Double Glazing and Window Installation in Ely
Infinite Door Solutions supplies and fits uPVC and aluminium double glazing in Ely, from our base just up the A10 in Littleport. We’re Assure certified, so we self-certify every window installation under Building Regulations.
- Assure Certified
- 15+ Years in the Trade
- Free Quotes
- Ely & Cambridgeshire
In Short
Double glazing in Ely, supplied and fitted in uPVC and aluminium, including casement, sliding sash, bay and bow windows.
Assure certified and fully insured. We self-certify our installations, so there’s no council building control visit to arrange.
Free quotes, no obligation. A typical 3-bed house is around £4,000 to £7,000 plus VAT. Send us a photo for a ballpark before anyone comes round.
You deal with Dan from the first quote through the survey to installation, with a trusted team of installers behind him on larger jobs.
Ely and the villages around it, including Littleport, Soham, Witchford, Sutton and Haddenham. Weekdays 8am to 5pm.
What's Covered on This Page
Finding the Right Window
Window Styles
When You Can't Replace the Window
Performance and Heat
Repairs
Which Window Job Do You Actually Need?
Most window problems in Ely come down to one of two things: something’s broken, or something needs upgrading. Work out which camp you’re in and the right job usually follows. Read through what’s below, find the part that matches your window, then give us a call and we’ll talk it through.
A foggy pane isn’t the same job as a cracked one, and a window that won’t lock isn’t the same problem as one that’s just cold. People ring up apologising because they don’t know the technical term for what’s wrong. That’s fine. That’s our job, not yours. Plenty of people ask us to replace the window when it’s really one pane of glass that needs swapping, and we’ll tell you which it is before you spend a penny.
Infinite Door Solutions is run by Dan from Littleport, just up the A10 from Ely. Dan’s put in over 15 years in the glazing trade, from making the products to fitting them, so most of what you describe on the phone is something we’ve had our hands on before. You deal with Dan from the first quote right through to installation, survey included, and he’s got a trusted team of installers behind him on the bigger jobs.
Ely’s older terraced cottages sit a few streets from newer estate housing, and the window style tends to follow the house. Casements are the norm on the newer estates. Head into the older streets and it’s sash windows instead, which come with their own set of rules. Some new-build owners go for uPVC sliding windows to keep a bit of that older character too.
What follows covers every window and double glazing job we do, kept short, so you can find the one that matches your house or your problem. Windows are only half of what we do, so it’s worth a look at our replacement windows and doors range too.
Not Sure Where To Start?
Replacement Windows When the Old Ones Have Had Their Day
You’ll know the signs. The window in the back bedroom that needs a shove to close. The handle that turns but won’t quite lock. A cold draught along the sill even with everything shut. That’s usually the point people start thinking about replacement windows in Ely rather than another patch-up.
Double glazing has a working life. From around the ten-year mark, the sealed units start giving up one at a time, the hardware stiffens and the frames stop sealing the way they used to. Once that starts, a new window usually works out better value than another repair.
Replacement windows means the whole unit comes out and a new one goes in: frame, glazing, hardware and seals. We fit them in uPVC and aluminium only, never timber. Casement is the common style round here, but we also do tilt and turn, sliding sash, bay and bow. It’s all domestic retrofit work, so we’re working with the openings your house already has
Some people replace a room at a time, others have the whole house done in one go. If the front door’s past its best too, we fit external doors as well, so it’s one job and one person to deal with.
Worth knowing: replacing windows counts as notifiable work under the Building Regulations, covering things like energy performance, ventilation, safety glass and escape openings. We self-certify our own installations through Assure, so there’s no separate building control visit to arrange. One less thing on your list.
If your windows have reached that stage, it’s worth seeing the whole job laid out before deciding anything. That covers how uPVC compares with aluminium, what a straight swap actually involves, and what happens between the first phone call and the new windows going in.
View replacement windows [FUTURE_SERVICE_PAGE_LINK: Replacement Windows in Ely] for the full detail.
uPVC Windows Are the Standard Round Here
uPVC window installation is the most common window job we do, and that comes down to the housing more than anything. Most homes round Ely are on the newer estates, where the openings take a straight uPVC swap without much fuss.
