Damaged upvc porch - can anyone help?

Dinah_Gale_2

My car clipped the corner of the ledge on my newish porch yesterday. Damage to my car but also a hole in the very corner of the ledge.

My insurance company appointed a firm to look at the situation for them; a local window company. Their surveyor arrived today and scoffed at the idea of repair the corner. Instead, he proposes replacing the whole ledge which will entail jacking up the entire porch in order to remove the existing ledge and replacing it.

I asked how often they carry out this type of replacement and he said they have only done one previously. Mine would be the second one. You can guess how happy I am about this. for one thing I guess it would immediately invalidate the guarantee.

Is there anyone out there in the know about these things please? Is this the recognised solution to this sort of damage or is the company about to make a meal out of the insurance company? Has anyone repaired damage of this sort? Is there a recognised filler that will do the job? (not that I could do it personally!)

I contacted the installers before speaking to my insurance company. They wanted me to pay a £99 call-out charge to examine it in order to assess whether it could be repaired. I just wonder whether they would give the same advice as todays chap.

Feeling a bit anxious about this. Help please??

SatanicHare

Appears it can be done though i've never seen it in the plastic, so to speak

http://www.plastic-surgeon.co.uk/YourHome/UPVCRepair/tabid/110/Default.aspx

david69_2

when you say ledge do you mean the cill , is the porch a floor to ceiling type ?

Dinah_Gale_2

Yes, I do mean the cill, David. Am an ignoramus on terminology, I'm afraid.

Dinah_Gale_2

Oops, only half replied.

Floor to ceiling type?? I guess it is. It's built on a brick base with upvc panels and windows above with a flat roof. Sized about 2M x 1M internally.

dacouch

If the insurance company have recommended the tradesman they are normally responsible for his work.

It would be wise for you to ask to see their Public Liability and make a note of the name of the Insurer and the Policy Number in case he causes damage and you want to claim off him as without these details he will just avoid you like the plague if he damages anything whilst there

markie1980

Is it possable to have a picture of the damaged area?
It is defiantly posable to cut and weld a new piece of cill in place and then file and polish the joint so it's almost invisable.

Dinah_Gale_2

Thanks for all your replies.

I can certainly take a digital photo of the damage but could someone please tell me how to attach it to a reply?

lolarentt

markie1980 wrote: »

Is it possable to have a picture of the damaged area?
It is defiantly posable to cut and weld a new piece of cill in place and then file and polish the joint so it's almost invisable.

Spot on - pvc sheet is easily formed/stuck/welded for fabrication and this will be a much cheaper option for you than replacing a complete section

Dinah_Gale_2

Have had time to look at the link on the plastic surgeon site SatanicHare. It looks interesting. Thanks. I wonder if anyone has any experience of their repairs, or any others come to that.

Dinah_Gale_2

Thank to Satanic hare for your link to The Plastic Surgeon.

My experience has been great! A very efficient job from start to finish.

I have had the repair done this morning and you wouldn't know there had ever been damage. The finisher arrived when he said he would, was courteous and efficent and finished the job in two hours despite an estimate of 2-3 hrs so it has only cost £120 plus VAT. Considering that the company selected by my insurers wanted to do a hefty job of raising the porch to replace the whole cill I know who I'd go to in future.

Worth knowing if anyone has a similar problem.