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Mr Trevelyan Kernow - New customer case study. He is a lovely chap!!

My name is Philip Whear.  I am the owner of Philip Whear Windows & Conservatories. We make high quality doors, windows and conservatories at our own premises in Redruth, and work throughout West Cornwall. .This week I met, and had an interesting discussion with, a potential customer - Mr Trevelyan Kernow. Mr Kernow was a lottery winner, and is now a Cornish property developer.  He has been looking at various properties to buy in Cornwall but most recently in Penzance, St Ives, Camborne and Redruth. He popped in to our showrooms on Wilson Way in Pool to get some detailed information on the range of products we could supply him if he purchases one or more of the properties he is interested in.  Our conversation went a bit like this:

T.Kernow: ‘Is there any advantage in buying second hand windows and doors, bearing in mind that they are standard sort of sizes and, since I am a practical and handy sort of chap who no longer has to work, I could fit them myself?’

P.Whear: ‘Well, I'm afraid not. Windows and Doors have to comply with a number of regulations covering such things as energy ratings, fire escape provisions, safety glazing compliance and so on. They also have to be installed by a ‘competent person’ – that is, a FENSA or CERTASS registered installer. Alternatively, they could be a compliant product which could be fitted by yourself, but this would need to be approved and inspected by a Building Control body, and quite a substantial fee is payable if you go down that route, and that is an additional cost to you.’

 

T.Kernow: ‘Oh right, so, energy ratings for windows. What's that all about then? My new boiler's got an A rating, is that the same sort of thing?’

 

P.Whear: ‘Yes. A window, whether it is uPVC, aluminium or timber being fitted, must have either an A B or C energy rating. This is for energy conservation, so just as your ‘A’ rated  boiler will burn less gas (and burn it more efficiently, resulting in the same heating output) than a lower ‘B’ or ‘C’ rated product, so the better – or higher - your windows energy rating, the greater the savings, producing a 'payback'. This can be as little as just a few years.’

 

T.Kernow: ‘Well, that makes sense. Also, I am going to need windows which allow escape in case of fire at one of the properties I’m looking at in Falmouth. I suppose those bedroom windows with narrow little top openers wouldn't be allowed nowadays?’

 

P.Whear: ‘They are not always in keeping with the style of the property but they are still allowed – but not for means of escape. Essentially, a fire escape window needs to have a third of a square metre minimum area with a clear 450mm minimum width or height, the bottom of the aperture being between 800 and 1100mm from the floor. It is a good idea to install fire escape windows in the first and upper floors of properties, whether the Building Regulations require them or not, to ensure occupants can escape from a fire in the property.’  

 

T.Kernow: ‘So the best bet is to get a registered company to design, make and fit the uPVC, aluminium or timber windows and doors that tick all the boxes, and then enjoy the plummeting heating bills?’

P.Whear: ‘Mmmm. ‘Plummeting’ may be a bit strong but you will certainly make good savings on your heating bills! Your installation then goes onto a government database as being compliant, and this is routinely checked by the buyer's surveyor when the property is sold.  Your property will have a better overall energy rating on the survey, and that can make or break a sale.’

Click here to get a Voucher for a FREE Energy Rated Glass Upgrade on your New or Replacement Windows from Philip Whear Windows & Conservatories.

Mr Kernow wants to build a portfolio of properties in West Cornwall as far up as Bodmin,  and is looking at all sorts of different buildings, so he has many questions he wants answering along with general help and advice. We are ready to help in any way we can.

 

See how this story unfolds, as Mr Kernow really gets his teeth into developing his property portfolio, and his properties, in my next blog.

We do every product in any colour!

Hardwood, Aluminium and uPVC in absolutely any colour!

An orangery, a conservatory, windows (casement, sliding sash, tilt/turn) and doors (bi-folding, patio, French, stable, residential or commercial) are all available in any colour you can dream of! Our glass balustrading posts can also be powder coated in any colour (or indeed in 316 ‘Marine Grade’ stainless steel in either brushed or mirror polished finish).

Most of our uPVC supplying competitors either do not offer colours at all, or only a very limited range of ‘Foiled’ colours, normally onto a white base profile.

Our bespoke hardwood and uPVC products can all be offered in any shade, hue or tint of colour!

 

uPVC or PVCu  (it’s the same thing in case you were wondering) is prepared, spray painted and lacquered in our on-site specialist spray booth. During the painting process the air is filtered and heated, following which the products are subject to a ‘low bake’ process to hasten the curing of the Swiss made AVCO paint , produced by our in- house paint mixing system. This is the only installation of it’s kind in the county for the truly professional application of paint especially developed for uPVC products. Our painter is NVQ Level 3 (the highest level) ensuring we consistently produce the highest quality finish. Every batch is tested for adhesion, depth of paint and hardness. How long will it last? Well, a good analogy would be as long, or longer, than the painted plastic parts on a car! After twelve years, we have unequalled experience in Cornwall!

