Thoughts on this quote and specification.

[dishman]

OK, I think I am about to take the plunge and instruct a window company to install some windows.

I have had huge delays with finding a window company who specified proper lintels to all the widows. Out of all of them, only one did, without any prompting.

The quote consists of:

1 x french door. Opening size: W225cm H228cm -Full Door Opening (maybe top lite as as it exceeds maximum door height) with top small openers on the full length sidelights. £1,895.00 - This includes opening out current window brickwork and re-building the soldier course and fallen brickwork above.

1x Kitchen Window: W103cm, H113cm with a top lite and larger full square bottom opener. £350.00

1 x Bedroom Window: W223cm H133cm, in a traditional 4 pane split. With two bottom openers and two top. £625.00

1x Bathroom window: W101, H115cm. With a top opener (maybe a bottom opener too). £380.00

1x toilet window: W39cm, H84cm full size opener. £300.00

1 x landing window: W55cm, H148cm, with large bottom opener (H101cm, W46cm) £575.00 (Encapsulated)

Optional Utility Window: W120cm , H1070 with top opener £350 (no lintel required)

Lintels are £250 per window, proper catnic or equivalent.

Total cost including lintels + optional window: £5997 -

Profiles would be Rehau with planitherm total glass.

The company is registered with dgcos and are an approved rehau contractor.
They do not manufacture the windows in-house.

It is a local family business who have been going for 30+ years. The sons have taken over the business from the father.

They have a large number of reviews online, from google, checkatrade, yell and facebook. All of which are positive. In fact they have 60+ on checkatrade nearly all top marks. They seem to put a lot of effort into having a good online presence.

I am not sure how much weight to put in these ie how manufactured the reviews are. I can only find one very negative tucked away on another site.

The only other negative against them is that they took 2 weeks and a number of phone calls to finally get a quote. This was at the end of november into december, so perhaps a busy period?

It is the only thing that made me cautious about using them.

Any thoughts, very much appreciated.

 

[Gazman16]

Sounds reasonable to me.
Yes Nov/Dec one of the busiest times, Everyone noticing drafts on old windows and wanting things done before Xmas.

Do you really want/need opening windows besides the French doors?
You could possibly have a 2 pane aluminum bifold in there for about the same price. Most Ali bifolds can go upto 2.4m high and 1.2m wide per door sash

 

[dishman]

Interesting, I thought aluminium would be double that of the french door, so never considered it as an option.

I wanted opening top/side lites in the french door as I thought it would be annoying having to open a door rather than just a small window if I needed some air in the room.

 

[Gazman16]

Thats the trade off, You could have a trickle vent in the top for a bit of ventilation.
Also have a quick google on how 2 pane bifold operates. There is no external handle and they just push out from the middle and go to one side or the other.

Bifolds are pretty much the only time I recommend aluminum (and my supplier has some pretty good prices so no guarantee your guys can match it).
Just a French door yes bifolds would be quite a bit more but by the time you have doors/overlight, 2 side windows with openers and frame couplers etc thats alot of frame and not much glass. Also its the reason the price is about the same as a bifold.

So assuming you have a nice view its just an option to consider.

 

[dishman]

Thanks @Gazman16 - you have given me some food for thought as I discounted a bifold as being too expensive and too much for a smallish opening.

In your experience, would what would you say the minimum width opening for a 2 pane and/or 3 pane bi-fold would be.

More for the 3 pane. I also assume that a 3 pane bifold is where the cost goes up a lot.

The window company I plan to use do install aluminium bi-folds. They say that it is the only time they recommend aluminium too. I just need to work out the pros/cons.

The rear garden is not large, nor is the view....it is just a small corner plot garden.

I am trying to work out how often a french door would be used and if a bifold that operates in the way that you mention would get annoying after a while.

I guess the pro of a bifold is that the door can be slid open a bit for air and there is less of an issue for the doors to be caught by the wind.

Decisions, decisions......

 

[Gazman16]

There is no minimum really. Assuming outer frame to glass is approx 100mm (x2) and glass to glass frame of 2 doors is approx 130mm

You can work out roughly how wide each pane of glass would be.

2 pane. 2250 -200 -130 /2 =2 panes approx 960mm of visable glass
3 pane. 2250 -200 -260 /3 =3 panes approx 596mm

Yes an extra door leaf is going to add around £600-800 I expect.

Quick video her an 2 pane door operation

Very simple and easy to use, Dont have to worry about them in the wind, No external handle/lock that can be attacked by a burgaler.

3rd pic down on the right here http://bioresonanz-kiel.info/mobile-home-french-doors.html#
Will give you a rough idea of how much frame you would have with French doors. That opening looks about 2.7-2.8m wide so you would likely have a bit less glass

 

[dishman]

I found the same video on youtube. It certainly looks simple. I guess I'll have to just wait to see what the quote comes back as.

Out of interest, what is the maximum height of a upvc french door. I'm sure most of the quotes said it was on the limit or over how tall you can have a french door. Hence the requirement for a top lite.

 

[Gazman16]

Off the top of my head Eurocell profile is around 2200mm max including cill with a standard PVC threshold

 

[dishman]

Interesting, so 2280mm might be do-able as a full height.

 

[Gazman16]

Maybe with about 80mm of addons on the head, Then you would have 150mm of frame at the top so wouldnt look pretty.

A sliding patio door could be possible at full height and width and should be a much cheaper option

 

[dishman]

Sometimes wonder how people do business......I rang this firm yesterday, asked to go ahead with the quote pending a few items (deciding on the bi-fold etc.). He organised to call be back today at 4pm.....no such call. This is the same firm that took two weeks and 2 phone calls to get a quote off them in late December....

I really hope it is just because they are super busy.....

 

[dishman]

@Gazman16

I need your input. If you had to install lintels on a half rendered semi

1) What lintels would you use if they were required?
2) Would you normally bother with cavity trays
3) What to you price up cost per lintel
4) Would you install lintels on all windows? Even small ones and those that were near the roof (right under the eaves with maybe 2 course bricks on).

I'm still having a super old headache. That firm above bailed on me, too much work it seems.

So I am going down the builder route, but they are just pricing me, was seem to be silly numbers.

So I am at a loss.....

 

[Gazman16]

I'm lucky in that in my area I have only come across windows without lintels a handful of times. Houses around here were generally built pretty well.
Because of this I don't really know a great deal about lintels.
When I have noticed it I have informed the customer and said for them to instruct a builder to take the lead, I have several good builders I recommend if needed.

 

[dishman]

Yeh, it is not going well.

I'm not sure if I have now over-researched the issue I have become too fixated on it.

The latest quotes from builder led installers, or firms with a dual upvc/building approach are in coming in around £7500.

This feels expensive for the specification given above.....

 

[Gazman16]

Possibly they are calculating in waiting times if both teams are on site at the same time working around each other.

Is the house brickwork or rendered or stone etc?
Can you not get a builder to just do all the lintels first? This would also make measuring the new windows easier rather than trying to guess exactly where the lintels will end up.