Timber Rot Repair & Sill Replacement for Cheltenham Sash Windows
Most rotten sash sills and broken cords are repaired in one to two days per window, at a fraction of replacement cost. We splice in conservation-grade Accoya or Sapele, renew cords, weights and pulleys, and finish in heritage paint so the repair is invisible from the street — guaranteed for 10 years.
Request a Free Restoration Survey
Tell us about your windows and we will arrange a no-obligation survey, usually within five working days.
Signs your sash windows need repair
If you can see soft or blackened timber, a sash that drops shut, or daylight around the meeting rail, the window needs joinery rather than paint. These are the six faults we find most often in Montpellier, Pittville, Charlton Kings, Lansdown and Leckhampton period homes.
- Soft, flaking or blackened timber on the sill, bottom rail or cill horns
- A sash that drops shut or won't stay open — a snapped cord or detached weight
- Windows painted or swollen shut and impossible to open for ventilation
- Rattling upper sashes and gaps you can see daylight through
- Cracked or missing putty and loose, drumming glass
- Split parting beads, worn staff beads and misaligned meeting rails
How we repair a Cheltenham sash window
Repair runs in four stages — free survey, careful strip-out, splice and rebuild, then rebalance and finish. A single sash is usually back in place within a day or two; a full elevation takes about a week, including drying time for primer and heritage topcoats.
Step 1
Free survey
We inspect every window, probe for decay and give you a written schedule of works with a fixed price per sash.
Step 2
Careful strip-out
Beads are removed and labelled, sashes taken out, and the box frame and pockets opened for inspection.
Step 3
Splice and rebuild
Decayed timber is cut back to sound wood and new matched sections are spliced in, or a new sill is fitted where needed.
Step 4
Rebalance and finish
New cords, weights and beads are fitted, the sash is rebalanced, then primed and painted in a heritage finish.
Materials and workmanship
- Accoya, Sapele and slow-grown softwood splices matched to the original timber density
- Waxed cotton sash cord and cast-iron weights matched to sash mass
- Two-part epoxy resin consolidation only where splicing is not appropriate
- Linseed putty and traditional glazing methods for original glass
- Microporous heritage paint systems that let timber breathe
- 10-year guarantee on all structural joinery repairs
We work throughout Montpellier, Pittville, Charlton Kings, Leckhampton, Lansdown and the wider Cheltenham conservation areas. See the full range of sash window repairs in Cheltenham.
How to Tell If Your Sash Windows Need Repair or Full Replacement
A practical checklist: when a rotten sill or broken cord can be repaired, and when a sash has passed the point of saving.
Read the guide