Heritage-Grade · Listed-Building Approved · From £895 per pair of sashes
Sash window restoration is a deeper job than repair — every component of the window is dismantled, stripped, repaired or replaced like-for-like, then re-installed to original tolerances. Heatscape's heritage joiners restore Edinburgh sash and case windows from Georgian New Town six-over-six frames to 1900s Marchmont two-over-two parlour sashes, with full council and Listed Building Consent paperwork handled.
A restoration covers the whole window unit, not just the sashes. We remove both sashes, the parting bead, the staff bead and the sash weights. The box is stripped internally, the pulley stiles are checked for rot, and any decayed timber is spliced with matched-grain seasoned softwood. All sash cords are renewed (8mm braided as standard, waxed cotton on listed buildings). Pulleys are dismantled, cleaned and re-wheeled or replaced with matching cast-iron originals. The sashes themselves are stripped back to bare timber, repaired, re-glazed in either restored original glass or slim-line double-glazed units, and re-painted in a breathable linseed-oil paint system.
Edinburgh's earliest sash windows — Georgian and early Victorian — were glazed in Crown glass with characteristic bullion centres, and later in Cylinder glass with the distinctive ripple. On listed buildings the council will require any salvageable original glass to be retained. We hold a stock of period Crown and Cylinder glass for repairs where original panes have cracked, and we can colour-match new putty to the original brown-grey patina rather than using modern white linseed putty that looks wrong against soot-aged timber.
On non-listed properties (and increasingly on listed ones, with consent) we retrofit 12mm or 14mm slim-line argon-filled units into the original 19mm-deep glazing rebate. This brings the centre-pane U-value down to 1.2 W/m²K — equivalent to a modern A-rated window — without changing the streetscape appearance. We use Slimlite, Histoglass or FineO units depending on the consent conditions. Lead time is 4–6 weeks from survey because the units are made to template per sash.
Modern acrylic paints trap moisture against timber and accelerate rot. On restored sashes we always use a three-coat linseed-oil paint system (Allbäck or Holkham as standard): a thinned primer to feed the timber, a body coat, then a top coat. This lets the sash breathe, lasts 12–15 years instead of 4–6, and gives the soft sheen that's right on a heritage property. Colour-matching to the existing terrace is done from the original sample, not from a swatch.
Edinburgh has 49 conservation areas and several thousand listed buildings (Cat A, B and C). Any external alteration to a listed building needs Listed Building Consent — like-for-like restoration usually counts as maintenance and does not, but slim-line glazing, paint colour change and any cill alteration does. We complete the consent paperwork as part of every restoration over £4,000, including a heritage statement, photographic survey and a method statement that the council planners accept.
A typical pair of restored sashes is £895 fixed, including survey, all joinery, restored original glass, two-pack linseed paint and removal of waste. Slim-line double glazing adds £350 per sash. Lead time is 4–8 weeks from survey to install. We give a 10-year workmanship guarantee on full restorations and a separate 10-year sealed-unit warranty on the glass.
Listed-building paperwork sorted for us, original sashes saved, and the front room is no longer a wind tunnel. Brilliant from quote to completion.
James & Catriona R., Stockbridge EH3 — Sash & case restoration + secondary glazing · 5/5 ·
Quietest the house has ever been. Bay windows look stunning, and the survey caught a lintel issue two other firms missed.
Rachel B., Trinity EH5 — Triple glazing — full house · 5/5 ·