For starters: A Happy New Year to everyone who is reading this. We wish you happiness, prosperity and deep connection in 2013.

We celebrated the New Year with friends in London. As we’re in Harrow, we’re taking the opportunity to do a few things towards letting the house.

Before Christmas, we had the windows replaced. The original wooden windows went, and UPVC double glazingcame.

UPVC windows with a Uw value of 1

We’ve been resisting this for years. We wanted to keep as many original features in the house as we could. But looking after wooden windows requires more time and effort than we had to spare. The result was a set of rotten window sills that couldn’t be saved. So we took the plunge and replaced them.

There are advantages to this. Our tenants will save money on their heating bills – we can feel the difference quite clearly. And that makes the house easier to let. So it’s good for the environment and good for us.

The disadvantage is a piece of history that is gone. Along with many hours of Hilde’s careful painting work over the years.

While the builders have been very, very careful and hardly did any damage at all indoors, they did hack off some of the external render and replaced it. Today, Alex has been whitewashing those new bits of pebble dash on the ground floor.

Tomorrow, we’re going to the local hire shop to get a ladder to reach the pebble dash upstairs. The TARDIS and trailer are at Westacre, so we’re going to have to carry it. Wish us luck – not for the last time this year!

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Have you had double glazing put in? What was your experience? Did it reduce your energy bills? Did it change the character of your house?

Please comment below.