Dusty Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 I am looking to replace my old draughty wooden window frames with some Heritage UPVC ones very sympathetic to the originals. I don't really want trickle vents as they look wrong, and have read that this may not be a problem since some old buildings don't have to fully comply with the latest building regulations? I am concerned that I will need a FENSA certificate or pay for building regulations (£700) should I wish to sell the property in the future. I was hoping to fit the windows myself t save money but not sure I will bearing this in mind. Is there any way of getting around this? A simple job is getting very complicated so any advice would be very much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETC Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 You will probably need PP to replace windows in a CA and probably won’t get consent to put in PVC. In any case either get your existing windows refurbished including proper draught-proofing or put in new timber windows. And to answer your question - there are other ways to achieve Background Ventilation other than trickle vents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LnP Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 7 minutes ago, ETC said: You will probably need PP to replace windows in a CA and probably won’t get consent to put in PVC. I don't think you can generalise. It depends on the character of the CA and the prominence of the building. I replaced some of the windows in a Victorian building in a CA and it never occurred to me to get PP. I've sold the house in the meantime and the only question I got from the purchaser was where I'd got them because they liked them and wanted to put in some more. I just did a complete refurbishment of Victorian coach house in a CA including all new windows and doors, for which I got PP. There were no conditions about that. It has uPVC windows and composite doors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnMo Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 5 minutes ago, ETC said: You will probably need PP to replace windows in a CA and probably won’t get consent to put in PVC. Our last house was in a conservation area, the previous owner had double glazing installed under a grant by the council and they were uPVC. Would not be my choice. The ground floor still had the original (200 year old) wooden windows which we had refurbished. 16 minutes ago, Dusty said: FENSA certificate Had never heard of this until I came on here, have only bought and sold 10 houses, and the subject has never come up. The rest as @ETC says Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 It does depend on the local rules in force, so you need to ask the planners, or look it up. And I'd never have uPVC if I had the choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnMo Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 29 minutes ago, Dusty said: I don't really want trickle vents as they look wrong You do need a ventilation strategy however. It's great getting rid of drafts, but you do need to allow in and out in a controlled manner, for a healthy environment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETC Posted June 12 Share Posted June 12 10 hours ago, LnP said: I don't think you can generalise. It depends on the character of the CA and the prominence of the building. I replaced some of the windows in a Victorian building in a CA and it never occurred to me to get PP. I've sold the house in the meantime and the only question I got from the purchaser was where I'd got them because they liked them and wanted to put in some more. I just did a complete refurbishment of Victorian coach house in a CA including all new windows and doors, for which I got PP. There were no conditions about that. It has uPVC windows and composite doors. Wherever the CA is located it has been established to conserve and protect the historic heritage of an area. UPVC does not belong in a CA or a Victorian dwelling. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LnP Posted June 12 Share Posted June 12 36 minutes ago, ETC said: Wherever the CA is located it has been established to conserve and protect the historic heritage of an area. UPVC does not belong in a CA or a Victorian dwelling. 🙄 My goodness! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blooda Posted June 12 Share Posted June 12 1 hour ago, ETC said: Wherever the CA is located it has been established to conserve and protect the historic heritage of an area. UPVC does not belong in a CA or a Victorian dwelling. But they can put up fake gas lights and ugly signs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnMo Posted June 12 Share Posted June 12 5 minutes ago, Blooda said: But they can put up fake gas lights and ugly signs. But does it mean you have to? No Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Posted June 12 Author Share Posted June 12 13 hours ago, ETC said: You will probably need PP to replace windows in a CA and probably won’t get consent to put in PVC. In any case either get your existing windows refurbished including proper draught-proofing or put in new timber windows. And to answer your question - there are other ways to achieve Background Ventilation other than trickle vents. Many houses in the CA have replaced with UPVC ( without PP) and one or two have been granted PP along with a new build using Residence 7 UPVC. The council may allow me to fit UPVC if convinced the widows are sympathetic to the building but I suspect it is a lottery depending who I talk to. To be honest I was just thinking of putting them in but don't want a problem if I sell the house in the future. Refurbishing the old windows is not an option as they are rotten. Besides that I am sick of having to paint the frames every few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETC Posted June 12 Share Posted June 12 1 hour ago, Dusty said: Many houses in the CA have replaced with UPVC ( without PP) Oh dear. and one or two have been granted PP along with a new build using Residence 7 UPVC. No bad but quite chunky looking. The council may allow me to fit UPVC if convinced the widows are sympathetic to the building but I suspect it is a lottery depending who I talk to. It shouldn’t be - they should all be singing off the same hymn sheet. To be honest I was just thinking of putting them in but don't want a problem if I sell the house in the future. Applying for retrospective consent could be a problem. Refurbishing the old windows is not an option as they are rotten. Besides that I am sick of having to paint the frames every few years. Fair enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelvin Posted June 12 Share Posted June 12 The house we last lived in was renovated old barn. It never had any windows in it. The planning consent was very strict on the type of windows we could fit and where we could fit them. uPVC wasn’t allowed. Unfortunately the windows that were fitted were so poorly made that a few of them rotted beyond repair after only 5 years. Window company had gone bust. In the end we had the builder replace three windows and the French doors at their cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandgmitchell Posted June 12 Share Posted June 12 If you're fitting them yourself you'll need a building regulation application. Both Part L Thermal and Part F Ventilation allow a bit of leeway for houses in conservation areas but if you're replacing like for like in style and can achieve the minimum 1.4 U value you'll probably not going to need to plead "conservation area". Part F says this: Existing windows without background ventilators 3.15 Replacing the windows is likely to increase the airtightness of the dwelling. If ventilation is not provided via a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system, then increasing the airtightness of the building may reduce beneficial ventilation in the building. In these circumstances, it is necessary to ensure that the ventilation provision in the dwelling is no worse than it was before the work was carried out. This may be demonstrated in any of the following ways. a. Incorporating background ventilators in the replacement windows equivalent to the following. i. Habitable rooms – minimum 8000mm2 equivalent area. ii. Kitchen – minimum 8000mm2 equivalent area. iii. Bathroom (with or without a toilet) – minimum 4000mm2 equivalent area. b. If the dwelling will have continuous mechanical extract ventilation, installing background ventilators in any replacement windows which are not in wet rooms, with a minimum equivalent area of 4000mm2 in each habitable room. c. Other ventilation provisions, if it can be demonstrated to a building control body that they comply with the requirements of paragraph 3.2. NOTE: If it is not technically feasible to adopt the minimum equivalent areas set out in paragraph 3.15, the background ventilators should have equivalent areas as close to the minimum value as is feasible. I'm not sure that pleading "conservation area" for the purposes of Part F is going to get you a lot of leeway to omit background ventilation altogether (and should you?). This is going to be down to the opinion of the BCO on the day I'm afraid, based on what you present to them. Can't see you'll need PP for replacing windows which look much like they were before since they would not materially affect the exterior appearance of the building and thus this is not development (s55 T&C Planning Act) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Posted June 13 Author Share Posted June 13 Would buying a Window Indemnity Insurance policy be a way to get around all of this 'red tape'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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