Retro Double glazing - your experience

digmen1, Apr 21, 7:18am
I am thinking of retro fitting double glazing to my bedroom in a brick house.
We have aluminium joinery.

As it is quite expensive I would like to get some people who have done it, thoughts as to whether they felt it was worth it.

I like the idea of a warmer room at night, and maybe less heating costs.

What is your experience.
I am in the Bay Of Plenty.
mm12345, Apr 21, 7:45am
As a general rule, payback period for accumulated energy cost savings from retrofit double-glazing easily exceeds the anticipated lifespan of the double-glazed units. (IOW - you're better off financialy to turn the heater up). So from that POV, it's false economy. (Not so for a new build, or for a situation where existing joinery was going to be replaced anyway)
Some double-glazing sales folks might dispute this. They tell lies.
cagivachick1, Apr 21, 7:47am
if your walls arnt insulated its not worth it
jkp58, Apr 21, 8:19am
it does limit the condensation
blairhs, Apr 21, 8:42am
We've had it done, house is much warmer. In terms of the payback argument there are intangibles to factor in like health and comfort, and reduction in noise. Ours was about 10K so not hugely expensive (half the price of new double glazing).
stevo2, Apr 21, 8:48am
A lot of these units are starting to fail now as the joinery has not been fitted with a suitable WANZ support bar and the two panes of glass are sagging and separating.
meoldchina, Apr 21, 8:55am
We retro-fitted double glazing throughout our house. Aluminium frames. The salesman tried to talk us into having some sort of gas in-between the glass, but we didn't go for that extra cost. I was under the impression that double glazing just one room is not efficient but if you have good insulation and keep doors closed it must surely be a help, and we certainly have seen a drop in condensation and noise levels. One word of caution - we had a few problems with French doors dropping under the extra weight of the glass. They had to be adjusted several times.
nukhelenc, Apr 21, 9:22am
If new modern Double Glazed units fail within 10 years they are replace and shouldn't cost you. They all have dates on them, but you wont see the dates.
Personally some aluminium windows would be fine to retro, Depending on the age and state of the window. but others would be like yeah na.
Retro an old sliding door, and the Wheels / Carriages most likely wont like the extra weight of double glazing, But in some cases Tandem carriages might fit, but not if its from the ark. Can get better single wheels and carriages for some doors these days.
Retro swinging door panels, Hmmm Maybe with new hinges and if the door is in good nic and has the D/G heeled and toe properly to stop door sag. Its the glass that holds the door up :)
If ya going to retro ask if the price includes new backing seal, as it should.
Always pros and cons and only the home owner can decide.
If ya got money, just go all new :)

HHmm the very old swiggle D/G :) lol
buyit59, Apr 21, 9:24am
If you havent already done so I would put plastic on the ground and insulation under floorboards. I did it in our Christchurch home some years ago and condensation ( used to run down windows and pool on the sill ) was greatly reduced . Also it cured the mould that would appear on the wall behind the drawers.
junie2, Apr 21, 9:39am
Ditto exactly, also in Chch. The other thing we did was upgrade curtain/drape quality, and I always close them as soon as the sun goes down.
digmen1, Apr 21, 6:17pm
I'm thinking about getting the uPVC as they call it.
The have used it in Europe for the last 30 years and they say its much better than aluminum.

What I really want is to hear from someone who has fitted double glazing to their house and to find out if they thought it was worth the cost.

Ie do they notice that the rooms or house is notably warmer and quieter.
meoldchina, Apr 21, 7:50pm
My answer is "yes" retro fitted double glazing has made our house warmer and much quieter, but you need to consider whether doing just one room is going to work efficiently for you.
In our case, it was only the glass that was changed, not the whole aluminium frame. By the sounds of it, you are considering changing the whole unit.
lilyfield, Apr 21, 7:51pm
I had mine done because I live close to mainroad. Yes noise reduction is noticable. Also i have used my heatpump only three times last winter. No condensation at all. I do not cook at night, that helps .I know that financialy its not worth it, but for comfort level it is.
My curtains are also thermal lined with an xtra double layer behind them running , makes huge difference. And house well insulated. I did not do the bedrooms, only one is used and sleep with window open. Keep door to hallway shut.
Cost 6000 large french doors two large baywindows and baywindow in kitchen. Happy! In Rotorua
cantabman1, Apr 21, 8:02pm
Ideal for a brick house as the bricks will deaden surrounding sound.landlady had her bedroom done in a villa on a very busy road but the effect was minimal because sound came through the wooden weather boards and uninsulated walls. She is now considering erecting a sound proof double fence as a much cheaper option, and have heard it really works.
merrigj, Apr 21, 9:08pm
We used double glazed uPVC on our bedrooms and ripped out the gib and insulated the walls. We are waiting until doing reno's before doing the living area's.

We are having road works done at the moment and the noise reduction makes these rooms like a haven from the constant noise.

I am not sure if we will uPVC in the reno's as this is the sunny side of the house and we want some complex door's etc which uPVC might no do. The new Aluminium is very thick and chunky and looks very similar.
russ18, Apr 21, 9:23pm
Double glazing is a good investment when you have old leaky wooden windows, not sure about replacing aluminium.
anchored, Apr 22, 9:34pm
I have had uPVC double glazing installed (in 2010) to replace 50yr old wooden framed windows which were in need of maintenance. They look good in my house. Made a HUGE difference to warmth, and noise reduction even though the walls are not insulated. Roof and underfloor is insulated. Great security on these windows and doors. The sliding doors are great, they open from each end and also from the middle so you have various opening options.
schnauzer11, Apr 23, 9:46am
I recently had the windows in a room in our old villa retro-glazed by The Energy Saving Centre, in ChCh. They use a method that impressed me, with the glazing held to the frames with magnetic strips. They are easily removed, should you need to, and the frames of the glazed-panels are colour-matched to the existing frames. Our main purpose was noise-reduction. There were 3 large panels, and 3 smaller upper ones. $680.
Am considering having this in the larger rooms, where there are extensive lead-light panels.Asked for a quote from another firm. Well, might as well buy another house! We're really happy with the room that was done-very good noise-reduction. Condensation was not an issue, but I expect, if it was, this would be great.
schnauzer11, Jan 26, 12:14pm
Perhaps I should add- this was a home I bought last July, and the dear old house(1914) was clearly warm and well-ventilated. Just on a busy road, hence the noise.