Beat The Seasonal Rush: Quickslide’s Ade explains how to get what you want, when you want
With the world being tipped upside down at the moment, one thing that we can be sure of is that the annual rush to get things finished by Christmas will continue to be as traditional as turkey and stuffing.
The past couple of years have brought their own issues as supply chain problems caused by a host of reasons have thrown the get-it-built-by-Christmas rush into even greater chaos than usual. Things have improved but you should look out for a few things that might also make you even less popular than yet another pair of Santa socks from gran.
Summer brought its own challenges with having to work around people rushing a much anticipated, overdue holiday, whilst the revised Building Regulations that came into force in June also brought their challenges, if only to get our heads around them. In windows and doors, we were faced with Part F, which for most of us translates as ‘trickle vents’.
Our experience is that whilst there was a kerfuffle amongst certain parts of the window and door industry, the vast majority of builders and installers have got their heads around it. Let’s be clear, rules is rules and anyone fitting windows that are not installed with appropriate trickle vents, will simply not comply with planning and will run into a wall of the brown stuff when they try to sell their house.
Most window and door fabricators are running well currently with plenty of capacity: if there’s a delay it’s usually down to a material or component shortage somewhere along the line.
For example, we continue to hear issues surrounding the availability of trickle vents and especially if required for woodgrained or colour-coated frames. When ordering, make sure your supplier stocks the trickle vent equipped for the frame in time.
The only other area where we are still seeing supply challenges is with aluminium windows and doors. It’s improved but we’re still not comfortable offering bespoke finishes on aluminium, although standard finishes remain in good supply. Most of our orders are for the standard anthracite and black but this year, we have broken the mould a little with woodgrain-foiled aluminium bi-folds; Have a look, they are selling like mulled wine at a German Christmas market.
Standard profile PVC-U profiles were never really an issue but coloured profiles, which now account for around half of window sales, can be. Make sure your supplier has in-house foiling and colour-coating if something more out of the ordinary is required (we do!).
There is a growing concern about potential glass shortages and currently, especially about laminated due to the increased demand caused by the Building Regs. We are fine but be prepared and don’t assume anything. The rumours are building about glass shortages and, just as with everything else of course, glass prices are shooting up and disproportionately with other elements, due to the energy intensity of the glass making process.
Finally, negotiate with your supplier to pool orders towards creating fewer, larger deliveries. It will be more efficient of course, be kinder to the planet and hopefully, save a couple of quid for you too!
Happy Christmas!
For further information on Quickslide visit https://www.quickslide.co.uk/
