Standard windows: there aren’t any….

You’d be surprised (or maybe you wouldn’t?) by how many people call up and ask, “I’ve got a broken kitchen window, it’s just a standard one, how much to fix it?” This is a problem for any glazier. Why? There is no such thing as a standard window size! Remember this the next time you search for custom glass replacement on Google! It’ll help you get your quote much quicker, and much more reliably!

The glazier isn’t joking when he tells you…

We need to take a step back here from glass replacement, and go to the construction of all the dwellings. You’ve got buildings that are 100+ years old, new builds, a lot of post-war builds, the list goes on…Buildings are always built according to the regulations of the time. Thing is, these regulations change! So, what was a “standard window” in 1950 may not be one in 1960, 1970 and so on. Just look at the photos of the windows and doors in this blog! None of them are the same, and they’re just a few quick examples!!!

Standard doors: surprise, there aren’t any either…

Yep, it’s the same thing with windows. In fact, it’s an even more complicated picture with doors, to be honest. Why? We’re only allowed to put Grade-A safety glass in them due AS1288-2006 (the Australian Standards regulations for glass in buildings). Doors come in a range of sizes, from 2100 x 900, to 2050 x 840, to 2400 x 1200 –the list is almost endless. Moreover, there will either be tempered glass (also known as toughened) in them, or 6.38 clear laminated safety. While laminated safety can be carried as glass sheets on the back of our trucks, tempered cannot be. Why? Well, tempered is actually regular float that is cut, then re-baked to toughen it. And, once re-baked, it cannot be cut: it will just explode!

So the next time you call a glazing company…

The next time you look for custom glass replacement online to find a company to get a quote for your next replacement, please remember to get measurements. Even better, get a photo ready, too, showing the whole window or door panel and its frame. You’ve likely gathered by now that there is, simply put, no such thing as ‘standard’ when it comes to glazing! We haven’t even started on frame types yet…Timber beading, timber putty, aluminum with rubber, aluminum with silicone, steel…Holy moly, we’ll save that for our next blog!