[Fleecewife]

Our house is not listed, or in a conservation area or anything like that, but we have always had wood-framed windows as they look 'right'.  The house is old, a stone cottage.  However, with the wet summers we have had here for the past three years, we haven't been able to keep all the woodwork painted and it's now looking awful, but the rain won't let us at it.
 
We have always dismissed uPVC as completely out of keeping, but is there something like it, or a matt finish or something which would genuinely look like wood but not have to be painted so frequently?

[Blinkers]

When we lived in Sussex we had the horrible white (turning yellow) uPVC windows taken out and replaced them with  'wood effect' uPVC leadedlight windows and they look just like the real thing without the maintenance - so they are out there for sure.   

[MikeM]

we see an awful lot of cob cottages round here with nice, replacement PVC windows, they are out there. Sadly ours (put in by the previous owners) are hideous beyond description.

[SallyintNorth]

We have the bog standard white ones.  Loathe the look but really love the lack of maintenance and weather protection - needed here where we face brutal Cumbrian winters and winds.

If you can find some that look less awful I would definitely go for it.  Your bones will thank you!

[Brucklay]

We had to put in wooden window re planning for the renovation of the cottage but I didn't want endless painting - now I know it will need done one day. If you want to replace wooden then I would recommend Nor-Dan - made to size, quality, factory finished and look as good today as the day we put them in five years ago. Sorry haven't had any good experiences with UPVC.

[Hermit]

You can also get combined ones, I dont know where from but saw them on a renovation programme only the other day.

[YorkshireLass]

How's the strength of modern upvc?
I have distant memories of a watchdog-type investigation, as the upvc wasn't as strong as wood and in certain houses this led to structural problems in the long term.
I would hope that that's long been fixed, but you never know!

[Hermit]

I would hope lintels would be above windows to sort structural problems out. We have just installed pvc mainly for our own piece of mind about not painting them as we get older but they mimic a sash and you can give them a scrub instead of worrying about flaking paint . Wood windows dont seem to last long up here!

[lachlanandmarcus]

Windows will have lintels above them but sometimes the lintel was in former times strong enough to support the wall given the inherent strength of the (wooden) window, take that out and replace with UPVC without upgrading the lintel and there could be problems.
Nowadays lintels put in are strong enough by themselves (generally steels or concrete) to support, but pre building regs stringency it wasnt always so.
Personally, even living in very exposed location, I go for wooden windows, but thats a personal preference thing. If I lived on the coast I would probably plump for UPVC.

[bangbang]

Upvc depending on your manufacturer can come in differant colours, and wood - effects.
Around here a wood effect upvc window by a local company is £300 inc vat for one 0.9m x 1.3m.
A good Joiner should be able to remove and replace one (including internal and external finishings)
In 3 hours.

Replacing the lintel isn't really a problem, could be messy though, and a bit more conmetic work required
afterwards.

[MAK]

I put the last of 7 windows in last Monday. Our house is simular to that described on the original post.
We loaded up a few carts with timber framed double glazed windows that we got off the shelf from a large DIY store. I think that they may sell the UPVC but the wooden framed ones are much cheaper and came in so many sizes - they are pressure treated and ready for varnish/stain or paint.

I painted most of them in the barn before fitting them - simple to fit once I removed  the 100 year old windows and hacked off the plaster that was holding them in.

Sorry to say that i bought the wooden windows in France but if you are keen on wood and think you can drive over to collect them then I could send you the web link for illustrations/size and price.  Le Roy Merlin is one large DIY store that sell them.

[deepinthewoods]

i have alot of experience in restoring windows ive been doing just that for the last 12 yrs. upvc is horrible stuff. it degrades over time releasinga gas which according to the conservation officer at cornwall council could be as harmful as asbestos in the future. i have removed enough of these travesties to know they just do not last. theyve only been around for about 30 yrs so have not passed the test of time. they are environmentally unfriendly in their construction and their disposal. they are a throw away item.
i appreciate that repainting windows can be a chore but done properly should last 5 years between repainting easily. most will go to 7 or 8 yrs. there is a much better range of paint on the markets nowadays that offer long working life. indeed some paints are 'self cleaning'
i have repaired and restored windows that are over 200 years old. with regular maintenance, good fitting procedures and a regular painting routine wooden windows should outlive the owners!!

[Mel]

My Brother is a pro painter,he gives a five year guarantee on all his work and does lots of exterior work.example below 

http://www.thewindmill.uk.com/

[MAK]

I would echo Dave's comments. I removed windows that were 120 year old and may have had just one or two coats of rubbish French paint. The wood I cut out looked grey and gnarled but there was no rot or decay. We changed them so as to let more light in and to fit double glazed glass ( cold here in winter). I suspect that they used chestnut and that the wooden framed windows we have put in will not last > 100 years but then I will be dead soon anyway.

[deepinthewoods]

ive yet to come across a chestnut window mak. oak will go grey over time. i started work today on a heritage job. took all the paint off one sash and the wood is as good now as it ever was, but thats pitchpine and it does last and last. the house was built in 1730 and i suspect the windows are original. these will be the oldest ive done 280 yrs . amazing. i do get a bit emotionalknowing im hte first person to have seen them since they were put in by the original joiners.