How to Choose the Right Window Installer
Choosing the right window installer can be a serious challenge! There’s a fair few people who say they’ll do the job just-right, but it’s hard to know the qualified, experienced professionals from the cowboys. And a poor window installation job is no joke; some of the results you can expect include:
- Frames that warp or crack a few years down the track
- Air gaps and broken seals allowing moisture and insects in
- Drafty windows that allow heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer
With that in mind, we’ve compiled a helpful guide to help you choose the best window installer for your home or business; and we hope you’ll consider our range of expert window installation services!
Is your window installer qualified and experienced?
Unfortunately, not everyone who provides a window installation service is qualified to do so, follows Australian standards or has training in the health and safety issues surrounding working with glass.
Choosing an Australian Glass & Window Association (AGWA) accredited company offers the best protection for ensuring that your home or building is glazed according to the Australian Standards, and is an excellent way to protect you from financial cost of personal injury as a result of inadequate glazing work. Glaziers in Australia will usually have completed an apprenticeship in Glass & Glazing and will hold TAFE-level qualifications in this field.
The Australian standards were introduced to ensure your safety, and they are an indispensable part of doing glazing work. We all know how dangerous glass can be, and without following the guidelines set out in the Australian standards your home might not be the safe environment that you expect it to be.
Experience is also key when choosing a window installer; you’ll want to find a contractor with many years of experience, and great reviews. Not every contractor comes to their work with many years (or in our case, decades!) of experience, so don’t leave this job in the hands of someone who isn’t! Remember, cutting and fitting glass is a precise job that requires experience and skill.
With so many window installers around, we’d highly recommend being a little “fussy” by only considering working with a company who has been in business at least 5 years. That track record shows that the company hasn’t worked itself out of business by delivering poor-quality window installations that damaged its reputation or drove it into bankruptcy. When you’re working with experienced professionals, it shows! And don’t forget to ask about the experience of the people who will actually be installing your window – even if the Managing Director’s been working in this industry for decades, if the bloke who shows up to install your window is a rookie, you can end up with a bad installation job.
What does a glazier do?
When you’re getting your window installed, you should be working with a qualified glazier. A glazier is a highly experienced tradesperson specialising in glass services, such as the cutting and installation of glass, glass replacement, and glass repairs.
Glaziers will have diverse knowledge and experience in glass services including the installation of glass, acrylic or similar materials in a prepared opening like in doorways, windows, etc. Glaziers measure, cut, finish fit and install flat glass and mirrors. To do this work, they must have exacting attention to detail, so they can take accurate measurements ensuring a perfect fit, cut glass to size, and carry out the glass fitting.
Security 101: who’s coming into your home?
You wouldn’t let just anyone who knocks on your door into your home, so just because you found someone on Gumtree who says they can install a window for you, doesn’t mean they know how to do the job; it also doesn’t mean they’re a safe person to have in your home. Check that your window installation contractor has a valid police clearance before letting them onto your property.
Here at Westview Glass, every one of our our window installation team carry construction industry safety whitecards. You can have confidence with us that your window installation needs are in safe hands. Our installers all have police clearance, as we know only too well that security is rightly a concern for all our customers, and we do not let any of our glazing and installation team onto your property without them having a valid police clearance first. We only want reputable, trusted and reliable contractors coming into our homes, so we don’t expect you to settle for anything less.
Commitment to quality and craftmanship
No day is the same at Westview Glass, and we’ve created better viewed for thousands of homes over the years. We’ve often worked to challenging briefs, and more than risen to the challenge – because we love what we do, and we’re very good at it.
When you’re looking for a local window installer, don’t just google “window installers near me” and pick whatever comes up first – ask to see examples of their work! (And of course, you can find examples of our window installation & replacement work; just mosey over to our Before and After Gallery to see what a difference Westview Glass can make).
Check the reviews
When you part with your hard-earned money, you deserve the best. We get a lot of customers from word of mouth from our happy customers, and we reckon a great way to find window installers in your local area is to ask your friends and family about their own experiences. They’ll most likely be frank about how the project went, the quality of the products and so on. And since we live in the age of technology, don’t forget to look through Google Reviews to see what people are saying – for example, we’re very proud of our 4.9 rating on Google across a whopping 134 reviews!
High-quality window selection
Knowing your craft is part of the job; installing windows that you can be proud of is another. Here at Westview Glass, we’re proud to offer the Carinya range of residential aluminium windows, which are a proven leader in its class. The Carinya range of aluminium windows comes in a Classic and Select range. The Carinya Classic range includes a variety of windows and doors suitable for all homes including Sliding Windows, High Performance Sliding Windows, Sliding Doors, Double Hung Windows and Awning Windows. The Carinya Select Range includes premium windows and doors for the discerning home buyer including Double Hung Windows, Hinged Doors and Bi-Fold Doors.
Insurance
Protecting yourself, and your home and/or business, should be a non-negotiable priority! So it’s important to confirm that your window installation contractor has the necessary insurances, including workers’ compensation and public liability insurance.
We hope this guide has helped to make it a bit easier to choose a local window installer that knows what they’re doing and gets great results! And if you’d like to talk more about our window installation services, just pop down to our Wangara showroom or call or email us to discuss your project and organise a free quote.
