Retro Fitting a Double Glazing Window...

[m4rcus]

Hi,

My folks in France have a single glazed wooden window, only about 300 X 300mm. It's a north facing window so its a little cold in the room. The thought is to replace the single glaze and put in a piece of double glazing... so my questions are...

1. is this a good idea?
2. does a double glazed panel need vents or something... (can you tell I know nothing about this...)
3. any ideas on cost?

Cheers,

M

 

[Richard C]

I assume your talking about just replacing the glass rather the whole window; fitting a double glazed pane will certainly reduce the heat loss through the glass but you need to check that the frame recess is actually deep enough to accept the additional thickness of a DG pane. If there are draughts coming in around an ill fitting opener, it may be better to replace the whole window.

I have no idea of the building regulations in France so you must first check with their equivalent of our local authority (if they have one) as to what you can & can’t do without first gaining permission & what the standards are regarding things like insulation value & ventilation.

As to cost, again I have no idea what this would be in France but in the UK it would typically be around £50 - £70 for just the glass &, for such a small window, I would think around £200 for a complete UPVC unit, probably more in timber.

A cheaper & just as effective alternative would be to put a thick, well fitting curtain over the window in winter.