uPVC vs Timber Windows: Which Is Worth It?

For most UK homes the window choice in 2026 comes down to one number: budget. uPVC casements run £400 to £1,000 per window fitted, which makes them the default for the vast majority of replacements. Timber casements cost £900 to £2,000, roughly twice as much, and ask something uPVC never will: regular repainting every 8 to 10 years. The uPVC window calculator will price your house in uPVC, and the timber window calculator gives you the timber figure. This comparison covers the five dimensions where the two materials genuinely differ so you can decide which is right before you call anyone. For a broader look at how all three main materials stack up, the aluminium versus timber comparison is worth reading alongside this page.

The headline comparison

Here is the side-by-side picture before we get into the detail. All figures are fitted, per-window ranges for a standard casement.

Source: DGCC 2026 dataset. Timber uplift roughly 60 to 110% vs uPVC baseline.

Cost

The price gap between uPVC and timber is substantial. A fitted uPVC casement sits in the £400 to £1,000 band. The same window in timber costs £900 to £2,000, roughly 60 to 110% more, or about twice the price. On a ten-window house that difference can easily reach £5,000 to £10,000. The premium reflects the cost of the timber itself, the skilled joinery needed to cut, shape and join it, and the factory or on-site finishing. If you are simply replacing ageing windows on a standard brick-built semi, it is a hard premium to justify on price alone. You can check what a full house costs at the window costs hub, which covers all materials and styles.

Best Buy uPVC for cost. Nothing else gets you A-rated double glazing for less.

Looks and heritage

This is where timber earns its premium for the right property. uPVC is a convincing material on most post-war homes, but its profiles are noticeably different from the slim, hand-crafted sightlines of original timber windows in older properties. On a Victorian or Edwardian terrace, on a period farmhouse or on any building where the original windows had character, a well-made timber replacement looks right in a way that uPVC simply cannot replicate, however good the foil finish. The grain, the depth of the profile and the ability to be joinery-matched to surviving original windows all make timber the material of choice where authenticity matters. If your home has sash windows, our guide to sash windows explains why timber is almost always the preferred (and sometimes the only permitted) material for those frames.

Worth it Timber for looks and heritage, especially on period properties where authenticity matters.

Lifespan and maintenance

Timber outlasts uPVC when it is looked after. A uPVC casement lasts 20 to 25 years before the profiles begin to yellow or the sashes start to bind. A timber frame, maintained properly, can last 30 to 60 years. The critical caveat is those three words: maintained properly. Timber needs repainting every 8 to 10 years to keep water out of the joints. Miss a cycle or two and the wood begins to rot at the bottom rails and sill ends, and a repair job quickly costs more than the painting would have. uPVC, by contrast, needs nothing. No painting, no staining, no preservative treatments. A wipe with soapy water once a year is enough. For owners who want a long-term material and are prepared to maintain it, timber's longevity makes the numbers stack up over a 40 or 50-year horizon. For everyone else, the maintenance burden is real. For a full picture of how both materials age, see our guide to double glazing lifespan.

It depends Timber on raw lifespan; uPVC if you want to fit and forget.

Thermal performance

Thermal performance is the one dimension where these two materials are essentially equal. Both uPVC and timber are good natural insulators, unlike metal, and both materials reach the A-rated standard with modern double-glazed units. In 2026, a compliant replacement window in either material must meet the Part L requirement: a whole-window U-value of 1.4 W/m²K or lower, or WER band B or better as the alternative compliance route. Both uPVC and timber casements can readily achieve 1.0 to 1.4 W/m²K with the right glass specification, which means Low-E coating, argon fill and a warm-edge spacer bar. If you want to understand the detail behind those numbers, our guide to U-values and Window Energy Ratings explains what to look for on any quote. The glass specification matters far more than which frame material you choose.

It depends A draw. Both materials reach A-rated; the glass spec matters more than the frame.

Planning and conservation

This dimension is not about preference. It is, for some homeowners, a legal requirement. Conservation areas, listed buildings and some Article 4 Direction properties restrict or ban uPVC windows on the grounds that they harm the character and appearance of the area or building. If your home falls into any of those categories, your local planning authority may require timber (or, in some cases, slimline aluminium) for replacement windows. Installing uPVC without the necessary consent in a listed building is a criminal offence, not merely a planning breach. Even in a conservation area where listed-building consent is not needed, permitted development rights may be removed, meaning any change of window material needs a formal application. Timber is almost always the permitted alternative in these situations. It is worth checking with your local planning authority before you order anything. The comparison of uPVC versus aluminium covers a related question for homeowners who want low-maintenance frames with slimmer sightlines in conservation settings where aluminium may also be acceptable.

Worth it Timber where planning rules require it. In conservation areas and listed buildings it is often the only compliant choice.

I fit uPVC on nine out of ten jobs because it does everything most people need at a price that makes sense. But when someone calls me about a Victorian terrace in a conservation area, or a listed cottage, I tell them straight: timber is not just the better-looking option, it is sometimes the only lawful one. Do not order uPVC and assume you can sort the planning later. It does not work that way.

Tom Bradley, FENSA-registered installer

The verdict

For most UK homes, Best Buy uPVC is the Best Buy: it delivers A-rated performance at the lowest price, lasts 20 to 25 years without any maintenance, and looks perfectly good on the vast majority of properties built after around 1940. Choose timber in three situations: your home is in a conservation area or is listed and uPVC is not permitted; you have a period property where the original timber joinery is part of the character and you want it matched; or you are making a very long-term investment and are committed to the 8 to 10-year repainting cycle that keeps the material in good condition for 30 to 60 years. Timber is a It depends choice: genuinely worth it for the right property and the right owner, but not simply a premium version of uPVC. It is a different material with a different set of demands.