ᐅ Price difference between windows, fixed glass panels, and masonry?
Created on: 19 Aug 2023 17:51
H
Hausbauer4747
We have planned a floor-to-ceiling double door on the ground floor layout (approximately 215 cm high and 150 cm wide, around 3.2 m² (34.4 sq ft) of glass area, two opening doors) and would like to replace this double door or double window with a fixed window to create a built-in window seat on the inside through a carpenter.
This means the position on the floor plan would remain the same, as well as the width and the top edge. The fixed glass element would then no longer be floor-to-ceiling at the bottom, but would end approximately 50 cm (20 inches) above the floor (then about 2.5 m² (27 sq ft)).
I expected a lower price because the window area would be about 20-25% smaller and the entire door mechanism would be eliminated. However, the construction company is now quoting an additional cost of 400 euros net / about 480 euros gross, because the extra 50 cm at the bottom requires additional masonry work, an exterior windowsill, and the fixed glass element is large and heavy in one piece.
The windowsill cost makes sense to me, though in the building specification we don’t have particularly expensive windowsills (exterior windowsills made of aluminum including anti-drumming foil with side closure profiles and drip edges). I did not expect about 0.8 m² (8.6 sq ft) of additional masonry to be a major cost factor, at least not more than the potential savings from the smaller window.
Does anyone have experience or advice on how to assess these costs?
This means the position on the floor plan would remain the same, as well as the width and the top edge. The fixed glass element would then no longer be floor-to-ceiling at the bottom, but would end approximately 50 cm (20 inches) above the floor (then about 2.5 m² (27 sq ft)).
I expected a lower price because the window area would be about 20-25% smaller and the entire door mechanism would be eliminated. However, the construction company is now quoting an additional cost of 400 euros net / about 480 euros gross, because the extra 50 cm at the bottom requires additional masonry work, an exterior windowsill, and the fixed glass element is large and heavy in one piece.
The windowsill cost makes sense to me, though in the building specification we don’t have particularly expensive windowsills (exterior windowsills made of aluminum including anti-drumming foil with side closure profiles and drip edges). I did not expect about 0.8 m² (8.6 sq ft) of additional masonry to be a major cost factor, at least not more than the potential savings from the smaller window.
Does anyone have experience or advice on how to assess these costs?
K
KarstenausNRW21 Aug 2023 11:12ypg schrieb:
These window seats are never used at least 50% of the time anyway. I converted a typical window bench, or a “flower window,” from the 1960s into a window seat (size about 70x160cm (28x63 inches)). As an adult, I only ever sat there during the conversion. However, the children love it – with cushions, blankets, and a book or watching TV.
KarstenausNRW schrieb:
I converted a typical 1960s bay window seat, also known as a "flower window," into a window seat (size about 70x160cm (28x63 inches)). To be honest, as an adult I only sat there during the renovation. But the kids love it – with cushions, blankets, and a book or watching TV. How exactly did you do that? Just replaced the old window with a fixed-glass unit and that was it?
We also have an old flower window here with a very deep window sill.
Now the question is whether this might be an energy efficiency disaster if the window is located on the outside face of the wall?
Thanks a lot!
If you want it, just do it. Later on, a poorly made piece of furniture in front of a floor-to-ceiling window looks terrible.
My nephew has a window seat like that, it’s used a lot and looks great.
Try to negotiate the price a bit, but please keep in mind: If the deal isn’t enjoyable for the other party, it won’t go well.
I regret saving money on the bathroom roller shutter (all other windows have roller shutters). We thought a simple privacy screen would be enough. Now I’m struggling with an internal privacy screen. It’s neither here nor there.
My nephew has a window seat like that, it’s used a lot and looks great.
Try to negotiate the price a bit, but please keep in mind: If the deal isn’t enjoyable for the other party, it won’t go well.
I regret saving money on the bathroom roller shutter (all other windows have roller shutters). We thought a simple privacy screen would be enough. Now I’m struggling with an internal privacy screen. It’s neither here nor there.
K
KarstenausNRW28 Aug 2023 18:46bestens schrieb:
How exactly did you do it? Just have a new window installed with fixed glazing and that’s it?Exactly like that. Then I laid about one square meter of parquet on the "window sill," finished the side walls nicely, and that was it. It’s like a small bay window.Of course, the "bay window" will still be insulated from the outside. In that respect, it’s very similar to a modern new build with windows flush with the facade. And the energy disaster was already there before, when it was just simple leaded stained glass single glazing ;-)
We are also on Pinterest and had considered a window seat. For the reasons often mentioned here, we decided against it. Also because it is difficult to remove later if you don’t end up using it as often as you had hoped.
We discussed it with the builder as well, and he said it should have been planned fairly early, also because of the wall thickness and so on. Just because you install a fixed window glazing and position it higher doesn’t automatically mean you have a window seat underneath. Either the seat bench extends into the room, or you only have as much seating space as a normal windowsill.
The window seat would have been an additional cost for us, and our builder is generally not someone who looks for extra charges everywhere. On the contrary. He’s more the kind of builder who says, “Here, I got some parquet floor cleaner from the supplier to leave for you after the final cleaning. I brought two bottles; it’s concentrated, one bottle is enough for 40 damp cleans.”
We also changed one window to fixed glazing and didn’t have to pay extra for that. The only additional charges were for the muntins and the lift-and-slide door system. The fixed glazing we chose is not a small window—it measures 3 m x 1.40 m (10 ft x 4.6 ft).
We discussed it with the builder as well, and he said it should have been planned fairly early, also because of the wall thickness and so on. Just because you install a fixed window glazing and position it higher doesn’t automatically mean you have a window seat underneath. Either the seat bench extends into the room, or you only have as much seating space as a normal windowsill.
The window seat would have been an additional cost for us, and our builder is generally not someone who looks for extra charges everywhere. On the contrary. He’s more the kind of builder who says, “Here, I got some parquet floor cleaner from the supplier to leave for you after the final cleaning. I brought two bottles; it’s concentrated, one bottle is enough for 40 damp cleans.”
We also changed one window to fixed glazing and didn’t have to pay extra for that. The only additional charges were for the muntins and the lift-and-slide door system. The fixed glazing we chose is not a small window—it measures 3 m x 1.40 m (10 ft x 4.6 ft).
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xMisterDx31 Aug 2023 00:22i_b_n_a_n schrieb:
(...)
I regret saving money on the roller shutter in the bathroom (there are roller shutters everywhere else). We thought a simple privacy screen would be enough. Now I’m struggling with an interior privacy screen. Neither here nor there.Struggling with an interior privacy screen is on Amnesty’s list right after Russian torture prisons and North Korean labor camps.
Now you have countless opinions… and as I said at the beginning, none of it really helps you, right? 😉
Do it at the price you can afford and skip a purchase that can be made later. Otherwise, in the end, you might have to move out and tear everything down because you don’t have a roller shutter in the bathroom and need to adjust your arm twice a day. Unacceptable—I’m still shocked that a construction company carries out something like this without objection.
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