Walk into any home improvement showroom and the first question you ask is “how much?” — and the first answer you get is “it depends.” Frustrating, but also honest. A three-bed semi in Leeds is not a six-bed detached in Surrey, and a standard white casement is not a bespoke anthracite flush window with acoustic glass.
What follows is not a glossy brochure price list. It is what we actually quote, based on real installations across England and Wales, written in mid-2026, with the caveat that every home is different and the only price that matters is the one on your own survey report.
A window replacement quote bundles several things that are not always obvious from the line item. When you pay for a window, you are paying for:
A low quote that excludes the making-good or the waste removal will cost more in the long run than a higher quote that includes everything.
These are fitted prices, inclusive of VAT, installation, making good, and waste removal. Based on Greater London and the South East — expect 10-20% less in the Midlands and the North.
| House type | Windows | Price range |
|---|---|---|
| 2-bed terrace | 5-7 | £2,800 – £4,500 |
| 3-bed semi | 7-9 | £4,500 – £6,500 |
| 4-bed detached | 10-14 | £6,500 – £10,000 |
Coloured uPVC carries roughly a 15-25% premium over white. The foil lamination process adds manufacturing cost, and the colour is only on the outside face — the inside stays white unless you pay extra for a dual-colour option.
Add 15-25% to the white uPVC prices above.
| House type | Windows | Price range |
|---|---|---|
| 2-bed terrace | 5-7 | £4,500 – £7,000 |
| 3-bed semi | 7-9 | £7,000 – £10,500 |
| 4-bed detached | 10-14 | £11,000 – £16,000 |
These are the premium option — the windows that sit completely flush with the outer frame, with no visible lip, designed to replicate the look of original steel or timber frames. The manufacturing is more complex and the hardware is more specialised.
Add 20-30% to the standard aluminium prices above.
Colour: Standard white uPVC is the cheapest option. Any colour adds cost. On aluminium, the entire range of RAL colours is available at roughly the same price — the powder-coating process does not charge per colour. So with aluminium, picking anthracite grey over white costs you nothing extra, which is partly why you see so many grey aluminium windows going in.
Glazing specification: A basic double-glazed unit with a standard low-E coating and argon fill is the default. Upgrading to triple glazing adds roughly 15-20%. Acoustic glass (essential near busy roads or flight paths) adds 10-15%. Solar-control glass for large south-facing glazing adds 10-20%. These are additive — if you want triple-glazed acoustic glass, you are paying both premiums.
Opening type: A fixed window (no opening) is the cheapest. A top-hung opener costs more. A full side-hung casement costs more again. Tilt-and-turn mechanisms — common on continental-style installations and increasingly popular in UK new-builds — add roughly £80-£150 per window over a standard casement.
Size: The price of a window does not scale linearly with size. A very small window (less than 0.5 m²) can cost nearly as much as a medium one because the labour, hardware, and manufacturing setup costs are similar. Very large windows (over 3 m²) need thicker glass to meet structural requirements, which pushes the price up disproportionately.
Access: Ground-floor windows in a clear garden are straightforward. First-floor windows on a busy road with a sloped driveway and a conservatory underneath — that is a different story. Scaffolding adds £300-£800 for a typical house, more if the access is particularly awkward. Good installers will flag this at the survey stage.
Location: London and the South East carry a labour premium. The same window fitted in Manchester might cost 10-15% less, and in rural Wales perhaps 20% less. The product cost is broadly the same — it is the installer’s overheads and labour rates that vary.
A decent composite front door, fitted, starts at around £1,200 and can reach £2,500 for something with sidelights and a fanlight. Aluminium entrance doors start at £1,800 and rise toward £4,000 for oversized pivot designs.
This is where the money goes. A 3-metre aluminium bifold in a standard colour, double-glazed, with a low threshold, fitted: £3,500-£5,000. Triple-glazed or with a special colour, closer to £5,500-£7,000.
Generally slightly cheaper than bifolds because the mechanism is simpler. £3,000-£4,500 for a standard installation, rising for larger or triple-glazed versions.
uPVC French doors: £1,000-£1,800 fitted. Aluminium: £1,600-£2,800.
Plastering: When the old frames come out, the reveals around the inside get damaged. It is unavoidable. The question is whether the quote includes making them good. If it says “making good by others,” budget £200-£400 for a plasterer to come in afterwards.
Decorating: New windows mean new trims and reveals, which means repainting the wall around them. If you have wallpaper that goes right up to the window edge, it will likely need patching. Allow for touching up paintwork after the installation, even if the installers are tidy (they should be).
Building Control: If you use a FENSA or CERTASS registered installer, the certificate they issue covers Building Regulations compliance — you do not need a separate Building Control application. If you use a non-registered installer, you will need to apply for Regularisation through your local council, which costs £200-£300 and is a headache you do not need.
Planning Permission: For most houses, replacing windows like-for-like does not require planning permission. If you are in a Conservation Area, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, or a Listed Building, it is a different story — consent may be required. Your installer should advise you, but ultimately the responsibility is yours.
We recently quoted for a 1930s three-bed semi in Bromley. Nine windows — a mix of standard casements and a bay — plus a set of French doors. The quotes came back as follows:
The homeowner went with aluminium. Their reasoning: the house was their long-term home, the slim frames preserved the original bay window sightlines that the uPVC quotes would have buried in plastic, and the £3,600 difference over the uPVC chain quote worked out at £120 per year over a 30-year lifespan. They decided that was worth it.
We offer a free, no-obligation home survey. We measure, we talk through materials and spec, and we give you a fixed written quote that does not change after the survey. If you are just starting to think about replacement and want a rough idea, we can do that over the phone. If you want a firm price, we come out and measure properly. No hard sell.
Glazing Southern Solutions installs premium aluminium and uPVC windows and doors across the whole Kingdom. Based in London with a 10-year installation warranty on every job.
Our specialist team delivers design, engineering and installation for commercial, residential and retail building envelopes across the UK.