How much does window replacement cost in 2026?

Replacing a whole window costs about $460 to $1,220 per m2 for an awning or sliding window, according to the Archicentre Australia Cost Guide 2026. If the frame is sound and only the glass needs replacing, What's The Damage (Gold Coast page) puts new glass for a single-glazed window at $150 to $1,500, with $500 typical.

Below are prices for each kind of window job, prices by frame, when to repair instead, who does which part in Queensland, and the rules for a new window. These are market prices from cost guides, checked on 12 October 2026. They are not a quote from us.

How much does it cost to replace a window in 2026?

It depends most on whether you replace the glass or the whole window. Here is what the cost guides say.

To use the Archicentre rates, multiply by the window's size. A 1.2 m by 1.2 m awning window is 1.44 m2, which works out at about $660 to $1,760. Archicentre's prices include GST, and it says to allow extra for blinds and for repairs to the wall around the window.

What's The Damage's Gold Coast glazing prices are the same as its national ones, so read them as Australia-wide figures. They include GST.

How much does a new window cost by frame material?

Timber frames cost the most, according to hipages. Aluminium has the lowest starting price, from about $150 for a small fixed window, while a large timber window can pass $2,000.

Treat these as a rough guide. The hipages page title says 2026, but the article was first published in 2013 and shows no update date. It also does not say whether fitting is included.

For a newer figure, Sparky's Brisbane guide (updated September 2026) says standard aluminium awning windows start at $400 to $800, supply only. hipages adds that double glazed windows cost 25% to 50% more than single glazed ones, and that tinted or low-e glass adds more again.

Should I repair or replace a window?

Repair it if the frame is sound and only the glass, a sash or the hardware has failed. Replace it when the frame itself is rotten, rusted or warped, which What's The Damage says is usually the better value over time.

For a draughty window, Sparky says draught sealing is the cheaper first step before a full replacement. If a timber frame only needs some carpentry, the job may be priced by the hour. Our guide to what a carpenter costs per hour has the Gold Coast rates.

Who replaces windows in Queensland, a carpenter or a glazier?

Often both, for different parts. The QBCC carpentry licence covers installing windows and doors "including framing", and restoring windows and frames. The glass, glazing and aluminium licence covers glazing and reglazing, and making and fitting windows and doors.

So the glass is a glazier's job. Sparky says a carpenter handles timber-framed windows, while aluminium and uPVC windows are usually replaced by a glazier or window company.

If you are swapping aluminium windows into the same openings, a window company is often the simpler call. A carpenter earns their place when the timber around the window needs work: a rotten sill, damaged framing, new architraves, or a change to the size of the opening.

Either way, building work over $3,300 in Queensland needs a QBCC licence of the right class for that work.

What makes window replacement cost more?

The window style, a change to the opening and any work on the wall around it. These push the price up:

• Double hung windows. Archicentre prices them at $925 to $1,625 per m2, against $460 to $1,220 for awning and sliding windows.
• A bigger opening. Sparky says widening an opening means removing part of the wall and fitting a new lintel or header beam, with an engineer's sign-off and usually a building permit.
• Old timber louvres. In older Queensland homes, Sparky says swapping louvres for casement or awning windows means changing the frame, about half to a full day per window.
• Wall repairs. Sparky prices plaster repairs to damaged reveals separately, at $200 to $1,600 per job.
• Height and access. What's The Damage says upstairs windows and big panels can need a second glazier or lifting gear. In a unit, ask the body corporate who is responsible for the glass first.
• Fibro walls. Sparky warns that fibro cladding in pre-1990 homes may contain asbestos, so it must be checked before anyone cuts into it.

Do replacement windows have to meet a standard in Queensland?

Yes. A QBCC fact sheet says windows and external glazed doors must comply with AS 2047, the standard for windows in buildings.

For houses, AS 2047 ratings are based on the site's design wind speed under AS 4055. So the window maker needs your site's wind rating before it builds the windows. The QBCC says that assessment should come from an engineer or another suitably qualified person.

The fact sheet also says windows should carry the AS 2047 and AS 1288 labels for the spot they are made for, such as a corner position or a room with noise limits. Check the sticker matches the spot before the window goes in.

Queensland still uses the 2022 National Construction Code. Business Queensland says the 2025 code will not start here until 1 May 2027.

Do upstairs bedroom windows need restrictors?

Yes, when the floor is 2 m or more above the ground below and the opening part is less than 1.7 m above the floor. NCC 2022 Housing Provisions 11.3.7 then needs a restrictor or a securely fixed screen on the part that opens. It must:

• not let a 125 mm sphere pass through
• resist an outward push of 250 N
• have a child resistant release, if it can be removed, released or overridden

If the restrictor or screen can be removed, released or overridden, the window also needs a barrier at least 865 mm above the floor. For rooms other than bedrooms, the rule starts when the floor is 4 m or more above the surface below. The 125 mm gap is the same one used for balustrades, which our guide to balustrade height in Queensland covers.

Should I get low-e or tinted glass on the Gold Coast?

It is worth asking about for windows that face east or west. Business Queensland puts south-east Queensland in climate zone 2, with warm, humid summers. For that zone it suggests high-performance glass, like low-e or tinted glass, where windows get direct sun on the east and west sides.

Its other tips for the zone suit a window job too: windows and doors placed to catch breezes, and wide eaves or awnings to shade the east and west in summer. If your frames are sound, What's The Damage puts double glazing fitted into existing frames at $400 to $1,200 per window, so better glass does not always mean a whole new window.

Do I need approval to replace a window in Queensland?

Usually not for a like-for-like swap in the same opening. Under the Building Regulation 2021 (Schedule 1, section 7), alterations do not need building approval unless they change the floor area or height, affect a structural part (beyond some minor ones), or affect the fire safety system.

Making the opening bigger is different. It usually means a new lintel, which affects the structure, so approval may be needed. A building certifier has the final word for your house.

On deposits, the QBCC caps them at 10% for jobs of $3,301 to $19,999, and 5% from $20,000. It allows up to 20% when custom work made off site is more than half the contract price. A made-to-measure window order can fit that, so ask which rule your quote uses.

How do I compare window replacement quotes?

Quotes only compare if they cover the same job. Check that each one says:

• whether it is new glass only or a whole new window and frame
• the frame material and the glass (single or double glazed, low-e or tinted)
• the AS 2047 rating and the wind rating the window is made for
• who takes out the old window and repairs the wall, linings and architraves
• whether weather sealing and flashings are included
• each trade's QBCC licence class, and the deposit

We fit doors and windows across the Gold Coast, along with the framing and timber repairs around them. The glass itself is glazing work. See our carpentry work, or our guide to door installation cost if an external door is on the list too.

Where do these prices come from?

Checked on 12 October 2026: What's The Damage (Gold Coast glazier page, national glazier page and Gold Coast carpenter page, all verified October 2026), the Archicentre Australia Cost Guide 2026, hipages (replacement windows cost, first published November 2013, no update date shown) and Sparky (door and window costs, national page published March 2026, Brisbane page updated September 2026). Rules from the QBCC (carpentry licence, reviewed August 2021; glass, glazing and aluminium licence, August 2021; when you need a licence, August 2021; deposits, June 2025; windows and glazed external doors fact sheet, October 2022), the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions Part 11.3, Business Queensland (NCC 2025 delay, updated 14 September 2026; climate zones, updated 24 July 2025) and the Building Regulation 2021 (Qld, current as at 14 August 2026). We will check the prices again every three months.

See our carpentry work, or check what your job will cost.