New windows and doors in aluminium
New aluminium joinery for Auckland homes
Aluminium joinery is the frame Auckland's 1960s to 90s houses were built with, and it's the usual replacement when old frames have had it. If yours are going, the decision that matters most is standard or thermally broken. Send your details and the installer will measure and, if you ask, price both on the same openings.
Get a quoteAuckland winters are more damp than cold, so a thermal break is mostly about dry frames rather than the power bill. Not sure aluminium is right for you? There's more on the other frames under double glazing in Auckland.
Replacing wooden windows with aluminium
Yes, you can. Swapping wooden windows for aluminium in the same opening is on MBIE's list of work that doesn't need a building consent on a house of up to two storeys, provided the job still meets the Building Code. The first thing to check is whether the wall faces the street and whether the house is in a Special Character Area.
The second one matters. In May 2025 it was reported that the owners of a Mt Eden villa had swapped the original sashes for aluminium double glazing, and the council sent them an abatement notice. Council's heritage manager said the glazing itself was never the issue, since panes fitted into the old wooden frames need no resource consent. What needs consent in one of these areas is taking the timber out for aluminium on a street-facing wall, and that's the job you'd be doing.
Outside those areas, you give up the timber look and the painting, and you get slimmer frames, a powder-coated finish and hardware that's still made. If the timber is sound, get double glazing the wooden windows priced as well. Putting units into the existing frames costs less than new joinery.
Thermally broken or standard
A standard aluminium frame is one piece of metal from the outside face to the inside face. Metal conducts heat, so on a damp July morning the inside of the frame sits close to the outside temperature and the water in the room's air lands on it. Auckland averages only about nine ground frosts a year at the airport, but 9am humidity averages 82% across the year and 88% in July. A thermally broken frame is two pieces of aluminium joined by a strip of plastic, and the cold stops at the strip.
The Building Code's reference table puts the difference at R0.24 against R0.30 with standard double glazing, and R0.35 against R0.46 with low-E glass and argon. That R0.46 window is what the code's reference building assumes for new work in Auckland's climate zone, so a thermally broken frame with high-performance glass is the new-build benchmark rather than an upgrade. Replacement joinery in an existing house doesn't have to reach it. It has to perform at least as well as what it replaces.
Published Auckland pricing puts the thermal break at 25 to 40% more per opening. Bedrooms that run wet are worth it. A garage window probably isn't, so get both prices and decide room by room.
Standard aluminium
One piece of metal runs from the outside air to the room. On a humid morning the inside face is the coldest surface in the room, and it runs wet.
Thermally broken
A plastic strip (the thermal break) separates the two halves, so the inside face stays nearer room temperature.
Do you need new joinery at all?
If the aluminium you have is straight, sound and deep enough to hold a sealed unit, a retrofit into those frames costs a lot less than new joinery. It's the older, slimmer sections that won't take a unit, and the installer can usually tell after looking at a couple of windows.
A retrofit doesn't change the frame, though. If the sill sweats now, it'll still sweat with new glass in. New joinery is worth paying for when the frames are corroded or out of square, when the section is too slim to hold a unit, or when you want a bigger opening, a slider or a different colour. It's also the answer when a wet frame is what you're trying to fix.
Retrofit double glazing →
Double glazing the aluminium windows you have →
Three routes, side by side
RetrofitAbout $400 to $800 a standard window
The frames stay, and they stay as cold as they were.
New standard aluminiumAbout $1,200 to $2,700 a window
Still R0.24 with standard glass.
New thermally brokenAbout $2,000 to $3,500 a window
R0.30 with standard glass, R0.46 with low-E and argon.
Published Auckland installer pricing, 2026. Most sources don't say whether GST is included.
How the windows open, colours and hardware
Opening style moves the price more than colour does.
Awning and casement
Awning windows hinge at the top, casements at the side. If a casement has never sealed properly, you can swap it for an awning while the windows are being replaced.
Sliding windows and ranchsliders
Sliders suit wide openings and decks. A sliding door is quoted separately from the windows.
Bifolds and doors
A wide bifold opening adds up quickly, so get it priced on its own line. Every door and the panels beside it need safety glass under NZS 4223.3. Widening an opening with a new lintel stays consent-exempt on a house of up to two storeys.
Colours and hardware
Powder-coat finishes come in a wide range, and dark joinery is easy in aluminium. Ask for the stays, handles and locks to be listed on the quote, and whether a different colour inside and out changes the price.
Ask for the thermal break as its own line
Then you can see what dry frames cost on your house, room by room, before you decide.
What new aluminium joinery costs in Auckland
New joinery is priced per window, not per pane. Most of the spread inside each range is size and making good.
Before you compare quotes, check what an all-in quote for window replacement should include. To see how the numbers add up on a three-bedroom house, look at what double glazing costs in Auckland.
- Standard aluminium~$1,200–2,700 / window
- Thermally broken aluminium~$2,000–3,500 / window
- Sliding door~$4,500–7,000
- 3-bedroom, standard$20,000–45,000
- 3-bedroom, thermally broken$32,000–55,000
Published Auckland installer pricing, 2026.
Aluminium joinery questions
How much do aluminium windows cost in NZ?
Published Auckland installer pricing for 2026 puts a new standard aluminium window at about $1,200 to $2,700 by size, and a thermally broken one at $2,000 to $3,500. For a whole three-bedroom house, see what double glazing costs in Auckland.
Is aluminium joinery good?
For strength, slim sightlines and low upkeep, yes. Warmth is its weak spot. With standard double glazing, the Building Code's reference table has a plain aluminium frame at R0.24, against R0.37 in uPVC and R0.41 in timber. If you want the frames to stay dry, ask for thermally broken.
Can I replace wooden windows with aluminium in New Zealand?
Yes. MBIE lists it as work that doesn't need a building consent on a house of up to two storeys, as long as it meets the Building Code. Resource consent is different. On a street-facing wall in a Special Character Area, new aluminium frames are the change most likely to need it, so if the timber is sound, get double glazing the wooden windows priced as well.
What are common aluminium window problems?
In Auckland the big one is water on the frame. That's normal for plain aluminium, and a thermal break fixes it. Otherwise it's wear, like worn stays and rollers, hardened seals and sliders that drop off the track, and hardware can be replaced on a sound frame. Older sections too shallow to take a double-glazed unit mean new joinery.
Want a number for new joinery on your house?
Leave your name and number. The installer measures, puts the frame and glass in writing, and prices the thermal break as its own line.