Heritage uPVC windows
Heritage uPVC windows come down to three choices: a layout with top lights or several panes, a colour that suits the house and a frame that is not too wide. We make them to your size; sash windows are not in our range.
uPVC windows for cottages
Cottage windows are small and divided. Several panes side by side in one frame are a layout you build in the configurator; woodgrain or cream suits most cottages.
Edwardian and Victorian style uPVC windows
Period homes often have tall windows with a top light. A window with a fixed top light is a layout in the configurator; sash windows that slide up are not in our range.
The sightline on an older house
Old timber frames look slim. If that look matters, choose a profile with a narrow sightline; each profile's sightline is on the uPVC windows page.
Traditional style uPVC windows in woodgrain
A woodgrain foil gives the look of timber without painting. Tones such as Winchester oak or walnut suit traditional houses.
Cream uPVC windows
Cream comes as a base colour, so the colour is in the material. It is a classic choice on brick.
Wiener bars for a traditional divided look
An old window was often made of small panes in a timber glazing bar grid. You get close to that look with Wiener bars: 26 mm bars on the outside and the inside of the glass, with a spacer bar in the cavity between them. From outside and inside you see divided panes, while the glass stays one unit and insulates as normal.
For each pane you choose no bars, one vertical bar, a cross or a six-pane layout. The bars come in the colour of the frame. When you clean the glass you work around the bars, so allow for a bit more work there.
Which profile shape looks most like timber?
uPVC profiles come in different shapes. On a flush profile the frame and the sash sit in one plane. On a recessed profile the sash sits back in the frame, as on many timber windows, which gives shadow and depth to the front of the house. A square profile has straight, angular edges; a chamfered profile has a bevelled edge on the outside.
For a cottage or period house many people choose a recessed profile, because the set-back sash looks most like a traditional window. The sightline, meaning how wide the frame and sash look together, differs per profile and is on each profile's page. Compare it with the size of your old windows.
Square corners instead of mitres
A uPVC window normally has corners welded at 45 degrees, with a diagonal seam in the corner. A timber window has square joints. If you choose the timber-joint look (called HVL in the Netherlands), the outside corner is welded square and from a distance the window looks more like timber. It is a choice for the look and costs extra, because it takes more work in the factory.
Putting together a 1930s-style window
Many windows from the 1930s have an opening or fixed window at the bottom and a narrower top light above it, sometimes with small panes. In the configurator you choose a layout with a top light and enter the height of that top light separately. With Wiener bars in the top light and a plain window below, you get close to the original look.
Mind the opening direction too: on many old windows the sash opens outwards. A uPVC tilt and turn window opens inwards and can also tilt for ventilation. That changes little from outside, but inside you need room for the open sash.
Colours that belong on an older house
Besides cream and woodgrain, the uPVC chart has colours you often see on older houses: fir green RAL 6009, leaf green RAL 6002, wine red RAL 3005 and sand beige RAL 1002. A cream window with a green or red door is a classic combination; you set those colours per element.
Inside, the window can be a different colour from outside. Many people choose a historic colour outside and white inside.
Ventilation without opening the window
A renovation often makes a house more airtight than it was. A trickle vent above the glass lets air in while the window is closed. Whether you need one depends on how the rest of your house is ventilated; your installer or building control can tell you what the regulations ask for your house.
Frequently asked questions
Can I fit uPVC windows in a conservation area?
That depends on your council. In a conservation area or on a listed building there are often rules on material and appearance; check before you order.
Do you make windows with glazing bars?
Yes. For each pane you choose Wiener bars in the configurator: one vertical bar, a cross or a six-pane layout, in the colour of the frame. A layout with several panes you also build with mullions. If you're after a different layout, add a note to your quote request.
Can a uPVC window open outwards, like my old one?
A top-hung window is hinged at the top and pushes out at the bottom, so it can stay open in the rain too. A window that swings outwards like a door is not in the configurator; side-hung and tilt and turn windows open inwards.
Can you see Wiener bars from outside?
Yes. They sit on the outside and the inside of the glass, with a spacer bar in the cavity, so from both sides it looks like truly divided panes.
Know what you want? Put it together.
No form first: you watch your window take shape as you choose. The price follows in the quote, within three working days.
Configure your window or door
Where we have a guide price, it is on the page, not behind a form — not a quote and not a final price; the amount for your sizes is in the made-to-measure quote.
Request a quote