Window brackets - credit where due

One thing that building a house really emphasises is the different attitudes and mentalities of people and companies towards their business and potential customers.

Some companies don't care and provide silly quotes that we can't afford and won't ever win them business. Others care, but simply are not competitive.

But every now and then, you come across some companies that go above and beyond. I'll do a list when we're finished, but this company really stood out this week.

To afix the windows safely and securely to the building, we need metal brackets. These screw into the window frame, and then onto the wall at different points.

Easy - just buy some, right? Or every better - make them.

Making them should be easy - get long bits of metal, cut them and drill holes.

We need 600 brackets (probably overkill, but we're building once here). and each bracket needs at least 4 holes. so a minimum of 2400 holes! Can you imagine the drills and drill bits to do that?

For buying, it's not as easy as you think. We need a good quality metal. We need fairly exact sizes. With the holes in the right place. And as it turned out, quickly to get us on our way.

Step forward FrameFix  ( http://www.framefix.co.uk/) - I made an initial enquiry and was given a good response with a couple of options - use one of their large range of brackets, or they will make them for me. I wasn't sure, so they sent one out which arrived the next day, free of charge.

Item was perfect, they said they would manufacture them - will arrive by Monday, is that okay? Actually, could they do Friday? As self builders, we work mainly at weekends and if the windows arrived, we wouldn't want to miss a weekend. I've no idea what they did, but they were here next day by 12pm!

What a service - I'm sure in the grand scheme of things, my order is tiny, but for us - it's so important and the attention we got was brilliant.

So thanks Frame Fix!

600 of these babies to screw into the windows and walls. 

Windows arrive - disaster

Our windows were due to arrive this week - despite a lot of chasing, we never found out the exact day until the afternoon before.

As usual, instructions to phone us when leaving the depot were ignored and I got the usual 'I'm here, where are you?' call.

When we turned up, the driver told us there was a problem and he couldn't get the windows off. Some had 'tipped over' and he couldn't get the canopy rolled back to get the HIAB working.

The windows that had 'tipped' over were the largest units, each weighing over 200kgs each.

What an absolute mess. We phoned Janex who sent their Project Manager straight out. When he arrived, the aim was to get everything off to inspect - anything that could be repaired, would, anything that couldn't would be replaced. However, getting them off was no easy task - with the best part of 600kg leaning against the side of the truck and only 4 people, it was very tricky to move everything. We spent nearly 4 hours unpacking, lifting, moving, rearranging before we could finally get the HIAB to lift everything off. 

Even when we got to that stage, the windows were so poorly packaged that I had to build makeshift pallets 'in situ' to make everything safe to lift, otherwise the windows would have been further damage. 

To add insult to injury - one pallet was missing - no-one knows where it is, and another is to follow - and we have no date for that. 

What a mess. 

Starting to get everything into some sort of order

Notice the timber support along the base - without this, the whole frame would have warped

'Specialists'? 'Intelligent Logistics' ? Aye right DTS!

Note the novel way we've attached slings - pallet was non existant and not fit fit HIAB unloading, which was a condition of the order. 

Mostly unpacked with the three big windows supported against the van

Eventually we got everything off and assessed the damage. Really not impressed - when you spend that sort of money on windows, you expect them to arrive suitable protected and in perfect condition. 

We decided that we would lift all the units up to the house, since I had pre arranged volunteers to help lift. Getting 8 people in one place on a weeknight with no rain is nigh on impossible. We managed to lift everything up, even the 250kg unit. Couldn't have done it without help from neighbours and friends. Next task - install the undamaged units, find out what is happening to the damaged ones and find out where on earth the missing four units are. 

I'm not going to be too quick to criticise Janex - but how they resolve it will be the true test. 

We've had better weeks!