DOuble Glazing and Cladding Question

alanobrien

Getting quotes to replace 13 windows, 2 sets of french doors, 1 back door and 5 infill panels = loads of dosh.

As with all things quotes vary. I am currently leaning toward a company that fitted the windows in my old place. This company has provided the most expensive quote some £400 more than their nearest competitor but having lived with their work before i feel this is worth "something".

Here is my issue. I live in a late 60's house which has aluminum cladding to the upper floor. There are 4 windows to the front of the house all the same size 2 upstairs 2 down. They are currently all 1st generation aluminium DG in wooden frame. They will be replaced with all the same style of 1 full opener and 1 top opener.

With the upper widows the Aluminum cladding partly covers the wooden frame so the DG supplier wants to make them some 40 mm smaller than the lower windows so he does not have to do anything to the cladding.

This means the main opener on the upper floor windows will be shifted by 20 mm or so to comply with the fire regs, hence the upper and lower windows will not match.
Then there is the 20mm all around frame gap to deal with.

To me this seems to be an expedient way to replace the upper floor windows by not having to cut and make good the cladding. Other properties like mine in the same road
seem to have been done this way (cladding cut and made good) so i guess my question is am i being unreasonable to expect this to be done ?

I feel i am paying top price and expect top quality is that unreasonable ?

I would be especially interested to hear views from any people in the window trade on how they would deal with this type of installation but all comments greatly received.

I will of course be talking to the supplier shortly to try and understand his logic

alanobrien

Anyone ?

stevegray

Hello Alan,
have you had only the one quote? If not what were the other companies going to do to get around the cladding? You say the cladding is partly covering the frames upstairs and they only want to fit to the cladding, but the whole of the original frame needs to come out anyway so i can not see the problem. Its easy enough to cut back the cladding and make good and fit the window size you want. The only issues i have come across in similar jobs is asbestos needing removal from behind some types of cladding before the job can be carried out. Get some more quotes and get the size you want, not the size thats easiest for them.

PROFESSIONAL_LANDLORD

Then there is the 20mm all around frame gap to deal with


Fitting frames 40mm short is a bit much !

How do they intend to lose/finish the 20mm in the inside ?

The most we allow (assuming the opening is square) is 15mm all round.

alanobrien

stevegray wrote: »

Hello Alan,
have you had only the one quote? If not what were the other companies going to do to get around the cladding? You say the cladding is partly covering the frames upstairs and they only want to fit to the cladding, but the whole of the original frame needs to come out anyway so i can not see the problem. Its easy enough to cut back the cladding and make good and fit the window size you want. The only issues i have come across in similar jobs is asbestos needing removal from behind some types of cladding before the job can be carried out. Get some more quotes and get the size you want, not the size thats easiest for them.

Hi,

I had 3 quotes. One consisted of 3 lines on a bit of paper so i dismissed that lot as a cowboy outfit. The second i still have to talk to. The third is the one i refer to above.

Your logic is the same as mine - yes the frame has to come out anyway but they could saw that out in place difficult though it may be, and what about the gap behind it ? It all seemed odd to me. There is breeze block behind the cladding so no problem there. I envisaged they would simply cut it and make good....obviously that was to logical.

I suspect he is trying to cut labour time as he has allowed 8 days for the job already. Anyway after some thought i have decided they must be the same especially as he is the most expensive of the quotes to date, so i will go back with that and see what he says. I am now thinking that i may also go get another quote or two.
Thanks for the input.