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The simple answer to this question is... they can be! Although there are many types of porch designs that are available in the market, the uPVC porch happens to be one of the most loved and cost effective. Most home and property owners prefer the installation of a uPVC porch for a number of reasons. These includes:

• Value for money

It’s no coincidence the uPVC is widely accepted across the building industry with a plethora of uses. Not only is it relatively inexpensive to manufacture, but even the recycled uPVC is now becoming more and more useful. UPVC’s main rivals are wood and aluminium, and both are way more expensive to incorporate for frame profiles. Therefore, making use of uPVC is going to make your initial costs relatively low.

• Life Span

Although the main rivals in both hardwood and aluminium can also boast a lengthy lifespan just as uPVC. However, considering the price that you can get a uPVC, the lifespan is just incredible as it can be measured in decades.

• Aesthetic Appeal

UPVC gives you a wide range of foil colours that’ll fit your home perfectly well while also enhancing it’s visual appeal. You can actually get a porch that looks exactly like it’s manufactured from timber frames. To achieve this, all you need to do would be to make use of a wood grain surface finish. This is also long lasting, strong and resistant to fade.

• Little Maintenance

This is a very common feature of uPVC that makes it even more advantageous when used in making a porch. Unlike timber or wood which swells due to absorption of water or shrinks, you’ll never need to worry about all these distortions and more with uPVC. No painting, no sanding and ultimately, low maintenance required.

Some properties are unable to have double glazing, especially those in conservation areas or listed buildings. To counter this problem and still benefit from a warmer home and cheaper bills, secondary glazing is an option. Secondary glazing is a second pane fitted inside your original window. Secondary glazing will still save you around £105 yearly.

It depends on a few factors whether a new double glazed window will look different to existing ones. If your existing windows are very old, perhaps 10 years or more, then it’s likely that there will be some small differences.

The first thing to remember is that your double glazing is exposed to the elements as soon as it’s installed. So over time, unless you’re very good at cleaning and maintaining your windows, they’re likely to look a bit dirty. Window frames that are south-facing may also become slightly discoloured from the sun, so if you install a new window right next to it you might notice a difference.

Also, there have been lots of technical advances in windows over the years. If your existing windows are significantly older, you might notice a difference in the handles on openers, and if your existing windows were installed before 2010 they might not have trickle vents, which is an extra strip on the inside of your window to keep air flowing through your home. While it’s not a legal requirement for replacement windows to have trickle vents if the original one didn’t, it’s a good idea to have them installed as they help prevent condensation and mould.

The only truly noticeably different elements to a new double glazed window compared with existing ones are likely to be on the inside, which might not be a problem for you if you only have one window in a room. However, if you know the brand of your existing windows, you can ask your window installer if they can source the same ones. Even if they’ve been updated slightly, the difference should be minimal.

These days, buyers expect homes to have double glazing. People recognise the benefits of installing double glazing, so if you don’t have it installed you should consider it. You’ll increase your property’s value and give it a better chance of selling faster, since single glazed properties are also more likely to have problems with damp and mould which could put buyers off.

Tiling a porch roof is a very important but laborious and difficult task. A project of this magnitude will require a large investment in planning and preparation way before the actual installation process takes place. It can be a brand new porch roofing tile or a replacement of the existing one, either way it’s crucial to get the right technique. If you lack proper training or experience in this field, we’d recommend you hire the services of a reliable professional probably within your local area to guarantee the best results and to save yourself some time and money. This guide will give you a good insight into the porch roof tiling process. Let’s have a look!

• With the crown looking upwards, put the first tile on the batten and centre the tile from side to side.

• Hammer a 10d nail at the base of the tile and into the batten (make sure not to overdrive the nail).

• To provide a much needed support, apply a little mortar under the first tile.

• Identify the inner end of the first tile and place another tile on top. Take a measurement from the outer end and adjust the end of the second tile to fit.

• Just like you’ve done with the first tile, nail the second tile into the batten.

• Position two tiles at the both ends of the ridge and proceed with the installation just as you’ve done with the previous tiles.

• Take a measurement of the distance across the ridge from the first tile’s outer end. Once done, you can then calculate the number of tiles required by subtracting 16 inches from your measurement and divide the answer by 8.

• Beginning at the second tile on one end of the ridge, install the half the number of ridge tiles towards the centre of the ridge. Now install the remaining tiles working from the opposite end to the ridge’s centre. At the centre of ridge should be a key tile with mortar.

Double glazing frames don’t just have to come in uPVC and are available in other materials including aluminium and wood too. Wooden or timber windows are more suited to properties with a traditional look and are often the frame of choice for listed buildings and homes in conservation areas. When properly maintained wooden windows can last well for years but can be up to three times more expensive than uPVC.Aluminium is the strongest and most durable option. As a metal it is highly resistant to the UK’s changing weather conditions and won’t rust, warp, crack or peel. Aluminium offers a modern appeal and is available in a range of colours.

You can only repair blown double glazed windows in the sense that you can replace the sealed unit (the glass part of the window) instead of having to replace the entire window.

When a double glazed window is blown, it means that the seal around the window has failed and is now letting air in and out. Often the first sign that the sealed unit has blown is condensation on the inside of the window, which is annoying since there’s no way to get rid of it! When your sealed unit has blown, you’ll be losing heat out of the window, meaning you could be spending more on your energy bills.

As a temporary fix, you could see if you can buy a misting repair kit online, but the condensation will eventually occur again as the air gets in. The best thing to do is ask a window installer or glazier to replace the sealed unit for you.

It's simple to replace the glass in a window – the specialist will remove the beading around the window, remove the blown glass from your window frame and set it to one side. They will then clean up around the frame before adding spacers in, then fitting the new sealed unit into the frame. They’ll make sure it’s a snug fit before replacing the beading back around the window to secure it.

There's no reason to put off repairing a blown double glazed window since the cost is generally much less than replacing the entire thing. A sealed unit with installation costs an average of £100, whereas a completely new window will cost around £400. You’ll soon notice that it’s less draughty and will be able see out of your window once you’ve had the blown glass replaced.

Ultimately the double glazing company you use is responsible for the quality of work and to ensure your windows are of an excellent standard. This is why it’s important to get a warranty and use a Fensa registered installer. If problems emerge within a couple of years then it’s likely the installation was of a poor standard.Contact the double glazing company and have the issue repaired or new windows replaced. This doesn’t matter if you received a discount of free windows as part of the deal. As long as you entered into a contract the company is obliged to restore the windows.