Windows and Lintels - Ventrolla

Furts · 30 November 2015 at 9:57AM

Clairebare1 wrote: »

We are very capable people, believe it or not, but why on earth would we want to "run a knife up a foamed joint" when this foam is our only means of protection from the elements and it has been for the last 3 months? Also, if we had allowed this person to carry on with the job (if we had been none the wiser about the lintels) all the foam would have been covered by decorative architrave!

You are not following a quality control mindset here. If you had stated before any terms were finalized, you would have been within your rights to run a knife up the joint. The fitters would then have been required to make the foam good.

However, you would have found no fixings thus the work would have halted and rectification would have been required. The foam would have been made good after the fixings and before the cover strips were fitted. Hence there would have been no risk to you, A win win situation to protect your interests. Any consumer could follow this methodology should they wish to do so. It is no different to how the construction industry, or mechanical engineering, or anything else operates.

I have no doubt that you are very capable people, but if you were genuinely honest with yourself do you feel that you have let yourself down a little over this unfortunate situation? Or to put in a different light, will you learn from this situation? If so, this suggests there was room for improvement in the beginning.

Furts · 30 November 2015 at 10:09AM

leveller2911 wrote: »

Furts wrote: »

leveller2911 wrote: »

Sorry Furts but I don't agree.The public cannot be expected to research every type of work/business carried out on their behalf by a 3rd party.

Thats what FENSA is suppose to be for, so Joe Public can be assured that the work being carried out meets the current Building regs and best working practice. :doh:

We will agree to disagree, but there are questionable items here. The public cannot be expected to research everything, and here I fully agree with you. However the consumer should reflect on big ticket items like replacement windows. If no concept of due diligence is undertaken then the consumer is setting themselves up for a fall.

I also accept that numerous consumers could not care less, and numerous other consumers have no interest possibly coupled with comments about no time. This is fine, but the consumer should turn to a professional that would help prevent problems arising.

It is no good referring to FENSA registration because you and I know this is a hugely flawed mechanism. There is no concept of quality control here - it is just self certification. Hence a cowboy can certify that they have undertaken their work to their appropriate cowboy standards.

I always maintain that no consumer should rely on FENSA for reassurance on replacement windows.

leveller2911 · 30 November 2015 at 5:34PM

chappers wrote: »

This is common in the replacement window game.
Just to point out that the OPs original sashes would have been held in with less, wedges only and no foam and then plastered round.

I never find them fixed with wedges only.

They are nailed through the head into timber lintels and down each side they would fit timber (Oak) fixing blocks in the brickwork and nail the frames in.

The worse ones are where the lintels supporting the brickwork above the windows are inside the head of the frame.You can't see the lintel until you start taking the old window out. They are really nasty to deal with when fitting a replacement.:D

They may be fixed in different way in other areas of the country.

chappers · 30 November 2015 at 9:09PM

We occasionally find the odd nail in the heads, but rarely any fixings in the sides, did work on a house with floor to ceilings years ago and they had spits. Standard sized boxes are usually fitted up to the lintel and if arched heads would have an arched fillet nailed onto the lintel.
Only took one out last week each side was wedged top and bottom only and the gap mortared in

leveller2911 · 30 November 2015 at 9:51PM

I guess in different areas of the country they do things differently.

I've just made some 6 over 6 curved (bowed) sash windows and that was a head scratcher,lol.. I make a lot of double sash windows, Venetians, arched top ones but not often asked to make Bowed ones.

...Squeeky bum time fitting them as I had to re-fit the existing shutters to the inside..:D

chappers · 1 December 2015 at 3:38PM

Very nice, I have made the odd one or two for clients, but ironically now I'm doing a refurb on my own house I don't have the time, so had to buy them in.
Those floor to ceilings in a Georgian manor I mentioned went beyond squeaky bum time, one of them had been made to the size of the reveal and when they lifted it in and it went clean through the hole and smashed to the ground, missing the building inspector by about 2 feet. I reckon it could have killed him if it had hit him.

Clairebare1 · 21 December 2015 at 2:08PM

Just a small update, well I say update but nothing really has changed.

The window company are still dragging their heels and the incorrect windows that were supplied to do the box bay 4 weeks ago have still not been replaced with the correct ones, even though they were only going to take 2 weeks to make - we wanted something done, completed and correct by Christmas, and especially this one so we can get light into our living room!?!

On a more positive note the builder, who is replacing our lintels, has made a template for the 2 bay windows, that has now gone off to the fabricator to make the lintels - this and all the other lintels should be ready by the 6th January, with works starting that week.

Merry Christmas to everyone and speak to you in the New Year xx

Clairebare1 · 13 January 2016 at 6:32PM

At long last, early last week we started to have our lintels replaced - yippee!!

We are now having problems with the window boards though! Does anyone on here know if you can get a secure fixing if you screw at an angle through a wooden window board, through the plastic PVC on the window and into brick?

We raised this problem about how they were going to fix windows boards to the plastic at the end of November and with a lot of toing and froing they have come up with the solution I have mention above. We do not feel confident in them doing this as think it may be 'flimsy' so to speak.

Many thanks

Clairebare1 · 30 January 2016 at 1:09AM

Hi everyone
Just to let you all know, our house now has its full quota of lintels again!!
My husband and i are so relieved that the major part of this issue is over. Just have to wait a few weeks for plaster to dry and the decorating should commence after the half term week.
It seems like after such a slow and painful start that this saga could be over by early March.
Xx

srcandas · 30 January 2016 at 4:05AM

Thank you Claire for keeping us up to date. This is a most informative thread and I'm sure will help many many people :beer:

Windows and Lintels - Ventrolla

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