High Tech Windows competently fitted at keen price. Great service.
This is not so much a review - it's more of a blog. As I type, we have had theTimberwindowsnorfolk fitters in for two days, and 7 windows fitted - 14 to go!
We decided in April 2016 to replace the 26 year old softwood double glazed windows which had been installed when our house was built in 1990. I had started preparing them for their 5 year re-paint, but found rot in several of the frames and many of the glazing units had condensation on the inside. So we decided to go for new windows.
We did our research, and decided to seek quotes from two national companies, two large regional companies, and two small, local companies. (Surveys by the most popular consumer watchdog show that small local companies are rated more highly than the larger companies.)
The reps from the big companies duly arrived with their glossy brochures, sample windows and slick sales talk. For us, they demonstrated all the stereotypical behaviours of double glazing salesmen, including the ridiculously high starting price that fell and fell, and we subsequently were harassed with follow-up calls with even lower prices. I'm pretty sure we would have got a reasonable product, but the whole experience left us exhausted and bemused. The opening offer from one of the big operators was £78,000, and they eventually lost interest in us when we declined their £28,000 quote. What do they take people for?
The regional companies were much more down to earth. Their products seemed to be good, and their prices on par with the big boys' lower quotes. In fact, we very nearly had one of the regional companies do the work for us, and it was only when TimberWindowsNorfolk pointed out specific weaknesses in their designs that we went for them.
Unlike the large and medium sized companies, TimberWindowsNorfolk do not make their own windows. The big boys (eg Everest) DO make their own. The regional companies seem to buy aluminium extrusions or timber profiles, and then make up their units. in modest sized factory units.
There was one very small company we looked at that produced bespoke hardwood windows. They were to die for and they clearly had a great eye for detail, but their prices were beyond what we could afford.
TimberWindowsNorfolk (aka WoodWindowsNorfolk, Nordica UK). I think they have a bit of an identity problem that they really ought to address. Whatever their name, the proprietor certainly knows about windows and has hit on the winning formula of specifying windows made by a very large and high tech Swedish window company (westcoastwindows.se) - so it gives this small local company the benefit of supplying high tech windows made by a top company and making their living (and reputation) on the quality of their installation and technical understanding of the WestCoast Windows product.
We visited their showroom at the end of June and had a long consultation with the boss. He really knew his stuff, be it U values, colours that work, top or side hung, double glazing versus triple, etc, and the best style of frame for our style of house, and features of the WestCoastWindows product that made them technically superior to other manufacturers' products.
The price was 'take it or leave it' and he made it clear that there would be no negotiation - but it was the lowest quote we'd had, and the windows look super.
The fitters duly arrived to measure up on July 18. We visited the showroom again on July 19 to finalise our order (colour of interior and exterior frames - virtually any you want - though at small additional charge. We had dark grey exteriors throughout, and white interior frames for bathrooms, loos and en-suites; off white for bedrooms and a dark brown stain for the remainder. We also selected the style of obscure glass, handles, gasket colour etc.
We paid a deposit of 25% of the order value, and, against my better judgement, paid the balance before any windows actually were within touching distance. But we held our nerve... time passed.... if I'm honest a little too much time - you hear horror stories of companies evaporating with customers' cash and we'd never before parted with so much dosh without some security against it.
We'd hoped to have the windows installed in October though I wasn't really surprised when the install date slipped back to November.
Yesterday - 7th November - it all started happening. A large van appeared and a couple of smaller ones. Everyone seemed to know their job, and within an hour the windows were unloaded and by the end of the day 3 were installed. I have to say, the first one they installed had gaps between frame and plaster that seemed to my inexperienced eye to be a little too large - but the other two looked super, and the 4 installed on 8th November look great. A few tiles were broken on the interior sill while removing the kitchen window - and I only had 3 spares! Of course there's no hope of getting replacements they were 90s style! However the fitter-in-chief suggested replacing the tiles with a wooden sill and this seems a fair resolution, and the other kitchen window will have a matching sill fitted.
I've given 4 stars. I'm not even sure if TrustPilot will allow me to edit this as the installation progresses. I've given 4 stars because the job isn't finished yet and so I need some wriggle room to amend my rating. Watch this space!
Update: stardate 17Nov2016. The boys from TimberWindowsNorfolk have been here these past 3 days and all windows now installed. They DO LOOK GOOD!! Final touches to the windows still to be done, and the patio and front doors still to be done. Of course, ANY window will look good after being installed for 5 minutes - and the real test will be how they perform 10... 20... 30 years down the line. The Swedish company who make the windows was founded in 1995 - so how their product performs in the long term is anybody's guess. With replacement windows being one of the bigger purchases you're likely to make, and so many suppliers out there, plus all the horror stories you hear of, I think all you can do is trust your instincts, and ask lots of questions. We pretty much ignored all the brochures and online stuff. We looked at actual windows and spoke to the people who made them. We looked at actual installations and talked to the property owners.
Will add more after door installation next week.
Well here we are on Election Day 2017. Windows and doors still lovely and admired by all who see them. For the first time since November when they were fitted, we've had a spell of hot weather and the patio doors have been open from dawn 'til dusk. We noticed that they were difficult to lock, like the locking pins down the edge of the door weren't engaging cleanly with the slots in the other door. I emailed on Sunday. Got a reply on Monday asking when would be convenient to visit. The fitters arrived Tuesday to assess what was wrong, and the work completed today. 3.5 working days from start to finish! In my book that is customer service that is hard to beat!!