How Not To Install Fascias: Video

Like the pictures, there isn't much I need to say to explain this video. Please leave your comments, I'm sure there will be a few on this one.


P.S. I had to chop this video down as Facebook, Blogger and YouTube were having problems uploading all 30 minutes of it. And I'd like to point out that there wasn't much extra work done after the end of the video.

How Not To Install Fascias

I don't think these two pictures need much explaining, so I'll leave it to you lot to add the comments!

Quality Counts Story Part 5

It's been a few weeks since the last update, but I've been sent an update regarding the poor installation that is being documented on here:



26/4/11...The installer has still not contacted me. So I rang them at 10.45 regarding the rear door which they left unusable. I was informed 'they would let me know when they were coming'. I then rang PWFED and told them the problems. I received a phone call from the installer saying they would be taking the Solidor to have it shortened tomorrow morning.....


27/4/11...door removed and returned at 2PM. The fitter had to shorten the casing. It is fitted and now opens... 


Today I updated Trading Standards on the situation. They have a case number and all details . The replacement window for the small bedroom is covered in touch up paint. Also noticed were small blisters in the foil.Very disappointing for a 'quality product' ?


The fitters left the cills for the storm porch doors and replacement windows at the property. The porch is dated 14/2/11 and they brought it to be fitted on 21/4/11. (why not ? I was silly enough to make them a £4000 interim payment). Now I ordered , and paid for,a  high quality lead free profile.... The manufacturer's tape on the porch was an entirely different make. This would explain why the gasket was black and not grey. Am I being scammed? The remake cills also have a different manufacturer's name on them. I have submitted photos to the manufacture whose profile I paid for. Also DGB has had a copy.


5/5/11...Nothing heard from the installer. I again rang PWFED.


6/5/11 .... Email from installer late afternoon saying there was a '2 week lead time on windows'.


13/5/11... email from installer,' I would like to advise you that we have received confirmation from ---, that the remakes will be delivered to our showroom week
commencing Monday 23 rd May. They have advised the frames will be
stripped down and thoroughly examined and re tapped before delivery,'


They said that last time, but frames still came with blotchy touching up, some over a foot long, and torn gaskets. And of course I will be unable to identify which profile I'm getting.


The frame maker claims their windows undergo a 3 in process inspection and a 20 point end of line check. They also claim to set the standards for others to follow. If this were true I wouldn't be having problems .I have no confidence with these people any more.


Hopefully, sooner rather than later, the installation will be at an acceptable level and this episode can have a line drawn under it.

Quality Counts Story Part 4

Below is the fourth part of the Quality Counts story:

19/4/11 Two fitters were sent from Leeds by the frame manufacturer. They were to replace some damaged sashes. I agreed to some foil tears being repaired rather than have all the frames changed. However, the new sashes,had filler, scratches/tears and 4 even had 25mm of torn gasket. These sashes were supposedly 'thoroughly checked ' by the installer before coming to the property. The situation is becoming ridiculous. Can't this place in Leeds make a window that's at least 90% correct? Is it a labour problem? Is it their machinery ? Or both.

So now I have curtains and blinds removed , furniture moved and dust sheets down again .

20/4/11 Builder came to alter his poor bell cast over bedroom window. He has already altered the lower one. He didn't redo it , just patched it up,so I don't know how long it will be before cracks appear. I have no confidence in his work any more.

20/4/11 Today my new back solidor will be fitted . It was supposed to have been installed week commencing 14/2/11. I saw it in the showroom on 24/2/11 when I paid the £4000 interim payment the director asked me for. So it arrived covered in dust. It has been fitted. But due to the measurements being wrong, it won't open. Something to do with the threshold. So I have a £1000 plus door that can't be used. To access the rear of the house I have to use the front door and walk round. The alarm sensor on the old door has been disconnected since February in readiness for the new door. I've had a piece of plastic over the old door, where the arch was squared off on 11/2/11.

I can't blame the new fitter for this, it's the surveyors fault.

Regarding the cracks that have appeared in the mortar joints over two windows;the director told the fitter to inform he will not be fitting any 'steel' over them. Trade comments on this would be appreciated. I did not expect it to be done fore nothing.

The doors for the storm porch arrived today. Again they should have been fitted 14/2/11. They've been stuck in a storeroom behind the showroom for weeks. This would explain the dents, gouges and white showing through the foil. The fanlight had black gasket instead of grey. The fitters couldn't install them.

The new window for the landing was unwrapped. There was a damaged area area which looked as though it had been touched up with a mars bar. So again the fitters couldn't install it.

I would point out here that the landing window previously fitted had touched up tears and numerous marks on it, not to mention a weld which had opened up .

The fitters have removed the mortar used by the previous fitter and replaced it with a correct mix. They also replaced a small window at the rear of property.

The director has not informed what he intends to do re. the back door. Nor has he rung with an apology. 

The above part of this story was sent to me a few days ago, but due to us being very busy at work, and then the bank holidays, this is the first opportunity I've had to get it posted. So apologies to my sender, I'm not ignoring you!

Quality Counts Story Part 3

I now have the third part of the ongoing story of a problem installation that I've been documenting over the past few weeks:

The builder came on 17/3/11 and cleaned the mortar of the flags at the front and side of the house.He came and went without announcing his presence. The rear flags were not cleaned.

