How much will it cost to replace my windows? The don’t pay more than guide.
There is so much terrible information on how much double glazing should cost. This “discount”, fill in a form, only to get a call trying to sell you, bogus “grants”, phoney comparison sites. All sorts of tosh dominate the glazing industry (I very much used to be part of that system). I have written the “don’t pay more than guide” so that you can be informed without having to speak to anyone. It will give real up to date figures – showing how much the item is to buy in the trade (I realise different products are different costs – but at least I can stop you forking out more than you need to pay an inflated sales commission) and what is a reasonable markup/ price range. Ultimately – DON’T PAY MORE THAN, will be what you end up with.
Why fitted windows cost what they do?
A company that fits a window must do a lot more than buy a window and fit it. Built into the cost of every window must be the following:
Marketing – customers must find the business – whether this is word of mouth or there is a budget for it – it’s a part of all things sold
Sales – somebody must work out a quotation – from the fitter themself or a salesman – that time has to be accounted and paid for – also nobody wins every job.
Surveying – once a window is sold – it has to be measured for manufacture
Product cost – frames, glass, silicone, fixings, trims – varying quality and cost out there, all needs to be accounted for
Product Storage – somewhere to hold the product before installation – the product also needs to be checked – its amazing how often something is delivered incorrectly or missing items, also a cost
Transport – sales, survey, fitting, and engineers all need transport
Showroom/ Office Cost – there must be somewhere to organise everything, some companies go bigger than others – but somewhere is needed
Bad debt – the cost of everyone not paying is real
Mistakes – a window surveyed too big, fitted incorrectly, things uncovered after the survey. This happens and again can be costly.
Building Regulations – Regs apply to all window replacements – there are several self-certification schemes FENSA being the most well know – but also CERTASS, ASSURE do the same job. This costs money and comes with a set of rules as to what a proper, safe installation looks like
Service Work / Guarantee – the window industry often offers 10-year guarantee. This must be backed up with somebody to go and sort the service work, usually an engineer. Some of that is down to inherent problems with an installation – a portion is also user error or poor maintenance of the product.
The above are all legitimate costs of a window installation. Different companies will account for things differently, but DON’T PAY MORE THAN you need to. I explain here how some companies have a set up that allows their sales team to make more if they sell the window for an inflated price.
The table below is the Don’t Pay More than Guide. Your quotation should be somewhere in the middle of the two ranges. The upper end is fine and may well be the way to go once you have researched the service level you can likely expect from the company you choose. Do your research, no that offers don’t really exist, and don’t pay more than you have to!
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If you want to know the cost of composite doors then see here, vertical sliders here.