Putting in new windows and doors - costs?

Hi Noel,
It would depend on how many windows & doors you are having and how many openers on the windows as this all adds to the price. We had 11 windows in white PVC , one front door partial glazed, and one french door supply only ( we fitted them ourselves ) for under 3,000 Lev. If we had known where the suppliers themselves were, we could have cut out the middle man and got them cheaper again! The fitting & finish on installation of double glazing in Bulgaria is not the same as in the UK ie they don't make good around the windows etc. So fitting them yourself is a good option & reduces cost.

Thanks jules.  Yes I know it's a very vague question but we are waiting on a trademan to give us a quote and it's taking ages.  It's 5 standard size windows one opening on each.  Really appreciate the response thanks

You're welcome ☺️.
One other thing that I'd recommend is to have the windows on a tilt & turn function, if you haven't already considered this.
Sorry I can't offer any recommendations as I'm not in the VT area.

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If you have fit-them-youself skills, then you should know that Praktiker does a range of uPVC doors and windows. In this case, you need to give them all the measurements (or you can choose standard sizes), and you'll do the preparation and fitting work. But you'll know the price/quality is reasonable.

When I was looking around for a supplier, I found several window factories in my area, with shopfronts in Kazanlak. They had samples, and their own installers, and they seemed to be pretty straighforward about the costs. I'd imagine you'll find the same in Veliko Tarnovo as it's a good sized town.

I was lucky and found a good local builder, and he did all the preparation work, and sourced the windows from his regular supplier. He renovated my ground floor and basement (about 150 m2) and installed 2 aluminium external doors, 2 uPVC external doors, and another 16 windows. It's now weatherproof, and I'm very pleased with the results.

I put plain white uPVC in the basement, with matching white uPVC door. The ground floor I specified all brown windows with matching doors. The basement were 3 chamber with regular glass, and the ground floor were 5 chamber with reflective, low-u glass. I put tilt on all the openings, and also fly-screens. They will offer you the window sills too, which I accepted... but now I think perhaps no sills is better, and you can install your own granite sills later.

This gives you an idea of the options available. Brown vs white is a small extra cost. uPVC sills are basically free. 5-chamber/low-u glass is a 10%-20% upgrade.

You can simply replace your existing windows. But I felt the existing windows were rather small, so I opened several up so I could have much larger french windows.

Many thanks for the information.  We can easily price windows but can you recall the cost of an exteriors upvc door standard and then also one with side panels either side with glass?

Noel, try looking on the Praktiker website. It's pretty good for getting price ideas.

Window replacement costs about $650 per window, or between $200 and $1,800. Replacing windows on a three-bedroom house runs $3,000 to $10,000. Labor alone runs $100 to $300 each. Compare quotes from local window installers for the best price on replacement.windows and doors

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I pay a lot less than $650 for a window and it includes labour, all made to measure. I am in Vidin but dont think it would be so different. I would look online for approximate price per M2. Sometimes prices are increased for foreigners! But a little research allows for reasonable Bulgarian prices.

Hi there,
I am about to buy a house in Bulgaria in Montana area, the house is in the country side and its in need of lots of work, I am prepared to do most of the work myself apart from the roof. Do you happen to know the costs for changing the roof? or a builder that is honest and can do the work?
many thanks
Stefania

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I have just had a roof replace with all new tiles, installation, beams, the chimney pointed and all new guttering and that was 15,500 lev I kept the old tiles as will need to replace the roofs on my outbuildings. The biggest cost was that I needed all the beams replacing due to water damage and rot. This was VT region

how many m2 for 15500? I assume price is for labour and materials?

thanks, i appreciate it.

I think I will have to take the old one off and put a new one, the all lot, however, I am planning to have solar panels.

could u tell me how many  sq meters please

@Yasmin White Hi Yasmin . Would you be kind enough to tell me who did your roof because I am looking for a roofer in VT , preferably someone who comes recommended . Thanks , Mario 

I had nine windows , one front door, and a double door installed in the basement all double glazed for 4500 lev last year . I live close ish to the coast in the Pomorie municipality.

That's good to know, Kath! I'm undecided on our place whether to install new windows or try to preserve our old wooden single glazed windows by working out a secondary glazing system to using in winter.

I think this older thread may have been reactivated by a bot, but as replacing doors and windows are something most of us will village houses will need to consider,  it's useful anyway!

@janemulberry

Definitely put in new windows, and make them triple-glazed if you really want them to keep out the cold.  We have good quality double-glazed windows in our properties but they don't insulate nearly as well as triple-glazing.  It doesn't really bother us as we very rarely use the heating even in the depths of winter. It gets down to 6C in our kitchen and sitting room, but we're okay with that - and our friends are used to leaving their coats on when they visit!

I found out that triple glazing can sometimes be much to heavy for order houses to cope with and xan cause problems. However our house had been " improved" to appeal to do called rich foreigners , which were not  and problems soon began to arise. We are right in the middle of a  large village and the Roma wedding hall just across the lane , during the wedding season made the single glazed widows and old door vibrate with the loud music.  Now with double glazed windows and doors I'm not going to be daft enough to say it's not a problem anymore but it shouldn't be as vad.

Good point about triple glazing, but I'm actually a little concerned about how our house will withstand having the windows changed at all. There are full thickness wall cracks above some of the windows, obviously been there a while so I am only moderately concerned about them. But I doubt there's any sort of proper lintel in place.

I wondered about buying sheets of fairly thick perpex, adding weatherstripping to the edges, and fitting them inside and out once the weather gets cold. That along with insulating blinds for night-time might create a hopefully somewhat effective reduction in heat loss/ cold gain with no risk of big chunks of wall collapsing when the old windows are pulled out!

Plus, I like the old windows and would like to keep them if I can. We will see.

And goodness me, Jim, 6C? You must be hardy! I'm okay with adding extra layers down to about 10 or 12C, but any lower than that and the petcka is lit or an electric heater goes on. And here in the UK, hubby starts complaining of the cold around 18C and moaning that the heat must go on.

@janemulberry

I'm literally "old school": we had no heating in the dorms at school and a 5-mile cross country run every morning before breakfast. The darned outdoor swimming pool was in a valley that rarely got any sunshine and was fed by an underground spring - I'm amazed that none of us got hypothermia!

Ugh! I'm sure that had the intended effect if toughening you all up! Meanwhile I grew up in sunny Sydney.

I sit with a blanket around my knees upstairs here and have lit the bedroom wood burner for the last couple of nights . But being brought up in a two up two Dr own house with no hot water or inside toilet nevermind a bathroom made this pensioner a tough old bird .

Stay warm, Kath! I think I've learned to be a tough old bird now, too.

It's always comparatively cold up here on the mountain - usually around 7 degrees lower than in the centre of town. There's plenty of snow on the peak above us but none at our altitude, at least for now. The forecast keeps changing, so who knows what's coming....

I'll be in Dobruja next week, and since yesterday the forecast has changed from sunny and warm (21!) to raining every day. Snow seems unlikely, but not impossible!

@janemulberry

Do you have lintels around your window?

They support the weight above them and move the load away from the window itself.

If you don't, without seeing the situation, I would suggest that they be added onto your to-do list asap, it will be pointless heating and decorating a room where the wall falls out because it was missing a simple item that is a fairly cheap fix.

Good luck 😄