how important is double glazing?

[Marc]

i'm looking at flats to rent at the moment, and the two nicest ones i've seen so far have been partially or not at all double glazed.

The one i looked at today is huge but is the one with no double glazing anywhere. Now i'm not one to get cold that easily, and it has gas central heating and a gas fireplace in the lounge, and i'd probably put up some thick curtains too, but are there other problems relating to not having double glazing that i should be wary of?

[Pat_C]

Double glazing can considerably reduce noise too, something you should consider if you live near a busy road or other source of noise.

[nogg]

With fuel bills on an increasing upward spiral, double glazing could help alot.

[Lawrenzini]

If you're renting over for a period of less than 5 years I don't think it should be a concern. One reason alot of fuss is made about whether a property has double glazing or not when buying is the fact that if it doesn't you will probably have to spend a few thousand getting it installed in the near future, obviously not a great thing.

In terms of renting, I don't think it should be too much of an issue.

[Marc]

i would probably stay about 2 years, that seems to be my average tenancy length since i've been renting.

The first place i rented had no double glazing and only had tiny radiators in a couple of rooms so that place got quite cold, but this one has rads in every room so i think temperature wise it'll be ok.

My major concern is that the gas bills will be very high due to all the heat loss through the windows, hence planning to buy thick curtains to insulate the rooms, but saying that, all the high gas bills i've had at my previous houses have been the fault of my housemates not appreciating that you don't need the thermostat on 30 and you don't need the heating on when you're asleep or at work, even at my current double glazed place, my last gas bill was £320 for the quarter due to one housemates who is always cold constantly putting the heating onto permanently on mode

[Steve Zodiac]

Personally, I wouldn't let the lack of double glazing put me off renting a property, if all the other important factors were right, such as the location, layout and price. I'm assuming that noise wouldn't be a big problem as double glazing can greatly reduce this as previously mentioned by Pat_C.

It's best (if at all possible) to avoid a particularly noisy area in the first place. Don't forget, you will want to open the windows at times, so the double glazing won't reduce noise levels then.

Single glazed windows are more prone to getting condensation on them at certain times of the year. When you have double glazing moisture can settle elsewhere in the house and cause problems there (on outside walls, in cupboards, behind wardrobes etc). At least with single glazed windows you can see where most of the moisture is settling!

I'd rather pay a little more on heating and live in the flat I liked the best. Double glazing would only be of any real consideration to me if buying a property.

[Abu]

Don't know if it was mentioned already but none double glazed windows get that condensation formed on the inside which can be a bit irritating some mornings.

[Marc]

cheers guys, lots of helpful advice there.

the house i saw today is bigger than i could have hoped for as the first place i'll be renting on my own. The bedroom is big and has a built in wardrobe, the kitchen is quite large too, and the lounge (which will my home cinema room) is really huge and has a bay window which will be the perfect place to put my 50" TV (although i'll probably decide later against putting it somewhere it might get rained on if i leave the windows open). The bathroom isn't massive but it's big enough.

The location isn't particularly noisy either. There will be cars going past the road a few dozen yards off to the side but the road itself should be fairly quiet traffic wise. There is a nightclub about 5 mins walk away so i expect i'll get all the goths walking past my road on a friday, but that's far better than the chavs and i'd probably still be awake at that time, or in the club with them

i wanted to find out if i was letting myself in for lots of problems or hidden costs and you've helped reassure me that there's nothing that's really going to bother me.

all i gotta do now is wait for the agent to get back to me with the measurements for the washing machine space and fridge/freezer space to see if my stuff will fit in, and if that's all ok, i think i'll put in an offer

[Crocodile]

Originally Posted by Marc

all i gotta do now is wait for the agent to get back to me with the measurements for the washing machine space and fridge/freezer space to see if my stuff will fit in, and if that's all ok, i think i'll put in an offer

Make sure that you get to double check any critical measurements in person before signing as the agent is bound to have a disclaimer in the event of them getting it wrong.

[IronGiant]

And don't forget double glazing keeps your noise in as well, if you are partial to cranking up the odd DVD!

Dave

[T0MAT01]

Originally Posted by Marc

My major concern is that the gas bills will be very high due to all the heat loss through the windows

I remember once seeing a chart that predicted how long it would take to recover the cost of having double glazing fitted through the reduction in fuel bills, I think double glazing was about 10 - 12 years to recover the cost, whereas draught excluder was only 3-4 months!

[Reign-Mack]

double glazing is crap, only any good if you keep your windows closed(all the way) all year round.

[Paulie-W]

Apart from the noise reduction and security issues. Not having it is ok. I dont know if they still make it, but when i was in a flat there was some sort of film about that we used in the winter. Stick it over the frame and use a hair dryer to shrink the film down. It actually worked pretty well. And it wasnt noticable to the eye.

[Marc]

Originally Posted by crocodile

Make sure that you get to double check any critical measurements in person before signing as the agent is bound to have a disclaimer in the event of them getting it wrong.

yeah, am planning to ask for a 2nd viewing as i didnt really get more than about 5 or 10 minutes in the property this time, they rush you around so much its hard to even remember much about the place. I want to try and get a mental picture of where i'll put everything, and i'll bring along my tape measure when i do just to double check

[Crocodile]

Originally Posted by Marc

yeah, am planning to ask for a 2nd viewing as i didnt really get more than about 5 or 10 minutes in the property this time, they rush you around so much its hard to even remember much about the place. I want to try and get a mental picture of where i'll put everything, and i'll bring along my tape measure when i do just to double check

When viewing properties I always take a camcorder. Much easier to refer back to than my memory (& a lot more reliable at my age! ).