Timber windows: when they are right, and when they are not
Timber windows are fitted through this site and they are the right answer for some houses. For most Crowborough homes, outside the conservation area and with no listing, they cost more and need more upkeep than the alternatives. Here is the comparison.
Timber windows prices
Per unit, supplied and fitted, including VAT, with the old frames removed and the opening made good. See all typical prices for worked examples.
| Window or door | Size basis (mm) | Fitted, inc. VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Timber flush casement | 1000 x 1200 | £2,000 to £3,800 |
| Timber box sash | 900 x 1800 | £2,650 to £3,800 |
When timber is the right answer
Choose timber where the council will expect it: a listed building, or a house in a conservation area covered by an Article 4 direction that removes the right to change windows. In this area that means a handful of places. Wealden District Council's only conservation-area Article 4 direction covers land in the Rotherfield Conservation Area. Listed houses are common in the old village centres, from the Middle House in Mayfield to the cottages on The Walks in Groombridge.
In Crowborough town itself, only the Crowborough Cross pub is listed in the centre, and there is no Article 4 direction on windows. Timber there is a matter of taste, not rules.
Casements: timber against uPVC and aluminium
A timber flush casement costs £2,000 to £3,800. A uPVC flush casement of the same size costs £1,100 to £1,950, and an aluminium flush casement £1,485 to £2,395. Both close level in the frame, the look that makes a timber casement attractive.
Sash: timber against uPVC
A timber box sash costs £2,650 to £3,800. A white uPVC vertical sliding sash for the same opening costs £1,505 to £2,190, roughly half. On a Jarvis Brook terrace that is not in a conservation area, the uPVC sash is the sensible choice.
Upkeep on Crowborough's ridge
Painted timber needs repainting every five to eight years, and sooner on exposed elevations. At up to 242 metres, the west and south-west faces of houses on Beacon Road and round the golf course are about as exposed as anywhere in the High Weald. Pine sap and needles from the old Beacon Hill plantings add to the work.
Timber doors
A timber front door costs £2,950 to £5,910 against £2,200 to £4,020 for composite. The same upkeep argument applies, so this site steers most people towards composite or aluminium doors, unless the house is listed.
Get a price for your house
Tell us the street, the house and roughly how many windows. A FENSA-registered installer will arrange to survey and send a written quote.