How to Measure Windows and Doors for a Ballpark Quote

Before committing to our products, we understand that it’s important for customers to get a rough idea of the cost. We can use measurements that you have taken to estimate this so that you can budget and decide if you would like to go ahead with your purchase.

Please note, we will conduct a full survey and re-measure the windows before placing the order to ensure everything is done precisely. If you are interested in a ballpark quote, please contact us for more details.

We have a few products which we can quote in-house, and this type of quote will take us a few days to process. Most products we offer are priced up accurately by our factories, and this can sometimes take a week to be returned to you. This way, we know we’re providing everyone with a completely fair price from the very start.

It’s Your Choice!

If you’re local to us, we’re happy for you to book us in for a visit instead of measuring them yourself. We will measure the units you’d like to replace and note down any equipment we may need (such as scaffolding). Then, take a few photos (with your permission) so that our staff have a good understanding of the project.

If you are further afield, or happy providing your own dimensions, we encourage this as it is a much more efficient way to give you an estimate. That way, you can book a visit after you have an initial quotation which often makes the visit much more useful for you. You don’t have to spend lots of time on this, or be super careful as we won’t be basing the order on these measurements.

Measuring Your Own Windows

If possible, it is better to measure from the outside of the window but if not, measuring from the inside is fine too.

• Use a tape measure to find the size of the opening (the structural width and height).

• It’s best to measure plaster-to-plaster if measuring from the inside. Please let us know if you obtain your measurements from inside. We will adjust the dimensions to account for parts of the frame that may not be accounted for when looking at it from the inside.
• Conveniently standing on the inside, if it looks like the window cill is roughly a metre up from the floor, do a quick measure from the floor up to the bottom of that window. If that dimension is smaller than 800mm, that window needs safety glass included in your quote.

Depth of the Frame

Windows come in a variety of frame depths. The distance from the outside face of the window frame, to the inside face of the window frame can vary hugely. As an extreme example, if we want to install a 210mm deep frame (one of the largest we can) where the previous window was a 50mm deep steel frame, this will either require some serious adjustment work, or be impossible. But fear not! We have plenty of options for all the frame depths we might encounter.

The ‘normal’ depth we offer is 115mm. This is a comfortable conversion from a standard old timber or plastic frame (70mm). By measuring this depth, we can suggest products that are available to you.

Redesigning your Windows

If you are aiming to keep the design of your windows similar to the current units, a photo of each side of your home is enough for us to copy it.

Although, there are many reasons to change the design. Many older windows can be simplified to save money. You may want more natural light or a larger opening for better airflow.

The easiest way to communicate this to us is through diagrams. These diagrams don’t need to be to scale and are an easy way to display complicated information. Drawings are viewed from the outside with an arrow/triangle pointing to the handle.

A side hung window, visible external hinges, handle on the left viewed from outside

Double side hung window, with false mullion (no central post between opening sashes)

A top guided window, no external hinges, handle at the bottom

Tilt-turn, opens inward, top tilts inward, handle on the right,

Sliding sash window, top part sliding, bottom part fixed

Double door

Full glass door, handle on the left viewed from outside

Entrance door, top half glass, bottom half panelled, handle on left viewed from outside, with letterbox

For more door ideas visit our Front Entrance Doors page

Adding accessories to your drawings

If you’d like decorative bars on your windows, and you don’t have a photo showing the design you’d like, most glazing bar arrangements are simple enough to quickly describe.

Another option, best for more complicated arrangements, would be to draw them onto your diagrams. In this situation, please make sure the decorative bar lines are in some way different to set them apart from the frame layout. For example, using a different colour, or dashed lines.

Fixed, sidehung, fixed window with two horizontal glazing bars

Fixed, sidehung, fixed window with one horizontal and one vertical glazing bar per sash, the “per sash” part becomes important sometimes

Sidehung | Topguided over fixed, with two horizontal glazing bars

This one would be too difficult to usefully describe in words, best to stick to a drawing!

Other Details

There are plenty of details that you may know you’d like or need to have that are awkward to draw or see in a photo. Please let us know if there’s something you’d like us to include (or not include). Some common ones include:

• Solar glass , primarily to reduce heat from sunlight.
• Obscure glass : usually a good idea on bathrooms, but there are other use cases.
• Dummy sash/False sash for when you’d like fixed windows to look like an opening window – great for consistency and symmetry, but will add cost.
• RAL 7032 Externally : some of our most popular colours are not actually in our factories’ standard ranges, and will add extra cost. Please let us know if you have a specific colour in mind.
• Double or Triple glazed. You may have a clear idea of the level you’d like to upgrade to. If not, we’re happy to help you find the answer. Triple glazing is not just a thermal insulation upgrade, but also noise reduction and a more future-proof investment.
• For front doors: letterbox. Our doors all have Class 4 airtightness , and many achieve Passivhaus insulation values. By default therefore, it’s natural for us to not immediately provide a hole in the middle for a letterbox. Having said that, we aren’t oblivious to reality, and do realise they need to exist – feel free to let us know!

Further reading:

Replacing Windows – What to Expect?

Fire Egress Compliancy for Windows

Interesting Design Ideas For Your Home Using Danish Windows

Scandinavian Windows