Hints and Tips

Buying Double Glazed windows and doors can be very daunting. In order to help you through we have provided a few tips and hints to hopefully help you make the right decision for you and your property.

Decide what you want. If you live in a Conservation area or a listed building, you may be restricted in what style or colour you can have; in some instances you may need planning permission. You can check this by calling your local authority.

Make sure you have adequate numbers of opening windows: the fewer openers, the cheaper the window, however badly designed, inappropriate windows can turn out to be a very bad investment, and even lower the value of your property.

When choosing a Company it is always nice to have a recommendation from a family or friend. If not then use local firms that you can go and visit. Check that they have a business address and how long they have been trading. Beware the man in the van – no address, no comeback

Once you have made am appointment for a representative to call look out for the following. Are they punctual? Do they know their product? The average job should only take 45 minutes to assess. It is not necessary to spend hours and hours in your home. Companies that do this are hoping you will sign the contract just to get rid of them. Don’t!

The following do not exist.

Interest free credit – you are paying more for the product to cover the interest.

Show house discount - any double-glazing company who keep their customers happy can use their houses to show potential customers their work

Free door with every 5 windows – nothing in life is free you will pay more for the windows to cover the price of the door

It may seem obvious, but don't accept the first price you are quoted. If you have the time, try and obtain at least two or three estimates and visit a showroom. Once you have your quotations, make sure that when you are comparing “like for like” systems they are of the same quality. Check what type of locks and security features are being fitted to your windows. Most modern double-glazing and UPVC windows have multi-point espagnolette type locking mechanisms. Check that they have a BSI number.

Do not go for the cheapest quotation. There's a price point below which you'll be buying rubbish.

Do not try to beat the price down too much. Less professional suppliers will agree to it, but sell you short later. Get the best you can afford.

Buying any high value product can be risky, but if you follow these guidelines you should be fine.

If you want any further advise please contact our team who will be happy to help.