HOW TO HIRE · HOME REPAIRS & HANDYMAN

How to hire a sash window restorer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies, but listed homes can need consent, and old paint may contain lead. The checks for a sash window restorer.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a sash window restorer in five steps

  1. Listed? Ask the councilBefore any sash work that changes materials or appearance.
  2. Repair, not replaceRestoration keeps the original timber and glass where possible.
  3. Lead paintAsk how old paint will be prepared without dry sanding.
  4. Draught-proofingBrush seals and new beads transform comfort.
  5. Per window priceCords, splicing, glass and draught-proofing listed.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to sash window restorers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, so anyone may offer sash window restoration. The law steps in only where sash window restoration turns into gas work, notifiable electrical work or building work.

Ask for a business name, the insurer and a written description of the sash window restoration.

Listed buildings

Section 7 of the 1990 listed buildings legislation for England and Wales says that works altering a listed building in a way that affects its character need listed building consent, and section 9 makes doing them without it an offence. If your home is listed, ask the council before the sash window restoration.

For a listed home, ask the council whether the sash window restoration needs listed building consent before booking. legislation.gov.uk →

Lead in old paint

HSE says lead was widely used in paint until the 1960s and not out of all paint until the early 1980s, and advises against dry sanding or burning it off; wet abrasives, chemical strippers or extraction are the safer methods.

Ask how the sash window restoration will prepare old paintwork. hse.gov.uk →

Ladders and work at height

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 (and Northern Ireland's own of the same year) require work at height to be planned and done with suitable equipment; HSE's ladder guidance is a 1-in-4 angle and three points of contact. Stairwells and high ceilings make the sash window restoration a work-at-height job.

For high or stairwell work, ask what access equipment the sash window restoration will use. hse.gov.uk →

VAT

Sash window restoration is standard-rated at 20%, draught-proofing, glazing and painting included. Over the £90,000 registration threshold a trader must charge it and show it separately; under it there is no VAT and no VAT number.

Ask the sash restorer for the VAT number and whether the price per window is plus VAT. gov.uk →

“Is my house listed, and does this sash window work need consent?”

A good answer: They tell you to check with the council and avoid changing materials until you know.

“How will you prepare old paint on the sashes?”

A good answer: Without dry sanding or burning, because of lead.

“Will you splice rotten timber or replace the sash?”

A good answer: Splice where possible, replace only what cannot be saved.

“Which draught-proofing will you fit to the sash windows?”

A good answer: Brush seals and new beads, named.

“Can you keep the old glass?”

A good answer: Yes where it survives; heritage glass to match if not.

“What is the price per sash window?”

A good answer: Each window priced with its work listed.

Getting the quote right

  • Each window with cords, splicing, glass and draught-proofing listed
  • Paint preparation method
  • Access for upper windows
  • Who actually attends — the restorer, employed joiners or a subcontracted team for upper floors
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% as its own line

Walk away if

  • Dry-sands old paint with no dust control
  • Replaces original sashes on a listed building without consent
  • Burns off old paint with a blowlamp
  • No price per window
LOW
£120
TYPICAL
£400
HIGH
£1,200

What a sash window restorer costs: £120–£1,200 per window

Sash window restoration is priced per window by the work each needs. Sash Window Restoration price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Sash window restorers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. SurveyEach window and its rot, glass and cords checked.
  2. Strip downSashes removed and old paint prepared safely.
  3. RepairTimber spliced, cords and pulleys renewed.
  4. Glaze and draught-proofPutty and glass renewed, brush seals fitted.
  5. Refit and paintSashes rehung and primed.

Sash
The sliding glazed frame.
Sash cord
The cord linking the sash to its weight.
Pulley stile
The side of the frame the sash slides in.
Splice
New timber let into rotten wood.
Staff bead
The inner bead holding the bottom sash.
Listed building consent
Permission for works affecting a listed building's character.

AFTER

When the job is done

Slide each sashMoves freely and stays where it is put.
Check the sealsNo rattles or draughts.
Keep the invoiceWith any listed building consent.
Write the reviewSay what the sash window restorer did well on the sash window restoration and what they did not. If it fell short, use the make-it-right step first, so the sash window restorer can put it right before you publish.

STEP 1Put it in writing to the sash window restorerStart with an email to the sash window restorer: the problem, photos and what would put it right. A trader's sash window restoration is covered by section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and the remedies — doing it again, or a price reduction — follow from sections 55 and 56.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepRate the sash window restoration below four stars and you are asked whether the sash window restorer should see the complaint first; we keep it moving until it is answered, then you review.
STEP 3Listed buildings and Trading StandardsUnauthorised works to a listed building are for the council's planning team. For a dispute, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133), Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) or Consumerline (0300 123 6262).
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedA claim against the sash window restorer that will not settle can go to court without a lawyer — the small claims track for up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure for up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court for up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a sash window restorer: questions people ask

No. No register applies; listed building consent can be needed in a listed home.

Like-for-like repair may not; anything that affects the building's character does. Ask the council.

It may contain lead; HSE advises against dry sanding or burning it off.

£120–£1,200 per window, with about £400 typical for a repair and overhaul. What pushes it up or down is in the sash window restoration price guide; search above by town for restorers in your area.

Usually, as a reversible repair, but on a listed building ask the council first; brush seals and new beads are the common method.

Half a day for new cords; one to two days per window for a full restoration.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in home repairs & handyman

How to hire: Window RepairHow to hire: uPVC RepairHow to hire: Painter & DecoratorHow to hire: Door Hanging & RepairHow to hire: Spray PaintingHow to hire: Sealant & CaulkingHow to hire: French PolishingHow to hire: HandymanAll 701 hiring guides →

Sash window restorers near you

Sash window restorers in LondonSash window restorers in ManchesterSash window restorers in BirminghamSash window restorers in GlasgowSash window restorers in BelfastAll sash window restorers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, section 7 — restriction on works (England and Wales)
  2. Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, section 9 — offences
  3. HSE — construction hazardous substances: lead
  4. HSE — types of ladder and using them safely
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  7. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  8. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register