We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum. This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are - or become - political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
Double Glazing installers damaged my wall

RonsDaughter
Posts: 76 Forumite

Double glazing fitters have damaged my front wall underneath the window next to the door. It appears that when they took the door and window out, they compromised the wall ties and now the wall is cracked and leaning forward and the heavy stone windowsill (which had a hairline crack) has now cracked through.
I have had an independent structural survey done by a specialist team and they have pointed out some spalling and some cracks in the bricks and mortar which they say is evidence of wall tie problems. Apparently the double glazing surveyor (who is supposed to make a detailed check before they agree to the installation) didn't draw attention to this. My understanding is that our contract says their surveyor should draw attention to any issues that would affect the feasibility/viability of the job.
The company has asked for 50% payment for work done so far. I refused on the grounds that our contract states payment is to be made when the work is finished to my satisfaction (within reason!). I also pointed out that their surveyor should have noticed the cracks/spalling etc.
Their surveyor also mis-measured the upstairs bay window which is slightly uneven due to historic settlement (which my original RICS survey last year said is unlikely to move further). The company seems to be saying they are happy to replace the upper bay window but won't guarantee it if I don't get the bay stabilised. In the meantime, they have left the unfitted lower bay window in the front room...
I tried to phone the company twice last week and emailed them today but have received a wall of silence.
They are members of FENSA but this seems to be a Trading Standards issue?
Any suggestions on how to follow this up please?
Thank you
I have had an independent structural survey done by a specialist team and they have pointed out some spalling and some cracks in the bricks and mortar which they say is evidence of wall tie problems. Apparently the double glazing surveyor (who is supposed to make a detailed check before they agree to the installation) didn't draw attention to this. My understanding is that our contract says their surveyor should draw attention to any issues that would affect the feasibility/viability of the job.
The company has asked for 50% payment for work done so far. I refused on the grounds that our contract states payment is to be made when the work is finished to my satisfaction (within reason!). I also pointed out that their surveyor should have noticed the cracks/spalling etc.
Their surveyor also mis-measured the upstairs bay window which is slightly uneven due to historic settlement (which my original RICS survey last year said is unlikely to move further). The company seems to be saying they are happy to replace the upper bay window but won't guarantee it if I don't get the bay stabilised. In the meantime, they have left the unfitted lower bay window in the front room...
I tried to phone the company twice last week and emailed them today but have received a wall of silence.
They are members of FENSA but this seems to be a Trading Standards issue?
Any suggestions on how to follow this up please?
Thank you
0
Comments
-
RonsDaughter said:They are members of FENSA but this seems to be a Trading Standards issue?1
-
Playing devil's advocate here is the house not the real issue?0
-
Hello OP
I guess you have 3 options
1) Advise them to forget everything, remove their windows and put the old ones back
2) Advise them to forget the bays, put the old bay windows back in and only pay for the rest
3 Get the work done to fix the bay and then have them come back later to finish the job (Personally I wouldn't pay anything at all until the whole job is done).
Option 3 is probably the most pragmatic and if you opt for that it's a question of who is responsible for the damage, services must be carried out with due care and skill, you could argue their survey didn't meet this but could you argue the bay would have lasted another 10 or 20 years if it hadn't been interfered with and if you could how long would the existing bay windows have lasted you (i.e if you needed to replace the bay windows this issue would have occurred at some point).
It's unclear how much we are talking here to repair the bay, if a relatively small cost I'd suck it up and maybe ask the window company for a few quid off due to the headache.
If the repair cost is significant then I think you'd need to establish if their actions made it worse, i.e had the survey picked up on this would they have removed the windows in a different, perhaps more careful, manner which would have reduced the resulting damage.
The answer to any questions ultimately comes down to you to prove as the one making the claim which would require an expert opinion based on an inspection.
Obviously we have very little info here (and I'm not sure anyone here is a double glazing or structural expert) so other than opinion the only thing to take away from the thread is the point about due care and skill, with a lack of leading to the possibility of damages should they be deemed foreseeable.
I think it's a tricky one and hope you can get it sorted without too much fuss or expenseIn the game of chess you can never let your adversary see your pieces1 -
Arunmor said:Playing devil's advocate here is the house not the real issue?0
-
Hello OP
I guess you have 3 options
1) Advise them to forget everything, remove their windows and put the old ones back
2) Advise them to forget the bays, put the old bay windows back in and only pay for the rest
3 Get the work done to fix the bay and then have them come back later to finish the job (Personally I wouldn't pay anything at all until the whole job is done).
Option 3 is probably the most pragmatic and if you opt for that it's a question of who is responsible for the damage, services must be carried out with due care and skill, you could argue their survey didn't meet this but could you argue the bay would have lasted another 10 or 20 years if it hadn't been interfered with and if you could how long would the existing bay windows have lasted you (i.e if you needed to replace the bay windows this issue would have occurred at some point).
It's unclear how much we are talking here to repair the bay, if a relatively small cost I'd suck it up and maybe ask the window company for a few quid off due to the headache.
If the repair cost is significant then I think you'd need to establish if their actions made it worse, i.e had the survey picked up on this would they have removed the windows in a different, perhaps more careful, manner which would have reduced the resulting damage.
The answer to any questions ultimately comes down to you to prove as the one making the claim which would require an expert opinion based on an inspection.
Obviously we have very little info here (and I'm not sure anyone here is a double glazing or structural expert) so other than opinion the only thing to take away from the thread is the point about due care and skill, with a lack of leading to the possibility of damages should they be deemed foreseeable.
I think it's a tricky one and hope you can get it sorted without too much fuss or expense
Option 3 is the only one available to me as they destroyed all the old windows when removing them! I like your point about how long my bays could have lasted without interference. Thank you, I'll use it!
My own surveyor suggested the bays could be stabilised by resin injection. He advised I get a suitable company to advise and quote, but his estimation was approx £7k.
Regarding the wall next to the door with the broken wall ties, my RICS survey noted the spalling and said the wall ties showed no evidence of failure but to get the building checked every 5 years, so I suppose the window company surveyor should have noted the potential problem and more care would have been in order.
I'll definitely take on board your comments, they are very much appreciated. And I certainly won't pay for anything until I'm happy with the work!
Thank you very much for your help.
I'll add to the thread when I have a response from the company... but don't hold your breath, they are still refusing to communicate...
0 -
So, I finally heard from the company, who were full of apologies and excuses and they wanted to talk, but they still tried to deny responsibility. I pointed out that they asked for an independent survey which I had done, so therefore they should abide by what it said. It said the bays were mismeasured and the wall ties were broken due to overenthusiastic methods of door removal. So the company has finally accepted responsibility and have agreed to re-do the bays, fix the wall ties/damage and refit the door and flag window! They even threw in a few new window ledges! Wow!
Thanks to everyone who commented. You all helped me to work out the best way of handling this. Thank you.0
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 348.2K Banking & Borrowing
- 252.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 452.4K Spending & Discounts
- 240.8K Work, Benefits & Business
- 617K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 175.6K Life & Family
- 254K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16K Discuss & Feedback
- 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards