Window Fitting questions answered in plain English

A white uPVC window is €300 to €900 supplied and fitted. A 3-bed semi with 10 to 12 windows is €4,500 to €10,000 in uPVC, €9,000 to €17,000 in aluminium. SEAI's median for grant-aided window jobs on a semi is €7,110. See the price guide.

The windows are made to measure after the survey, which takes 3 to 4 weeks. Fitting is 1 to 2 days on a typical 3-bed semi and 2 to 3 days on a detached house. See how long it takes.

Yes. SEAI pays €4,000 for a detached house, €3,000 for a semi, €1,800 for a mid-terrace and €1,500 for an apartment, plus €800 a door for up to two, for homes built and lived in before 2011. Don't start before the offer. See grants and VAT.

Less than people think. One window comes out at a time, so each opening is only open for a short spell and is closed up before the crew leaves. Expect some dust and making good at the reveals; ask for removal of the old frames and the clean-up in the written price.

Get it in writing: on the frames, the sealed glass units and the fitting, for how long, and from whom. A guarantee on the windows from the maker is worth less if no one stands over the fitting.

One window company that covers your county, and only one. They survey every window, price it in writing, fit it and deal with you directly.

Both measure, supply the made-to-measure frames from an Irish or European trade fabricator, fit them and plaster the reveals. Independent local fitting teams carry lower showroom and sales-rep overheads, which often saves 15% to 25% on a full-house window and door package using the exact same profile and glass specification.

The frame is mechanically fixed into the masonry jambs using concrete frame screws or galvanised straps (never held by foam alone), packed plumb on load-bearing glazing packers, filled around the full perimeter with low-expansion thermal foam, taped internally for airtightness where Reveals are opened, and finished externally with low-modulus neutral-cure silicone or compriband tape.

Yes, unless your home has a continuous Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) system or separate wall core vents that already provide the required background ventilation area in every room. Under TGD Part F, replacement windows must not leave the room less ventilated than before, and modern airtight frames stop the draughts that older houses relied on.

Yes, on almost all supply-and-fit jobs the removal and recycling of your old frames, sashes and glass is included in the per-window fitting price. Always confirm on the written quote that old frame disposal and internal plaster reveal making-good are included so you are not left hiring a skip.

Yes. If your existing uPVC or aluminium frames, hinges and locks are structurally sound (typically under 15 to 18 years old) and only the perimeter seal on the glass has failed causing condensation between the panes, a fitter can measure and swap in new Argon-filled Low-E sealed glass units for €120 to €240 per pane without disturbing your plaster reveals.

Every habitable bedroom must have at least one opening sash that gives an unobstructed clear opening of at least 0.33 m², with a minimum width of 450 mm and minimum height of 450 mm, and a bottom sill between 800 mm and 1,100 mm from the bedroom floor. Side-hung casements fitted with egress friction hinges open to 90 degrees to maximise the clear width.

An energy rating for one frame and glass from one maker, based on heat loss, solar gain and air leakage. See a-rated windows and u-values →

1.4 W/m²K or lower to meet the SEAI grant; many new windows do better. See a-rated windows and u-values →

Your BER shows it. The median on Irish BERs for homes built before 2011 is 2.71 W/m²K. See a-rated windows and u-values →

€700 to €1,600 a window supplied and fitted; €9,000 to €17,000 for a 3-bed semi. See aluminium windows →

Old ones without a thermal break were. A modern thermally broken frame isn't. Check the Uw figure on the quote. See aluminium windows →

The grant doesn't name a frame material; the window has to meet SEAI's standard. See windowgrants.ie. See aluminium windows →

All 26. Each request goes to one vetted window company that covers your county. If no company covers you, we'll tell you straight.

Limerick has the highest share of older double glazing on pre-2011 BERs, 67%.

The windows cost the same to make; fitting, travel and making good vary. The company that covers your county prices it after a survey.

It loses less heat and keeps the inside of the glass warmer. Whether it's worth the extra depends on the room's direction, noise and the rest of the house. See double vs triple glazing: which? →

Yes, many houses do: triple on the north side, double elsewhere. See double vs triple glazing: which? →

It cuts condensation on the glass, because the inner pane stays warmer. Condensation from a damp house still needs ventilation. See double vs triple glazing: which? →

Yes: €1,500 to €4,000 from SEAI by home type, plus €800 a door for up to two. See grants for new windows →

No. Works shouldn't start until you have the grant offer. See grants for new windows →

13.5% when supplied and fitted. See grants for new windows →

Yes. Each opening is only open for a short spell, and the crew works one window at a time. See how long does it take to fit new windows? →

Someone needs to be there at the start and the finish, to agree where things go and check every window. See how long does it take to fit new windows? →

Allow 4 to 6 weeks: the survey, 3 to 4 weeks to make, then the fitting days. With a grant, the offer comes first. See how long does it take to fit new windows? →