DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hello,
I have had my eye on a double glazing system called 'Infinity' by Dekko for a while. It uses Decenuinck(?) profiles. It's claim to fame is really neat flush mitre welds in the corners so it doesn't look as intrusive when it has a woodgrain finish and it's flush casement as well, not this overlapping casement 'stormsure' stuff.

Now it's not the best 'timber alternative' system. Residence 9 looks better (mechanical joints, not welded) but it's well above the usual white upvc generic stuff. It also features 'equal sightlines' (i.e. openers look the same as non-openers as they put dummy sashes in the non-openers).

In trying to choose a timber alternative system I decided to get 'supply only' quotes as I thought installation was much of a muchness for all upvc windows. Anyway, R9 came in a ~£6,500 +VAT supply only (ish) whereas Infinity came in at £4,250 +VAT. This is for a semi with two large (each being 91" x 59" + the return of 24" + 59") multiple casement single return bays with toplights, plus, two 69" wide windows and two 49" wide windows.

It wasn't cheap, but I liked the look compared to the generic white upvc stuff.

I had read and been told by friends that fitting a semi was about two men for 2-3 days. Call it £1,000/day tops. Maybe £3,000 labour tops? I was a bit dismayed to find the 'supply + fit' price, when I finally took the plunge, was £10,400. Even allowing for a slight change I made to the spec at the end (a window changed to a single patio door - needed to angle grind out some bricks and make good)
I called up the salesman to see if he could explain the discrepancy between the usual? £2,000 to £3,000 installation costs and the ~£5.000 that I think he's charging for installation (he would not break it down into supply and installation costs for me nor offer an opinion on why it seemed higher than what I'd heard).
Now I actually think they're an honest company but I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on ~£5,000 installation costs for a semi with 6 windows (albeit two of them large bays) - actually five windows and one door...?

I have found another supplier and will get a quote from them and compare but and just chewing the aft in the meantime...

Hi Martin

You have clearly done your research and seem to have some good product knowledge in regards to the Deceuninck Flush Casement and Residence Collection windows.

I just wanted to clarify your concerns on the installation costs for the above products. Dekko are a manufacturer and not an installation company. Rates for the installation are determined by the companies that Dekko supply and not Dekko themselves.

The Deceuninck flush windows use a fairly standard 70mm profile and would usually be a straight forward install somewhat comparable to standard stormproof casement windows.

The Residence 9 windows use a 100mm profile which can lead to higher installation costs for a number of reasons. Often plaster reveals will need to be cut in order to accommodate the wider profile of the 'R9' window and, as they are glass bonded (meaning the windows are 'pre-glazed' at the point of manufacture) they are much heavier than standard windows, including the Deceuninck flush, and would require additional fitters to handle. Trims and silicones are also much higher priced due to the (in some cases) specialised colours that are only available in the Residence collection.

My best advice would be to shop around for a few quotes on the installation side of things and I'm sure Dekko would be happy to provide you with a list of companies that they supply to in your local area.

I hope this helps.

Windowwizard,

Thanks for the reply. As I mentioned in my first post I had found another installer to get a quote from (had to ring up Dekko themselves to get an address for an alternate local installer, for some reason Google had not picked them up - well, probably because they didn't mention Dekko Infinity anywhere on their website!).

Anyway, the new quote came in about £800 cheaper, at about £9,670 (including cutting a new aperture at the bottom of an existing window for a new patio door).

The other firm had quoted £10,400, but to be fair they had a significant amount of travel to do to get to my house so it could be just that that accounts for the difference.

NB: The window which I wanted converted to a patio door with some side windows would cost £1150 if I just had the window put in, but I made sure I got a second quote with the patio door modification listed as a separate item. That was instructive - it will cost £1360 on top of the £1150 that just a new window would have cost for the patio door mod. This was much more than I expected and probably what caused me to underestimate what the quote would be from the first company. The windows without the patio door mod (inc. VAT inc. installation) would cost me about £8290.

It is a semi with a lot of window mind you. Two big 5 section bays at the front, each with toplights, as well as a variety of other windows. About 20 off 24" x 57" casement sections all in all if you viewed each window as fundamentally being made up of ever-so-many 24" wide sections.

It's still a lot of money though - although it is a higher-end system. I believe the labour is estimated at 5 days - probably two guys. I had anticipated two guys for three days based on what I'd heard but it looks like that was too optimistic!