From interior design magazines to Pinterest – everywhere you look you’ll see plenty of inspiration to make your bathroom, kitchen, living room and bedroom look cosy and chic. However, no matter how beautifully designed your home is, if the fundamentals aren’t right, it’ll never feel as cosy and welcoming as you’d like. For example, if your windows are no longer shutting out the cold and damp, it could be high time to replace them.

This month, His & Hers has joined forces with Jack of Glass, trusted windows specialists in High Wycombe, to take a look at how you can tell when it’s time to replace your windows…

The experts at Jack of Glass say there are six main telltale signs that your windows are no longer fit for purpose. They say these signs are:

A noticeable draught

Is there an audible breeze when standing close to your windows? Or, can you feel a draught seeping through? In either case, a repair or replacement window is required. Draughts are caused by a number of things; deep cracks in the framing or glass and failed window seals are possible causes. Determining the cause and extent of the damage will determine the next course of action (repair or replacement).

Inflated energy bills

Poorly insulating windows tend to cost households between 10-25% more on their energy bills. If you’ve noticed a draught coming through your windows and your energy bills appear to have risen, it might be time to get the professionals in for a repair or replacement window

Poor soundproofing

A window that is functioning correctly should make it relatively difficult to hear things that are going on outside. If you find yourself being able to hear far away street noise, or unruly locals too clearly, it is likely that a replacement is necessary.

Are there more bugs in your home than usual?

If you’ve found an increasing number of insects crawling round your home of late, your window could be damaged. Possible causes may be a crack in the glass, or a damaged windowsill. If you have old timber windows you may be seeing the signs of wood rot.

Condensation

A build-up of condensation is not the biggest issue, provided it’s outside the glass on the interior or exterior of the window. However, condensation between the two glass units is a sign that the seals are leaking and the gas cavity is no longer sealed. This means the sealed glass unit will need replacing.

Difficulty opening and closing

If you find your windows continually difficult to open and close, the mechanism may require some repair work or some new parts. The window will need replacing, in severe cases.

You’ll find plenty of different options for replacement windows for your home on their website.

We’re very proud to bring you this feature in association with Jack of Glass. For more inspiration and tips for your home, please pay a visit to our regularly updated interiors page.