Double glazing

[smiley]

Hi All

Were still in throws of rectifying things after our move. Still ongoing dispute.

Anyway no boring stuff, we need a new back door with joining window.

Has anyone any gone down the route of contacting (should I say this) double glazing companies, if so, what are the pit falls, anything to watch out for, any fly by nights.

Thanks

 

[will2]

Hello Smiley where in the country do you live ?

Don't go for the big companys eg safestyle,as they will rip you off.

They did all the back of my house including a combination that you want.

I later got a job in a window frame manufacturing factory. I got talking to the fitters of various companys and soon found out that I could have had all my house done for half the price I paid.

 

[JandP]

We had our whole house done last year by a small company. He arrived in a van not a merc like the other salesmen,in jeans not a suit and his price was half that of "the best" (you know who I mean) and the quality of the windows was excellent BUT he sub contracted the fitting and it was crap. He was very friendly and tried hard to sort the problems but because he is almost a one man band he just doesnt have time and you can never get hold of him because he works from home and doesnt answer his messages. It is 9 months since the windows were fitted and we are still trying to get the problems sorted. I would recomend you avoid the big companies and try an established local business (with a shop so you have a point of contact) and get lots of quotes so you can possibly play one off against another to get the best price. Also be careful if they do any other work for you. We had 2 windows cut out and converted into patio doors and they made a really bad job of it. If you have any work like that done then its best to try a builder. On the bright side, we never had any problems with pushey salesmen trying to get us to sign up there and then (except "the best" who had a "sale"on) and we found most were prepared to haggle if we got a better quote. Good luck! Jim.

 

[JandP]

We had our whole house done last year by a small company. He arrived in a van not a merc like the other salesmen,in jeans not a suit and his price was half that of "the best" (you know who I mean) and the quality of the windows was excellent BUT he sub contracted the fitting and it was crap. He was very friendly and tried hard to sort the problems but because he is almost a one man band he just doesnt have time and you can never get hold of him because he works from home and doesnt answer his messages. It is 9 months since the windows were fitted and we are still trying to get the problems sorted. I would recomend you avoid the big companies and try an established local business (with a shop so you have a point of contact) and get lots of quotes so you can possibly play one off against another to get the best price. Also be careful if they do any other work for you. We had 2 windows cut out and converted into patio doors and they made a really bad job of it. If you have any work like that done then its best to try a builder. On the bright side, we never had any problems with pushey salesmen trying to get us to sign up there and then (except "the best" who had a "sale"on) and we found most were prepared to haggle if we got a better quote. Good luck! Jim.

Hi smiley, most of the above is probably not very relevant if you are only having a door and one window done but you need to think what material you want for the door. We had pvc which is cheap and gives good insulation but it has an internal steel frame which expands with heat so if your door gets full sun you may find you cant lock it on hot days. Other materials are aluminium which we were told does not insulate so well and composite which I think is wood and pvc and looks nice but is more expensive and best suited to front doors. Have a look on ebay, you can get them made to measure on there then you just need a local fitter. Jim.

 

[parker1158]

Hi smiley

Sound advice from J&B.

We had ten windows and a door fitted a couple of years to an extension by a large company sub-contracted by the builder, they in turn subcontracted to a couple of hooligans who made an absolute pigs ear of a job. Upshot was we had to sue the builder who sued the glazing company who sued the fitters-nightmare.

When I had my garage built recently I went out of my way to choose a local three man company who had a small unit as a base. There was no hard sell, they were at the house less than fifteen minutes, gave a price that was non-negotiable, and when I agreed to them doing the work it was them that came out and I never paid a penny until the job was done and I was satisfied.

In short recommendation is by far the best option, go for a smaller company with a base and above all make sure it is them that fit the units

 

[Guest]

Project management is the way to go.

Make sure that you are someone is on hand on site to see how the work is being done. That way you can stop a complete disaster.

We hold back money until the job is completed to our satisfaction. My daghter and son in-law run a property business and regularly hold back final payment until all work is checked and deemed fit for purpose.

In the UK I believe to that if you use any form of credit to pay for work done I think you can take the issue up with the credit provider.

 

[sharpy]

a poor quality window fitted properly is better than a good one fitted poorly. my best mate has been a fitter for over twenty years. he's always said that the only 'iffy' part of fitting is when the house is rendered... maybe word of mouth for a local team?

 

[JeremyClarksson]

Definitely go for word of mouth, either someone who has had a job done fairly recently or from a friend in the building trade that you can trust to have your interests at heart.

If you do go for a big company, never accept their first quote -when we had ours done about 8 years ago they came back with a revised quote approximately 60% of their original quote as they kept ringing us back and dropping the quote.

The talent pool of the sub contracted work can vary considerably.

As someone said pay the deposit at least by credit card.

Do not sign up for finance deals and be wary of signing agreements to get them out of the room, thinking you can use the cooling off period to cancel - I believe that at present you have no right to cancel if you invited the salesman to your house for an agreed appointment, although I believe this is changing soon.

We were lucky to get a good deal and work that was finished to a high standard although the company has since gone bust (Coldseal - would you believe it!), leaving some warranty issues that we are not really that worried about.

You would be better off with a local, recommended outfit if possible.

 

[smiley]

thanks all you've given us a lot to think about.

We live near Stratford on Avon, if anyone knows of someone.

We have thought of buying ourselves and getting someone to fit them. But the door needs lowering for some bissarre reason I have to lift my little leg 4" and desend the other side by 12" (the garage dooor is worse 8" each side and 8" wide) keep catching my heel.

I don't think it is a diy we can do ourselves.

I can't even lift the garage door, we have quotes for a new one to be fitted but again we need a builder to do the opening properly. So we have the saga of finding a builder as well!!!