Resident hub
Windows and doors
Your home is having new windows, and in some homes new doors as well. This page explains how we work through the rooms, how long each window takes and how your home is kept secure.
All of this work is inside your home, so someone needs to be in. If that is difficult, ring 01935 315315 and we will work something out with you.
The short version
- We work one room at a time
- A window takes about one to two hours
- Most homes are finished in one or two days
- Your home is never left open overnight
- You need to clear the area under each window
Room by room
How the work is done
We finish one room before we start the next. That way most of your home stays normal while we work, and no room is left open.
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01
We arrive and agree the order
The team shows you an identity card, then walks round with you and agrees which room to start in and which order to work through. Tell us if a room needs to be left until later in the day.
What you need to do: be at home, and say now if there is a room you would rather we did last.
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02
The room is protected
Dust sheets go down on the floor and over any furniture left in the room. We work from inside where we can, and from outside where the window needs it.
What you need to do: clear the windowsill and move anything within about a metre of the window before we get to that room.
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03
The old window comes out
The old frame is cut out and taken away. The opening is empty for a short time, so the room gets cold and there is some noise and dust. It is not left like that.
What you need to do: keep pets and small children out of that room while it is open.
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04
The new window goes in
The new frame is fitted, levelled, fixed and sealed. Then the glass goes in and the handles and locks are fitted and tested. About one to two hours for a standard window.
What you need to do: nothing. Ask the fitter to show you how the new locks work when it is done.
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05
Finishing and cleaning
The inside edge is made good and sealed, the glass is cleaned and the sheets come up. The old frame and glass go straight out to the van.
What you need to do: look at it before we move on. If something is not right, this is the easiest time to say.
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06
On to the next room
We move on and do the same again. On a normal day a team gets through several windows. Your dates will say how many days your home needs.
What you need to do: clear the next room ahead of us if you can.
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07
Doors
A door is taken out and replaced the same day, usually in two to three hours. Your home is not left without a working front or back door overnight.
What you need to do: clear the hall by the door, and be in for the whole time that door is being changed.
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08
Handover and keys
At the end we walk round with you, show you how every new window and door opens, closes and locks, and hand over the keys. You get the paperwork for the work as well.
What you need to do: try the locks yourself before we leave, and count your keys.
How long each part takes
- A standard windowAbout one to two hours from taking the old one out to cleaning the new glass.
- A large or bay windowHalf a day, sometimes longer. We will tell you at the survey if you have one.
- A front or back doorAbout two to three hours, done in one go.
- A whole homeUsually one or two days. Larger homes can take three.
- Working hoursNormal working hours. We do not start early or work into the evening without agreeing it with you first.
Security while a door is out
Your home is never left open
A door is never taken out unless the new one is on site and ready to go in. The doorway is open for a short time, and somebody from our team is with it the whole time.
We do not leave a home overnight without a working, lockable front and back door. If a door cannot be finished for any reason, we refit the old one and come back.
The same is true of windows. Nothing is left as a hole.
New keys and locks
New doors come with new keys, handed to you at the end of the day. Count them and check every key works before we leave.
If you need extra keys for a carer, a family member or a keysafe, tell us at the survey and we will sort it out.
If you have a keysafe by the door, tell us before the day so we can move it and put it back.
What to move before we arrive
If you cannot move something, leave it. Tell us and we will move it for you and put it back. Please do not lift anything heavy on our behalf.
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Windowsills Ornaments, plants, photographs and anything else on the sill. These get knocked, and they are the things people miss.
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Curtains and blinds Take them down in the rooms we are working in. If they are hard to reach, we will take them down and rehang them.
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Furniture near the window Move it about a metre back if you can. Beds, sofas and wardrobes under a window make the job slower and riskier.
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Fragile and precious things Anything you would hate to lose is better in another room for the day, even under a dust sheet.
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Pets Keep them in a room we are not working in. Doors and windows are open while we carry frames in and out.
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Outside the window Move bins, pots and garden furniture away from the wall, and let us know about a pond, a slope or a soft border under a window.
After the work
What to expect in the first few weeks
New windows and doors feel stiffer than old ones at first. That is normal and they ease with use.
A little condensation on the inside of the glass in cold weather is also normal, particularly in kitchens and bathrooms. Opening the trickle vents at the top of the frame helps.
Sealant needs a day or two to cure fully. Try not to wash the frames for the first few days.
How to report a problem
Ring 01935 315315 and tell us the address and what is wrong. You do not need a reference number and you do not need to prove anything.
We will book a visit to look at it. There is no charge to you for putting our own work right.
Report anything that is not right, however small: a draught, a handle that catches, a mark on the plaster, a lock that is stiff. Small things are easy to fix and we would rather know.
Warranty and aftercare
New windows and doors are covered after we leave. The details of that cover are set out in the paperwork you get at handover.
What we can tell you now
The length of the cover, exactly what it covers, and who to contact to make a claim are set out in the paperwork for your own programme. We will publish those details here as well.
Until then, please ring 01935 315315 with any problem with work we have carried out. We will deal with it, and we will not ask you to sort out who is responsible first.