conservatory problem, please help and advise, urgent

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hi all, just came across this website and it seems very useful. I am having a big problem with the fitting of my conservatory. The project is beng undertaken by a large reputable company but they are making major mistakes and I am far from happy. I will initally discuss the main areas of my concerns and maybe someone can advise me:

my first question is this: the dwarf wall was built at a height of 670mm as per the plans. however when the fitter came to fit the frames he said the builders should have only built to 600mm so he took off a course of bricks. he also sawed through the top of the interior thermalite wall to make the interior and exterior dwarf wall level. he has put the frames on and the roof is in place but i have noticed that under the sill all round the outside there is a gap of 1inch between the dwarf wall and the frames. this gap has pieces of small block wood to pack the gap in places but in the majority it is just an air gap. I asked the fitter about this gap just in passing and he said it would be filled with foam. I am a bit worried as I thought the frame should be sat directly on the wall, not with such a big gap. I am worried that they have screwed up somewhere and are now trying to make cover their mistakes? any ideas?? thanks in advance.

i have now uploaded some images : //network.diynot.com/tkaay/albums/
 
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By large, reputable company, I assume you mean one of the large nationals; if so, large & reputable rarely go together! My dwarf wall is 600mm high internally but I see no reason why it can’t be 670 mm if that’s what’s on the drawing; but without sight of the detail drawings, it’s difficult to understand why the fitter has decided it’s been built too high.

However; in no way would I accept what he is doing, filling a 1 inch gap with foam is an absolute joke & a total bodge; & you must surely be able to see it from the outside! Tell him to stop, call in the company’s surveyor/supervisor & tell him you want whatever mistakes have been made properly rectified & the windows & roof refitted correctly; what ever you do, don’t pay any more money until your satisfied.
 
After a little more though it’s occurred to me that they have probably made the windows/doors to suit a 600mm dwarf wall; trying to fit to a 670mm wall would mean a 70mm gap at the bottom of the doors; hence the need to cut the wall back to 600mm! Whatever, someone’s made a mistake when ordering the windows & they don’t suit the height of the wall; it’s not be your problem, it’s theirs!
 
An amateur's comment here but, there are regulations regarding "standard" window panels, ie, non toughened glass, to be above 800 mm height. If your windows are standard glass,and this alteration has brought the glass to a lower than specified level, it is worth checking that this still conforms to the regulations. Perhaps one of the professionals might comment as I may not be entirely correct re these regulation requirements.
 
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An amateur's comment here but, there are regulations regarding "standard" window panels, ie, non toughened glass, to be above 800 mm height. If your windows are standard glass,and this alteration has brought the glass to a lower than specified level, it is worth checking that this still conforms to the regulations. Perhaps one of the professionals might comment as I may not be entirely correct re these regulation requirements.
It’s a conservatory &, as such, classed as a temporary construction & the building regulations don't apply at the present time. It would, however, be a pretty carp company that did not use safety glass below 800mm, at least on the doors & adjacent windows; all the glass in my cons. is safety glass.
 
the rule applies to all glazing and is 800mm, measured from FINISHED floor level to visible glass.

if the brickwork was erected first and the upvc company measured off the brickwork, then the upvc company is at fault.

for all they knew, there may have been a specific reason as to why you (the customer) wanted the amount of brickwork that you did.

it is not for the upvc company to decide the size of the window drops. they can make the widows to any depth you specify.
 
the rule applies to all glazing and is 800mm, measured from FINISHED floor level to visible glass.
Does it :?: Will have to have another read up! I though the only compulsion to comply with BR's in a cons. was on electrics; does make sense though.
 
all glazing must comply with the 'General Safety Requirement' of the general product safety regulations 1994 (gpsr).

this applies to ALL domestic glazing installations.

these 'critical locations' are outlined in approved document n of the building regulations.
 
all glazing must comply with the 'General Safety Requirement' of the general product safety regulations 1994 (gpsr).

this applies to ALL domestic glazing installations.

these 'critical locations' are outlined in approved document n of the building regulations.
Many thanks for the clarification. ;)
 
In relation to the conservatory not requiring building regulations you are correct

the glazing regulations are requirements and no statutory punishment for failing to comply with the regulations. grey area could spark numerous debates.

However in our area any one failing to meet these requirements. is prosecuted by Trading standards for product safety,and rightly so! one company in this area was prosecuted 3 times for product safety.for failing to fit safety glazing in critical locations.

as a further note who would ever think of fitting safety glass near to a bath if the window was within slipping distance or a wet room these are out of the area defined on the drawing with relation to height but we do this as a matter of course as a further risk identified. but some companies are very unscrupulous and will cut all corners to make extra money here today gone tomorrow companies.
 
these are the critical locations as described above.
Thanks, I’m familiar with the diagram from Part N; not leaving anything to chance (or dodgy builders & DG companies), I went to great lengths to try & understand as much as possible of the relevant BR’s before undertaking all the work I’m doing here. Interestingly, the drg. in Part N doesn’t have the note “also applies to conservatories” which would leave no room for confusion! Never even considered it would be covered by product safety legislation but it does make sense; interesting points about the bath & wet rooms; wonder how many would think of that!
 
After a little more though it’s occurred to me that they have probably made the windows/doors to suit a 600mm dwarf wall; trying to fit to a 670mm wall would mean a 70mm gap at the bottom of the doors; hence the need to cut the wall back to 600mm! Whatever, someone’s made a mistake when ordering the windows & they don’t suit the height of the wall; it’s not be your problem, it’s theirs!

thanks for your reply. i had the same feeling as you in that i think they have made a mistake in their calculations and are trying to cover this mistake. another problem is that one of the walls has not been pointed up on the outside (granted it is adjacent to next doors wall). there is a 1/2ft-1ft gap between the wall and nextdoors fence so i can still see down the gap and see the crap brickwork. i wont be signing any satsfaction note util they sort these 2 problems out (as well as others) but think i moght be in for a fight because i can see that it will be a major job for them to rectify and they will try to get out of it.
 
with reference to the posts about toughened glass, how would i know they have used the correct glass? are there any marking that i should be looking for? thanks all for your help, its good knowing that its not just me who thinks they are doing wrong. i will try and load a photo of the gap later today if i can figure out how to do it
 

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