The right window depends on your home, not on fashion: here you will find materials, glass and technical terms explained clearly, to help you choose well.
Four: PVC, aluminium, wood and wood-aluminium. All of them can insulate well if the glass is right and the fitting is done properly.
The glazing unit is the set of panes and the sealed space between them. With two panes (double) insulation is good and the glass stays warm enough to avoid condensation in most cases. With three panes (triple) insulation improves and also the soundproofing, but the pane is heavier: the wall, the hinges and the opening must support it.
In climate zone E, with long damp winters, triple glazing makes sense above all on large windows, north-facing rooms and rooms where fog settles on the glass: elsewhere a quality double glazing unit, well fitted, is enough. The right choice is made room by room, not across the whole house at once.
The Uw measures how much heat the whole window lets through — glass, frame and spacer together. The lower it is, the less heat escapes: it is the number to compare between quotes, once the frame is taken into account.
Careful not to confuse it with Ug, which covers the glass alone: excellent glass in a weak frame, or a frame fitted badly, means the money spent on the glass is wasted.
Fitting and UNI 11673: there is a technical standard for fitting windows and doors (the UNI 11673 series): it covers sealing, anchoring and finishing in the opening. Ask for: a quote that states how the fitting will be done, and take care if a frame is fitted 'quickly' without sealing.
We measure, the frames are made to measure, the old frame comes out and the new one goes in with sealed anchoring and finishing touches. The home is protected, and the debris is taken away: you don't live in a building site.
Disposal of the old frames and any 'certified fitting' are items to confirm in the quote: we put them in writing so there are no surprises in the end.
The glazing unit is the sealed pack made of two or three panes separated by air or gas: it is what insulates from cold and noise. "Low-emissivity" is an invisible coating on one pane that reflects heat back into the room in winter: in practice, the room loses less heat through the glass.
No. It is worth it where it is really needed: large windows, north-facing rooms, rooms with condensation problems or noise. Elsewhere a quality double unit, well fitted, gives almost the same comfort and costs less. At the survey we assess room by room: you don't have to choose the same glass for the whole house.
Yes, that is the most common case: the new frame is made to the measurements of the existing opening. Changing the size or position of openings is a different kind of job, which may need building permits: if that is what you want to do, we assess it together before the quote.
Tell us how many windows you have, in which town, and what is wrong: we start there, with measurements and an itemised quote after the survey.