Latest News from Altus Windows

Cavity tray installation

This article was added on Monday 16 January 2012

This is a realitively straight forward job to do, if the person doing it has the necessary equipment and experience!

Several rows of bricks are removed, and a solid tray is inserted into the cavity, creating a barrier that water cannot get through.

To allow the trapped water to escape a "Weep vent" is inserted between two bricks to expell the unwanted water.

Once the new bricks have been layed, it is almost invisible, but stays there doing the essential job of keeping the damp out!

Why a cavity tray is essential before a conservatory is plastered

This article was added on Monday 16 January 2012

Why is it that some consevatorys have a musky smell when you first enter? There is a very good chance that there is moisture trapped behind the plasterboard on the origional house wall.

Why? The outer skin of a cavity wall is almost always porous, the mortar joints and indeed most bricks will alow a very small amount of moisture threw. This travels down the rear face of the brick until it reaches the ground (under the damproof course of the house) this then harmlessly soaks away. If however it reaches an obstacle ie. window or door it will soak into what it hits (this is why windows tend to be a little damp around the corners). Alternatively when it runs over dry brick it will get soaked up like water in a sponge! this is where the musky smell in the conservatory comes from!

Here is a picture of this proccess happening.

Take a look at our next artical to see the solution...

Best Quality @ lowest prices

This article was added on Wednesday 13 July 2011

Over the last few months, it has been a very testing time for Double Glazing companies in Leicestershire. Due to the rising cost of living and uncertainty of the future, there has not been the same level of work available for companies to compete for.

Inevitably this has caused some more casualties (companies failing and leaving customers with incompleted work or without a decent guarantee).

To avoid being in a vulnerable position ourselves, we have gone back to the very basic business fundamentals that have always kept us on the straight and narrow...

Give the customer the best Job at the best Price!! simple??

To achieve the best Job, we have to instal the most up to date quality products available ie. Duraflex A rated high security windows..

They have tyo be fitted to the highest standards ie. Fully employed, trained quality fitters..

We offer the best guarantee.. 10 years comprehensive (insurance backed)..

And we have to be efficient in every way to keep our overheads low so that we can offer amazing prices..

Can you trust us to deliver our promise? No deposits required..Payment upon satisfaction..thousands of installations over 27 years!!  Yes you can..

If you would like to talk to me directly, please feel free to call me directly on my mobile phone 07805 467708.

Thanks for reading.. John

Custom made guttering accessories?

This article was added on Wednesday 23 March 2011

For the sake of neatness, we have created a rainwater outlet out of a 90 degree guttering corner.

On this particular job the downpipes have been swopped from round to square, this is normally ok but on this occasion we were unable to fit the outlet accessorie in without making the downpipe unsightly with several angled bends.

We used some simple tools and a bit of inovative thinking and came up with this solution.

Fascias and Soffits with a difference 2

This article was added on Wednesday 23 March 2011

We have just completed the installation at 1a Tithe close, stoke Golding. We have managed to make an exact replica of what was there before.

We had a potential customer visit the job on Monday this week and they were convinced that the replacement bargeboards were made of wood!! we had to show him an offcut to convince him that it was indeed plastic.

No visible fixings, no plastic caps and origional styling. If you would like to see more pictures of the job we would gladly email them over..

How not to step lead!

This article was added on Tuesday 15 March 2011

Further to yesterdays artical on lead flashing, I have uploaded this picture of somebodys attempt to step lead.

I have taken this picture of a job that was done about 10 years ago, The company who done it no longer trades and the customer has mould on the internal wall. We are going to re-flash using code 4 lead, hopefully we have caught it in time to save further expense..

John

Lead Flashing

This article was added on Monday 14 March 2011

The whole point of stepped lead flashing is for one step to overlap the other, thus completely reducing the risk of water ever creeping in through the cut angle.

To step lead like in the picture it takes several hours of careful skilled cutting and instalation, but it will give a waterproof guard that will last for years and years.