It’s the sensible middle ground: it performs well, needs no painting, and asks for little beyond an occasional wipe and a check on the hinges. The install itself is straightforward: the old unit comes out, the new uPVC frame is packed in level, new sealed units go in, draught-proofing runs round the edges, then it’s sealed and finished flush to the opening.
We fit uPVC in casement, tilt and turn, sliding sash, bay and bow styles, so the material doesn’t limit the shape you end up with. If uPVC sounds like the right fit for your house, it’s worth reading up on how the whole job runs, from the styles on offer through to what actually happens on installation day.
Explore uPVC window installation to see the styles and how installation day runs.
Aluminium Windows for Slimmer Frames
Aluminium windows are the ones people choose when the look matters as much as the job. The frames are slimmer than uPVC, so you get more glass and less frame in the same opening. That’s most noticeable on a big rear opening.
Most aluminium jobs come as part of something bigger: an extension, a loft conversion, or a refurbishment where the old windows no longer suit what the house has become. If it’s a straight like-for-like swap you’re after, uPVC is usually the better fit.
We fit aluminium in a range of finishes, with anthracite grey the one that gets asked for most. If you’re planning an extension on an open plot, it’s worth checking the wind loading on a big glazed opening. This is flat, exposed country, and it’s a fair thing to raise at survey rather than after.
Slimmer frames aren’t the only reason people go for aluminium, and it’s not always the obvious choice once you weigh up budget against what uPVC can already do.
Compare aluminium window installation to see if it’s worth it over uPVC for your job.
Casement Windows for the Standard Hinged Style
A casement window is the hinged type: it opens on a side or top hinge, usually with a handle and a stay to hold it in place. If you’ve recently moved to Ely and aren’t sure what your windows are called, there’s a good chance that’s your answer. Replacing a casement window means matching what’s already there. Here’s what we check on site:
- The size of the opening, so the new frame fits without cutting into the brickwork.
- Which panes open and which are fixed, so the room ventilates the way you’re used to.
- Where the handles and stays sit, especially above a kitchen worktop or a radiator.
- Whether any pane needs safety glass because of its height or position.
- Whether a bedroom window needs to double as an escape opening.
That last point tends to catch a few people out. The opening size a window needs for an escape route isn’t obvious, so it’s worth checking at survey rather than after.
There’s more to a casement replacement than swapping like for like, from checking whether a bedroom window needs to double as an escape opening to working out where the handle and stay should sit.
Read about casement window installation [FUTURE_SERVICE_PAGE_LINK: Casement Window Installation in Ely] to see what we check before we quote.
Bay Windows and Matching the Original Angles
A bay window is the projecting sort, built from flat panels set at angles to each other. Stand in front of one and you can see the corners: a front pane, then two angled returns coming back to meet the wall. They tend to turn up more on the older terraced streets around Ely and in the older village properties than on the newer estates.
A bay window is more work to replace than a flat one. The new units are made to match the existing angles, so the bay sits back into the same footprint. The room keeps its proportions, the sill keeps its depth, and the window seat or radiator underneath stays where it was. We check the support above the bay properly before anything comes out, because on a projecting window the frame is often carrying more than just the glass.
Getting the angles right is most of the work on a bay replacement, along with making sure the support above it is sound before anything comes out.
Look at bay window installation [FUTURE_SERVICE_PAGE_LINK: Bay Window Installation in Ely] to see how we match the original angles.
Bow Windows for Curved Openings
A bow window curves, where a bay window is flat and angular. It’s built from more panels, each set at a shallower angle, so the whole thing reads as a gentle arc rather than a run of straight sides. Bow windows turn up most often on Victorian and Edwardian-style properties, where they carry a lot of a front elevation’s character. That’s why the shape has to be right.
Every panel has its own angle, and the curve only holds together if they all agree with each other. We survey the existing opening, work out the geometry of what’s there, and have the new units made to that rather than to a standard curve that’s just close enough. We fit bow windows in uPVC and aluminium. Send us a photo and we can usually tell you whether you’ve got a bay or a bow before we come out.
A bow’s curve only works if every panel’s angle agrees with the one next to it, which is why we survey the opening rather than fitting a standard curve that’s just close enough.
Find out about bow window installation [FUTURE_SERVICE_PAGE_LINK: Bow Window Installation in Ely] to see how we match the curve.
