Choosing the right window fitter
Reading time: 8 minutes
When choosing the rightwindows specialist在美国，有一些关键问题你需要考虑。在本文中，我们将逐步介绍它们。
- Arm yourself with some basic knowledge first
- Check that they are registered
- Choose someone with lots of specific experience
- Find out how the tradesperson will be sourcing their materials
- Make sure they understand planning permission and Building Regulations
- 从你考虑的每个商人那里获得详细的报价
- Never pay in full upfront!
- Consider using a smaller firm
- Ask who will actually be doing the work
Let’s look at each of these in a bit more depth.
Arm yourself with some basic knowledge first
Before you get anywindows specialists在你的工作中反复引用，用这个主题的一些基本知识武装自己是一个好主意。这样，你就能更清楚地分辨所提到的产品之间的区别，并判断出你所得到的报价是否合理。
The Double Glazing & Conservatory Ombudsman Scheme website is a good place to start learning about the different types ofUPVC windowsthat are on offer. You can also find out about the difference betweentimber, UPVC and composite doors.
Check that they are registered
There are severalCompetent Person Schemesthat cover the windows trade in the UK.FENSAandCERTASSare probably the two best-known schemes. The others that cover windows and doors are the Assure scheme and Stroma Certification.
It’s a good idea to choose a tradesperson who is registered with one of these schemes. They work with thousands of windows specialists, aiming to raise standards within the profession and offering homeowners extra legal protection if anything goes wrong.
MyBuilder memberInfinity Doors Ltdprovide composite, aluminium, PVC and engineered timber windows and doors. Director Debbie Simmons explains the difference between FENSA and CERTASS - and highlights why choosing a tradesperson who is part of a Competent Person Scheme is so important:
Being registered with CERTASS, a tradesperson pays them per job, rather than paying a fixed rate fee as you would with FENSA. That’s why a lot of smaller companies would use CERTASS. And it still offers homeowners the same level of protection. They come out and look at our work in progress - to make sure we’re keeping up to standard.
If you’re CERTASS-or FENSA-registered, you also have to register with the Independent Warranty Association (IWA). They cover the homeowner - so if my company was to go bust, and one of my customers needed their window repaired, they would have an insurance-backed guarantee to ensure that happened.
Finally, we have to log all the jobs we do with CERTASS - and then they give a certificate directly to the homeowner. After that, CERTASS can contact the customer directly, and go and check our work at any point. And they really will make people go back and fix the work, if they’re not happy with what a tradesperson has done in any way.
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Choose someone with lots of specific experience
It’s important you choose awindows specialistwho has specific experience of the sort of work you want done. For example, a tradesperson might be expert at installing new double glazing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he understands how to repair an original sash window.
Once you’ve found someone with lots of relevant experience, ask to view some of their recent work. Debbie emphasises:
I always suggest to local customers that they visit a nearby property that we’ve worked on - even if it’s just doing a drive-by.
If someone is paying a lot of money for something - for example we had an enquiry from a customer who wanted a huge aluminium sliding door set installed, which will cost around £5,000 - then they should definitely go and see something else we’ve done, of the same quality.
Debbie suggests customers also ask to see samples of materials, so they can examine the quality of what they’re being offered:
顾客可以购买的橱窗种类繁多——从非常便宜到非常昂贵。他们还应该检查玻璃的等级，因为不同等级的玻璃有不同的热性能。你应该选择A级或以上的玻璃，除非是在棚子或车库之类的地方。
Find out how the tradesperson will be sourcing their materials
A goodwindows specialistwill have an established relationship with their materials supplier, says Debbie:
We’ve been to the factory - we’ve seen where it’s made, all in the UK - we’ve felt it, we’ve fitted it. And if there are any issues, we know we can ring someone up and usually get something couriered out that same day.
许多房主希世界杯荷兰vs威尔士竞猜望通过自己采购材料(通常是在网上)来省钱，然后把材料交给商人来安装。However, tradespeople are often wary of using materials provided by the customer, so it’s important you ask whether there will be any issues with this in advance:
If the materials haven’t been sourced by us, we can’t offer any guarantee on them. Whereas if we’ve provided them, you’ll get a ten or 25 year guarantee on them.
如果你在网上买便宜的东西，你永远不能百分之百确定你会得到什么。我们有一个顾客在网上买了一间便宜的温室，结果发现里面有很多没有被切割成合适的尺寸。它不仅非常脆弱，而且我们还必须做很多额外的削减——显然我们必须为此收费。在网上买便宜的东西可能会被证明是一种错误的经济!
Make sure they understand planning permission and Building Regulations
Building Regulations may apply to certain window and door installations. And if they constitute major changes to your property, they may need planning permission.
You should do some initial research on this yourself, before you hire a tradesperson. For example, it’s worth finding out whether your property is in a Conservation Area, and speaking to your local council to make sure the work you want to have done is likely to be approved.
然而，信誉良好的窗户专家亦应充分了解规划及建筑规例中常见的影响窗户安装的问题。如果你对自己完成这个过程没有信心，许多公司会很乐意提供如何进行的建议，甚至可能会代表你完成并提交文件。
从你考虑的每个商人那里获得详细的报价
Contact at least three windows specialists, and get a quote in writing from each one.
You’ll need to be able to compare like with like - so make sure these quotes include any and all possible expenses, like labour, materials, the cost of hiring any scaffolding, the disposal of waste and so on.
Never pay in full upfront!
要求预付定金是很常见的，尤其是大型项目。Anthony Etheridge ofA & E Glazinghas been a member of MyBuilder since 2009, and has an excellent customer feedback score.
In terms of payment, I work on the basis of a 25% deposit and the rest on completion”, he explains. “That’s just an indication of commitment on both sides. Generally speaking, the 25% doesn’t even cover the cost of materials; it’s just a demonstration of commitment from the customer.
Never pay the remaining balance until the job is complete and you’ve fully inspected the work.
Consider using a smaller firm
There are certain big double glazing companies that are virtually household names, in part due to the large sums they are able to spend on advertising, and their proactive, ‘door to door’ sales style.
However, you don’t need to choose one of the big, famous firms. In fact in some cases you might end up paying more if you do, as their reputations mean they tend to charge more for their services.
Anthony explains why choose a reputable smaller firm could be the right thing to do:
我们是一家小型的独立公司，所以我们是本地公司，可以提供很好的价格。我们不用销售代表，我自己出去给他们报价。大公司——他们倾向于使用所有旧的销售策略——“现在购买”，“今天注册”，等等。我都是从顾客那里听来的;他们有时可以在那里坐上两个小时，而且很多销售是基于佣金的。我不拿佣金。
Ask who will actually be doing the work
When each tradesperson comes to quote on your project, make sure you ask them who will actually be doing the work. You need to find out which aspects of the job will be carried out by the tradesperson himself, and which elements will be undertaken by other members of his team, or sub-contractors.
Many good tradespeople subcontract out certain tasks - this is not necessarily a problem. But it’s important you find out the extent to which work will be outsourced - and crucially, who will take responsibility if there are any issues or problems.
