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Double glazing

Does what it says on the tin
Arizona11
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Double glazing

#521638

Postby Arizona11 » August 11th, 2022, 1:12 pm

Hope this is the right forum for this question.

We need new double glazing and wanted to use one of the big companies, mainly for reliability in the future relating to guarantees. We thought maybe Anglia or Everest. Does anyone have any opinions as to which is better overall regarding price and quality of work. We will also look at reviews online, but I know Lemonfools are pretty reliable.

Many thanks

AF62
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Re: Double glazing

#521643

Postby AF62 » August 11th, 2022, 1:24 pm

Arizona11 wrote:mainly for reliability in the future relating to guarantees


Whatever you do, make sure it is an insurance backed guarantee as it isn’t uncommon for companies to phoenix to absolve themselves of any historical liability in relation to guarantees.

ReformedCharacter
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Re: Double glazing

#521647

Postby ReformedCharacter » August 11th, 2022, 2:03 pm

Arizona11 wrote:Hope this is the right forum for this question.

We need new double glazing and wanted to use one of the big companies, mainly for reliability in the future relating to guarantees. We thought maybe Anglia or Everest. Does anyone have any opinions as to which is better overall regarding price and quality of work. We will also look at reviews online, but I know Lemonfools are pretty reliable.

Many thanks

Had Anglian in last year for doors and windows. Looked at Everest but they looked much more expensive. Be prepared to haggle on price, I managed to get our quote reduced by c.15% by doing so. The job was fairly large (14 large windows and 3 doors), initially they sent around 2 guys who were twits, they dropped tools and one of the windows! And one of them was heard boasting about the fact that he had 'necked a bottle of rum the previous evening'. I doubt if he had sobered up. I immediately complained to the local area manager. Next day a supervisor attended along with another 2 fitters. If you can, pay in cash then don't pay until you are completely happy. In my case they were so keen to get paid (perhaps a quarterly bonus for someone) that they offered me £100 to settle up there and then, which I didn't until I was quite happy with their work. To be fair to Anglian they were very responsive when I pointed out deficiencies in their work. The quality of the windows and doors is pretty good, no complaints there. Be prepared to haggle.

RC

Laughton
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Re: Double glazing

#521657

Postby Laughton » August 11th, 2022, 2:37 pm

We used Everest when we moved into this house (so 13 plus years ago). 8 windows. We wanted timber framed double glazing which they did and painted in an unusual colour (which they did).

They offered an insurance backed guarantee at very reasonable one-off cost (£49 on a job costing £9,500). I think all FENSA registered firms have to offer an insurance backed guarantee.

After quite a few years (over 9 I think) some of the beading between thye glass and the wooden frame had shrunk so I conacted them. No problem, they sent around an "engineer" to take a look and said the sun/heat had caused the problem on two of the South facing windows. "Yes, no problem that's covered under the guarantee" and booked some fitters to come round, put up some scaffolding and fit new beading about 1 week later. They also replaced the beading on the other two South facing windows "just in case".

When they first came to quote for the job the estimate was a LOT more than the £9,500 finally agreed upon. We just sat back and waited for the numerous calls from them offering a lower and lower "specially discounted" price until we got to a figure we thought was fair. Definitely don't accept the first or second, or third price quoted.

Howard
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Re: Double glazing

#521676

Postby Howard » August 11th, 2022, 3:41 pm

We had Anglian replace 25 "windows" (including two french windows and two doors). Plus soffits and downpipes. Around 15 years ago. Cost a lot but it was worth it. Very good service. However I recommend holding back a sum until everything is finished. I specified one key to fit all doors. This was a hassle (for Anglian ordering the locks which originally were all different). They were keen to get the final payment which also depended on fixing some other cosmetic issues so worked hard to complete the work quickly.

In our area it would cost me at least £5,000 to get all windows, doors and soffits repainted and the original wooden ones weren't good, requiring a repaint every five years. I'm delighted every time I clean the UPVC windows and sills because they shrug off dirt and mould.

A couple of years ago I managed to crack a window (bbq too close!) and the replacement process was easy.

So a thumbs up for Anglian from me.

regards

Howard

PS Only complaint was that for years they'd phone me to try and sell me other products.

Breelander
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Re: Double glazing

#521806

Postby Breelander » August 11th, 2022, 11:39 pm

Howard wrote:We had Anglian replace 25 "windows" (including two french windows and two doors). Plus soffits and downpipes. Around 15 years ago. Cost a lot but it was worth it. ... So a thumbs up for Anglian from me.

Yes, I'm very happy with mine from Anglian, had them longer than you too....

PS Only complaint was that for years they'd phone me to try and sell me other products.

:P yes, you'd have though they'd have noticed at the time that I don't have room to add a conservatory.....

AsleepInYorkshire
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Re: Double glazing

#521807

Postby AsleepInYorkshire » August 11th, 2022, 11:55 pm

Arizona11 wrote:Hope this is the right forum for this question.

We need new double glazing and wanted to use one of the big companies, mainly for reliability in the future relating to guarantees. We thought maybe Anglia or Everest. Does anyone have any opinions as to which is better overall regarding price and quality of work. We will also look at reviews online, but I know Lemonfools are pretty reliable.

Many thanks

Why do you think larger companies are more reliable? Do you have statistics and figures to back up your perception? Why do you think a guarantee is free?

My opinion, for what little it is worth is I wouldn't use either company as they are amongst the most expensive. Their products are no better than the competition. They excel at marketing and that's all.

AiY(D)
QS with 42 years experience

BullDog
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Re: Double glazing

#521818

Postby BullDog » August 12th, 2022, 7:29 am

If you want a high quality job, I suggest you take a look at Velfac. I regret that when we had our house fitted with double glazing that we were unaware of them. Had we been, we would quite likely to have used Velfac. High quality windows made to last.

