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The simple answer to this question is... they can be! Although there are many types of porch designs that are available in the market, the uPVC porch happens to be one of the most loved and cost effective. Most home and property owners prefer the installation of a uPVC porch for a number of reasons. These includes:

• Value for money

It’s no coincidence the uPVC is widely accepted across the building industry with a plethora of uses. Not only is it relatively inexpensive to manufacture, but even the recycled uPVC is now becoming more and more useful. UPVC’s main rivals are wood and aluminium, and both are way more expensive to incorporate for frame profiles. Therefore, making use of uPVC is going to make your initial costs relatively low.

• Life Span

Although the main rivals in both hardwood and aluminium can also boast a lengthy lifespan just as uPVC. However, considering the price that you can get a uPVC, the lifespan is just incredible as it can be measured in decades.

• Aesthetic Appeal

UPVC gives you a wide range of foil colours that’ll fit your home perfectly well while also enhancing it’s visual appeal. You can actually get a porch that looks exactly like it’s manufactured from timber frames. To achieve this, all you need to do would be to make use of a wood grain surface finish. This is also long lasting, strong and resistant to fade.

• Little Maintenance

This is a very common feature of uPVC that makes it even more advantageous when used in making a porch. Unlike timber or wood which swells due to absorption of water or shrinks, you’ll never need to worry about all these distortions and more with uPVC. No painting, no sanding and ultimately, low maintenance required.

Removing a double glazed window can be quite labour intensive. If you decide to try it yourself, make sure you give yourself plenty of time, and wear gloves and goggles.

Begin by unscrewing all opening windows at the hinges and removing them. Then take away the beading and putty around any fixed panes and take them out too.

Once you’ve removed all the glass, use a saw to put angled cuts in the frame, and a bar and hammer to remove it in sections. You should remove the sill if you’re going to replace that too.

Finally, cut through any screws holding the frame into place with a hacksaw.

Unfortunately, you can’t fix the glass on one side of a double glazed window. That’s because they’re sealed units – once one pane of glass is broken, that will break the seal and its thermal insulation properties will be lost.

The good news is that if your window frame is still looking great, there’s no need to replace that. You can simply replace the glass in the window, which will cost much less. You can look to spend around £250 on a sealed unit, whereas a whole replacement single window may cost up to £600.

When an installer comes to replace the glass in your double glazed window, they will survey the inside and outside of your home around the window, then move any furniture by the window so they’ve got access. They should then pop a dust sheet down to stop any debris from getting on your floor.

Then, the installer will carefully remove the beads from the frame. They will then lift the glass out of the frame and put it somewhere safe before cleaning out all of the dust and any debris that has found its way into the frame. Using spacers at the bottom of the frame, the installer will make sure that the sealed unit is square in the frame to get a good fit. Once they’re happy, they will replace the beading and make sure it looks perfect before cleaning up their tools.

You could have a go at replacing the glass on a double glazed window yourself, but it’s not recommended. Leave it to the professionals who will know exactly what to do and will be able to do it quickly and safely.

Most window installers will be able to provide you with one double glazed window and fit it for you. If you’re replacing one double glazed window in your home, ask them to try and source the same windows that you already have or find one that’s very similar. Externally, you probably won’t be able to notice the difference, but if your existing windows are very old there may be some exterior discolouration and the locks and handles might look slightly different.

If you want one double glazed window so you can fit it yourself, there are lots of online companies that can supply you with one window. However, window fitting is a skilled trade and you might want to consider whether you have the right tools and experience to fit it yourself. Of course, you’ll save money on installation costs, but if something goes wrong, you might end up shelling out to get it fixed anyway.

The other thing to consider is that any replacement windows need to be certified that they meet Building Regulations. If you fit the double glazed window yourself, you’ll need to apply to your local council building control officer to get a certificate that confirms that you fitted the window within the regulations. You’ll have to pay a fee for this, and it will be even more expensive if Building Control say that the window hasn’t been fitted within the regulations and you have to start again.

The alternative is to ask a reputable window installer that is registered with a self-certification scheme, like FENSA, to install the window. That means that they can self-certify that the window meets building regulations once they’ve finished the installation.

Using a Fensa registered installer isn’t compulsory but it helps to protect you from cowboys and rogue traders. It will also make life a whole lot easier in regards to Building Regulations. Replacement windows must meet a certain energy efficiency rating and once fitted you need a certificate to show your installation complies. By using a Fensa registered company they’ll issue this certificate, otherwise you’ll need the council to look at the new windows.

All new windows come with an energy efficiency rating from A to G. A is best, while G is the lowest rating. Anything above C is considered good, but these days most companies will be able to supply you with A-rated windows to maximise your energy efficiency.

Coloured double glazing windows are more expensive than white ones, in general. uPVC is the cheapest material to use for double glazing, and white is the standard colour. But there are endless possibilities in terms of colours you can have, and they do come at additional cost.

Some people choose to have coloured double glazing that matches or opposes the colour of the exterior of their house. Another popular option is a woodgrain effect, which from a distance looks just like more expensive timber windows. The best thing about a wood effect is that you can have the stylish look of wooden windows without the maintenance, and they should last longer.

While coloured double glazing is more expensive than white ones, it doesn’t have to break the bank. The best thing to do is get in touch with a range of window companies and ask them to come round to give you a quote. They should be able to offer you brochures or links to websites of different brands of windows that offer coloured frames. From there, you can decide on the installers you liked most and the brand you preferred.

It’s worth bearing in mind that it’s not always best to go with the cheapest coloured windows. While there lots of good, inexpensive options out there, sometimes very cheap windows won’t be good quality and may not last as long as other slightly more expensive brands. Speak to your installer about guarantees that may come with the windows and how long they would expect them to last before making your final decision.

Whether you need toughened glass in your windows depends on where the windows are in your home or business. Toughened glass is sometimes referred to as tempered or safety glass, and it just means it’s stronger than the standard glass that’s usually offered with double glazed windows. So how do you know if you need it?

Toughened glass is useful in areas of your home where you might come into contact with the windows if you were to trip and fall. If you put your hands out to steady yourself on standard glass the chances are it would break into large sharp pieces with jagged edges. Of course, this means that you could seriously cut yourself if this were to happen. With toughened glass, the structure of the glass is changed so that if it breaks it shatters into lots of tiny pieces, minimising the risk to you if you were to fall on it.

You might want to use toughened glass in patio doors, low windows or frames next to doors. It just means that you will be safer if the unlikely happens and you or a family member falls through the glass. There are certain requirements through Building Regulations with windows at a certain level, but any reputable window installer should be able to go through these with you if you need to replace your windows with toughened glass. The regulations will only apply to new windows – there's no need to switch your windows to toughened glass early, but when you do come to replace them you’ll need to make sure they meet the standard.