Should you respray or replace your uPVC windows? Honest 2026 Plymouth comparison — cost, time, disruption, lifespan, and when each makes sense.
You're weighing two options: spend £8,000–£15,000 ripping out and replacing your uPVC, or spend £900–£1,800 spraying the uPVC you already have. Both are valid choices. Here's the honest comparison so you can pick the right one.
Replacement: £6,000–£15,000 for a typical Plymouth home depending on number of windows and quality of profile. Bay windows, larger doors and conservatories push it higher.
Respray: £900–£1,800 for the same property. Saving: 80–90%.
Replacement: 6–12 weeks lead time from order to fit. 2–5 days of fitting on-site with one or two windows removed at a time. Plus a survey, deposit, and any planning if listed.
Respray: 2–4 days on-site. Sometimes a single day for smaller properties.
Replacement: Major. Windows are removed one or two at a time, leaving openings in the wall. Internal plaster often damaged where the new frames don't match the old fit. Dust everywhere. Internal sills sometimes need replacing.
Respray: Minimal. We mask the glass and walls, spray outdoors during a dry window in the weather, and unmask. Your windows stay in. Your house stays warm.
Replacement: Brand new uPVC, latest profile, latest energy rating, available in modern colours. Will look indistinguishable from new because it is new.
Respray: The frame is the same shape and same age — but the colour and finish is brand new and totally uniform. From the pavement, no one can tell. From 2 inches you'd notice we are not new uPVC if you really looked. Up to and including buyers viewing the property, no one notices.
Replacement: 20–25 years for the frame, 15–20 years for the glass units, before fading and seal failure start.
Respray: 10+ years backed by our written 10-year guarantee. After that you can respray again at a fraction of replacement cost.
Replacement: Genuine improvement. Modern uPVC with A++ rated glass and warm-edge spacers can shave £100–£400 a year off a fuel bill compared to 1990s units. This matters.
Respray: No energy improvement. The spray is purely cosmetic.
Replacement: Old uPVC to landfill (it's recyclable in theory, almost never recycled in practice). New uPVC manufacturing energy. Glass to landfill.
Respray: Almost zero waste. A few litres of paint. No frames to landfill.
If your windows are sound but you'll renovate in 10–15 years, this is the smartest move. Respray now for £1,200 and live with a fresh modern colour for the next decade. When you do that bigger renovation, replace then. You'll have saved roughly £7,000 in the meantime — money that earns interest or pays for the kitchen.
If your uPVC is structurally fine, a respray gives you 95% of the visible benefit of replacement at 12–15% of the cost. For most Plymouth homes, that maths is hard to argue with.
Yes — if the windows are structurally sound (no cracks, no failed seals, no blown glass units). You get 95% of the visible benefit of replacement at 12–15% of the cost.
From the pavement, yes — indistinguishable. From inches away you might see we are not new uPVC, but the colour and finish is freshly uniform across every window.
No — respray is purely cosmetic. If you have first-generation double glazing with condensation between panes, replacement is the right call for energy reasons.
Yes, this is a smart play. Respray now for £1,200, enjoy a modern colour for 10 years, then replace as part of a bigger renovation. Saves around £7,000 in the meantime.