This could well be the most important question in this section so I thought we'd start with it.

There could be any number of reasons why you'd want to change your windows and doors - this could be down to wanting to reduce your energy bills, wanting a change of colour or maybe you don't like the opening styles of them. So this is probably a question you can answer yourself.

Very often we get called to jobs though where there is very little wrong with the window in the first place - it may be the seals gone on the glass or a hinge that's broken or a lock that needs fixing. In these instances you do no need to replace the window. In 99% of cases the parts to repair the window are readily available and can be repaired for a fraction of the cost of replacing it.

This very much depends on demand of both our manufacturer and ourselves. We are a small family business without extensive fitting teams so once our diary is full we can't take on any more work. This can be an issue for some people however it means we can be in full control over the work being carried out and provide much better quality assurance. Trust us - good things come to those who wait !

As guidance though here's rough wait times for the majority of our products in an ideal situation:

White UPVC: 2 - 3 Weeks

Foiled UPVC 4 Weeks

Standard Aluminium 2 - 3 weeks

Aluminium in non standard colours: upto 12 weeks

Composite Doors: Upto 4 weeks

This will vary differently between every job so for example fitting 10 windows in one house may take longer than another in the same street and this can be down to a multitude of reasons such as the type of window coming out and the age of the property. We will be able to advise you of this on site at the point of order (it will also be displayed at the top of your contract).

We tend to have a 'it takes as long as it takes' attitude towards our work though so if a job isn't quite going to plan and it takes a day or two longer to complete then so be it.

In our experience nothing good comes from rushing and in fact, that's when things go wrong and by spending that little extra time and effort, you're left with a much better finished product.

No. Instead, all our work is put through CERTASS who essentially do the same job and issue a certificate on completion - you'll need to keep this safe should you wish to sell your property in the future.

CERTASS monitor our work and make sure that we have the right safeguarding in place to resolve issues and will step in to mediate. We decided to choose CERTASS over FENSA because we felt that they gave our customers more protection with the processes that they offer.

For years, we didn't feel comfortable self certifying our work so instead put work through local planning authorities. This does complicate matters a little and comes with a premium but it did mean that every job was inspected. If you would still like an independent survey this isn't a problem just advise us of it.

100% Yes !

As we are a small family run business we don't have the time to give you the hard sell. We understand that our customers may wish to get multiple quotes and that in some instances we won't get the contract for any number of reasons.

That doesn’t mean that we don’t have time for you if you need us. By not focusing on giving you the hard sell we are able to focus our attention on our customer experience. We are always on hand to offer you our honest opinion and if we don't know the answer straight away we will get back to you with an informed response.

Firstly don't panic.

There's usually a number of options we can offer and are happy to tailor the quotation further with different options for different budgets - our initial quote is essentially a starting point with our own recommendations of what we do if we were carrying out the work to our own homes. By changing the specification of some of the quote we can usually help to bring that cost down. Alternatively, there's always the option to get the work completed in stages which we are always happy to do.

There are any number of reasons why a competitor may have come in with a cheaper price than ourselves.

Firstly it’s important to check that the two quotes are like for like.

There’s a big difference in the quality of windows, the make of window can make a big difference to the cost but also who manufactures them. For example our biggest selling window is a Deceuninck window and these will be manufactured up and down the country by different factories. We have spent a lot of time making sure that the people who manufacture our windows are at the absolute top of their game. This gives us the piece of mind that we aren’t going to be returning to put right any issues that crop up with poorly manufactured windows.

There’s also a big difference in the way that we work, our goal isn’t to get as many windows fitted as we can in a day and move onto the next job. Our goal is the attention to detail in making sure everything is installed properly with minimum disruption to the interior and exterior meaning very often that there’s no need for large unsightly trims or to redecorate afterwards. The only way that you’ll be able to assess this is by asking to see an example of their previous work. By being on good terms with our customers we will occasionally ask if it’s possible to visit one of our installations to show the quality of our work off.

Is their work guaranteed for a similar period and do they offer a insurance backed guarantee ?