 

We make and paint a range of hardwood products. Our standard materials are Utile/Sapele Mahogany FSC Approved (Forestry Stewardship Council) or other timbers to order. European Oak is a favourite if funds allow, or others if you prefer. These can be stained to various shades, or painted (Oak cannot be painted) in a huge range of colours using Morells water based specialist coatings. These are applied with a very special ‘low air volume ‘spraying system. This is normally applied in the spray booth to ensure the best, dust free finish.

Aluminium products are normally ‘Powder Coated’; a different process which is carried out off site with, again, a massive range of colours available. The RAL Architectural range is the simplest and most cost effective, although special colours can be ordered.

So, when you want a first class painted orangery, conservatory, doors or windows, all made in Cornwall by local craftsmen, painted in ANY colour (and that includes a different colour inside to the outside) come to West Cornwall’s premier manufacturer and supplier

Philip Whear Windows & Conservatories Ltd.

 

Showroom & Factory: Wilson Way, Pool Industrial Estate, REDRUTH, Cornwall TR15 3RT.  Telephone 01209 215759 or visit our website: www.philipwhear.co.uk

The Green Deal is coming...

The Green Deal is coming... And Philip Whear Windows & Conservatories Ltd are ready!

The long awaited Green Deal proposed by the Government is finally taking shape.  There have been a couple of false dawns before now,  but  it does seem that the industry is gearing itself up for an imminent start.  The way a company will qualify to be a Green Deal provider has also become clearer, and many of the big national companies are  preparing for this.  On a local level, and in West Cornwall, so is Philip Whear Windows & Conservatories Ltd.  As a forward-thinking Cornish company we have, over the past  four or five years, been making sure our fabricators and fitters achieve industry-standard National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) – which is one of the requirements for achieving new Green Deal provider status.  Because we wanted to invest in our staffsince 2007 we have  already exceeded the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) requirement of all staff to be qualified to NVQ 2 (Skilled) level.  All our fabricators, who make  your frames  in our Redruth, factory, are already qualified to NVQ 3 (Advanced Skilled) .  Our fitters/installers are all at least NVQ2  (Skilled) and three have  achieved NVQ 3(Advanced Skilled)level.  Our office staff are all either graduates or hold degree-level professional qualifications appropriate to their function.  Taking all this together we are probably the best qualified workforce in this industry in  Cornwall, making sure that we are ‘Green Deal’qualified – and more than capable.

In addition to beingvery well qualified we are  FENSA registered. FENSA, who operate a ‘competent person scheme’ (CPS) for the installation of doors, have just announced a requirement in companies registered with them that fitters/installers must hold a minimum of NVQ 2 and surveyors  must hold a minimum of NVQ3 by June 2014 in order for a company to become Certified Installers.We are already qualification compliant to become Certified Installers with FENSA. Philip Whear Windows & Conservatories Ltd is also a member of The Glazing Ombudsman (TGO). This body, unlike the ‘other’ - shareholder owned - body DGCOS, is a not-for-profit organisation and is set up jointly by FENSA and The Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) to ensure that customers who suffer  a legitimate grievance by a member firm have an appropriate Ombudsman scheme to which they can refer in the event of a dispute.  TGO is an entirely independent body and is staffed by skilled, experienced and qualified arbitrators. In the event that a ruling is made against a company it is TGO who reimburses the customer, and then TGO recovers the cost from the company if they have been adjudged at fault. We hope never to give cause for a customer of ours to have to resort to TGO for dispute resolution, much preferring to work to our Mission Statement and resolve  issues before they become disputes, but feel that we should give our customers that additional level of consumer protection for their peace of mind.

When thinking of your Green Deal options for energy conservation, or simply updating your home and choosing between a timber or a uPVC orangery or  conservatory, new windows or new doors (-painted in any colour, don’t forget)  remember that there is a well established local Cornish company, employing highly qualified and skilled craftsmen who still make their own products by hand in their own factory in Pool, near Redruth. They offer more than their 10 year guarantee; they offer rock-solid  TGO consumer protection.They also offer innovative design and technical solutions, knowledgeable and helpful staff, a wide range of materials, top quality products  and years of satisfaction from choosing the right company.

Today, just as 27 years ago when they started out,  Philip Whear Windows & Conservatories Ltd are ready to help with your requirements - be they Green Deal or other home improvements – with advice, with planning and with realising your dreams through a personal service from a highly reputable , long established, local company  who can justifiably say, proudly, ‘Made  in Cornwall’.