30 BUILDING FABRIC
check’ on designs which may in practice prove too expensive or impractical to execute.
SPECIFY BESPOKE WINDOWS & DOORS High quality windows should be bespoke to a project, so contact potential suppliers as early as possible during the planning stage to fully exploit the features and benefits that bespoke manufacture can deliver. For example, extra-large windows are becoming increasingly popular among today’s home buyers, and also deliver a host of performance and cost advantages. Larger glass areas reduce relative cost per square metre rates (because the frame is the most expensive part of any window), lower U-values (as glass is a better insula- tor than the frame), and increase natural light levels in the home. However, often these extra-large windows (especially if they are opening units) can only be supplied bespoke – so rather than realise later on in a project that your range of options is limited, talk to a bespoke glazing manufacturer from the earliest planning stage and specify better quality, more cost-effective windows, tailored specifically to your development and with the potential to add greater value to your project.
THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL SPECIFICATION It is far more cost effective to choose a supplier which offers technical and design support, performance consultancy and testing, and test evidence as part of the glazing package. Suppliers which deliver only product may be reducing supply costs by cutting corners rather than considering best value for the project, such as providing test data only when demanded by building inspec- tors, rather than before. Suppliers investing in technical support and testing programmes can already supply data on Part Q compliance, and on performance criteria such as air tightness, wind and water resistance, acoustic control and U-values. This can help achieve a speedy sign off from Building Control and from insurance providers such as NHBC, LABC or Premier Guarantee, allowing properties to get to market as soon as they are completed. By choosing a supplier willing to invest
up front in crucial support services, you can save significant time and money during the specification and building phases, and increase profit margins when developments go on sale.
Kevin Bonnar is housebuilding sales manager at Velfac
Housebuilder & Developer is independently verified by ABC.
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