept/Oct you're more than welcome to have a look at anything we're doing.Where about is your bulid? We're not too far from Brechin.

 

Thanks for the links. I do like AluClad, very clean looking. However from what i hear they are not the best for coastal locations.

 

We are based in the Stonehaven area, hopefully looking to start next year. Thanks for your offer we may take you up on that! Nothing beats seeing something up close and personal, only so much a picture can give you and i certainly wouldn't make my decision without seeing the final product.

[Ferdinand]

For elegance I prefer something that is not pretending.

 

So that would be a coloured upvc say dark grey, which could use wood grain as a texture, or a upvc that is like wood but needs to be convincing.

 

Personally I think white is fine on a house where it matches.

 

F

[Ralph]

2 hours ago, soapstar said:

Thanks for the links. I do like AluClad, very clean looking. However from what i hear they are not the best for coastal locations.

Not sure about other manufactures but Rationel say that their powder coating is suitable for use in coastal areas and for weather conditions classified as C5M (areas highly affected by corrosion impact). 

[Gone West]

@soapstar We live a couple of miles from the sea. We have Rehau Geneo fibre reinforced uPVC frames which are insulated and the thermal performance is better than timber. We had the corner welds filled before the frames were sprayed and so far everybody who has commented thinks they are aluminium.

 

[bassanclan]

I've got the R9 windows.

They are excellent and you can't tell they are upvc until close up

[craig]

1: Do not skimp on the thermal envelope. Buy what your budget allows you to and what you like.

 

2: uPVC is generally more thermally efficient (profile dependant).

 

3: Aluclad windows in a coastal area are fine, it’s the hardware that takes a battering not the cladding. If possible get a coating applied, otherwise it oxidise and fail.

 

4: uPVC aluclad are a good choice and you can match them with timber versions fairly easily (manufacturer dependant).

 

5: Adding a foil internally, is just bringing the uPVC product inline with the cost of timber alu windows.

 

At the end of the day, it’s what you can afford and what you like/want that counts. Shop around, listen to the advice on offer and see what options are available to you.

[soapstar]

15 hours ago, Ralph said:

Not sure about other manufactures but Rationel say that their powder coating is suitable for use in coastal areas and for weather conditions classified as C5M (areas highly affected by corrosion impact). 

 

Yes I am curious if the powder coating is an extra cost and if this needs re-applied at any stage...

 

15 hours ago, PeterStarck said:

@soapstar We live a couple of miles from the sea. We have Rehau Geneo fibre reinforced uPVC frames which are insulated and the thermal performance is better than timber. We had the corner welds filled before the frames were sprayed and so far everybody who has commented thinks they are aluminium.

 

 

Thanks @PeterStarck very interesting. From the photo they do look very much like AluClad. What colour are these if you dont mind me asking? Pearl Grey?

 

13 hours ago, craig said:

1: Do not skimp on the thermal envelope. Buy what your budget allows you to and what you like.

 

2: uPVC is generally more thermally efficient (profile dependant).

 

3: Aluclad windows in a coastal area are fine, it’s the hardware that takes a battering not the cladding. If possible get a coating applied, otherwise it oxidise and fail.

 

4: uPVC aluclad are a good choice and you can match them with timber versions fairly easily (manufacturer dependant).

 

5: Adding a foil internally, is just bringing the uPVC product inline with the cost of timber alu windows.

 

At the end of the day, it’s what you can afford and what you like/want that counts. Shop around, listen to the advice on offer and see what options are available to you.

 

Appreciate the advice @craig. You can see why I am confused, my architect is insistent that timber is far superior to PVC in regards to its thermal properties, now I am beginning to wonder!

 

At the end of the day i do not want windows which I am unhappy with as its a huge part of the house and I certainly cant ignore that nearly everyone I ask other than my architect is completely against Timber windows..

 

At this stage it seems to be a case of deciding will it be the easiest option of coloured PVC frames (more than likely anthracite which everyone seems to have these days!)  or a wood colour/effect which I feel will complement the house better given it is surrounded by woodland and houses with timber windows (mostly falling apart!).

 

 

 

 

[soapstar]

14 hours ago, bassanclan said:

I've got the R9 windows.

They are excellent and you can't tell they are upvc until close up

 

 

Unfortunately it would seem there are absolutely no installers in Scotland for R9 / R7 windows.

 

[craig]

Personally, I would go with timber alu over uPVC (however that is a personal preference).

[Gone West]

6 minutes ago, soapstar said:

Thanks @PeterStarck very interesting. From the photo they do look very much like AluClad. What colour are these if you dont mind me asking? Pearl Grey?

They are RAL7037.

 

7 minutes ago, soapstar said:

You can see why I am confused, my architect is insistent that timber is far superior to PVC in regards to its thermal properties, now I am beginning to wonder!

There are many different profiles for uPVC some insulated, some not as there are different types of engineered timber some with insulation and some not. He is wrong to make such a statement without qualifying it.

[soapstar]

1 hour ago, PeterStarck said:

They are RAL7037.

 

There are many different profiles for uPVC some insulated, some not as there are different types of engineered timber some with insulation and some not. He is wrong to make such a statement without qualifying it.

 

Thanks i do like that colour. It would seem i have some investigating to do, along with many other things ? I am slowly learning that at the end of the day no matter what the builder or architect says its your house and money, if it fits our needs and gives us a home we a happy with then all is good!