How Much Does Secondary Glazing Cost?
The average cost of fitting secondary glazing to a bungalow with five windows is £1680 to £1920.
You can expect to pay £2330 to £2650 for secondary glazing of a seven window terraced house or £3100 to £3380 for a terraced house with nine windows.
If your home is semi-detached, the total cost will be about £2440 to £2710 for seven windows or £3530 to £3810 for ten windows.
Lastly, for secondary glazing on a 14 window detached house, you’d need to set a budget aside of about £4800 to £5500.
The price of a secondary glazing job will also depend on the size of the window, the number of window fitters on the task, ease of access and where you live.
Window fitters, like labourers in general, charge different rates throughout the nation. In London and the southeast in general, you can expect to find higher labour costs than the national average.
However, in regions like Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the north of England, labour fees are generally lower than the rest of the country.
Secondary Glazing Prices
| Job Description | Labour Cost | Supply Costs | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bungalow - 5 Windows | £280 to £320 | £1400 to £1600 | £1680 to £1920 |
| Terraced House - 7 Windows | £330 to £400 | £2000 to £2250 | £2330 to £2650 |
| Terraced House - 9 Windows | £400 to £480 | £2700 to £2900 | £3100 to £3380 |
| Semi-detached House - 7 Windows | £440 to £510 | £2000 to £2200 | £2440 to £2710 |
| Semi-detached House - 10 Windows | £630 to £710 | £2900 to £3100 | £3530 to £3810 |
| Detached House - 14 Windows | £800 to £1000 | £4000 to £4500 | £4800 to £5500 |
What are the Supply Costs of Secondary Glazing?
Let’s now more closely examine the supply costs of secondary glazing. This excludes the cost of labour. On average, the supply costs are about £1400 to £1600 for a bungalow with five windows.
For a terraced house, expect the material costs to be around £2000 to £2250 if it has seven windows or £2700 to £2900 nine windows.
As for a semi-detached house, if it has seven windows, the supply costs will be about £2000 to £2200 or £2900 to £3100 should it have ten windows.
Secondary glazing for a 14 window detached house will have a supply cost of about £4000 to £4500. In general, secondary glazing costs around £300 to £345 per window.
Secondary Glazing Supply Prices
| Job Description | Supply Cost |
|---|---|
| Bungalow - 5 Windows | £1400 to £1600 |
| Terraced House - 7 Windows | £2000 to £2250 |
| Terraced House - 9 Windows | £2700 to £2900 |
| Semi-detached House - 7 Windows | £2000 to £2200 |
| Semi-detached House - 10 Windows | £2900 to £3100 |
| Detached House - 14 Windows | £4000 to £4500 |
What are the Additional Costs of Secondary Glazing?
There are some notable added expenses that you may incur when paying for secondary glazing. Whether or not these costs will apply will depend on various factors, including the nature of the work and the tradesperson/company you hire.
Minimum Fee
Some window fitters set a minimum charge. For example, a window fitter may charge per day, in which case, even if the work takes say a day and a half, you would still be charged for two full days of work.
In other cases, a window fitter may have a minimum fee that will be added on top of the labour and supply expenses.
Type of Glass
Costs can also vary depending on the type of glass. It costs about £70 to £74 per m2 for 6mm clear toughened glass, £95 to £103 per m2 for 6mm anti-sun toughened glass, £104 to £112 per m2 for acoustic laminated 6.4mm glass, or £130 to £140 per m2 for 10mm clear laminated glass.
Glazing Type
The type of glazing used is very relevant to the cost. It will cost about £375 to £425 per m2 for horizontal or vertical sliding glazing, £325 to £375 per m2 for hinged glazing, or £275 to £325 per m2 for lift out glazing. The costs are about £130 to £170 per m2 for magnetic glazing or £170 to £220 per m2 for fixed panel glazing.
Size of Property/Window
The larger the property, the more the work will take, assuming that you intend to have secondary glazing applied to all or even just most of the windows in your home. Also, the larger the windows, the more it will cost due to increased supply costs.
Redecorating Frames and Window Sills
As wonderful as it can look, new secondary glazing may contrast with your existing window frames and sills, making them look old and grimy.
As a result, you should consider redecorating the frames first. Window gloss or a comparable oil-based paint can be used, as well as sandpaper and paint scraper to make the area look fresh and tidy. Wood filler could also be used to fill any holes.
Redecorating window frames and sills may add around £70 to £90 to your overall bill, although you could save about £20 to £30 if you undertake this work DIY in the days before the window fitter(s) arrive.
Number of Tradespeople
In many cases, secondary glazing will be undertaken by a team of two.