Lastly, if someone has come in with a cheaper quote than us, absolutely feel free to go with them but do your research. Be sure to check their Google business page for reviews as these will give you a good understanding of how they operate.

How long are your products guaranteed for ?

We offer a fully comprehensive warranty to give you ultimate piece of mind. This covers all aspects of the job for a period of:

uPVC Frames - 10 years Guaranteed against any failure in welded joints, distortion and surface finish when adequately maintained in-line with manufacturer’s guarantee.

Timber Frames - 5 years Guaranteed against any failure in joints, distortion and rot when adequately maintained in-line with manufacturer’s guarantee.

Aluminum Frames - 10 years Guaranteed against any failure in joints, distortion and coating when adequately maintained in-line with manufacturer’s guarantee.

IGU - 10 years - Guaranteed against the failure of hermetical seals (i.e. misting between panes).

Door Panels - 10 years Guaranteed against any failure in joints, distortion and surface finish when adequately maintained in-line with manufacturer’s guarantee.

Hardware - 10 years Guaranteed against any failure in Locking mechanisms, hinges and all metallic moving parts when adequately maintained in-line with manufacturer’s guarantee.

Replacement Sealed Units - Generally 5 years in line with the industry standard however this goes down to 1 year in timber frames because of the tendancy in which timber has of expanding and contracting.

Flat roofing is guaranteed usually for a period of 25 years .

Workmanship Guarantee – 10 years: - Guaranteed against physical faults or errors in the installation which have been caused by defective workmanship.

Building Regulations – 6 years: - Where the works are registered with a Competent Person Scheme; this guarantee covers a breach of the Building Regulations in force at the time of the completion of the works.

In most cases, the product will perform way beyond these periods with a little care taken with recommended maintenance - there's more information on this in our blog.

There’s sometimes some trepidation with dealing with a smaller company. In our experience, you’re only as good as the last job you fitted so it’s important to get things right each and every time. This is what’s kept us trading for over 30 years.

With that said our warranty is backed up with insurance from a third party who will honour the warranty should the worst happen.

You will need to make us aware of this as it will affect how we remove your existing windows. Every care will be taken to preserve the existing window or door to avoid damage but we can’t be responsible should damage occur. Remember that if you’re planning to use your old window or door in another part of the house or in a new build, they will now need to comply with document L and F achieving a U Value of 1.4 and have trickle vents.

This is very much up to you. Many of our customers are happy in leaving us with a key (as long as we have access to electricity, water and a toilet we are pretty self sufficient).

Other customers may enjoy watching the process of how we complete the job. Both options are perfectly ok with us. Obviously there are dangerous tools and glass which poses a risk so we do ask that you keep a safe distance and also that children and animals aren’t left running about in the work area for obvious reasons.

Relax !

We take a lot of the effort out of installing windows if possible, we like beds to be out of the way of the work being carried out if at all possible. If you have any breakables on window cills it’s probably best to move these if at all possible.

We have our own dust sheets so will cover everything up as much as possible and will hoover up afterwards.

There may sometimes be some dust that will need dusting off afterwards and as there’s potentially been some broken glass it’s best not to walk barefoot in the room until you’ve hoovered up properly a few times.

In most cases we will arrange disposal of the waste from your home unless we’ve made other arrangements with yourself.

Sadly this is something we come up against from time to time.

We offer a repair service and 99% of the time can source like for like hardware which may have failed over time.

Be aware that having a repair done by someone other than the original installer will most likely invalidate your warranty so it’s worth logging a complaint through their certifying body first to see if you can get things cleared up that way first. If however you still can’t get resolution, please get in touch and we’ll be more than happy to help.

Firstly if you’ve had the work done by us and the products are still under guarantee you have absolutely nothing to worry about - call us and we will arrange replacement with no hassle.

If you’re outside of your guarantee period, it’s worth giving us a call, we will help you out wherever we can and will usually just charge you for the cost of the glass (although a cuppa is always welcome !)

If you’ve had the work supplied elsewhere our repair service will be able to replace with like for like units and get the windows looking like brand new in no time at all.

