# Planning authority specify woodgrain windows



## bogeyman (11 Oct 2010)

Hi,

I am currently building a new house which the planning permission states must have "timber windows or woodgrain windows".
I assume from this they want me to have brown windows - either wood or pvc. 
I want to have white windows and I have no problem having white woodgrain windows. 
Do you thing the planners will be ok with this? I am wary because I have heard stores of people having to replace windows etc. Anybody got any experience with this?
Any planners out there with an opinion?

Thanks


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## BillK (11 Oct 2010)

Why not ask the planners for their view?


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## bogeyman (12 Oct 2010)

Because thats inviting a whole world of trouble and attention on yourself 
I had a couple of issues getting the planning in the first place and I really found the planners involved extremely inflexible so i dont want to invite their attention onto my house at all.


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## galwaytt (12 Oct 2010)

...don't go near the planners.

timber windows or woodgrain windows.  Well, you can get _woodgrain_ in uPVC (mine are), and it comes in almost any colour you like.

I'd be interpreting that condition to suit you, not them, tbh,.....


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## onq (12 Oct 2010)

bogeyman said:


> Hi,
> 
> I am currently building a new house which the planning permission states must have "timber windows or woodgrain windows".
> I assume from this they want me to have brown windows - either wood or pvc.
> ...



I don't know of any people on AAM who have admitted themsleves to be planners - as in local authority public servants.
You can get a clever brief to play word games with any condition wording.

The fact is that the local authority haven't specified the colour of the "timber windows" and have referred to "wood-grain windows" seems to open the floodgates.
The fact that in my personal opinion "wood grain UPVC windows" will look utterly terrible is neither here nor there.

If there is a Condition requirement for you to submit samples for agreement, then this is what you must do.
If there is no such requirement I'd still talk to the local planning officer.
Better to define this now and avoid enforcement action and cost.

ONQ.

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon                        as a defence or support - in and of itself -   should       legal        action    be      taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in                        Real Life with rights to inspect and issue reports    on     the         matters    at      hand.


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## PetrolHead (13 Oct 2010)

In my experience, the term 'woodgrain' is used to refer to mahogany coloured uPVC. If you go to most window suppliers and ask to see their woodgrain windows they'll show you mahogany.

[broken link removed]

However, I think this is a remnant from a time when there was either this colour or white rather than a proper technical term. Therefore, while you may have trouble pulling off white (or for that matter, black, green, blue, etc) uPVC with a woodgrain texture, I think it does leave you open to just about any other wood effect colouring.


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## Seagull (13 Oct 2010)

You could always put in wooden window frames, and paint them white.


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## bogeyman (18 Oct 2010)

Thanks for all your opinions and advice. 
In a perfect world this would be a simple matter to resolve, I'd just go to my planner and ask but as I said I've had such a terrible experience with them to date that I'm afraid to approach them in case they start making up new conditions. I'm going to risk it and go with the white woodgrain upvc. Their wording in the planning "timber windows or woodgrain windows" was very general and to me I cant imagine this was a mistake, they have been so specific in other areas.
Thanks again!


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