Dormer window rotten .. replace or repair?

[oversteer]

My house and the others in the street have a dormer window on the 2nd floor
It is triangular in shape, and I believe original with the property (~1890)



I think condensation has got to it over the years and the wood is now quite rotten and the glass is loose in places.
I'm worried about touching it to clean it in case it falls out onto the street below!



How should I go about sorting it out? The house has avoided UPVC, thankfully, so I'd like to get it replaced in suitable wood. Should it be repaired or just replaced entirely.. if the latter, would building regs have an impact on replacement windows?

 

[stuart45]

I've repaired most of my windows with wood hardener and filler over the years. It's surprising how well they come up with some work. However It wouldn't be worth paying someone to do it as it takes a fair bit of time.
Replacing a window does come under BC, unless someone doing it is a member of a self cert scheme.

 

[Penners]

You won't really know whether it's repairable until you take it out and discover just how extensive the rot is.

Speaking for myself, even if the whole frame were rotten to the core, I would 'repair' it by replacing all the wood components like-for-like, and then reinserting the original glass.

I don't think Building Regs apply to repairs. :wink:

 

[Feltwell]

I had to replace the dormer on the back of Feltwell Towers. When redoing the roof it became apparently quite quickly that the bottom half of both opening casements and the bottom half of the frame were beyond salvation - it wasn't worth patching up.

Beware, dormer frames can be structural - mine was, it supports the dormer roof. As I had the roof covering off anyway and the house was fully scaffolded it was the perfect time to replace it. You may find you need to put scaffolding up if you can't repair it from the inside - and if it's structural you'll need to temporarily support the dormer roof by other means (most likely acro props on the inside, suitably braced - just be careful that the floor can take the load!)

 

[agbagb]

Try plenty of Duct tape on glass then start digging to see how far the rot has gone. If there's some good left on the bottom ends of stiles then a repair is "fairly" simple.

 

[oversteer]

I guess the complication is that it doesn't open, so I can't get to the outside without ladders - that I don't own

 

[Penners]

You'll find that ladders are available at all good ladder shops.

 

[AMc]

If you replace then technically the installer should be FENSA registered so they can certify that the window meets the regs. They will insist on it being replaced with double glazing unless you have listings or a conservation area that preclude that requirement.
If only the bottom is in a mess then repair should be perfectly possible and you can keep most of the original feature. You are going to need to check if it's structural and you are going to have to bite the bullet on access.
If it were me I would get some joiners to take a look and give you a price and the same for a scaffold company. Once you have that information you can decide if you want to try to DIY or pay to have it fixed up.

 

[Flyfisher]

I don't think Building Regs apply to repairs.

That's the spirit. :wink:

 

[CliffordPope]

Whether you are repairing or replacing something depends how widely you define the "something" in the first place.
If you take out a sash, decide it can't be repaired, and get a new one, that is replacement.
But if you look at the whole window assembly, sash, frame, lintel, sill, etc, then you might repair it by just replacing the sash bit.
I might replace an engine but merely be repairing the car.

 

[Penners]

Just like the oft-repeated (by me!) remark about the wonderful quality of my grandad's old spade. It's had three new handles and two new blades, and it's still going strong!

 

[Flyfisher]

Whether you are repairing or replacing something depends how widely you define the "something" in the first place.

True. Fortunately, the wonder of the interweb gives us ready access to the definitive definition:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbha4XclSMU

 

[paddytt]

You'll find that ladders are available at all good ladder shops.

My Granny has some in her stockings.