Window replacement in Batumi apartments: from removal to reveals

When to replace a window and when a repair is enough

Window replacement in Batumi apartments is most often ordered when the frames in the rooms are wet in winter. But sometimes the joint or the glazing unit is to blame, and the frame can stay. Before the estimate, the foreman inspects the window, reveals and windowsill with a moisture meter, and we decide what to do based on where the water is.

Cold aluminium is fine on a balcony, but in a bedroom in winter there is water on it every morning. Where it falls short of warm systems and uPVC is covered in our comparison of aluminium and uPVC windows. If the water in the mornings is only on the glass and the frame is warm, the window is usually not to blame: first we check the humidity and the ventilation in the apartment.

Profile and outside colour: what to agree with the building

A window in an apartment block can be seen from the street, and the look of the facade in a residential complex is usually governed by the building's rules. So we agree the profile and outside colour with the building's management company before the measurement and forward its reply to you. It is usually about the frame colour and the sash layout: a white window among the neighbours' dark frames stands out.

Inside, the frame can be a different colour: the foil finish is applied on one side or on both. In an ordinary replacement we don't change the size of the opening. Widening a window or taking it down to the floor means cutting into the wall: that is decided with the structural engineer, and the approval procedure is clarified with the architect and our partner lawyer. Some complexes have stricter rules for balcony frames, up to a ban on glazing: see the page about balcony glazing.

How a window is replaced in an occupied apartment

We take out the old frame and put the new one in on the same day, so the opening is closed by evening, and a crew gets through two or three windows a day. We cover the furniture with film and the floor with cardboard, and the noisy removal is done in the daytime, during the hours the building's rules allow.

1. We take off the sashes, cut through the old foam and take out the frame. If it was plastered in together with the reveal, the reveal is knocked off down to the base.
2. We clean the opening of foam and mortar, and look for cracks and voids under the future external sill.
3. We set the frame on support blocks, level it and fix it with anchors or fixing plates, depending on the wall.
4. We fill the joint with foam without voids, and once it has set, cover it with tapes and fit the external sill.
5. We hang the sashes, adjust the compression and check that each one closes without effort.

The reveals and windowsill are done the next day, once the foam has fully set.

The installation joint: three layers, an external sill and reveals

The joint between the frame and the wall is protected on both sides: vapour gets into it from the room, and rain from outside. So there are three layers:

• a vapour barrier tape on the inside, dense, with butyl adhesive: it keeps vapour from the room out of the foam;
• installation foam in the middle: it holds in heat and keeps out sound as long as it stays dry;
• a vapour-permeable tape on the outside: it shields the foam from rain and sun and lets out any moisture that gets into the joint.

We stick the tapes to the frame before installation and take them onto the wall once the foam has set. The external sill sits on a sill support profile under the frame, sloping away from the window and with end caps, otherwise water runs in under the reveal. The junction between the external sill and the wall is sealed.

Reveals are made of plaster for painting, moisture-resistant panels or plasterboard. If a reveal is cold in winter, it needs to be an insulated reveal: on a cold surface, condensation will form even next to a new window. The joint between the reveal and the frame is closed with paintable acrylic sealant.

Glazing units for noise, sun and wind

For a noisy street we fit a glazing unit with panes of different thickness, but first we check the joint: a void in the foam lets sound through more easily than thin glass does, and the other ways noise gets in are covered on the page about apartment soundproofing. For west- and south-facing windows we use multifunctional glass, which reflects part of the sun's heat in summer. On high floors we make the sashes narrower, with a micro-ventilation setting, so that the window doesn't have to be flung open into the wind. An insect screen and blinds are easier to order together with the window, from the same measurement.

How much window replacement costs in a Batumi apartment

Replacing a uPVC window costs from 330 to 480 ₾ per m² of opening: this price includes the new window and its installation. Thermally broken aluminium for large openings costs 895–1,080 ₾ per m². Separate lines cover removing the old window, from 84 ₾ per window, reveals and external sills, from 54 ₾ per linear metre, and fitting the windowsill, from 48 ₾ per linear metre: that is labour only, and the windowsill itself is paid for separately.

It costs more with a dark foil finish on the outside, a frame built into the plaster, and on high floors, where the external sill is fitted with fall protection. Replacing windows during a renovation is cheaper, since the reveals and windowsill are being redone anyway. The final cost is set after the site measurement and once the estimate is agreed.

What to check in the photos before the reveals are closed

Once the reveals are done, the joint can't be seen, so the foreman sends photos of each window before the finishing. The pictures should show:

• the inside tape stuck along the whole perimeter, with no breaks at the corners;
• foam filling the whole joint, with no gaps;
• on the outside, the tape taken onto the wall, and the external sill sloping and fitted with end caps;
• the drainage holes at the bottom of the frame open, with no foam in them.

When the reveals are finished, we run water from a hose over the joint. The photos of the joint stay in the handover file.