changing home windows

stranger12

Hi All,

I removed the non load bearing wall downstairs and as result council wants me to change my windows to escape windows upstairs before they approve the work under building regulations.

They have said to me I have three years to do it.
God forbids, if something happens, am I covered or will insurance start to play up because of pending building regulation cert?




2.
I have as a result contacted around 4 companies and here are the prices:

anglian: 5600 ( reduced from 20k to 10k and then 8 and then 5.6)
everest: 9k( reduced from 20k to 10 and then 9)
crystal : 15k to 7.2k
local shop :3k
safe style window: 5.3k

it is for 2 big window( each having 3 sides), 2 bedroom windows, 1 landing window and 1 bathroom window.


the ones which has caught my attention is local shop at 3k and safe style as safe style provides 24month no interest offer.


what would you do ?
is safe style anygood? would you pay almost twice the local guy price for warranty and quality ?
everyone says they manufacture them but I think they all lie.

One told me there is no such thing as AAA glass, all glasses are A rated only .

Other one told me , Anglian will fit their cheap b grade window for that price.

this is all sales talk in my view.

what would you do ?
I am worries the local guy can be importing from China and I may have hard time to get hold of him in case of any issues.

Aylesbury_Duck

stranger12 wrote: »

Hi All,

I removed the non load bearing wall downstairs and as result council wants me to change my windows to escape windows upstairs before they approve the work under building regulations.

They have said to me I have three years to do it.
God forbids, if something happens, am I covered or will insurance start to play up because of pending building regulation cert?




2.
I have as a result contacted around 4 companies and here are the prices:

anglian: 5600 ( reduced from 20k to 10k and then 8 and then 5.6)
everest: 9k( reduced from 20k to 10 and then 9)
crystal : 15k to 7.2k
local shop :3k
safe style window: 5.3k

it is for 2 big window( each having 3 sides), 2 bedroom windows, 1 landing window and 1 bathroom window.


the ones which has caught my attention is local shop at 3k and safe style as safe style provides 24month no interest offer.


what would you do ?
is safe style anygood? would you pay almost twice the local guy price for warranty and quality ?
everyone says they manufacture them but I think they all lie.

One told me there is no such thing as AAA glass, all glasses are A rated only .

Other one told me , Anglian will fit their cheap b grade window for that price.

this is all sales talk in my view.

what would you do ?
I am worries the local guy can be importing from China and I may have hard time to get hold of him in case of any issues.

Local guy every time. Not just based on price, but because he clearly doesn't indulge in the sort of "discount nonsense" the others clearly do. £20k to £5,600? Laughable. Get some recommendations or feedback first though.

Why do you think the local guy will import from China? If he does (and I bet he doesn't), what's your concern about Chinese glazing anyway? As for being able to get in touch with him for any issues, you'd stand a much better chance with a local fitter than trying to get through the switchboard minefield of a big national supplier. Once they have your money, they're off into the distance. A local guy's business depends upon his local reputation.

stranger12

issue is most local guys have been around for 2-3 years or less
how do i know he is around in 10 years to fix issues and honour warranties?

do you see where I am coming from

Aylesbury_Duck

stranger12 wrote: »

issue is most local guys have been around for 2-3 years or less
how do i know he is around in 10 years to fix issues and honour warranties?

do you see where I am coming from

No, because you're a stranger.:D

I'd suggest looking around for a longer-standing local company which has good feedback. They'll nearly always beat the nationals on price and will always beat them on service.

EssexExile

Long standing local company with insurance backed guarantee.

stranger12

thanks how would you check the insurance backed guarantee ?

is it just a paper work ?

EssexExile

I suppose if you don't trust them you ask which insurance company they use & confirm with the insurance company that they will cover it.

ouraggie

We had the same circus with silly initial quotes and subsequent huge reductions when we were in your situation. We went with Safestyle due to the 0% finance offer. We have not regretted this decision at all. We were told by the sales rep that when the fitters fit the windows they will give you a paper to sign to say you are completely satisfied. Only then do you pay. This reassur ed us so we chose them. We did indeed receive the aforementioned paper and after my partner had inspected every window be signed it. Must say, the four fitters did a great job. Even my other half couldn't find fault, which is saying something!

chrisw

stranger12 wrote: »

the ones which has caught my attention is local shop at 3k and safe style as safe style provides 24month no interest offer

Safe style isn't 24 months no interest though - they are effectively charging you £2300 interest over that period.

You need a fairly well established and reliable local company. There's not that much to go wrong with a window, most problems arise from installation. As long as it's installed properly in the first place it's unlikely a 10 year guarantee will ever be needed.

Furts

stranger12 wrote: »

Hi All,

I am worries the local guy can be importing from China and I may have hard time to get hold of him in case of any issues.

Rest assured there is no chance of your windows coming from China. Think it through. Any item shipped from China might take three months to get here, and windows can be made and supplied in a matter of days. This rules out Chinese production.

But also take a reality check. You are the consumer, you are in control, and you draw up the specification of exactly which manufacturer, which profile and which glazing unit supplier you require to meet your requirements. This simple procedure, coupled with inspecting what is supplied, prior to paying, will rule out any risk of Chinese production being an issue.

EssexExile

By the way, about the only thing that is covered by a 10 year guarantee is the profiles. The sealed units, locks & hinges, etc will be covered for a much shorter time.