Product category:
Window Systems
News Release from: Martindales | Subject: Replacement doors and window frames
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 07 November 2006
Golden hour meets darkest hour as clocks
go back
Martindales, leading supplier of replacement doors and window frames to the insurance industry, is bracing itself for the country's darkest hours.
Britain's leading supplier of replacement doors and window frames to the insurance industry is bracing itself for the country's darkest hours "In the first two weeks after the clocks go back we will see a 25% increase in the number of daily visits our assessors make to homes and business premises that have suffered a break-in," said Phil Martindale, Managing Director of based Martindales
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 19 Dec 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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"For the crime business it's their golden hour - for homeowners and business operators, it's their darkest hour.
"When the clocks go back there is that crucial extra hour of darkness in the evening when homes are extremely vulnerable - they're dark, they're empty and there's nobody around to see burglars and thieves at work.
"When the mornings are dark through to 9am, there is a further upsurge in break-ins - nobody expects their house to be burgled first thing in the morning, but for petty criminals it's happy hour.
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Timber door and window frames are making a surging comeback as more architects and designers specify wood for new-builds and refurbishment projects.
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'Rustique' is manufactured using a new calcium organic compound in place of conventional lead stabilizers as part of Martindales holistic approach to environmental sustainability.
25p skimp on doors and windows in 90% of break-ins
More than 90% of all break-ins repaired by Martindales could be avoided if a 25p skimp by fit-and-run replacement door and window contractors was stamped out.
"In our estimation, 50% of all doors and windows in Britain are a piece of cake for an experienced housebreaker through a combination of the age and integrity of the door or window, or the period the building is empty during morning and evening darkness".
Between March and October, Martindales assessors, instructed by the major insurance companies, make on average 72 calls a day to homes and business that have suffered a break-in.
By the end of the first week in November this has risen to an average of 90 calls a day, a level it stays at through to early Spring.
Homes and businesses fitted with replacement or original windows and doors since 2001 are most secure.
"It's in the past five years or so that lock and catch manufacturers have really started producing hardware that matches the level of security PVC frames and double glazing can actually provide," said Phil Martindale.
"Crooks will quickly give up if the window or door is proving tough to crack, but if they're really determined, then the amount of damage they can do to newer frames is much more extensive because of the extra effort they have to put in." Because of the vast range of types and sizes of doors and windows, plus the range of materials, it is impossible for any insurance-company appointed replacement door and window specialist to hold a stock.
"We are on a permanent state of high alert.
We never know what we're going to be asked to replace.
It's a bit like a restaurant kitchen: we get the order, it's given to the production team, and we have to pull together the ingredients very quickly - and deliver a perfect job.
"As well as the size of window or door frame, there are many other variables: the type of material - wood, metal or PVC; the type of glass, the type of insulation in the frame, the types of locks, hinges and so on.
"It's impossible to automate the whole process, so we have an extremely skilled team of fabricators and craftsmen who can move very fast and accurately to create and install replacement doors and windows in a matter of days," said Phil Martindale.
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