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Re: Double glazing

#521826

Postby DrFfybes » August 12th, 2022, 8:07 am

Laughton wrote:When they first came to quote for the job the estimate was a LOT more than the £9,500 finally agreed upon. We just sat back and waited for the numerous calls from them offering a lower and lower "specially discounted" price until we got to a figure we thought was fair. Definitely don't accept the first or second, or third price quoted.


This is precisely why I would NOT use the big firms. They try and rip you off first visit.

I did the windows in a Brighton Flat in the 90s. Anglian came around, quoted a price. Explained all their benefits. IIRC it was about £5k, with the various options on openers and Georgain bars to match the other flats, but £4k if I said yes there and then.

Local firm turned up, I was out so the lodger let them in. Measured up, left a price of under £2k plus £45 for each opener, and a leaflet explaining the process for flats and that their price included contacting the Freeholder and the £45 fee for planning that was required at the time. He called back later that day and said that as the windows were differenet in different flats, the overriding design was they were all split into thirds vertically and the Georgian bars had been omitted on some so probably didn't matter and it was up to me if I had middle top hinged or or side openers.

A week later Anglian call back, I tell them of the £2250 quote and they said they wouldn't mess about, but qould do £2500. I told him that if he'd offered that the first time they'd have got the job, but as they tried it on I wouldn't trust them. He then got quite rude, rubbishing the other company, their produce, and finished with something like "well you know you need planning permission for this, it would be a shame if you didn't and got reported" (Planning had not been mentioned before!).

I complained, never heard back.

Anglian also did my in-laws windows and fascias about 10-15 years ago, fascias were a rubbish job of plastic cladding nailed on to the existing rotting wood. Took them under a day, and as it was around the wood it was larger so some of their new windows fouled it. To a lot of effort to get them back, certainly more than the 80+ year old in-laws were prepared to put in.

Paul

Paul

kiloran
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Re: Double glazing

#521827

Postby kiloran » August 12th, 2022, 8:14 am

DrFfybes wrote:
I did the windows in a Brighton Flat in the 90s. Anglian came around, quoted a price. Explained all their benefits. IIRC it was about £5k, with the various options on openers and Georgain bars to match the other flats, but £4k if I said yes there and then.

A week later Anglian call back, I tell them of the £2250 quote and they said they wouldn't mess about, but qould do £2500. I told him that if he'd offered that the first time they'd have got the job, but as they tried it on I wouldn't trust them. He then got quite rude, rubbishing the other company, their produce, and finished with something like "well you know you need planning permission for this, it would be a shame if you didn't and got reported" (Planning had not been mentioned before!).

Paul

Exactly my experience with Anglian. The salesman got very pushy and aggressive and refused to give a price they would hold for a few days so we asked him to leave. Very arrogant.

--kiloran

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Re: Double glazing

#521833

Postby CliffEdge » August 12th, 2022, 8:23 am

Everest went bust in 2020. Some warranties invalidated.
Anglia found to mislead customers in 2020.
In my experience all traders (glazing, plumbing, electrics etc) that I know, are out to extract the highest price they can from a domestic customer - those working with Howdens being among the worst. The price quoted bearing no resemblance to cost of materials or the hourly rate of the average working man.
Get at least three quotes and haggle. You'll be shocked at the greed of that nice man or woman from Everest or Anglia who you thought was your friend.

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Re: Double glazing

#521988

Postby quelquod » August 12th, 2022, 8:54 pm

We bought replacement windows and doors from Everest in 2007 after getting the prices down to about par with local ‘large’ suppliers. We went with Everest because they had the best range of designs and glass patterns at the time. You needed to check the quote pretty carefully to see that all of the patterns, openers and furniture were there including things like matching locks and the number of keys etc. which tended to be missed as corners were cut to get the required price.

In the event the workmen weren’t Everest employees but local contractors apart from the bow window and the doors where they used their own (pretty good) tradesmen. The fitting went almost without a hitch (the 2 panes in the bathroom windows had patterns running orthogonally to each other). In the 15 years we’ve had 1 door needing realigned and a couple of ‘blown’ units (all insurance jobs) - no quibble with the quality. I still dislike the slipshod pvc panels they all use to hide the damage to the plasterwork around the frames.

If you want a bit of insight into the margins in double glazing there are a number of supply-only vendors on line some really very competitive which you could look at. I replaced a couple in the garage in an afternoon without hurrying (and didn’t break any of the panes!).

Howard
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Re: Double glazing

#522118

Postby Howard » August 13th, 2022, 3:09 pm

quelquod wrote:I still dislike the slipshod pvc panels they all use to hide the damage to the plasterwork around the frames.


I agree, it's worth checking the spec very carefully. Anglian were excellent at meeting my requirement to match the frames to the existing internal plaster walls and not using any extra trim, apart from one bay window where we agreed this would not be suitable and they used trim.

Responding to other's comments, one does need to do "homework" to get the best result for the optimum price. And, yes, it is worth getting competitive quotes and negotiating the final price, being very careful to check that shortcuts will not be used like using trim to mask aggressive damage when the previous frames are taken out. The Anglian fitters were very honest in admitting that they did a better job because I took a keen interest in the quality of installation (As well as an early morning review, I came home in my lunch hour to check progress and coffee and cakes were provided on demand!) They were pleased that we took an interest in the quality of their craftsmanship. Fifteen years later the joins between our windows and plaster walls have been virtually crack-free.

In contrast, we used two small local firms to install our new kitchen and bathrooms. While the kitchen installer provided an upmarket product, they did have problems with their sub contractors which caused some delay. I had to be very firm to get the final detailing completed. Less than five years after installation the two local firms closed down so no after sales service is available. That is a risk with small firms.

regards

Howard


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