Sliding Sash Windows on Older Properties
A sliding sash window slides vertically rather than swinging open on a hinge. It’s built from two panes, one set behind the other, with the bottom pane lifting up past the top one. It’s the traditional style, and you’ll find plenty of them on the older properties around Ely.
We fit new sliding sash units in uPVC and aluminium, built to keep the vertical sliding action and the traditional proportions, but with modern sealed glazing and seals that shut properly. You keep the look of the original window and stop losing heat through it.
Planning is where sash windows tend to get complicated. Central Ely has listed buildings and conservation area streets, and on a listed building, changing the windows needs listed building consent, which a uPVC replacement is unlikely to get. If you’ve already been told the outside can’t change, it’s worth saying so early, because secondary glazing is usually the better route in that case.
If you’ve got original timber sashes and want to keep them: we don’t fit new timber windows, but we will re-glaze an existing timber sash where the frame stays and only the glass is swapped. That’s a glass job rather than a new window install.
Planning rules are usually the deciding factor with sash windows, particularly on listed buildings where a uPVC replacement is unlikely to get consent.
Discover sliding sash window installation [FUTURE_SERVICE_PAGE_LINK: Sliding Sash Window Installation in Ely] to see how planning rules affect your options.
Not Sure Which Window You Need?
Dan will come and look, measure up and give you an honest answer.
Secondary Glazing for Homes Where the Windows Can't Be Changed
Some people come to us having already been told no. Listed building status, a conservation area, or a planning officer who’s made clear the outside of the window isn’t changing. Meanwhile the house stays cold and the road noise carries on regardless.
Secondary glazing in Ely is the answer to that. We fit a second pane on the inside of your existing window, in its own slim frame, so the original window stays exactly as it is. From the street, nothing looks different, because nothing external has been touched.
People often assume secondary glazing is a compromise, a second-best option next to a full replacement. In practice it does a proper job on heat retention and on noise, and on a period property it’s often the only route that gets planning permission.
If your options are limited that way, it’s worth taking a moment to see how secondary glazing works.
Triple Glazing for People Chasing Heat Retention
Triple glazing in Ely means a three-pane sealed unit fitted in place of your existing window. It’s a full replacement: the old window comes out and the new one goes in, and it’s notifiable work under the Building Regulations, the same as any other window.
The clearest distinction is against secondary glazing. Triple glazing replaces the whole window and changes the outside appearance. Secondary glazing only adds a pane inside, leaving the original untouched, which is why it’s usually the option that gets approved on listed and conservation properties.
Triple glazing suits someone who’s already decided to replace their windows and wants to push the thermal performance as far as it goes. If your windows are otherwise sound and the cold is the main complaint, draught proofing and seal work can get you a good way there for a lot less disruption, and we’ll tell you if that’s the better option for your job.
Whether triple glazing’s worth the extra cost over a standard replacement comes down to how far you want to push the thermal performance, and that’s easier to judge once you’ve weighed it against draught proofing or a straight repair.
Weigh up triple glazing installation [FUTURE_SERVICE_PAGE_LINK: Triple Glazing Installation in Ely] to see if it’s worth the extra over double glazing.
Energy-Efficient Windows and Where the Heat Goes
One room in a house often feels colder than the rest, and more often than not it comes down to the windows, specifically the seals and the glass, rather than anything dramatic.
Energy-efficient windows means an upgraded glazing unit inside a properly sealed frame: better glass, better spacers between the panes, and a frame that shuts tight all the way round. The Energy Saving Trust guide to energy efficient windows explains what to look for, including the energy rating on the unit. You’re more likely to notice the difference by sitting near the window in January without feeling a chill off it, than by reading the rating itself.
It matters more round here than people expect. The Fens are flat and open, with little to break the wind, and the damp and river fog off the Great Ouse add to the cold.
The seals and the glass usually matter more here than the energy rating printed on the unit, which is worth knowing before you compare options.
Check out energy-efficient windows [FUTURE_SERVICE_PAGE_LINK: Energy-Efficient Windows in Ely] to see what actually keeps the heat in.
Draught Proofing to Stop the Cold Air Getting In
Sit near a window in January and you’ll usually feel it: a thin line of cold air across the back of your hand, or a curtain shifting when there’s no window open anywhere near it.
