Advice on gaps between window frame and blockwork

[darreng1983]

Hi, i recently had new doors and windows fitted to an old lean to extension/conservatory.

As part of the refurb, I've just stripped all the external render and came across what I feel to be excessive gaps between the frames and clockwork. The gaps are filled with expanding foam and had been covered with upvc trim, hence why I hadn't noticed sooner.

I've attached a couple of photos demonstrating this.

I just wanted to know if this is normal practice, before I contact the company that fitted them.

Thanks

Darren

 

[Bonni]

Brickwork standard means a reveal can be 8mm out of plumb. I know a window company that measures the opening, takes the smallest measurement and deducts 20mm. After fitting, the fitters fill up with foam and trim off.

I prefer to order tight. If there's going to be a size gap, you can get fillets than clip and screw onto the sides. I've planed them before and even ran them through the saw bench to take up the gap as I prefer just to use frame sealant.

40mm is a bit excessive, should have a fillet on the side or they should have measured better. Either way, as long as they're well fixed and foamed, the trimming off is not the end of the world. I've seen worse!!

 

[crank39]

So you've just had new frames fitted and now you go and chop off all the render around them risking damage, isn't that a bit backward? Why didn't the surveyor chop a bit off so he knew where the brick started if you were chopping it off anyway?

Also part of measuring or surveying isn't just about measuring brick to brick, it involves measuring inside plaster to plaster, sometimes you can have a very thick plaster line, sometimes walls and reveals are overboarded with 2 layers of plasterboard, sometimes like kitchens and bathrooms you have tiled sills and walls, all come into play when measuring. For instance if you have very thick plaster and the surveyor only measures brick to brick outside and deducts 10mm it could mean nearly all of the frame inside would be hidden behind the plaster, I've seen it, I've been guilty of it too, probably every fitter or surveyor has, never assume the plaster is thin, as they say 'assumption is the mother of all f*** u**

Having said all that if your purposely going to measure a frame small because of thick plaster lines which is fine but generally you build the frame back out with add ons or frame extenders. There's a whole load of reasons they don't get used so a quick squirt of foam and a bit of trim and your away.

This is not an excuse or defending the fitters but people forget they probably didn't measure the windows, they get paid a set figure per window and if there's 2 of them they split it and probably rent the van from the company and have to fuel it themselves they don't have time to nip back to the suppliers factory to pick up extra parts and have to make good a job no matter how badly it was measured within reason obviously, they're in a race to get the job fitted and on to the next otherwise they'll end up earning £200 each a week, fitters aren't on a salary, if they were trust me each job would take a fortnight to be fitted, extended lunch breaks all round

So back to the gaps, not the end of the world, either trim the gap and lightly render or leave the trim off and increase the render thickness

 

[Notch7]

As Crank39 says, measuring windows is quite involved, you have to measure inside and out.

In your case, where did the render finish before removing it?

Whats the inside fit like?

Usually 10mm less than the structural size, is standard for window measuring