Don’t worry ! We will help out all of our existing customers as much as possible. Very often it can be a simple adjustment to get things working as they should again. When parts are required to fix the problem we will usually only charge for the cost of the part (plus a cuppa !)

If you have a spare key it’s possible to get replacements cut but we understand that there’s a risk of the lost key being used by an intruder.

We have spare lock barrels and are able to replace them with minimum fuss. All replacement barrels come with 3 keys.

If you don’t have a spare, we have the tools to remove the lock from the door, get the door open and replace without doing damage to the door. Call us for further guidance.

Unfortunately not, as we are a small business we don’t have the time to work as a credit broker. We are able to take payments via credit card though if this helps but payment is due on the day of completion of the work (or on delivery for supply onlhy jobs)

In most cases yes - if a window is only a couple of years old then the chances are there won’t be much of a difference but older windows will have most likely have a significant improvement.

Window and door technology is improving all of the time and so are the standards in terms of energy efficiency in which the products have to achieve.

Generally all of our windows achieve an A energy rating with a U value of 1.4 this is through the use of Low energy glass (which reflects the warmth back into the room on a cold day), composite spacer bar which doesn’t transmit the temperature of the outside window pane to the inside (which is the case with aluminium spacer bars) and are filled with argon gas,

In June 2022 the building regulations changed meaning that in most cases any windows going into a home must be fitted with a trickle vent to allow background ventilation. You are able to provide this ventilation through your own means but proof will need to be seen before a CERTASS certificate can be seen.

We are aware that some customers don’t like the look of the trickle vents and on some of our products we are able to offer a trickle vent cover - these are usually used on a larger framed head and disguise the look of the trickle vent with an aluminium decorative moulding along the top of the frame to the outside face. Please ask us for more details

Stormfit windows are manufactured with the sash fitting like a traditional UPVC window. The Sash will sit forward of the outer frame.

Flushfit windows are manufactured like a traditional timber window where the sash sits inside the outer frame giving a flatter looking window on the inside and outside. These are available with welded or fully mechanical joints.

UPVC windows have evolved greatly over the years and its possible that you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference in many cases between your old timber windows.

We’ve worked with local councils with conservation areas where the windows have had to look identical to the windows being taken out.

We are able to offer a choice of over 30 different colourways on our range of UPVC windows which are foiled with a realistic looking wood effect. Windows can also be made flush fit so that they emulate the look of the existing windows further, We can also offer fully mechanical joints which use traditional manufacturing techniques to mimic the traditional joinery associated with traditional timber windows.

We also offer aluminium windows which are a great option for anyone with a more contemporary living space - these use minimal sightlines meaning more glass which can really open up a room.

For grade listed buildings you would need to replace like for like. We can source a range of structurally engineered timber windows which combines the traditional manufacturing techniques of older style windows with a superior finish which will look great for many years to come.

We are able to offer a range of finishes. In most situations we will use UPVC trims to cover the wider gaps where sealants have been used. The trims match the finish of the windows and enhance the beauty of them and where silicone is needed it’s usually only the thinnest of lines that you’ll see.

Ok, it’s time to be brutally honest.

Bifolding doors are stunning but are a big investment so can add quite a premium onto the cost of your new window so whilst we want you to be happy with all of our work it’s important to make sure that bifolding doors are right for you.

UPVC is great in most applications and often outperform Aluminium. However, in our experience UPVC bifolding doors don’t operate as well us Aluminium. This is because the hardware used in a UPVC Bifold weighs a lot more than an Aluminium one. UPVC ones look a lot more chunky and actually work out to be a very similar price to their UPVC counterparts.

They don’t look out of place either if you are installing them in a home where you’ve got UPVC windows.

So put simply, why would you fit an inferior product that will be heavier and not operate as well when you can have a door which glides open and operates with ease for a similar price ?

As you can imagine there are so many different queries which we come up against especially when every job is different. Firstly, there are no stupid questions and we are always here to answer any questions which you may have and to guide you through the process of getting the work you want done properly.

Feel free to call us on 01743 537373 or email us at hello@annvicconservatories.com