Draught proofing finds those gaps and seals them. Perished rubber seals, gaps where the sash meets the frame, weather seals gone hard and flat. None of it is dramatic work, but the difference it makes to a cold room is bigger than most people expect. Rain tends to come in hardest on the south-west side of a property out here, and seals in that position often seem to wear through sooner.
October through January is when the phone goes for this job. It sits alongside repair work too. If we’re already replacing a seal or adjusting a sash, the draught proofing often gets done at the same time.
Most calls for this come in between October and January once the cold properly sets in, and it’s often something we’re doing anyway if we’re already out replacing a seal or adjusting a sash.
Get draught proofing sorted [FUTURE_SERVICE_PAGE_LINK: Draught Proofing Services in Ely] before the cold sets in.
Window Security Upgrades Before Anything Happens
Nothing’s broken. You’d just rather the ground floor windows weren’t the weak point of the house, and that’s a fair reason to ring.
Window security upgrades means fitting stronger locks and, where it’s worth it, security glass, which in practice usually means laminated glass. On older double glazing the locks are often the originals, and locking hardware has moved on a long way since then. The police-backed Secured by Design guidance on window security standards sets out what a properly tested window looks like.
Window security upgrades are something you choose to do while everything still works, unlike window lock repairs, which are for a lock that’s already failed. People usually start thinking about it after moving into a house and not knowing the age of the hardware, or after a break-in somewhere on the street. We’ll look at what you’ve got and tell you plainly if it’s already decent. Sometimes it is, and then you’ve saved yourself a job.
A lot of what’s fitted on older double glazing is still the original hardware, and it’s worth finding out whether that’s actually a weak point before assuming it needs work.
Upgrade your window security [FUTURE_SERVICE_PAGE_LINK: Window Security Upgrades in Ely] and we’ll tell you if what you’ve got is already good enough.
Window and Double Glazing Repairs
A window that sticks, drips or won’t shut properly doesn’t usually mean you need a new one. Window repair deals with the specific fault: locks, hinges, handles and stays that have stiffened up or failed, worn seals letting in draughts or water, and a window that’s dropped and now catches on the frame. Double glazing repairs cover more ground, taking in the glazing unit itself and the general faults that build up on a window over the years.
If it can be repaired, Dan will tell you, even if you rang up expecting to buy a new window.
Misted Units and Broken Glass
Foggy Panes: the Glass Is Fine, the Seal Has Gone
You’ve probably tried cleaning it, inside and outside, and it’s still cloudy. That’s because the moisture is trapped between the two panes, somewhere no cloth is ever going to reach. Once the seal fails, damp air gets into the gap and the pane fogs up, usually worst on cold mornings.
Misted double glazing replacement swaps the failed sealed unit for a new one. The frame stays exactly where it is, so it’s a smaller job than most people expect. We see a lot of this round Ely, and sealed units usually start failing at around the ten-year mark. If one unit’s gone, it’s worth keeping an eye on the rest.
Cracked, Chipped or Broken Glass
A stone off the mower, a football, or a crack that started small in a cold snap and has crept halfway across the pane since. Double glazed glass replacement takes out the damaged unit and fits a new one into the same frame, with the frame, hinges, handle and lock all staying put.
Where the glass needs to be toughened, laminated or safety glass, that’s what goes back in. Low-level panes and anything next to a door have rules attached, and we work to them as standard. If a pane’s gone through completely, give us a call and we’ll get it booked in as soon as we can. We don’t do night callouts or out-of-hours work.
Window Frame Repairs When It's the Frame, Not the Glass
Damp on the sill every morning, or a hairline crack running out from a corner of the frame, with the glass itself still sound: that points to a frame problem rather than a glazing one.
Window frame repairs deal with the uPVC or aluminium frame itself: cracks, warping, corners that have opened up, and water getting in where the frame meets the wall. Left alone, that water can work its way into the plaster and timber behind it, and the bill tends to grow from there. Send a photo over if you’re not sure what you’re looking at, and Dan can often tell from the picture whether it’s a straightforward repair or something bigger.
If the frame’s beyond repair, the answer is usually a new window rather than a new frame around the old glass. The old glass is very rarely the right size for the new opening, so we’ll quote the full replacement and explain why.
Damp on a sill or a hairline crack at the corner doesn’t always mean the window’s had it, though water getting in around a frame rarely stays put once it starts.
