Planning window replacement across a strata building

Replacing windows across an occupied strata building is a construction project with several connected parts: the openings, the façade around them, manufacture, access, resident arrangements and the work needed to leave each apartment complete. Plan those interfaces before requesting prices or placing a manufacturing order.

For an owners corporation, the starting point is a clear condition assessment and opening schedule. These help determine whether the building needs repairs, selected replacements or a coordinated replacement programme.

Decide the extent of replacement from the building’s condition

A difficult-to-operate window, damaged hardware and water entering beside a frame can have different causes. Replacing the window alone may not address a defect in the surrounding wall or waterproofing. Arrange appropriate inspection and investigation before deciding which components to retain or replace.

Repair existing windows

Consider repair where investigation supports a defined, serviceable repair scope. Confirm the condition of frames, glazing, hardware and interfaces rather than relying on appearance alone.

Replace selected openings

Identify the exact locations, selection criteria and how the replacements will match retained elements. Include the adjacent finishes and access required for those openings.

Plan a coordinated building programme

Where replacement is needed across multiple lots or elevations, coordinate design, appearance, procurement, access and resident communication as one programme. The installation can then be staged to suit the building.

Where leaks are a major driver, SCE’s water ingress remediation pathway helps connect the investigation and repair scope to the source of the problem.

Build an opening schedule before seeking comparable prices

Give every window or glazed opening a reference that can be used on drawings, photographs, quotations and installation records. The schedule should distinguish replacement work from repairs and identify items that need further confirmation.

• Location and type: building, elevation, level, lot and opening reference, with photographs and the existing operating arrangement.
• Dimensions and verification: survey information and responsibility for final manufacturing measurements. Repeated-looking openings should not be assumed identical.
• Required performance and appearance: the approved frame, finish, glazing and operating requirements, with design or specialist input appropriate to the building.
• Hardware and safety: handles, locks, restrictors and relevant window-safety requirements.
• Internal and external reinstatement: reveals, linings, paint, adjacent wall finishes, blinds and other affected fittings.
• Access and protection: internal access, external working access, resident arrangements, protection, waste removal and temporary security or weather protection.
• Inspection and handover: agreed installation checks, testing, photographs, operating instructions, warranties and maintenance information.

Use the schedule to make omissions visible. For example, two prices are not directly comparable if one includes blinds and reveal repairs while the other ends at installation of the frame.

Confirm approvals and responsibility for the work

Check the strata plan, by-laws and the nature of the proposed work with the owners corporation and the relevant advisers. Confirm who authorises the work, who pays for it and who maintains the affected components afterwards. Common-property and lot boundaries must be checked for the specific scheme.

The NSW Government’s strata renovation guidance distinguishes minor work from changes affecting the outside, structure or waterproofing. Although the minor-renovation examples include double or triple glazing, that does not make every window replacement a minor renovation. Resolve the actual approval pathway before ordering.

Also confirm the project’s building, design and practitioner requirements. The proposed scope, building classification and applicable rules determine the inputs needed; a product quotation does not establish the complete approval or construction pathway.

Resolve the window-to-façade interfaces

The surrounding construction deserves the same attention as the window selection. The project team should establish how the replacement connects to the opening, adjacent wall, water-management details and internal finishes. Fixings, flashing and sealing details need to suit the actual substrate and approved system.

Allow for inspection of concealed conditions when existing frames are removed. Set out who assesses an unexpected condition, who approves any design response and how its cost and programme consequences are agreed. This is particularly important when window works form part of a wider façade or waterproofing project.

Our façade sealing and waterproofing guide explains the wider relationship between joints, water entry and repair planning. Sealant replacement should not be assumed to resolve every water-entry problem.

Plan manufacture and installation around residents

1. Resolve selections before manufacture. Confirm the accepted design information, surveyed dimensions, finish, hardware and required samples. Record who can release the order and how subsequent changes will be handled.
2. Agree the sequence. Identify the work zones, access system, delivery arrangements, storage and installation dependencies. Plan the number of openings that can be dealt with safely under the actual conditions.
3. Give residents useful instructions. Explain access dates, preparation of the work area, protection of belongings, noise and disruption, contact arrangements and any restrictions while work proceeds.
4. Define daily handback. Agree the checks and temporary measures needed for security, weather protection and safe use where an area cannot be completed that day. Include a response to unsuitable weather or loss of access.
5. Inspect before closing the work. Complete the agreed installation and interface checks while relevant details remain visible, then record operation, hardware, finishes and outstanding items for each opening.

Window safety must remain part of the final check. NSW requires safety devices on certain strata windows; confirm which openings are covered and the required device performance using the current NSW window safety guidance.

SCE’s completed Greenwich window replacement project

At a block of units in Greenwich, SCE delivered a connected package covering measurement and manufacture, removal and disposal of the old windows, installation of new windows, blinds and child locks. The Greenwich project page includes the completed photographs and project video.

That scope demonstrates why a replacement programme should include the final fittings and reinstatement requirements from the start. Each new building needs its own inspection, specification and access plan, including any acoustic, thermal or other performance requirements identified for that project.

Get a complete proposal for your building

SCE’s strata services combine construction delivery with the engineering, design, procurement and project-management inputs appropriate to the work. For a window replacement enquiry, provide the property address, approximate extent, photographs or reports, known leaks or operating problems, access constraints and the owners corporation’s current approval stage.

Ask for the proposal to state what is included in measurement, manufacture, removal, installation, access, protection, façade interfaces, blinds, finishes, inspections and handover. This gives the committee a useful basis for comparing the complete project scope.

Frequently asked questions

Further reading

• NSW Government — Strata renovation rules
• NSW Government — Window safety rules for strata common property

Confirm the approval, design and safety requirements for the particular building and proposed scope. References checked 24 September 2026.