Upgrading the window (mushroom head) is allegedly not worth it - opinions?

You still haven't been to the police, have you?

No, since the house has not yet been handed over to us.

We will definitely make an appointment with the police.

But I don't really believe that they will tell us something completely new in principle. The fact is, both window people told us this: The back balcony door is unsecured and can be opened in 20 seconds. We should definitely invest in security here.

The other two floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room can only be tilted, so they have no hinge point and according to the craftsman, they would therefore be rather difficult to pry open. So if we were to put a double bolt on here, that would certainly be objectively okay. (I always think, whoever really wants to get in will somehow get in...)

But they are still almost a quarter of a century old – I don’t know what the average lifespan of a double-glazed window in the mid-price segment is? Whether in 5 years we will still find them good?

I think I already said that plastic windows at this age would normally already look “due.” What is well maintained sometimes lasts longer than expected. Therefore, despite having knowledge of the matter, I don’t dare to commit to another eight or eleven years. There are no sudden unexpected heart attacks with windows.

(I always think that whoever really wants to get in will find a way...)

The penalty for burglary doesn’t get “cheaper” because of meager loot, and burglars also have to act economically. If you talk about your coin collection in the beer garden, never go to get bread without diamond rings, and in your street there are two Panameras in every driveway, then they will definitely come – with or without latches.

I think you should really consider targeted individual measures. Replacing the windows is apparently nonsense, retrofitting all frames for 5k with mushroom locks is also the same. There must be something in between. With 5k you can already do something in the area of alerting, which might even make more sense with that money than the mushroom locks and would still be usable in case of later window replacement. But for that, professional opinions are needed. Police or commercial consultation. But targeted and not generally for the whole house.

I think I already said that plastic windows at this age would normally actually already look "due" by now. What is well maintained sometimes lasts longer than expected. Therefore, despite knowing about the subject, I do not dare to commit to another eight or eleven years. Sudden unexpected heart attacks do not occur with windows.

How do you maintain plastic windows? Plastic is hardly affected by dirt and such and would be "clean" again at the latest after the next rain/spraying. The glass itself is not affected by dirt at all (unless you rub the sand back and forth so that it causes scratches). The maintenance through grease/oil, etc., is not visible on the windows; it is more the function that you save with it. Plastic windows also "have to" be "re-bedded" every few years, then the fun lasts forever.