Replacing windows through an apartment association

Who actually decides

A flat's window sits on the line between private and shared. The window is in your flat, but the facade belongs to the building and its appearance concerns everyone. So most associations have a rule: you may replace your window, but to an agreed specification, with the same colour, the same division into panes and the same opening type as seen from outside.

If your building has no such rule yet, it is worth adopting one before half the residents fit windows to their own taste. A patchwork facade cannot be put right afterwards, and it does nothing for the value of the flats.

Why it is cheaper together

• One measuring visit instead of twenty.
• One delivery instead of twenty.
• The crew works in the building for several days in a row without travelling between jobs.
• Identical sizes go into production as a single batch.

The saving is not a goodwill discount; the costs really are lower. That is why a conversation about a joint order makes sense only once you know the exact number of flats and windows.

Steps for the board

• Find out how many flats want to take part, and list the windows by type and size.
• Agree on the appearance: exterior colour, pane division, which sashes open.
• Ask for a quote for the whole job at once, not flat by flat.
• Decide how it is paid for: each owner pays for their own windows, or payment goes through the association.
• Agree a schedule, usually one stairwell at a time, so the crew is not dashing about the building.

What to ask the contractor

Who is responsible for taking the old windows out of the stairwell, since that is several tonnes of waste. Who cleans up in the shared areas. What happens if one flat turns out to have a non-standard opening. And how the contract works: one with the association, or a separate one with each owner.

We work with apartment associations all over Estonia, from Tallinn and Maardu to Narva and Tartu. Call +372 5555 1682 and we will price the whole building.