The typical window/conservatory installer will be trying to achieve a quick and easy installation so that they can get to the next job and keep the meter ticking! Spending the best part of a day to do leadwork like this will almost certainly not be on the agenda. I am sure that in 15 years time when the lead has failed and perhaps the internal wall will also be water damaged the customer would love the opportunity to have paid an extra few hours labour and had the job done like this in the first place.

When Altus take on an installation, every detail is looked at and done inline with best building practice. We do not allow commission based workmen to decide what level of quality is exceptable on that paticular day! In fact we do not have any commission based workmen, we only have "employed" installers who take pride in the company ethos.

I am writing this article as i am often asked, " why are you more expensive?" This is a hard question to answer without listing lots and lots of  relatively minor points one after another, but it is the sum total of these small details that adds up to the differance between a job that is Ok and a job that is Correct and will still be Ok in 20 years.

I will post a picture of some leadwork that was done in the "quicker" way tomorrow, to compare the difference.

Thanks for looking.

John

Fascias and Soffits with a difference

This article was added on Thursday 10 March 2011

10/03/2011.

Today, we have started a fascia and soffit installation @ 1A Tithe Close Stoke Golding, Nuneaton Warwickshire.

The current Fascias have been created in a unique style to suite the property, and the customer was under the impression that this could only be done in wood, and that if they wanted the benefits of upvc they would have to settle for the plain plastic type look with the visible fixings and plastic trim covers!

What we aim to do here is create an exact replica of the origional (except in golden oak colour) with a shped one piece board, without trims or fixings visible.. I wont let on to many details at this stage, but take a look at the pictures  we post in the next couple of weeks!!

Another obstacle in our path is the tudor cladding boards shown on the picture, I have steered away from replacing these for years as there has not been a double edged board available to replace them, what i have seen in the past, is a fascia board cut to size and the white exposed cut edge, has a wood effect trim stuck to it. This looks ok when first done, but definately is no match for the sun and rain, the fascia buckles and the trims peel off, looking worse than the wood it replaced. There are some plastic board companys that are making a double edge board but it is only available in set widths so it will look too bulky or too slender on the house.

I have found a maintenance free weatherboard product that has been mainly used on commercial projects over the last decade, the benefit of this apart from looking like wood and being totally maintenance free, is the fact i can have it machined to the exact size for the job it is intended. I am hopeing to get some pictures posted shortly..

If you would like to see our fitters at work feel free to visit them on site and see for yourself why were a bit different!

Thanks for reading the article

John.

The Benefits of Pay-As-You-Earn Window Fitters

This article was added on Tuesday 01 March 2011

The replacement window market has always been affected by the demand for "fine weather" installations during the summer months and lack of demand in the winter months. Since the downturn in the economy, this summer boom seems to have shortened and the winter famine has got longer and harder each year.

It is common industry knowledge that almost without exception window fitters are paid on a sub-contract basis, earning a set price for each window or door that they install. As the sales departments claim that they use "their own fitters", it is common practice for the firm to provide a van to make the visual suggestion that they are indeed employed by the firm.

The downside to this is huge, with both negatives for the company and the customer. Sub-contractors need to fit between five and seven windows per day to make the job pay a realistic wage that will cover the usual commitments that most of us with families have. Having been a window fitter for many years it is my considered opinion that an average of three windows per day is achievable on a permanent basis. This enables the fitters to remove the existing window more carefully and spend more time making sure that the new window is fitted to the very highest standards.

Fitting at this pace also means that the company has less work to find to keep the fitters busy, and that they will rarely be called back to correct work that is sub-standard. This has a positive effect on the company's sales effort, as customer satisfaction means that they will get more recommendations, meaning less expensive marketing.

In short, the cost savings mean that the premium that has to be charged for a company to employ its fitters is not as large as you would think, but the benefits are really positive for everybody. The customer gets a first rate job, happy employees work better are more loyal, and the company cements its local reputation for quality and longevity.

We have been practicing this for several years, and although we can tell that we are in difficult times, we are still in profit and paying our bills on time! That is quite a feather in our cap when taking a look at the industry in general.