Safety glass

[BrianHarrison]

I'm currently selling my parent's house after the death of my father. Everything was going great until the buyer's survey reported that none of the windows, nor the conservatory, are fitted with safety glass and that they all need replacing. I was taken aback by this as the house was built (actually, completely rebuilt after a major fire) in 1993.

My questions are:

a) How can one tell whether the glass really is safety glass? Is it possible that the survey is wrong?

b) If so, what would be the easiest and cheapest way to establish the truth.

c) If the survey is right, would this glasswork have been legal to install in 1993?

d) If this can happen with a 1993 build, there must be houses being sold all the time with non-safety glass; surely not everyone automatically replaces them?

Any thoughts would be most welcome!

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Any glazing that was installed before 1993 should have complied to the Building Regulations Part N 1992 version and in critical locations should be toughened: http://ww2.reading.gov.uk/documents/Environment_and_Planning/20091214ADN1992opt.pdf page 5 I'm sure one of the glassheads will be along to confirm how to tell if its toughened or not although plenty on the web eg http://www.thewindowman.co.uk/safety-glass.htm

There are many older houses in existence that do not have toughened glass. It is a valid point I guess especially if they have kids.

Up to you and how desperate you are for a sale (and they're situation too) whether you change it or tell 'em to pee off or not.

 

[BrianHarrison]

Any glazing that was installed before 1993 should have complied to the Building Regulations Part N 1992 version and in critical locations should be toughened: http://ww2.reading.gov.uk/documents/Environment_and_Planning/20091214ADN1992opt.pdf page 5 I'm sure one of the glassheads will be along to confirm how to tell if its toughened or not although plenty on the web eg http://www.thewindowman.co.uk/safety-glass.htm

There are many older houses in existence that do not have toughened glass. It is a valid point I guess especially if they have kids.

Up to you and how desperate you are for a sale (and they're situation too) whether you change it or tell 'em to pee off or not.

Thanks! If I understand correctly, that means the only areas where toughened glass was mandatory would have been windows less than 80 cm from the floor, and in doors and nearby windows below 150cm from the floor. I'm a bit confused as to whether it only applies to windows in internal walls, but even if not, I don't think any of the windows are that low (unfortunately I live 300 miles away from the property so can't nip round to check!)

Still very interested in answers to the other questions, plus, have the rules changed since 1993?

Meanwhile, I've been looking in vain for kite marks on the windows we had installed in our own extension built in 2004. Should I be worried?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

They regs apply to all glazing be it internal or external including conservatory's. The Regs have been revised (1998) but the same rules apply regards to the areas of toughened glazing required: http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_ADN_1998.pdf page 6 so yes you should have toughened glass in critical areas in anything constructed in 2004. It is not unheard of for these things to get 'forgotten/ignored' by unscrupulous window suppliers/builders. Building Control inspectors should have checked they were toughened in critical areas but sometimes they 'forget' too.

 

[^woody^]

You should ask for the surveyor to clarify if he has actually tested the glass. If he has not, then he can't make the statement that there is no safety glass.

He can state that none of the glass is identified as being safety glass, but that is a completely different thing.

As it stands, he has made a factual error in his report, and not a minor mistake, and he should be challenged to clarify his statement

There are several reasons as to why the glass may not carry identifying marks, and there was no regulatory requirement for glass to be marked in the 90's. And the surveyor should have advised his client that too.

There are devices to test the glass, and that is the only way to be sure

But as it stands, that surveyor needs to back up his statement or else I'd consider a complaint to whatever club he is in.

Since the mid 80's it has been very difficult to actually buy glass for doors/conservatories etc which was not safety - the supplier would always ask or make if safety as a matter of course. But it may not always be marked as such

 

[BrianHarrison]

Many thanks to both of you for such helpful comments. I'm very optimistic that we'll be able to sort this out now.