Still planning our new home (trying to keep positive that it will happen sometime) and have been fancying dark windows.  I often see windows that are black or dark grey against a deep coloured render.  We have been to look at some fibreglass windows - trying to keep low maintenance and environmentally friendly! and we were advised that having darker colours outside and white inside will show a line as you look out of the window.  Does anyone have this sort of window?   Do people have black interiors as well as exteriors and what does that look like?  Have just looked on an estate agents site because there was a house like this on the market.  However it must have been sold quickly because it has gone from the site now.

We're having hardwood windows - the house (1837) currently has white UPVC :( :( :( :( Some are only a few years old, but we will rip them all out eventually :D Horrid :D OK - the previous people didn't look after them either (and they must have been very cheap ones) but they are covered in green mould on the outside sills and are very grubby inside :(

Daisy

The uPVC ones are horrid aren't they? They need just as much maintenance as hardwood, and don't last as long.

How can they need as much mainenance? 

I have had UPVC ones for fifteen years, they get an occassional wipe down with detergent and water and look as good as new. Not sure how you can say they don't last as long either, I fully expect them to see me out without any repairs. They were good quality ones agreeably.

Personally I don't think they are 'horrid' at all, they don't really look any different to the wooden frames that preceeded them and they were hard work.

I agree Sandrah - upvc every time :-D

I agree too!!  We live right next to the sea.  Next door either side have wooden windows which need repainting/varnishing every year because of the salt and wind.  Give me UPVC anytime!!!!

Depends what you put on them I think!  Mine are getting grubby, and I've not even been here a year - granted, I don't wipe them down that often, but in the interim they have blankets, houseplants (in big pots :D), slate (from the fish tank, will go back in eventually...) and other bits and pieces.

I don't think it's the uPVC itself that's the problem - I'm finding it's the sealant that's irritating me as once that's dirty, it seems to stay that way.  Ditto if it gets mildew, as the window directly above my kitchen sink is getting all the way round the frame despite my best efforts.

My last house had hardwood windows and I painted them black on the outside (unconventional foreigner :-D). Inside they were a variety of colors. I never noticed a black line that bugged me.

Thanks Lori - it was the salesman who flagged this up.  The trouble with plastic is that they have thick bars and they only come in white or wood finish.  Having lived with wood look alikes for years I can say that they fade and look awful.  We have white at the back and they are not very good to look at either now.  Can't reach them to clean them. The downstairs ones have been cleaned but are quite grey and marked now.  We live in an exposed position - not by the sea but at a high point that has westerlies coming straight in off the Atlantic!  Wood won't last long here.

I think you get what you pay for with UVPC.  We used a well known national company but our next door neighbour (semi bungalow) used a local cheaper company.  I had mine done 5 years before her but looking at them now especially where the guttering joins, mine are still nice and white and hers are yellowing.  I would point out she cleans hers every month too, where mine gets done a couple of times a year.

I have wood effect UPVC on the outside and white inside. I do not see a line as has been described.

Thanks Alison - that would be the same sort of thing. 

I have wood effect UPVC on the outside and white inside. I do not see a line as has been described.

Forgot to say the last house I built about 5 years ago we put in brown outside and white inside with the bar across the middle as planning required a Sash look.  You couldn't see the opposite colour from either side.

Wood effect UPVC is worse than white .......... (Daisy runs away :D :D :D )

Daisy

:-) :-D   LOL Daisy. We all like different things.     Most of the very good companies colours are pretty good now. I samples about 50 shades before I would accept the ones I have and I am overall happy with them.   I am not experienced myself in the ins and outs of the making of windows but My OH has led me to believe nowadays the UPVCs are so safe and low maintainence that  wood overall loses out.    In Modern house I think they look fine.  We even now have large UPVC window sills that have large bull turns on them and they look mint I think.  Wipe over easily. 

We do have a little Victorian cottage we let out, I would be loathed to put UPVC unless they could mimic the sash and cash perfectly . I would probably have the sashes taken out and professionally re-done. 

I agree, that in modern houses, UPVC looks far better than in old :) We turned down buying a lovely cottage because it had just had new wood-effect UPVC windows fitted. They looked awful IMHO and we would have ripped them out and replaced them if we had bought it - but that would have been a complete waste of money as the price paid would have included the 'improvements' :D :D The windows could well have been cheap - as the couple were emigrating and had 'renovated' it just to sell :( Maintenance of wood may be a pain, but, IMO ( :D ), it just looks so much better than plastic :) :) :)

Daisy

Sash and Cash.. sounds like a movie.. I mean Sash and Case :-D

Ok Daisy, you can run but you can't hide!!!!! LOL

I think you get what you pay for with UVPC.

Think you hit the nail on the head.  Not even just the cost as some of the top manufacturers make very very high quality windows  at a reasonable price.  I think you can spot cheap UPVC windows though very easily..

My OH is a carpenter and he now wouldn't put Wooden windows  in our house.  Too much maintenance. I do agree in a very old house I would insist on wood but would have to be the whole hogg including the sashes.

We have just taken our hardwood windows and doors out and put oak UPVC ones in. Think they look smashing :-) 

I have never ever in my life had mildew or gunk on UPVC windows.  Don't know if that is because I haven't lived in an old cold house but I have never seen it. I don't fanatically clean my windows either.

Nikita - you could try a little bleach on the sealant, applied with an old toothbrush.
It works well on bathroom sealants :)

Blue - what did you mean that you looked at about 50 samples before you chose - in my experience uvpc comes in white, light oak and a dark mahogany type colour - nothing else.  (oh there is a firm that does an off white beige sort of colour but was not impressed with the feel of it - was thin and the joints looked obvious)  The only way you can get colour is aluminium or fibreglass - then you have the choice of all the RAL colours - about 200 I believe.  The other down side with wood - we were looking at sliding sash - is that you can't clean the outside - with plastic or fibleglass then the whole piece can be turned over. 
Christine 

Ceejay,
When you posted this question did you mean dark window frames or darkened glass?
Iknow I,m a bit slow on the uptake but when I read your post I was imagining a house with darkened glass as on a programme such as Grand Designs or something like that.
I think they look really good if thats the case.

Pavlova - I meant window frames - seen a lot on Grand Designs because aluminium frames are really fashionable on some of these really contemporary houses.  Have been browsing some of my self build magazines and folks generally seem to have dark inside as well as out. I suppose if the frame is thinner then that can look OK.