Steel-look, Crittall style, industrial or Art-Deco. How much do these types of steel-look and steel replacement windows cost? The factors affecting how much you pay for this unique design of aluminium windows varies depending on the product, the manufacturer and where you buy them from. Even the colour and choice of handles and glass affects the price too.
In this article, we explain how prices are worked out and offer some guide prices on several product types. In a previous article, we also explained how to compare aluminium windows with Steel.
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Steel-look windows explained
Popular as a replacement for existing metal windows or capitalising on the current trend for industrial and Crittall style windows, you’ll find windows, doors, bifolding and sliding doors in the steel look. There are also dedicated steel-look doors and windows for inside the home.
Patio doors in this timeless style are also popular, especially as single or double doors or doors with side panels. So the obvious question is, how much do steel replacement windows cost, and are they a good investment?
First of all, aluminium steel replacement windows are not exact Crittall® style windows. This 160-year-old company has a worldwide reputation for windows fabricated from quality steel and built to last even longer than alumninium versions. The genuine steel window is slimmer, stronger and offers the genuine article every time.
What aluminium steel replacement windows do is offer a cheaper alternative. They are not exactly the same. Neither should any professional installer suggest so. Instead the aluminium versions meet a strong consumer demand and growing trend at a significantly lower price.
To find out how much steel replacement windows cost, you need to seek out the right brand from some of the aluminium systems on offer. Most of the major aluminium systems companies have an aluminium suite designed and intended to replicate old steel windows.
Smart Systems, Reynaers and Aluk are three of the best aluminium versions in this style. Then there are others less well designed such as Sheerline, Decalu or Origin. As well as this you’ll find many independent manufacturers creating a more unique product They’ll either take an existing system and re-engineer it, or invest in a completely new system such as the aïrMOD steel look collection made by Everglade Windows.
Factors affecting the price you pay for steel replacement windows.
Several factors in buying steel-replacement windows will affect the price you pay. We explain these in detail.
Why the product you buy affects steel replacement windows cost
The cheapest steel replacement window will be any window (even PVCu) that’s an otherwise standard window with nothing but glazing bars applied to the glass creating the grid-like pattern. The handles are the same too.
Anybody making or selling windows does this and indeed, many do. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this basic option in the home if you like the styling on offer and make this choice.
Alternatively, the dedicated steel-look windows come with aluminium profiles designed around the original aesthetics of steel windows. The application of nothing but glazing bars to a standard product applies especially to steel-look sliding doors and bifolding doors. With one exception, there’s no dedicated bifold or slider.
Therefore how much steel replacement windows cost firstly depends on the actual brand you’re buying. If the budget allows, our advice is to look at dedicated products rather than the standard.
A good steel-look window or door comes with:
- A choice of profile to windows such as stepped, flush or putty-line windows
- Doors must come with deep bottom rail options, the lock backplate and the right handles.
- Sidepanels should like through consistently
- Window and door handles should come in the period options typical of the original products
How the window design relates to the price you pay
Your window sizes, glazing bar design, how many opening elements needed and the window style itself all affect the price.
Smaller windows are cheaper, larger windows cost more with more material required. As well as material costs, manufacturing costs differ the more elements the window has. There’s little you can do about this when replacing old windows but something to bear in mind with new window openings.
The glazing bars giving the period and industrial look also vary in size. You’ll find bar sizes at 19mm, 25mm, 35mm or 48mm. The thicker the bar the more expensive as a component. Many windows need factory glazing, others have the bars applied on installation. These two factors also affect prices.
Why different colours change the Crittall style windows cost.
Black is undoubtedly the most popular colour for windows in this style. And one of the benefits of aluminium windows is the significant choice of colours available.
Aluminium windows manufacturers now stock more standard colours than before and this helps keeps steel replacement windows cost down as well as ensuring faster manufacturing and delivery times. Therefore the cheaper window will be the one in any of these standard colours such as black, white, and several types of grey.
If your design calls for a non-standard colour not stocked, this will affect the price and you will pay more. Surcharges on special colours vary and your installer can advise you better.
Window extras and accessories explained
One of the best features of a quality steel-look window is window handles and other accessories in the right style, colour and feel. You’ll find some excellent choices of window handles, original peg-stays and even period window hinges.
All of these extras add to the price you pay and also come in special finishes. White, black, hammered finishes, pewter, gold, antique shades are just some of the options on offer. For the window handles you’ll find
Other accessories essential to the installation also affect Crittall style windows cost. You may need a special window cill, your windows may require extension pieces or even retaining the trickle ventilators of the original windows. Of course, bay and bow windows require extra profiles adding to the cost. A significant addition to the price is any curved heads above the windows too.
Finally is your choice of glass. Perhaps you want enhanced security glass for your ground floor windows. Maybe you live on a noisy street and need acoustic glass. Even higher insulation, self-cleaning or solar control glazing adds to the price you pay.
Why installation costs also differ when pricing steel-replacement windows
Fitting a standard size door is cheaper than a larger door set spanning several metres. Installing at ground floor level typically costs less than installations needing towers or scaffolding. Site access generally also affects the price such as getting large doors and windows to the back of a terraced house with no side access.
Installers consider site and staff safety, transportation and accessibility when working out how much steel replacement windows cost. Often they’ll need to hire equipment for handling large panels of glass. There are even situations where a crane manoeuvres a large screen over the roof of the house and to the back as it’s too large to get through the home, or there’s no side or rear access.
How and where you buy your windows matters too
It is easy to assume that you will save money if you buy directly from a manufacturer. And you can. Some manufacturers make and install their windows. Or there’s the choice of installers buying in windows from specialist manufacturers.
Crucially, the expertise of your chosen installer relates to the prices you pay. You’ll get a more competitive quotation from a company selling steel look windows daily, compared with an installer rarely selling these, wanting your business but treating your order as a ‘special’.
You’ve also got the option with these windows of sourcing them yourself and getting your builder to fit.
It is also worth remembering that overheads, fitting charges, profit margins and even regional fluctuations will affect the price. Finally the aluminium extrusions many come from Europe as well as the UK.
check out the various systems and providers of steel-look windows offering more than just windows or doors with bars applied. Focusing in on these, here are some of the better providers. We can help put you in touch and provide more information on their product range.
Approximate prices for steel look windows and doors.
Open the gallery to take a look at some typical systems and products with indicative prices of what steel replacement windows cost. We have also included doors and screens as well. Please bear in mind prices are guide prices only, including VAT and fitting. Always get a quotation from a specialist.
Summary
Whether you’re looking for steel look windows, doors, bifolding or sliding doors and even internal glazing. We can help with specialist suppliers and product advice.
