uPVC & Replacement Windows in Birmingham

Styles of uPVC & Replacement Windows

Casement. Hinged at the side or top and opening outwards, in layouts from one opening pane to several.

Tilt-and-turn. Tips inwards at the top for air, or swings fully in, so the outside can be cleaned from indoors.

Flush. The opening part sits level with the frame, closer to the look of a timber casement.

Bay and bow. A bay projects in angled sections; a bow curves over several narrow frames. New frames in an existing bay are window work, but a bay where there wasn't one before counts as an extension in planning terms.

For a house, new windows of a similar appearance are normally permitted development. Upstairs windows in a side wall must be obscure-glazed and can't open below 1.7 m. Flats and maisonettes have no householder permitted development rights, so see flats and maisonettes before changing the look. This is general information, not planning advice.

Energy Ratings and U-Values

Approved Document L sets the minimum for a replacement window: a U-value of 1.4 W/m²K or better, or a Window Energy Rating of band B. Lower U-values mean less heat lost. An A rating goes beyond the minimum but isn't a legal requirement. Ask every installer to write the U-value or band on the quote, so you compare the same thing.

Triple glazing can lower the U-value further, but the units are heavier, and good double glazing already meets the standard. Ask for figures on both.

Certificates and Building Regulations

Replacing a whole window has been building-regulations work since 1 April 2002. Six government-authorised schemes let registered installers certify their own work: Assure, Blue Flame, CERTASS, Certsure, FENSA and NAPIT. Within 30 days you should get a certificate, and the council a notice. Otherwise the work needs building control, or regularisation afterwards.

It matters when you move. GOV.UK warns that without approval "you will not have the certificates of compliance you may need when you want to sell your home". Ask which scheme the installer uses before you sign.

Approved Document K also calls for safety glass below 800 mm, in doors and their side panels up to 1,500 mm, and in side panels within 300 mm of a door. Treat this as general guidance rather than advice about your own house.

Trickle Vents

Trickle vents are the slotted vents along the top of a frame, and they aren't needed in every case. Under Approved Document F, where the old windows had them, the new vents should be no smaller and controllable. Where there were none, ventilation should be "no worse than it was before". Ask how each quote handles it.

Repairs

A tired window doesn't always need replacing. Common faults:

• Misted units, where the seal between the panes has failed.
• Worn seals letting in draughts.
• Dropped or sticking sashes, often from worn hinges.
• Handles and locks that are stiff, loose or no longer catch.

Replacing only the glass, or a sealed unit in its existing frame, isn't a controlled fitting, so no building-regulations certificate is needed. Replacing the whole window is controlled. For other repairs, ask the installer rather than assuming.

Repair first where frames are sound and square. If several units have misted, the frames are warped, or the glass is single, replacement usually looks better value. See is it worth replacing.

Fire Escape Windows

Where a window is there for escape, Approved Document B sets its size: an openable area of at least 0.33 m², at least 450 mm high and 450 mm wide, with the bottom of the opening no more than 1,100 mm above the floor. It must stay open without being held.

A replacement should give "at least the same potential for escape", so check the opening before choosing a style with more fixed glass. Landlords should mention it when they enquire, and loft rooms need the same check.

What Changes the Price

Number and size. More frame and more glass.

Style. Tilt-and-turn, flush and bay frames take more work.

Glass. A ratings, triple, obscure or safety glass.

Colour. Woodgrain foils and colours cost more than white.

Old frames and access. Removal, making good, and hard-to-reach upper floors.

Typical UK prices for replacement windows are in our guide to double glazing costs.

Getting a Quote

1. Call or send the form: how many windows, what's wrong, and your postcode. 2. A local installer arranges a free survey to measure up and check the frames. 3. You get a written quote to compare. You're under no obligation to accept it.

Before you sign, see how to choose an installer.

Windows in Birmingham Homes

About a quarter of Birmingham's homes were built between the wars, nearly twice the English average (VOA, 2026). Between 1919 and 1939, nearly 50,000 houses were built by the council and 65,000 by private builders. Much of that stock is on its second or third set of frames.

Two private estate schemes add a layer on top of planning. The Calthorpe Estate, covering a large part of Edgbaston, and the Bournville Village Trust both have consent schemes that can apply to replacement windows. Check before you order, because made-to-measure windows usually can't be cancelled once ordered: see estate schemes.

Birmingham also has 29 conservation areas, so check whether your street has extra planning controls before choosing a different style.

What We Can't Help With

This page is for fitted windows in homes. We aren't glass merchants, so we can't help with glass cut to size, emergency boarding up after a break-in, or vehicle glass.

Related Services

For a door to match, see composite doors. Period homes are covered under sash windows, and for slimmer frames in a colour, compare aluminium windows.

Areas We Cover

Replacement windows across Kingstanding, Erdington, Northfield, Acocks Green, Shirley and Castle Bromwich. see all service areas