On 24/3/11 the Manufacturer's technical advisor arrived. Stated foil damage was obviously caused by the frame manufacturer. Also, completely without any prior notice being given to myself, a fitter sent from Leeds arrived to replace the frame with the protruding screw and 2 badly made sashes. Due to the excessively high number of faults revealed when the tape was removed from the front windows, I checked the upper windows off a ladder and again found numerous faults. It was, therefore, pointless for the Leeds fitter to attempt any remedial work. 

Whilst up the ladder I noted a new horizontal hairline crack in the render where the builder had fitted angle iron above the upper window. The mortar bed under the bricks is insufficient, and the slate packing is loose. In fact it can easily be pulled out. The two bell casts done by the builder are odd. The upper being 4'' different to the lower one and bowed. The bricks above the WC window are extremely loose. Cracks in the mortar joints above the bathroom and back bedroom have appeared. The installers director informed that this will be OK as the upvc windows are load bearing. If a level is put on 1 cill it rocks, there are two high spots. 

On 24/3/11 The sales director from Leeds was due to arrive at 9am. He did not appear. Nor has he ever made contact with me. The fitter from Leeds confirmed that vandalism had taken place he also stated there were tooling problems in the factory. So Leeds were aware of the faults, but chose to ignore them . They painted over them. 

After showing the faults to the installers director he promised they would be rectified. He stated that if I looked at the windows in his showroom I would see faults on them. Would I have bought them if that was the case? He then said he was going to his showroom, and would return with a letter which he wanted me to sign. I will not disclose the content at this time. I declined to sign. I'm sure this was not legal.

On 24/3/11 I was told it would take a week for new windows to be made. I rang on 5/4/11 and was told they were waiting for some frames. Today is 12/4/11 and they have not contacted me.

Quality Counts Story Part 2

I have received the second part of the Quality Counts story from my contact:

Still nothing heard from installer.


Sent photos of screw and tears to frame makers in Leeds. on 4/3/11. On 7/3/11 rang installers and was told they were waiting for one piece of glass and this was holding things up.. When the snags were mentioned I was informed quality control in Leeds was first class.....I informed them the front windows were still not finished despite being fitted on 18/2/11..Was told fitter would come. He didn't.


At this stage , the windows on the front of house had not been trimmed and still had protective tape on them .


8,9, 10, 11, 14, 15, .... heard nothing from installer.


16/3/11..I rang showroom said I wasn't very happy, quite politely.


Owner came to site on 17/3/11 .Said he thought windows were completed....Also said he could repair all the tears with wax.


He arranged for two fitters to complete the front of property. They arrived at 2, left at 4. Window heads were still not dressed. Steel and bricks still showing. but they said they would glue the end caps on the cills that previous fitter had not done. Rang showroom, and was told they would be back within an hour. They never showed up. The removal of the manufacturer's tape revealed many more faults.


I was promised a new frame to replace the one with screw protruding. I was told the screw was done by a sacked ex employee and only the frames, not the sashes are checked for quality control, allegedly, although their literature makes claims of very stringent quality control. Also promised was a new sash to replace one with a 3/8 inch wide repair to a poor mitre and many blemishes, plus another sash replacing one which had patches of touch up where the fitter tried to disguise the foam he'd left on . Plus three new seals to replace torn ones. Builder is to come back and clean the mortar from paths and under windows. A real mess.


Who in their right mind would fit a bottom window firs? And then damage it with debris from the window above the next day and slap touch up on the marks. The builders using the toilet left excrement on the seat.


The two fitters who came on 16/3/11 removed the two boxes of broken glass that had been left in front of the house for 4 weeks. They also put brown silicone over the clear silicone used by the previous fitter. Because none of the windows were trimmed internally, no curtains or blinds could be refitted for 7 days.


20/3/11. Correction. Bedroom end caps not glued. They told me they had 'foamed' above 2 windows (2500 wide) to fix them. I now have my doubts.


On 23/3/11. I was told the piece of glass that was delaying the fitting of the doors had arrived and they would fit them tomorrow. This phone call was received at 1.40. I informed them that this notice was too short, as an appointment with the profile manufacturers technical advisor was arranged for 10 am that morning . I also had a medical appointment later. At 7pm. the installers director called at the property. He said a 'tooling fault' at Leeds was the cause of foil damage. Also a sacked worker had committed acts of vandalism. I pointed to the exposed brickwork over the 2 front windows.He said this was correct practice, as the bricks need to breathe.........

Quality Counts 3

This evening I have been sent two more images from the same installation as pictured in my other posts Quality Counts and Quality Counts 2.

If these were one off problems on separate installations then perhaps this wouldn't be so bad, but, as the sender tells me, these are all on the same installation.

You can have the best product in the world, but if they aren't fit right and finished off well, it can ruin an installation.

According to the sender of this image, the reason given by the company for bare bricks and no lintel was that this was to 'let the bricks breathe'.


Dear me.

In his email, the sender says that this is showing damaged foil, badly touched up.

Quality Counts 2

I've been sent another image by the sender who sent me the first image on the Quality Counts post:

According to the sender, there are over 50 of these foil tears across the installation. Along with:

The sender has said they will let me know the outcome of these issues.


Again, opinions on these images are welcome!

Quality Counts

I was sent this image earlier on today:


What do we all think?


The sender didn't say who the company was, when the window was installed or any other details.


This is about as much as I can say about it, other than that screw should definitely not be there!