Sash window questions from Sevenoaks homeowners
The questions that come up most often about replacing sashes in Sevenoaks and the villages round it.
My house is in the Granville and Eardley Road conservation area. Can I have uPVC sashes?
If it is a house and not listed, very likely yes. Conservation area status alone does not remove the right to replace windows with ones of similar appearance, and we have not found an Article 4 direction controlling windows there. The appraisal does criticise cheap replacements that change the opening or lose the bars, so match the originals.
I own a flat in a converted villa near The Vine. Is it the same?
No. A flat needs a planning application for new windows, because the permitted development rights that houses have do not extend to flats. The appraisal for The Vine notes that uPVC windows in flats on St Botolph's Road required permission. You will also need the freeholder's consent in most leases.
How do I know if my house is listed?
Search the National Heritage List on the Historic England website by address. If it is listed, any window change needs listed building consent, and timber is usually expected.
Why does this site only quote for three or more windows?
The installer comes to Sevenoaks for complete frontages and whole houses. One sash on its own is better repaired or replaced by a local joiner, and the visit will be quicker.
Will uPVC sashes look like the timber ones on the rest of the street?
They can come close if the bar pattern, horns, frame depth and finish are matched. A white woodgrain finish reads more like painted timber than smooth white. The surveyor records the pattern of each opening.
Is aluminium cheaper than timber?
No. Aluminium heritage sash is a premium product and its price starts above the timber figure. If cost is the main concern on an unlisted house, uPVC sash is the cheaper choice.
How often does a timber sash need painting?
Expect the first repaint roughly three years after the sashes go in, then a repeat at regular intervals. On a two or three storey Sevenoaks house that usually means scaffold every time, and it is the owner who arranges it, as the installer does not repaint.
Do you cover Otford and Westerham?
Yes, along with Kemsing, Seal, Riverhead, Dunton Green, Brasted, Chipstead and Sevenoaks Weald. Each has its own page on this site.
Not answered here? Call 01732 900157 or send an enquiry.