choosing window installer

[someonelse]

I've finally decided to bite the bullet and stop having to lean out the windows above the conservatory every two years to maintain/paint the window frames/cills.

UPVC replacements.

What does one look for and what are the pitfalls?

I've no recommendations, so apart from price obviously:

Membership of ....?
Anything specific I should ask?
What about the windows themselves? Are they all basically the same or are there better/cheaper materials? Construction techniques?

 

[God]

Ideally a member of fensa or certass or similar
10 year insurance backed guarantee

Internally glazed with a minimum of a 24mm unit but better if 28mm
Most profiles are as good as each other
What area you in?

 

[Outlook]

Hi Mike,

All installers should be a member of FENSA, the only other way to certify the installation is with your local building control and this costs a fair bit of money. As such, anybody installing using this method almost certainly does not install enough windows!

In terms of profile, this is a big issue. Cheap windows and expensive windows are not the same. Provided you are not dealing with a company that will kindly give you a free window if you buy one, then the likelihood is that the manufacturing costs etc are pretty much the same, it is just the quality of the materials that make the difference.

Have you ever seen those windows that literally wobble when you close them? That is cheap profile for you.

Further, you want to be checking out the quality of the locks, handles, hinges (i.e. all of the furniture) and the glass. These are all things that come together to make a decent window.

And then, finally, there is the fitting! Decent fitting is so important. Bring 'heal and toe' into any conversation with potential installers and if they look blankly at you move on to the next!

As a guide, we only manufacture from Rehau profile, this really is the best stuff and it is likely that if you find a manufacturer that uses this profile the rest of the stuff will be good too... well.... maybe!

If I can help more, just let me know,*************
James

 

[God]

Outlook is Rehau really the best stuff as it is what you use? So Kommerling & Eurocell come second to Rehau? If you use a Fensa installer or come to think of it any installer you will probaly get Pilks, Planitherm or guardian glass and to be honest they are all top quality glass. Most companies will try and sell you shootbolt, we dont use shootbolt but our windows are sbd.

 

[someonelse]

Thanks guys. There are so many adverts/installers out there, and you hear so many dodgy stories....I want to get a decent product, and a decent installer too.

So Rehau, Kommerling & Eurocell are manufacturers to look for/ask for? That's for the frames/furniture?

And Pilks, Planitherm or guardian is the glass to get? But not shootbolt?

And how do you 'check the furniture' in advance to ensure it's decent?

And how check the installer will do a decent, not rushed, job?

I should add that the conservatory outside/below makes access from outside hard. Not sure how they'll manage that, or what the risk to the conservatory is......

ps - milton keynes area

 

[God]

Shoot bolt is good just saying you can get secure by design without it.
Check out cwg, they have a installer scheme in your area and great products

 

[crank39]

For us in the trade its easy to know what you want - what to ask for, if we were even in the strange position of having a DG salesman call to try and sell us DG we'd tie them in nots with terminology they'd never heard of and they'd leave within 10mins not 4 hrs

IMO i'd like to recommend the following...

Rehau, Kommerling, Eurocell, deceuninck, Veka all good profiles and are at the top of their game although there are others, the days where profiles turned yellow are long gone and something you'd expect in the 80's.

Spec welded joints not mechanical and ask for internal beading not external, no matter how much the salesman bigs up his external beaded system do not fall for it, externally beaded windows along with mechanical joints are cheaply made frames and do not require half the machinery to fabricate them like reverse butt welders, fabricators on here will back me up on that

Locking mechanisms...

Look for the 'secured by design' logo, 2 good makes i like are 'Wink Haus' and 'Fuhr'.

Shootbolts on doors are an advantage, on windows i think are a must, handles and hinges are much of a muchness and you generally don't get much control over what they use

Glass...

As has been said...pilkington, planitherm (saint gobain for precision) and gaurdian are again top of their game with glass, do not get fooled for the 'free pilkington K glass' trick if you sign tonight - its the law, they have to fit low-E glass now.

Just a personal thing as well, i would spec that windows on the ground floor in vunerable locations around the back have the glass units made with laminated on the outer pane, this stops them popping toughened glass and just walking in, it'll be a tad more but worth it with peace of mind

 

[someonelse]

Is there a difference between certass and fensa?

certass members seems to also be able to certify for Building regs- is this correct?

 

[DHFrames]

Difference between Fensa and Certass.....

Fensa is a money making scheme
Certass is a money making scheme

The End

 

[crank39]

Lol.....i work for Certass..........its part of our group!

 

[someonelse]

Thanks guys..... most helpful.

Yeah, this is 21C Britain - everyone is a moneymaking scheme.

Let me re-phrase for the benefit of the pedants:

Given that I don't want to have to go to Building Control at the council to get BR certification, can I use either of the two?

And secondly, does membership of either/both provide any reassurance of quality?

 

[God]

No

 

[God]

But yes you can use either, or should i say the company you use should be a member of one of them

 

[someonelse]

Just had 1st installer round, an established local firm. Maybe a bit pricey but I have no comparison yet.

* 2 windows = £700
* Fensa
* 10 yr gntee (+optional insurance £25)
* heal/toe; internal beading
* Pilkington 28mm glass
* Manufactured by http://www.weatherbreak.co.uk/home.shtml

 

[someonelse]

So I now have a similar quote for 'Vevo' manufactured windows:

http://www.vevowindows.co.uk/index.php

Supposedly the best, but I no longer trust / believe anyone! And get moreconfused the moreIlearn...


Re God's recommendation of cwg (http://www.cwgchoices.com/ ) they seem to be a national firm, but not manufacturers (they use Rehau, Shield, Kommerling ), and not installers either (they link you to local installers - so who/what ARE they?