Arrange window frame repairs [FUTURE_SERVICE_PAGE_LINK: Window Frame Repairs in Ely] to find out if the frame can be saved.
What Replacement Windows Cost in Ely
Every job’s priced on the house itself, so the honest answer is that it depends. As a guide, replacing the windows on a typical 3-bed house costs around £4,000 to £7,000 plus VAT, depending on what’s needed. Here’s what moves that number:
- How many windows, and whether it’s the whole house or just one side
- uPVC or aluminium, plus the colour and finish
- The style: bays, bows and sashes take more work than a flat casement
- Any making good needed to reveals and sills
- Safety glass or escape openings, where the regulations call for them
Send us a photo and we’ll give you a ballpark before anyone visits. Quotes are free with no obligation, and there’s no discounting tricks or pressure to sign on the day. Guide prices are correct as of September 2026.
The Survey: Getting the Measurements Right Before Anything Is Made
It starts with a photo or a call. We talk through what you’re after and give you a ballpark, often the next day. Once you’ve decided to go ahead, the survey comes next: the on-site visit where everything gets measured and checked properly before a single unit is ordered. On the survey we check:
- Exact sizes of every opening, not rounded guesses
- Whether the openings are square, and by how much they’re out if not
- How the existing frames are fixed into the wall
- Which panes need safety glass and where escape openings are required
- Access, so we turn up on the day with the right kit
People sometimes treat this step as a formality, but it isn’t. Every glazed unit is made to the sizes taken at survey, and being a few millimetres out can mean the job doesn’t go in properly. Getting it right here is what makes installation day boring, which is exactly the aim. On the day, dust sheets go down and we clear up after ourselves.
Once the final survey’s done, the price we give you is the price, with nothing revisited later. The survey’s where the actual measurements get taken, and it’s the step that decides whether the finished job goes in properly or not.
Plan your glazing survey [FUTURE_SERVICE_PAGE_LINK: Glazing Survey in Ely] to see what we measure and why the price is fixed after it.
Questions People Ask
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I need a repair or new windows?
Look at the fault itself first. A sticking sash, a dodgy handle, or one misted pane while the rest are fine usually points to a repair. Warped frames, draughts all round, or several units gone at once usually means replacement makes more sense. Send us a photo or give us a call and we’ll tell you which one applies.
Do I need planning permission or building control approval for new windows in Ely?
Planning permission usually isn’t needed if the new windows match the old ones, but listed buildings need consent and conservation areas can bring extra rules. Building Regulations still apply regardless. Replacing windows counts as notifiable work, covering things like energy performance and safety glass. We self-certify through Assure, so we handle that paperwork and you don’t have to deal with the council yourself.
What's the difference between uPVC and aluminium windows?
uPVC suits most homes and budgets, with no painting and next to no yearly upkeep. Aluminium is about slimmer frames, usually chosen for a modern extension or a different look rather than a like-for-like swap. If you’re not sure which fits your job, it’s a quick conversation on site.
What does a full set of windows cost?
For a typical 3-bed house, around £4,000 to £7,000 plus VAT is the usual range. What moves it is how many windows are involved, whether you choose uPVC or aluminium, and the styles chosen. Bays, bows and sashes all take more work than a flat casement. Send us a photo and we’ll give you a ballpark before anyone comes round, and once the final survey’s done, that price holds.
My double glazing looks foggy but the frame is fine. What do I need?
That’s misted double glazing replacement, not a full window job. The seal between the two panes has failed and let damp air in, though the frame is usually still sound. We swap out the sealed unit alone, which is a smaller job than most people expect.
Is draught proofing worth it, or should I just replace the windows?
Draught proofing is worth trying first if your windows are otherwise in decent shape. It targets perished seals and gaps rather than the whole window, and being out on the flat, open Fens makes draughts worse here than in most towns. If the frames are old and failing too, replacement becomes the better long-term option.
How quickly can you give me a price?
The quickest way to start is a photo. Send one over with a quick description and Dan will usually come back with a ballpark price, often the next day. From there, we’ll book in a survey at a time that suits you.
Will I be dealing with you, or someone else?
You deal with Dan from the first quote right through to installation. On the bigger jobs he’s got a trusted team of installers behind him, but he’s the one you speak to from start to finish.
Ready For A Free Quote On Your Windows?
Send us a photo of the window and Dan will come back with a ballpark price, no obligation.