uPVC sash windows in Lewes, and where they are allowed
A uPVC vertical sliding sash costs a little over half as much as a timber box sash and needs no painting. In Lewes the question is where you are allowed to fit one, so this page starts there.
Where a uPVC sash is usually fine
- Houses in Lewes outside the conservation area boundary, and unlisted houses in the villages.
- Elevations inside the conservation area that face only a private garden or yard, such as the backs of terraces in the Pells or the garden sides of Wallands villas.
Where it needs permission first
- Any elevation in the Lewes conservation area that faces a road, a public path or twitten, the Ouse or open space, because of the Article 4 direction. Permission is not guaranteed.
- Any flat, anywhere, if the look of the windows changes.
Where it is the wrong product
On a listed building. Lewes has around 530 of them and uPVC is very rarely accepted on any. See timber box sash windows instead.
Getting the detail right for a Lewes street
A uPVC sash that will sit near timber ones has to copy them closely, or it will stand out on a street like Priory Street or St Anne's Crescent. The things that matter:
- The glazing pattern. The Authority's appraisal notes six-over-six or eight-over-eight on Georgian terraces and two-over-two on later villas. Match what the house was built with, not what the neighbour has.
- Run-through bars. Bars that sit on the surface only look wrong from an angle. Ask for bars that read through the glass.
- Horns on the upper sash where the originals had them.
- Colour. White uPVC reads as plastic next to painted timber. Most buyers in conservation streets choose a heritage colour or a woodgrain finish in cream, off-white or a dark green.
- Sightlines. The meeting rail and the frame should be as slim as the system allows. The survey will show the sections.
Fitting into old walls
Brick, red and grey, is the most common walling in the conservation area, and some fronts are mathematical tiles over timber. Taking out a box frame can disturb the reveal and the lintel. The fitted ranges on this site include making good inside and out and taking away the old frames; rotten sills and damaged brick arches are priced after the survey.
A priced example
Two front sashes and the front door on a conservation area terrace: uPVC woodgrain sashes. Typically £6,250 to £9,650, supplied and fitted, including VAT. This route assumes planning permission has been granted. See it beside the timber version.