DIY Double Glazing has probably been around as long as Double glazing has.I can remember my first Double Glazing boss complaining to me back in 1990.
'We need to try and get more DIY Double glazing business the margins are great'
This resulted in me towing a caravan that had been converted into a mobile DIY double glazing showroom.Behind a V6 Granada.It was great we'd drive around housing estates with two other guys,one with a loud hailer shouting out DIY door prices etc.It ended late one night coming over a hump back bridge.The Granada's suspension got bust and the caravan went into the back of the car.Undeterred my boss bought a rascal van but no one would drive it.
He was comparing the margins between trade window buyers and the DIY Double glazing installer.I guess the DIY installer is typically paying about 10-15% more than a trade window buyer.
As a DIY installer you are making large savings compared to having a window fitting firm fit your windows weather it be one window or a houseful.The reasons for the difference in price is due to several factors.
1) You are not paying for there advertising campaign
2) No Salesman commission to pay
3) No window surveyor to pay
So you the typical DIY double glazing installer is saving about £250 per item over a retail window companies prices so its a great saving especially if you have 4 or 5 items to fit.
The other thing to consider for the DIY Double Glazing Installer is how to measure or survey your windows. Alternatively you can ask a builder or a window fitter to survey your windows and or install them for you.They will charge about £60 for a survey and about £50-70 per item to fit the item, more if it's a door or patio.
If you go down the route of surveying and installing your own DIY double glazing. We have a video on this site under measuring your windows which goes into a fair bit of detail.The golden rule if you survey your windows is to find measure the opening between the brickwork.And not the existing window frame itself.Similarly the survey sizes are all in millimetres and very importantly is to make sure the new window going into the opening is actually smaller than the opening.Sounds obvious but you wouldn't have a glove the same size as your hand would you! The window frame must have a tolerance or gap around the edge of about 5mm.This allows you to square it up in the opening and allows for some expansion of the window.IA white UPVC window will move approx 2mm for every 1000mm of size.
We started supplying DIY Double Glazing in 1996 and have thousands of customers who have enjoyed large savings and also a lot of pride in the fitting of their own windows.
