Aluminium v. Upvc windows

My take on it would be: 

Aluminium is generally used in commercial buildings and high rise buildings for its strength. Most homes would have UPVC windows. You could go very upmarket and get Aluclad windows which are timber windows with the outside having an aluminium facing.  The important thing would be the glazing. Triple is the standard now.

Bee

Thank you Bee.

Hi

Almost everybody in our community has replaced the original wood with aluminium - including me.

When driving around I see lots of workshops for "aluminium carpentry" but uPVC is far less common.

We also got new shutters to match - I don't think they're available in uPVC, which explains why our community uses aluminium.

Cheers

Steve

Maybe Aluminium is more suited to Spanish Med climate Steve. 

Bee

Yes Bee, that’s what the Spanish will tell you. Over the years, upvc will lose its whiteness because of the intense sun. Aluminium will remain white. 

I believe we should take our lead from the natives. In Ireland, we all had wooden window frames until Upvc was introduced in the 1970s.  People began to change as they were maintenance free.  Many expats want what they had at home but I genuinely believe that we should follow the guidance of the Spanish. 

Our windows in our house when we lived in Dublin were steel!!   Don’t know who that popped into my head ! The French doors were steel too. No wood worm there!

Hi Grannyrose

uPVC does not have to be white, and aluminium is naturally a silvery colour (but our aluminium windows/shutters are a perfect match for the wooden door).

Cheers

Steve

Thanks R. We had a mixture of aluminium frame double glazed windows and single glazed teak windows The aluminium windows were a nightmare with constant condensation during winter on the frames. The teak windows, which I loved, were too costly to double glaze. We replaced everything with triple glazed Rationel windows which are wood  with an alu clad profile on the outside. They come in any of the RAL paint colours and you can repaint the inside frames any colour you want if you wish to change your inside decor. Similarly you can remove the  alu clad  facings and replace them with a different colour. A very versatile product.

Bee