Aluclad and Timber Windows in Ireland

When Is Aluclad or Timber the Right Answer?

Most Irish houses get uPVC, and for most Irish houses that is correct. Aluclad and timber are the answer in two specific situations, and it is worth knowing which one you are in.

The first is exposure. On the Atlantic coast, through Donegal, Mayo, Galway, Clare and Kerry, sustained wind and salt shorten the life of everything. Aluclad handles it better than uPVC and holds a factory finish that does not need painting.

The second is appearance and planning. A protected structure or a house in a conservation area will often only be permitted timber, and even where uPVC is allowed, a chunky frame section rarely sits right in an opening designed for sash.

Aluclad, Full Timber or Sash

Aluclad

Timber inside, an aluminium skin outside. No exterior painting, slim sightlines, and the longest service life of the common options.

Best for exposed and coastal sites, and new builds where looks matter.

Full Timber

Timber inside and out. The warmest look and the most authentic in an older house, at the cost of painting every few years.

Best for period houses and conservation areas.

Sliding Sash

Replacement or refurbished sash with cords, weights and draught sealing. Priced per window rather than per house, because no two openings match.

Best for Georgian and Victorian houses where proportion matters.

What Decides How Long They Last

With aluclad, the aluminium outside is not the part that ages. The timber inside is, and that is entirely within your control because it is out of the weather.

With full timber, it is the painting cycle and nothing else. Keep it up and a timber window outlasts everything; skip it for a few years and the sill goes soft, which is the most common repair on older Irish houses.

On a coastal site, the hardware fails first regardless of frame material. Salt corrodes handles, hinges and locking mechanisms years ahead of schedule. Ask for marine grade fittings specifically, because they are not usually the default.

And in every case, the perimeter seal decides how the window actually performs. A beautifully made frame sealed badly into the wall will be draughty.

What Aluclad Actually Is

Aluclad is a timber window with an aluminium skin on the outside face. You get timber inside the room, where it is seen and where it insulates, and a powder coated aluminium shell outside, where the weather is.

The point of it is maintenance. The aluminium takes the rain, the sun and the salt, so the timber behind it never needs painting on the outside. That is the whole proposition, and on an exposed or coastal site it is a strong one.

The two materials move at different rates with temperature, so the cladding is clipped rather than glued and there is a deliberate gap behind it. A drainage path through that gap is part of a properly made unit, and it is worth asking about.

Sightlines are typically slimmer than uPVC for the same opening, because timber is stronger than plastic and needs less section to carry the same pane. On a large window that difference is visible.

What Timber Actually Needs

Full timber windows need repainting, and any contractor who tells you otherwise is selling rather than advising. The honest figures depend far more on exposure than on the timber.

A sheltered inland elevation may go several years between coats. A south or west facing wall taking weather goes considerably less, and a coastal site less again. The first sign is always the same: the finish goes chalky and loses its sheen before it ever peels.

Catching it at that stage is a wash and a coat. Leaving it until the finish breaks lets water into the timber, and at that point you are into filling and possibly splicing, which is a different order of work and cost.

This is exactly the calculation aluclad removes, and it is why aluclad costs more up front. Whether that trade is worth it depends on the elevation and on whether anyone is realistically going to do the painting.

Conservation Areas and Protected Structures

This is where timber stops being a preference and becomes a requirement.

If the house is a protected structure, works affecting its character generally need consent, and the windows are part of that character. If it sits in an architectural conservation area, the rules usually apply to what is visible from the public road, which is normally the front elevation.

What is typically required is genuine slim sections, correct sash proportions and putty line detailing, none of which standard uPVC can deliver. Sliding sash in timber, made to the original proportions, is often the only acceptable answer.

The local authority is the authority here, not the contractor. Speak to the conservation officer before you order anything, because made to measure frames cannot be sent back. The material comparison covers what each option is actually like to own.

Aluclad and Timber Windows by County

Every county page lists only the contractors registered at an address in that county, rather than padding the number with firms from the far side of the country.

All 26 counties

What Actually Happens on a Window Job

Four stages, and the two in the middle are where a cheap quote saves its money. Almost nothing fails through the glass: it goes at the joint where the frame meets the wall, and it is the making good that gets left out.

New window frames stacked against the wall of a house on a wet driveway — **Delivered** Six to twelve weeks after the survey, not after the phone call.

A new dark window frame meeting the rendered wall of a house — **The perimeter** This joint, not the glass, decides whether the room is draughty.

Old rotten timber window frames stacked in a skip — **The old ones gone** Either they leave in the van or you are hiring a skip.

A white bay window on a red brick period terrace — **Made good** Plaster inside and render outside, agreed in writing beforehand.

Aluclad and Timber Windows: Common Questions

Is aluclad worth the extra over uPVC?

On an exposed site, or where slim sightlines matter to how the house looks, usually yes. On a sheltered suburban semi the extra often does more elsewhere in the house.

How often does timber need painting?

Every few years, and sooner on an elevation taking driving rain. It is the single factor that decides whether timber windows last decades or fail early.

Can I put uPVC in a conservation area?

Often not, and it depends on the local authority and whether the structure is protected. Check before ordering anything, because putting it right afterwards is expensive.

Are sash windows always more expensive?

Per window, generally yes, because they are made to the individual opening rather than to a standard size. They are priced per window rather than per house for the same reason.

How often do timber windows need painting?

It depends on exposure far more than on the timber. A sheltered inland elevation may go several years between coats, a west facing wall considerably less, and a coastal site less again. The tell is the finish going chalky, and catching it at that point is a wash and a coat rather than repair work.

Is aluclad worth the extra over uPVC?

On an exposed or coastal elevation, or where slim sightlines matter, usually yes. On a sheltered suburban semi where the windows are not the feature, the extra is harder to justify. The honest comparison is in the material guide.

Can I put uPVC sash windows in a conservation area?

Often not. What is generally required is genuine slim sections and correct sash proportions, which standard uPVC cannot deliver. The local authority decides, so speak to the conservation officer before ordering anything.

Does aluclad ever need maintenance?

The aluminium outside does not need painting, which is the point of it. The timber inside takes normal interior care, and the seals and hardware need the same occasional attention as any window. Washing the outside removes salt on a coastal site and costs nothing.

Getting a Quote for Aluclad or Timber Windows

If the house is protected or in a conservation area, establish what is permitted before you get quotes. It changes what you are pricing, and it is much cheaper to know first.

589 contractors drawn from the SEAI public register

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