I made these two small decisions when choosing new windows, and 10 years later, I'm so glad I did

When you make any changes to home, it can be incredibly difficult to know how you will feel about those changes in the years to come. This isn't a problem with quick, easy and relatively inexpensive changes, like decoration or soft furnishings. But for more substantial and costly alterations, this can be nerve wracking.

When I moved into my home a decade a go, one of the first tasks I wanted to tick off the list was replacement windows. My 1970s house had double-glazed windows with dark brown uPVC frames inside and out. Multiple units had blown, meaning moisture was trapped in between the panes.

Opting for a different frame material, like aluminium over uPVC, was out of my budget, but 10 years, down the line, I'm so glad I made the decision to choose white frames over brown, and opt for different window styles too. This is why.

My house feels brighter, inside and out

When I look at my neighbours houses, some have white uPVC windows, while others have brown. From an external point of view, both have their pros. The white look more modern and pop against the brick facades, while the brown frames offer a more subtle and characterful look.

But it was how the windows looked from the inside that cemented my decision. The thick dark frames made the windows seem much smaller, and pulled the eye whenever you entered a room. In north facing rooms that sometimes suffered with a lack of natural light, these issues felt even more noticeable.

Internally, the brown frames also felt really dated and weren't in-keeping with my decor choices.

The openings make much more sense now

The way the windows opened was also impractical, especially in the bathroom and kitchen. In the bathroom, I had a short, top hung window, which I had to reach over the sink and a tiled shelf to open and close. In the event I'd push it open too far, I would have to climb into the bath in order to reach to close it.

Now the bathroom window has a much smaller opening, which means the handle is easier to reach. It also still lets in a good amount of fresh air, so I don't feel like I've missed out by opting for a smaller window.

I had similar issues with the kitchen window, which was hinged to the side. if I opened it too vigorously, I would struggle to reach the handle to pull it closed. There were occasions where I had to nip outside to push the window closed from the outside, which felt a bit ridiculous.

The kitchen window is now top hung, which makes the handle much easier to reach and operate. I'd also had a few of instances of birds flying in to the kitchen window, so tried anti-collision stickers that have been really effective (and they were only about £5 from Amazon).

For bedroom windows, I went for a configuration that included fanlights so I could let some fresh air in, without feeling like the entire window was wide open. This did mean that there was a little bit more frame in the mix, but the benefits definitely outweigh the drawbacks for me.

While these choices seemed relatively minor at the time, they are decisions that are still making me happy almost a decade later. It's all too tempting to replace like-for-like, but I was so glad that I look a bit of time to live with the original windows and discover where the pain points were so I knew what I wanted to resolve. This was really handy when discussing my requirements with my window supplier, whose knowledge was invaluable when it came to choosing the best configuration for my home.

While getting new windows installed, I also replaced the front door for something much more stylish (and I'm still thrilled with that too — and have had some lovely complements from passersby).

When I look at these changes in terms of value for money, the fact that I am just as satisfied a decade later says it all, and I couldn't really ask for more than that.

If you've made a change to your home that you still love years later, I'd love to hear about it.