Thermal-break aluminium, slim profiles and large glazing

It depends what you need to solve. uPVC insulates more for the same money and is the right choice when the aim is the heating bill and comfort in an ordinary flat. Aluminium has far slimmer profiles, so more light comes in, and it carries large sashes uPVC will not hold.

In practice: standard-sized windows, uPVC. Substantial sliding doors, wide spans, a project where the design matters or an opening where the frame must not steal space, thermal-break aluminium. At the site visit we look at your openings and tell you which makes sense, without pushing you towards the more expensive one.

In everyday Italian they are synonyms, and even in quotes the two words are used interchangeably. To be precise, infisso is everything fixed to the wall, frame included, while serramento is the part that closes, that is, the sash that opens and shuts.

The serramentista is the craftsman who makes and fits them. Anyone looking for new windows can safely use either word: they are looking for the same thing.

The price per square metre is the most requested figure and the least useful. On a small window the per-square-metre value is higher, because frame, glass and hardware are there anyway and get divided by a few square centimetres; on large glazing it comes down. And the same size changes a great deal depending on the profile series, the glass and the opening type.

What can be said before seeing anything is the general rule: for the same thermal performance, thermal-break aluminium costs more than uPVC, because to reach the same result the profile and the glass have to work harder. Be wary of anyone who gives you a price per square metre over the phone: either it is a bait price, or it will go up later.

Condensation forms when a surface is colder than the dew point of the air in the room. On aluminium with no thermal break the frame sits almost at the outside temperature, so in winter it is the first thing to get wet, even before the glass. It is not a fitting fault, it is physics.

There are two routes and they go together. Raise the surface temperature, that is, a thermal-break profile and glazing with a warm-edge spacer, and lower the indoor humidity by airing the rooms for a few minutes a day, especially after showering and cooking. A film of condensation on the outside of the glass on clear mornings is a different matter: that is a sign the window insulates well, not that it is faulty.

In favour: slim profiles and therefore more glass and more light; stiffness that allows large sashes and wide-span sliding doors; total freedom on colour, any RAL and two-tone inside and out; it does not rot, it does not distort in the sun and it is recyclable.

Against: for the same thermal performance it costs more than uPVC; with no thermal break it insulates almost nothing, so the cheap profile is to be avoided; it is still a metal, so near the sea it wants regular rinsing and attention to the hardware.

Wood insulates well by nature and it is beautiful, but it is alive: it moves with humidity and has to be re-treated or repainted every few years. Here on the coast, between direct sun and salt air, that maintenance cycle gets a good deal shorter, and on south-facing glazing it shows quickly.

Aluminium asks for nothing but cleaning, keeps its colour and allows profiles that would not stand up in wood. If you want the look of wood without the maintenance of wood, there is also a wood-effect finish on coated aluminium: from a distance you cannot tell, up close you feel the metal.

A powder-coated aluminium window, properly fitted, works away happily for thirty years and more. Aluminium does not rot, does not distort and forms an oxide layer on the surface that protects it by itself.

The parts that wear out first are gaskets, sliding door rollers and hardware, and they can all be replaced without touching the frame. What really shortens a window's life is not the material, it is a badly done installation.

Warm water and a neutral detergent, with a soft cloth, and plenty of rinsing. Greasy dirt needs patience and a second pass, not a more aggressive product: solvents, acetone, ammonia, limescale removers and abrasive pads attack the coating and dull it for good.

Near the sea it is worth rinsing with fresh water now and then, to take the salt off before it settles. A couple of times a year, vacuum the dust out of the sliding tracks and put some lubricant on the hardware: that is where most stiff closing starts.

The original colour is not paint applied with a brush: it is powder applied electrostatically and baked in an oven at about 200 degrees. Doing it properly means taking the windows out and recoating them in a plant, so it is not a job to do at home.

With metal enamels and a good primer you can cover it, and on a railing that may be enough. On a window the result ages quickly, especially on the edges and near the gaskets. If the window is old and has no thermal break, before spending on repainting it is worth doing the sums: changing the profile also solves the condensation and the heating bill.

On replacing windows in an existing home the reduced 10% Italian VAT rate applies, because it counts as extraordinary maintenance. There is, however, the rule on significant goods, and windows are one: the 10% applies to all the labour and to the value of the windows only up to the value of the labour, while the excess is charged at 22%.

In practice, in a job where the windows are worth much more than the labour, part of it stays at 22%. On new builds the rate is different and has to be checked case by case. On our quote the VAT is already broken out line by line, so you can see exactly what it applies to.