Should this be the case, you’ll face an hourly or daily labour cost that is roughly double that than if you were to hire a single tradesperson.
The advantage of hiring a team is that it will cut down the duration of the work.
Whether it will prove cost-effective or a financial liability overall will depend on how well the window fitters work together.
Work Time Frame
The duration of the work is one of the most important factors in determining the cost of secondary glazing.
After all, the longer work takes, the higher the labour cost will probably be. In some incidents, this will not be true, however.
For example, if a labourer sets a fixed daily rate, then a job that takes two days and two hours would cost the same as taking two days and five hours.
Tradesmen Costs for Installing Secondary Glazed Windows
The cost of labour for this work excludes the supply costs. We’ll now look at how much each of the jobs discussed in the opening section would cost in labour fees.
This section also looks at the average labour cost of window fitters on an hourly and daily basis.
On average, the labour cost lands around £280 to £320 for a bungalow with five windows, £330 to £400 for a terraced house with seven windows, or £400 to £480 for a terraced house with nine windows.
The cost rises to approximately £440 to £510 for a semi-detached house with seven windows or £630 to £730 for the same property with ten windows, or £800 to £1000 for a detached house with 14 windows.
As discussed, labourers tend to work in teams of two and with an average hourly rate of £10 an hour and a daily rate of about £150, to hire two window fitters will cost approximately £300 per day.
While the labour cost will be primarily determined by the number of tradespeople working, it will also be influenced by where you live, ease of access, and whether any additional work is required.
How Long Does It Take to Fit Secondary Glazing?
As with labour costs, the time frame involved in fitting secondary glazing can be influenced by a wide range of factors.
Let’s now take a closer look at how long different secondary glazing jobs would take and what those time-affecting factors are.
Our time frames assume that two window fitters have been hired. It may take around twice as long if a single window fitter performs the work.
To install secondary glazing to a five-window bungalow would take about one to one and a quarter days.
For a terraced house, expect the work to last between a day and a half, whether it has seven windows or nine windows.
For a seven window semi-detached house, the work duration will be approximately one to two days or two plus days for ten windows.
As for a 14 window detached house, secondary glazing will take anywhere from a day to two and a half days.
The time it takes to install secondary glazing will depend on the size of the property and windows, the number of windows, ease of access, the number of tradespeople on the job and whether any extra work is required before or after.
How Much Does It Cost to Remove Secondary Glazing?
You may choose to have secondary glazing removed along with the window and frame if you’d prefer to have double glazed or triple glazed windows fitted instead.
Although secondary glazing is cheaper than either double or triple glazing, it’s possible that you may find that it isn’t quite up to the standard you were hoping for.
Alternatively, you may be replacing one or more windows with another fitting such as a French door.
It will cost about £250 to £500 per window to replace an existing window with double glazing or £380 to £490 per window for a triple glazed replacement.
To convert an existing window into uPVC French doors may set you back between £1400 and £1600.
FAQs
Q: What are the advantages of secondary glazing?
A: The main benefit of secondary glazing windows is that they can improve heat insulation by around 50%. Secondary glazing is also cheaper than double glazing, and it can somewhat improve acoustics insulation too.
Q: How long does secondary glazing last?
A: If looked after properly, there’s no reason that secondary glazing won’t last for decades after the secondary glazing installation took place.
Q: How much cheaper is secondary glazing than the cost of double glazing?
A: On average, the price of secondary glazing is only 25-50% as much as the double glazing cost. Double glazed windows have many advantages when it comes to keeping heat inside the home, but secondary glazing will suffice in many cases.
Q: What type of secondary glazing is the best?
A: You should avail of a Low-E glass product for the best results. Low-E glass is designed to reflect UV rays and minimise the level of infrared light that enters or leaves through the window.
Low-E glass secondary glazing effectively keeps heat out during the summer but keeps it in during the winter.
Q: Do I need planning permission to fit secondary glazing?
A: Usually, planning permission will not be required. However, some incidents may apply, such as if you lived in a listed building.
Further information can be found via the planning portal. You should also view the building regulations before hiring a team to fit secondary glazing.
Please note that building regulations and planning permission rules can differ between Scotland/Northern Ireland and England/Wales.
Sources
- https://www.albanywindows.co.uk/news/secondary-glazing-vs-double-glazing/
- https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/double-glazing/secondary-glazing/secondary-glazing-cost
- https://www.doubleglazingontheweb.co.uk/news/triple-glazing-cost/
- https://www.roseview.co.uk/news/the-hidden-benefits-of-secondary-glazing/
- https://www.hazlemere.co.uk/blog/2011/04/the-primary-benefits-of-secondary-glazing/
- https://www.4feldco.com/articles/low-e-glass-windows/.
