Restoring 1920s bay window

My 1920s semi has single glazed large bay at the front. The woodwork is generally sound but some slightly rough repairs and the paint work is effectively plastered on rather than looking pretty.

I'm hoping to have this restored along with double glazing installed, retaining as much as possible of the woodwork. there are 6 large rectangular panes and 6 smaller lights at the top with simple lead lights (2 opening lights, one large window opening). There is also one very small additional windo in same style.

It has taken me since the middle of June to get just one quote! That is for over £4k and the joiners concerned came out to survey in mid July, it then took over a month and several phone calls to even get the quote out of them and they advise a waiting period of about 4 months! They were recommended for window expertise, quality and reliability by a friend! I can't actually find any more reasonably local (west yorks) specialists to even approach - a couple of others I tried didn't seem interested (one didn't turn up, the other never got back to me).

Could someone advise whether I shoudl go with the very slow but probably high quality people (they'd better be at that price), or whether the work could be entrusted to a more general joiner who perhaps specialises in floors/kitchens/furniture or whatever.

The bay itself isn't particularly complicated, regular profile, some detail on the inside which doesn't need removing or replacing, the outside is relatively plain (no decorative detail routing seems necessary).

Do you want to retain the wooden structure,with the necessary repairs, and then fit DG units, possibly for aesthetic reasons? Or, have you considered a completely new UPVC bay? I had maintained my old 12930's bay for many years but, now have a complete DG, UPVC structure bay. It's the best thing I ever did and, through a small local Company, the supply & fit cost was not too bad. No more painting, no more scraping paint off the glass, no more condensation, no more wood rot. It's great.

Yes, I was hoping to restore for aesthetic and ecological reasons. I think it is quite possible that in 5-10 years UPVC will be about as attractive as concrete cladding, lino in the kitchen and artex on the walls and ceilings! And the legacy for the environment is pretty unpleasant.

The woodwork is basically sound (it has had so much paint plastered onto it). It is an attractive design inside, and if restored would look good outside.

But having said that, most of the houses on the street have plastic (3 or 4 retain the single glazed original).

The thing is the house has solid walls. V cold, heat pours out through no insulation walls and the bay window. Not a good thing (especially given energy price direction). So I've fitted insulated plasterboard in the living room and one bedroom (Gyproc thermaline) and will see how much better that is this winter. The point of that extra insulation is rather negated by a great big bay window single glazed.

You may be right, the easy thing to do would be UPVC, probably half the cost, no further bother. I do plan to sell the house in something like a 5 year time frame (assuming the market picks up) and had thought smart restored wooden frame DG windows would be a selling feature. As well as being somewhat niggled (although I'm not an eco fanatic) by the impact of all this plastic people are using.

The ironic thing seems to be that restoring and leaving most of the sound structural wood in place is probably going to work out more expensive that buying complete new units from a manuf like Jeld-Wen. Does anyone have any experience of them?