The three-bed house is Britain's default home, which makes 'what would it cost to do all the windows?' the question we field more than any other. There's no single number, because 'a 3-bed house' covers everything from a compact terrace with six windows to a sprawling semi with twelve and a bay. What there is instead is a range with firm edges and predictable drivers. So here it is, itemised the way we'd price it ourselves.
The 2026 ranges
| 3-bed house type | Typical window count | uPVC (A++, fitted) | Aluminium (fitted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-terrace | 6-8 | £3,800-£6,000 | £6,000-£9,500 |
| Semi-detached | 8-11 | £4,800-£8,000 | £7,500-£13,000 |
| Semi with bay(s) | 8-11 + bay | £5,800-£9,500 | £9,000-£15,000 |
| Detached | 10-14 | £6,500-£10,500 | £10,000-£17,000 |
Behind those totals sits simple per-window arithmetic. Standard casements run £450-£900 fitted in uPVC depending on size and spec. Bays run £1,200-£2,500, priced as the structural jobs they are, and front and back doors sit separately, with composites at £950-£2,200. Whole-house pricing also beats per-window rates. One scaffold, one team, one visit.
The six things that move your number
- Count and size. The obvious one. Walk round and count before comparing your quote to anyone's headline figure.
- Bays. The big swing item in any budget. Proper structural bay replacement with support poles costs real money, and skipping it costs more.
- Material. Aluminium runs 30-60% over uPVC. Worth it for style and large openings, unnecessary if thermal performance is the only goal.
- Specification. A++ should be your baseline. Triple glazing (+15-25%), acoustic panes and solar control are per-elevation decisions rather than whole-house defaults.
- Style. Flush casements add roughly 10-15%, heritage vertical sliders around double a standard casement, and colour adds 10-20% over white.
- Who you buy from. The same house gets quoted thousands apart between national brands and local fabricators. That's the selling model at work, not the windows.
A realistic worked example
Take a typical 1930s Manchester semi. Nine windows including one front bay, plus a composite front door. Factory-direct in A++ white uPVC with the bay properly supported comes out around £6,400-£7,800 installed. The same house in anthracite flush casements? £7,800-£9,500. The same house from a national brand's opening quote commonly lands at £12,000-£16,000 before the theatrical 'discount' appears. All three describe comparable glass and profile technology, and that's the entire lesson of window pricing in one house.
Where to save and where never to
Save by phasing complete elevations if the budget demands it, by choosing white over colour, by resisting whole-house triple glazing in favour of targeted upgrades, and above all by buying factory-direct. Don't save on the invisible spec, meaning reinforcement, warm edges and certified security, and don't save on installation quality either. Treat sub-£350-per-window whole-house quotes as the warning they are. That price cannot contain a quality window plus careful fitting plus a company that still exists in year six.
What you get back
Against the spend, count £150-£400 a year in energy depending on what you're replacing (the savings maths, worked through), an EPC improvement with genuine effects on sale price, the end of the repair drip on ageing frames, and a comfort transformation no spreadsheet captures. A whole-house replacement is a four-figure spend on a 30-year asset. That's pennies per window per day, and most of it money you'd otherwise be donating to the energy company anyway.
How to run the buying process for a whole house
Whole-house jobs reward a bit of process. Get three quotes, one national, one local installer, one fabricator, all against the same written specification, so the spread actually means something. Walk every surveyor around the whole house and insist the quote itemises per window, because lump sums hide padding and corner-cutting alike. Confirm what's included: cills, trickle vents, making good internally, waste disposal and the bay's structural support, each of them a classic 'extra' on a loose quote. Check the paperwork chain too, FENSA-type certification and a written guarantee that names who backs it. Then compare on the ten-year picture rather than the sticker price. Specification, installer, guarantee, and the odds the company still answers its phone in 2032. The cheapest number rarely survives that comparison. The best value usually isn't the dearest either.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to replace all windows in a 3-bed semi?
In 2026, £4,800-£8,000 fitted for quality A++ uPVC from a factory-direct supplier, with bays, colours and premium styles pushing higher. Aluminium runs £7,500-£13,000. National-brand quotes for identical specs commonly land 40-80% above these ranges.
How many windows does a typical 3-bed house have?
Six to eight in a mid-terrace, eight to eleven in a semi, ten to fourteen in a detached, plus doors, which are priced separately. Count yours before comparing any headline figure. A 'per house' price is only as meaningful as the window count behind it.
Is it cheaper to replace all windows at once?
Meaningfully so. One survey, one manufacturing batch and one installation visit all improve the per-window price compared with doing them in ones and twos. If cash flow forces phasing, phase by complete elevation so the house keeps looking coherent.
How long does a whole-house window replacement take?
One to two days on site for a typical 3-bed, after two to three weeks' manufacture. Each opening is out and reglazed within the hour, so the house stays secure and weathertight the whole way through.
Can I get grants for replacement windows?
Rarely for straightforward replacement. Schemes like ECO4 target insulation and heating for qualifying households, and 'free windows' advertising is almost always lead generation. Budget on real prices, and treat any grant claim that can't name the scheme in writing as marketing.
What deposit should I pay for a whole-house order?
A fair deposit for made-to-measure work is 25-50%, ideally insurance-protected, with the balance due after installation and snagging. Be wary of demands for near-full payment upfront, whatever discount comes attached.
Does replacing windows make a mess of decoration?
Less than people fear. Frames come out and go in from outside where possible, reveals are made good as part of the job, and experienced fitters sheet up throughout. Expect minor touch-up painting around some reveals rather than redecoration, and make sure 'making good' is written into the quote.
Get a real number for your actual house
Send photos of each elevation or book a free survey, and we'll price your windows one by one. Itemised, in writing, valid for 30 days, from our Trafford Park factory, with a 10-year guarantee and no evening sales performance.
Call 07533 830717, WhatsApp us a photo for a fast quote, or request a free quote online.