June 2026
I’m extremely happy with the work carried out by Tariq and Garry from Custom Choice. They installed my front door and windows with great care and attention to detail. They were friendly, efficient, and clearly take pride in their work.
What can we fix?
“My period windows are rotten, rattling or painted shut”
Original windows on a Victorian or Edwardian house are part of why the house looks right — and after a century, many are also rotten at the joints, rattling in their boxes, single glazed and painted shut. The wrong replacement ruins the frontage; the right one is close to invisible from the street. The gap between those two outcomes is specification.
The three honest routes
- Repair what you have
- A sound timber sash with localised rot can be spliced, re-corded, draught-sealed and repainted by a joiner. We do not do that work — and when a survey shows repair is the better answer for a particular window, we will tell you so. Repair keeps original glass and fabric, which matters most on listed buildings.
- Timber-alternative sash
- The Rose Collection is built to be mistaken for painted timber: deep bottom rails, slim meeting bars, run-through sash horns, authentic proportions — with double glazing, modern seals and no repainting every four years. This is the route for a house whose frontage depends on sash windows.
- Flush casement in heritage colours
- Where the originals are casements — cottages, 1930s houses, village terraces — a flush-fitting frame from The Residence Collection sits level in the reveal the way timber did, in whites, creams and muted greens that suit old brick and stone. Ordinary lipped uPVC is what makes period houses look wrong; flush is the detail that fixes it.
Check the conservation position first
Parts of Peterborough, Stamford, Cambridge, Ely and most village centres carry conservation designations, and some streets have Article 4 directions that remove the usual permitted development rights for windows. That changes the paperwork, not necessarily the product — well-specified timber-alternative windows are approved in conservation areas routinely. Our conservation guide explains how to check your street before ordering anything, and the survey covers it for your specific address.
What to insist on, from anyone
Whether you use us or not: insist on seeing the specific system quoted (not “heritage style” as a phrase), sightline drawings for at least one window, an itemised written quote per opening, and FENSA or Certass registration with the certificate handed over at the end. A period house deserves a paper trail as good as its frontage.
Get it looked at properly — free
Book a free survey and we will look at every window with you — which can be saved, which are past it, and exactly what a sympathetic replacement would look like on your frontage, in writing.
Free, no obligation. Family-run since 2016, FENSA registered, 10-year insurance-backed guarantee.
Fixed for real homes
People who had the same problem
Real reviews from installations across Peterborough and the surrounding towns.
5-star rated on Google & TrustATrader
March 2026
We highly recommend Custom Choice Home Improvements. We recently had seven windows and one door replaced, and the entire experience was excellent from start to finish. From our initial contact, Tariq's communication was clear and consistent.
February 2026
In total we had 8 windows, a front door and French doors fitted. The Custom Choice team came round, took measurements and then sat down with us to show us the full selection of windows and doors. Tony, the person who came round, was fantastic.
Not ready to book? Read first
- Replacing windows in a conservation area or period home
Stamford, the older parts of Peterborough, half the villages around them. Here is what is actually allowed, and what gets refused.
- Replacing windows in a Cambridge Victorian terrace
Cambridge’s terraces are a specific job: solid walls, original sashes, conservation overlays and traffic noise. Here is how to get all four right at once.