Windows, doors and glazing
The double-glazed pane in a timber casement is misted and the casement stile is soft at the bottom. Which of those two defects is glass, and which is timber decay?
The misted pane is the glass defect, and the soft stile is the timber decay. The double-glazed unit has lost clarity between the panes, which is a failed seal in the glass, not rot. The casement stile is soft at the bottom, which is the timber itself breaking down where water sits. The survey has separated those two by looking and by probing the stile. It has not replaced either, and it has not tested the glass beyond the mist it could see.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
A sealed unit mists when the seal between the panes fails and moisture sits in the gap. The timber around it can be sound while that happens. Softness at the bottom of the stile is a different mechanism: the wood has lost its substance, usually because water has held there. Replacing the glass leaves the soft stile. Repairing the stile leaves a misted unit. The survey names both because they are both there, and it does not fold them into one defect.
Ask a joiner to deal with the soft stile and a glazing firm to deal with the misted unit, and do not let one quote pretend to cover the other. Tell the solicitor there are two defects in the same casement. The survey has not specified the repair in detail and has not said the rest of the window is sound. Other stiles were not given this note.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is the mist the glass, and the soft bottom stile the timber?
- Did you keep those two defects separate?
- Was any other part of the casement left without this note?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the misted pane and the soft stile as two defects.
- Ask a joiner about the timber and a glazier about the unit.
- Do not assume one repair clears both.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the mist is only at the edge, is the timber innocent?
No. Where the mist sits in the pane does not clear the stile. The stile was soft at the bottom, which is timber decay. The mist remains the glass defect beside it. The survey separated the two defects and has not folded them into one.
Does a soft stile mean the sealed unit caused the rot?
Not as a finding. The unit has misted, and the stile is soft. The survey has not shown that the failed seal is what decayed the timber. They are recorded as two defects in one casement. Replacing the glass would still leave the soft stile to be dealt with as timber.