Questions about heritage windows in Dorking, answered plainly

If the house is not listed and is not covered by an Article 4 direction, usually yes, as long as the new windows look similar to the old ones. A uPVC sash or flush casement in a heritage colour is designed to do exactly that. If an Article 4 direction applies, you need planning permission first.

Mole Valley publishes Article 4 maps and a property lookup that shows planning constraints. In the district, the directions cover parts of the Dorking, Brockham and Leatherhead conservation areas. The surveyor also checks this for every address.

Several Rose Hill houses are listed Grade II, and the whole estate is in the conservation area. If yours is listed, window changes need listed building consent and will normally be timber to the existing pattern. If it is not listed, a close heritage match is still the sensible choice on such a uniform street.

Yes. A uPVC sliding sash costs a little over half what a timber box sash does, and it does not need repainting. The cost guide shows five sashes in each material on two similar Victorian semis near Tower Hill.

It is a casement where the opening part sits level with the frame instead of standing proud of it. It looks like a traditional timber casement, which suits Westcott cottages, the interwar roads and the post-war estates alike.

Yes. Steel-look aluminium has narrow black frames and slim glazing bars, with modern double glazing. Ordinary houses in Westhumble are not under an Article 4 direction, so you can usually choose it freely.

Yes. Brockham is one of the three places in Mole Valley with an Article 4 direction over part of its conservation area, so check your address first. The Brockham page covers what that means.

Often yes. Secondary glazing fitted inside the existing windows leaves the outside unchanged, which is why it is often accepted on listed buildings. The planning page gives an indicative market range.

A FENSA-registered installer covering Dorking and the villages. It surveys, quotes in writing in its own name and fits the windows. The page on who handles your enquiry explains more.