Take a real gamble! Northwest (Double Glazing in General)

Member Name: hsiboy

Product:	Double Glazing in General
Date:	30/05/03 (3231 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, Local

Disadvantages: None

We needed, not wanted new windows and doors. The old ones were held in place by the amount of woodlice nesting in them.

So who do you call. Ask around and people soon tell you to steer clear of the big boys, and indeed the message is the same here. (although Ill come back to safe style in a moment).

So i called round some local companies, and told them straight from the start, that i didnt need / want their finance, i didnt want hard sell, i just wanted the best deal.

The first myth i should dispel is that of free K glass. All windows should be energy rated today (since 2002). So that means fitting K glass as an absolute minimum spec! Dont have basic K glass units fitted, there are much better products available.

Three companies came out measured up, let me choose the doors from a brochure, and went away to think about a price.

First up, St Helens windows of Haydock (not st helens glass), they wanted £6,000
Second place went to Vision Glazing of liverpool, they asked for £5,000
and finally a local one man band, he came in at £3,000.

Now we were a little dubious at first, until he showed us the product. He was fitting units made with Pilkington Optitherm, that were then filled with inert gas. The net result is windows that dont get steamed up. In the kitchen this theory is born out by the patios doors (supplied by everest, bought ages ago) these do collect condensation.

They arrived (one man and his help) and stayed for 5 days to complete the job. They were particular in making sure every window and door opened and closed correctly, and even fitted the everest supplied doors for us. All things considered (they had a hard time because the roofer was in, complete with scaffolding), they completed the work quite fast.

We now have a quality product fitted in our home (and we have noticed a big difference) and for much less than the price of the bog standard units we were
offered by the other two companies.

Morale of this story is to take a gamble and go local. stuff the nationals.

Safestyle story.

When our windows were being fitted, next doors fitters turned up too (sub contractors), we didnt know they were having theirs windows done. They had gone with safestyle.
Well their team ripped out the front windows (a big bay), only to find that the replacement unit that had been ordered was two inches too short, so they had to leave the original wooden header in place. They then found the front door was also two inches too short. They have these little clip on pieces they can use to bulk out the frames a little, but not two inches. So they have hidden the remaining gaps under a great melange of uPVC srtips.
Feeling a little sorry for them, i made them a cuppa when i made one for our crew, and they woefully told us how they wanted to leave safestyle as this bodging was a common occurrence.


The low down

9 windows (one of which is toughened glass).
2 doors (one with fancy etched and cut glass).
Using rehaur (sp?) frames and optitherm glazed units.
Taking all old windows and doors away.
Knocking a hole in the wall for the patio doors, and fitting of them.

All told £3,300 (missus wanted expensive glass in the front door, hence extra £300)

Number available on request.

HSIBOY

Summary: