Hiring a fitter for supply-only windows and doors
When you buy supply only, we supply the windows and doors, made to your sizes, and you choose who fits them. That can be a window fitter, a joiner, a builder or a competent DIYer. This guide covers what to ask a fitter before you order, what to send them, when to book the fit, and who answers for what afterwards.
Before you order: get a labour quote
Get the fitter's quote before you order, so you know your total. Show them the windows and doors you've designed, with the sizes, and ask exactly what their price covers.
- Measuring: the sizes you order are yours, so ask whether the fitter will measure or check your sizes with our measuring guide. Our order check confirms your order can be made as you specified it, not that it fits your openings
- Taking out the old windows and doors, and getting rid of them
- The fitting consumables: fixings, packers, low-expansion foam, silicone and trims
- Fitting the cills and trickle vents, glazing the frames and toe-and-heeling the glass units (toe and heel guide)
- Making good inside and out once the frames are in
- Sign-off: whether they're registered with FENSA or Certass and willing to certify windows you supply, or whether you'll need building control (see below)
What to send your fitter
- Your order details: the order email lists every item and its size, and your order page shows the full specification of each one (sizes, colours, glazing and options). Save or print the order page and give the fitter a copy
- How the windows arrive: fully assembled frames with the handles, locks, hinges and friction stays fitted and adjusted. The sealed glass units come separately, because a frame is fixed into the opening unglazed and glazed afterwards. Cills and trickle vents, where ordered, come loose, ready to fit
- How the doors arrive: a composite door comes already hung in its frame, and aluminium bifolds come made up with the leaves already hung on the frame. On a uPVC door, the slab can come off its flag hinges (they unclip once the caps are off) if your fitter would rather handle a lighter frame
- Our fitting guides, written for competent DIYers and installers: fitting a uPVC window, fitting a door and fitting bifold doors. Bifolds also come with their own installation instructions, which your fitter should read before the old doors come out
- All three guides start with the same check: the new frame is about 10mm smaller than the opening each way, and there must be a sound lintel above, because the frame never carries the wall
When to book the fit
Book the fit for after your order has arrived and you've checked it, not for delivery day. We email your delivery or collection date when we confirm your order, normally within one working day of your order, often the same day. We can't give you a date before you order. We get every order to you as soon as we can, depending on our workload and when we're delivering in your area. Windows and uPVC doors typically take 5-14 working days, and composite and bifold doors 15-25 working days.
Delivery is kerbside: a single driver delivers between 8am and 5pm Monday to Thursday, and between 8am and 3pm on Fridays, and you unload, so have at least two able-bodied people ready. Count every frame, glass unit, cill and vent against your order, and look over each one before the driver leaves. Report any damage, defects or missing items in writing within 72 hours of delivery, with photos of the damage and the product labels, to sales@newupvcwindows.co.uk. Booking the fitter after that check means any problem is sorted before they arrive.
Until the fit, store frames and glass units upright on timber bearers, never flat, and keep each window's glass units, cill and vents together with its frame. The delivery-day checklist has the details.
Getting the work signed off
In England and Wales, replacement windows must be certified as meeting Building Regulations, and there are two routes. A FENSA or Certass registered installer can fit windows you supply and certify the work themselves. Otherwise, you apply to your local authority building control before the work starts, and an inspector checks it. We don't issue FENSA or Certass certificates for supply-only orders. Rules differ in Scotland: check with your local authority before the work starts.
Keep the certificate with your order page and invoice: when you sell, your buyer's solicitor will ask for it. Our FENSA and building control guide explains both routes, and the Building Regulations guide covers safety glass, ventilation and fire escapes.
Who answers for what
| Item | Who answers for it |
|---|---|
| The sizes you order | You |
| Making what you ordered, and delivering it undamaged | Us |
| The fitting itself | Your fitter |
| Building Regulations sign-off | Your fitter if FENSA or Certass registered, otherwise you, through building control |
Our guarantee covers the products: uPVC frames for 10 years against discolouration and warping, sealed units for 5 years against unit failure, such as misting, and hardware (handles, hinges, locks and fittings) for 12 months. The guarantee periods start on the date of your invoice. Composite doors carry the same guarantee Comp Door gives. Aluminium bifolds carry the same guarantee Sheerline gives. Ask us for the full guarantee terms.
The guarantee depends on correct installation, use and maintenance, and doesn't cover damage caused by installation. For an accepted claim we supply replacement parts free of charge; fitting them is down to you or your installer. The full wording is in section 10 of our terms and conditions.
Ask your fitter to clean the frames with warm soapy water only when they finish. Solvents, abrasives and bleach mean the frame guarantee won't apply.
Frequently asked questions
- Do you fit windows, or recommend a fitter?
- No. We supply only: we don't survey, measure or fit, and we don't run an installer network, so we can't recommend a fitter. Local joiners, window fitters and general builders fit supplied windows routinely; get two or three quotes for the labour.
- Can my fitter order the windows for me?
- Yes. Many customers have their joiner or builder measure and place the order. Our prices are trade prices and the same for everyone, and a free trade account lets your fitter save the quote for the job.
- Can my fitter ask you about the products?
- Yes. We don't fit, but we're happy to answer product and sizing questions before the work starts. Phone 0161 793 1166 (Monday to Thursday 8am to 5pm, Friday 8am to 3pm) or email sales@newupvcwindows.co.uk, with your order reference if you've ordered.
- What if my fitter finds damage when they unwrap the windows?
- Check everything at delivery, before the fitter arrives: visible damage reported after 72 hours may be declined, because we can no longer tell when it happened. Faults that couldn't reasonably have been seen at delivery keep your statutory rights. The returns policy has the details.
Sources
The official documents and schemes this page refers to. Rules change, so check the current version, and ask your fitter or building control if you're not sure.
Got your labour quote?
Design your windows or doors, check the sizes, and see the price as you go.