Double glazing in Dunedin
Dunedin is the retrofit question in its purest form: street after street of timber villas and bungalows with original single-glazed sashes, and winters cold enough that the glass is the first thing people want fixed. Sound timber frames can usually take a slim sealed unit, so the choice is retrofit the sashes or replace the joinery, and the per-window price differs by frame type.
Updated 15 September 2026
A typical whole-house double glazing job in Dunedin costs about $15,000 (CheckMyBuilder, Dunedin, checked 23 Oct 2026). Per window, published New Zealand rates run $550–850 for an aluminium retrofit, $800–1,200 for timber, and $1,500–2,500+ per opening for full replacement.
What do we know about double glazing in Dunedin?
Everything below comes from a published source and names it. A typical whole-house job here is $15,000 (CheckMyBuilder, Dunedin), and the per-m² and per-window bands that apply are national. The local variables are what the sources below state — nothing about suburbs, climate zones or installers.
- CheckMyBuilder's Dunedin page puts a typical whole-house job at $15,000 for 2026, a little below its $16,000 national typical and Christchurch's $16,000, with most Dunedin projects landing between $10,000 and $24,000. (CheckMyBuilder, Dunedin)
- The same page gives a full Dunedin range of $4,000 to $57,000: the low end is a handful of retrofitted sashes, the high end is new double-glazed joinery through a whole house. Retrofitting, it says, runs at roughly half the cost of full replacement. (CheckMyBuilder, Dunedin)
- On consent, CheckMyBuilder's Dunedin page repeats the national rule: a like-for-like window swap is exempt, but consent may be needed where the original window failed within 15 years of installation. Dunedin City Council is the final word, and it also runs a discretionary exemption route for work that falls outside Schedule 1. (CheckMyBuilder, Dunedin)
Which published rates apply here?
The per-m² and per-window bands below are national figures, not Dunedin ones: retrofit $450–800 per m² against replacement $800–1,600, with per-window floors of $550–850 for aluminium and $800–1,200 for timber. Every one of them shows its source in the table.
| Rate | Range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Retrofit into your existing frames | $450–$800 per m² of glass | CheckMyBuilder |
| Full window replacement (new joinery and glass) | $800–$1,600 per m² of glass | CheckMyBuilder |
| Aluminium window, retrofit | $550–$850 per window | Wellington Glass |
| Timber window, retrofit | $800–$1,200 per window | Wellington Glass |
| Full replacement, per opening | $1,500–$2,500 per opening | Wellington Glass |
Why is Dunedin a waitlist today?
We build supply before sales. Until a retrofit glazier in Dunedin has signed a subcontract with us, given us their public liability certificate and put their sealed-unit warranty terms in writing, we will not take your money for a measure we cannot deliver.
Join the waitlist and we will email you the day it opens. The calculator works fully in the meantime, because it only shows published market rates.
What does the measure check?
The measure checks whether your frames will take a thicker sealed unit at all, what condition they are in, whether the hardware can carry the extra weight, and anything that takes the job outside the consent exemption. It ends with exact glass sizes, which is what makes the quote fixed.
- Whether your frames will take a thicker sealed unit at all.
- Frame condition: rot, corrosion, movement, failed seals.
- Hardware that has to carry the extra weight.
- Anything that takes the job outside the consent exemption.
- Exact glass sizes, which is what makes the quote fixed.
What won't we say about Dunedin?
We publish no climate-zone claims, no suburb lists and no local installer rankings for Dunedin. Where we have a published local figure, it is above with its source. Where we do not, we have left it out rather than filled the space.
Double glazing in Dunedin: questions
How much does double glazing cost in Dunedin?
CheckMyBuilder puts a typical whole-house job in Dunedin at $15,000 (checked 23 Oct 2026), against a national typical of $16,000 and a range of $10,000–25,000. Per window, Wellington Glass publishes $550–850 for an aluminium retrofit and $800–1,200 for timber.
Can you do a measure in Dunedin now?
Not yet. We have not signed a subcontract with a retrofit glazier in Dunedin, and we will not sell a measure we cannot deliver. Join the waitlist and we will email you the day it opens; nothing is charged.
Is retrofit or replacement better for my house?
Retrofit if the joinery is sound and budget matters: $450–800 per m² of glass against $800–1,600 for replacement (CheckMyBuilder). Replacement if the frames have failed or you want thermally broken joinery. The full comparison.
Do I need a building consent?
Usually not in an existing dwelling of up to two storeys, under Schedule 1 Exemption 8, provided the window being replaced hasn't failed its 15-year durability requirement. Your council is the final word. The conditions.
Which suburbs of Dunedin do you cover?
The whole of Dunedin, once measures are open here. We do not publish suburb lists, because a page of suburb names tells you nothing about whether we can actually get to you.