Steeden Carpentry Limited

This directory does not confirm registration. Window and door installers self-certify their work against Building Regulations through a Competent Person Scheme — mainly FENSA or Certass — so check the company name or postcode (BH19 2PQ) directly on the FENSA or Certass website before booking, and ask to see the certificate number.

A single uPVC window in Swanage typically runs £300 to £600 supplied and fitted; a full house of 8 to 10 windows is often £3,000 to £8,000 depending on style (casement, bay, sash-look) and glazing spec. Get two or three written, itemised quotes before agreeing to work.

Repair makes sense for a failed seal (misted double glazing), a worn handle or hinge, or a damaged lock on an otherwise sound frame — usually a straightforward swap. Replacement is the better value once frames are warped, draughty, rotten (on timber) or past roughly 20 to 25 years old, or when several units across the house have failed. Ask the installer to price both where it's borderline.

It's proof the window or door installation meets Building Regulations (thermal performance, safety glazing, ventilation) without a separate council building control sign-off. Without one, selling the property can mean paying for retrospective building control inspection or indemnity insurance, so keep the certificate with your house documents.

This directory holds 237 active window and glazing businesses across 22 towns in Dorset, all from the Companies House register. Swanage accounts for 8. About 30% of Dorset's registered window and glazing firms were incorporated in the last three years, so weigh incorporation date and FENSA/Certass registration, not just company age.