Double glazing in Welwyn Garden City is rarely just a case of choosing a frame from a brochure. Most freehold homes in the town fall under the Estate Management Scheme, so any replacement has to respect the original look of the house. Inspired Glazing makes aluminium windows and doors in its Fifield workshop near Windsor, supplies UPVC on the Selecta Advance 70 system and composite doors, and fits everything with its own team. We are used to working to design rules, and we will help you get the detail right before anything is ordered.
Get a free, fixed-price quote in Welwyn Garden City
Made in our own Fifield workshop and fitted by our own team. Aluminium windows from £400, lead times from 10 days and a 10-year guarantee. Tell us what you need and we’ll book a free survey.
A town designed down to the window bars
The first residents moved into Welwyn Garden City in December 1920. Louis de Soissons drew up the masterplan that year and went on to design around forty per cent of the building schemes. The look he set was neo-Georgian: white-painted multi-pane windows, pantile roofs and pediments over front doors. The earliest houses, around Handside Lane, were white rough-cast because bricks were scarce after the First World War; later homes are mostly red brick from the town’s own brickworks. You see the style along Parkway, Peartree Lane, Applecroft Road and Guessens Road, with later neighbourhoods such as Knightsfield, Woodhall and Panshanger built in the decades after the Second World War.
The Estate Management Scheme and conservation areas
The Estate Management Scheme dates from 1973 and is run by Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. It is separate from planning, and consent must be obtained before work starts. The scheme’s own design guide says that replacement windows differing from the originals in size, position, glazing bars, mullions, frames, transoms or sight lines will need consent, even where the material stays the same. UPVC can be acceptable if it matches the original style, proportions and colour, and mixing materials on one elevation is not supported. At the back of the house, out of public view, the guide takes a more relaxed approach and generally accepts bifold doors.
The town also has several conservation areas. Because the rules depend on your exact address, check with Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, and read our general guide to planning permission for replacement windows. When we survey, we photograph and measure the existing windows, including bar layouts, so your application has accurate information.
Getting the look right
Front elevations
For street-facing windows on a neo-Georgian house, the aim is usually to copy the original pane pattern and keep sightlines even. Our UPVC windows can be made with external bars in a white finish, and our aluminium ranges, including Reynaers SlimLine 68, Cortizo and Alunet, can be configured with bars too. We will be honest if a design is unlikely to satisfy the scheme. We do not make timber windows, so where timber is required we will tell you at the outset.
Rear elevations and gardens
The back of the house is where most Welwyn Garden City owners modernise. Smart Visofold or Cortizo bifold doors and Reynaers ConceptPatio 130 sliding doors open up the generous gardens the town is known for. Orangeries, conservatories and roof lanterns are also popular on rear extensions.
Front doors
Pedimented doorways are a signature of the town. A composite door in a period panel style can suit them, though check with the council first if your door faces the street.
Where we work around Welwyn Garden City
- Handside, Peartree and the original garden city streets
- Haldens, Knightsfield and Panshanger
- Digswell and Welwyn village
- Lemsford and Brocket area
- Hatfield, covered on our Hatfield double glazing page
We also cover nearby Hertford and St Albans.
Travelling up from Fifield
Welwyn Garden City is roughly 40 miles from our workshop by road, typically around 50 minutes to an hour on the M25 and A1(M). We have no local showroom; our surveyor travels to you, measures, discusses the Estate Management requirements and sends a written quote. Aluminium windows start from £400, lead times start from 10 days once any consent is in place, and our work comes with a 10-year guarantee. Our aluminium windows and doors and double glazing cost pages give more background.
Arrange your free survey
Call 01753 965 005, WhatsApp 07934 152 343, or ask for a quote online. We are open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need Estate Management consent to replace windows in Welwyn Garden City?
If your freehold home is within the Estate Management area, very likely yes. The scheme's design guide says replacements that differ from the originals in size, glazing bars, frames or sight lines need consent, even in the same material. Consent comes from Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council and is separate from planning, so apply before ordering. We provide measurements and specifications to help.
Is UPVC allowed under the Welwyn Garden City Estate Management Scheme?
The scheme's guide says UPVC can be acceptable if it matches the original style, design, proportions and colour, though original materials are encouraged. Mixing materials on one elevation is not supported. Each application is judged on its merits, so check with Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. We can make UPVC windows with external glazing bars to copy original layouts.
Can I fit bifold doors at the back of my Welwyn Garden City house?
The Estate Management design guide takes a more relaxed approach on rear ground floors not visible from public view, and says bifold doors are generally accepted there. You may still need consent, so check with the council. We supply Smart Visofold and Cortizo bifolds, plus Reynaers ConceptPatio 130 sliding doors, all fabricated or prepared in our Fifield workshop.
Do you make timber windows for listed or garden city homes?
No. We do not make timber windows or doors. Our timber-look options are woodgrain-finish UPVC or aluminium, and composite doors. Where the council insists on timber, for example on some listed buildings, we will say so at survey rather than waste your time, and we can still help with rear doors or conservatories.
How far is your team from Welwyn Garden City?
We are based at Fifield, near Windsor, roughly 40 miles away by road, usually around 50 minutes to an hour. There is no local office; our own surveyors and fitters travel from Fifield. Surveys are free and include advice on what information your Estate Management application will need.