Product category:
Window Systems
News Release from: Martindales | Subject: Replacement door and window
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 25 July 2007
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.
"The perception is that PVC window frames and doors, fitted with double glazing are highly secure - well, they are, but only if a few pence and few moments are spent addressing the weakest link in the door and window security chain," said Phil Martindale, founder and Managing Director of the UK's leading door and window repair and replacement supplier to the insurance industry "It's called 'packing' - and packing is a few tiny pieces of plastic that braces the glass against the inside of the window frame, making it rigid, giving it strength and making it virtually impossible to force a door or window frame and break in"
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 7 Nov 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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"We became aware of this skimp because we carefully examine every window and door we remove after it has been damaged to see if we can work out where its weaknesses lie.
"One factor kept coming up more and more - the impact that lack of packing could have on the strength and integrity of a door or window".
"We design, manufacture and fit quite possibly the strongest replacement doors and windows available in the UK today - we know them inside out.
Further reading
Call to licence all replacement window fitters
Martindales is calling for every single contractor and operator in the glazing sector to be licensed - before somebody dies because of poor fitment.
Growing demand for timber products
Timber door and window frames are making a surging comeback as more architects and designers specify wood for new-builds and refurbishment projects.
We also know the signs of a door or window that won't survive an attack by, on occasion, even a half-hearted burglar.
"It's very likely that if a replacement door starts to catch on the floor, or a window gets more difficult to close, then it is missing that packing".
"That makes it very easy for a burglar to get a screwdriver or some other leverage between it and the frame and force their way in.
"To make a GBP700 replacement door almost completely secure would cost 25p in packing and maybe five minutes in time".
""Unfortunately, it is yet another manifestation of the 'don't care' culture in the replacement windows and doors industry".
"Some unscrupulous manufacturers either can't be bothered to fit them, or are looking to shave every last penny off their costs.
"Cowboy fitters allow themselves a specific length of time to fit replacement windows - and every second counts, as does the cost.
Most, but not all, will know they are fitting windows that do not have packing".
"A door or window without packing is cheaper because it is a few minutes faster to make, and fitters often buy the cheapest pre-made windows and doors to increase their profit margins".
Martindales was formed in 1986 by Phil Martindale.
The company provides repairs and replacement windows, frames, doors and glass involved in claims to the UK's leading insurance companies, as well as insulated glass and frames to the building trade.
Martindales employs 350 people throughout the group with its Head Office in Bolton and a network of sixteen operations across Britain.
Branches in Aberdeen, Belfast, Carlisle, Cumbernauld, Gloucester, Ipswich, London, Luton, Nottingham, Plymouth, Rotherham, Southampton, Stockton, Swansea, Wolverhampton.
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