12 May 2026
How to Choose the Right Window Frame for a Welsh Home
Welsh weather is a particular kind of test for a window. It's wet most of the year, salt-laced near the coast, and rarely still. A frame that holds up beautifully on a south-facing terrace in Surrey will sometimes give in surprisingly quickly to a wind-driven January in the Rhondda.
uPVC is the default for most homes we fit, and for good reason: it's cost-effective, low-maintenance, and modern profiles look far better than the chunky white frames people remember from the 1990s. We tend to specify multi-chambered profiles with steel reinforcement for anything beyond a small bathroom unit.
Aluminium suits more contemporary homes and large openings — bi-folds, picture windows, full-height sliders. The slim sightlines are the draw. The cost premium over uPVC is real, but on the right property the result is hard to beat.
Timber and timber-alternative composites are worth considering for listed buildings, period cottages, and conservation areas — the planners often insist on it, and frankly the look is right for the building. They need a bit more care, but a properly painted hardwood frame has another 30 years in it without complaint.
Whatever the material, the seals and the installation matter more than the brochure. A premium frame fitted poorly leaks; a mid-range frame fitted well doesn't. We'd rather you spent the budget on getting both right than on the highest spec frame with corners cut on the install.