SERIES; MANAGE YOUR LIFE

Don’t move, improve

Garage doors, external doors, new windows; not very glamorous but if you own your home, at some point you will probably need to replace them. So who do you turn to? Mary talks to someone who knows

UNFORTUNATELY, SO CALLED double glazing ‘experts’ have historically had a reputation for ‘hard sell and awful customer service.’ How many remember horror stories about salesmen refusing to leave pensioners’ houses until they had signed up to spend thousands on replacement windows, sometimes that weren’t needed.

Thankfully those days are mainly gone, or we are more aware of them so are more wary. As well as replacement doors and windows, as home owners we may need the more pleasant purchase such as a new kitchen, warm roof or extension. Any home improvement is a major investment so we need to know we are spending our money wisely. And we can turn to the same company for all home improvements. A company that has a really good reputation for customer service and which prides itself that most of its business - 75% - comes from customer recommendations. Now that is something to be extremely proud of.

Classic Stamford arrived in the town in St Leonard’s Street in 2015. Spud and his wife Patricia set up Classic Stamford for their daughter and son-in-law. But it made sense for them both to be very heavily involved with the running of it day to day as they had had a large home improvement business in Cambridgeshire for over 28 years and Spud has been in the windows/doors industry since 1986; so you could say they know the home improvement market quite well. on in law Daniel originally fi tted kitchens for them in the Cambridgeshire business and he runs the kitchen side of the business today. He is the design and installation expert.

M ANAGE YOURLIF E

Recently Classic Stamford has moved to large new premises on Gwash Way just o Ryhall Road and they are proud that they now have the largest showroom in the area. And it’s impressive, pop along and have a look. ou will see lots of di erent windows on display ranging from wood to UPVC to aluminium. Doors galore, warm roofs, lanterns and kitchens. A home improvements' (because that is what Classic’s business is) showroom at its best.

Windows and doors are 60% of their business and this is where their reputation comes in. Every window, even if you buy just one, is guaranteed for 10 years. And the company take great pride in this guarantee which they will always honour. ‘It can cost us, going out to someone after eight years for a single window but it doesn’t matter. We are an honest company and if we say we will do something, we will,’ says Spud. And the referrals from new customers back this up.

In our area replacement windows can be contentious. Much of Stamford (and surrounding villages) are in a conservation area with many, many listed buildings. So you would think that replacing traditional wooden windows with UPVC would never be allowed. This is not always the case as some plastic windows don’t look plastic, they have greatly improved and it can

sometimes be hard to tell whether they are wood or not. And planners have cottoned on to this. But hold on - and I have to confess here nearly fell o my chair when pud told me - UPVC windows are no longer the most popular choice for new windows; aluminium ones are!

In my mind aluminium windows are those awful silver, single glazed windows that replaced traditional wood ones in the 1950s and ‘60s. And you can still see them sadly debasing the looks of many houses in the area. Well those days are gone. Aluminium windows are rapidly taking over a larger share of the market. They come in any colour, are slim, strong, recycled, so more sustainable and are now a big seller. They are thermally effi cient and will last for years, well over 30, so are much harder wearing and, according to Spud, are more secure. And they are incredibly low maintenance; all the frames need is running over with a cloth and warm water. They are still more expensive than UPVC but prices are rapidly becoming comparable. One of their biggest advantages is that, unlike

'Recently Classic Stamford has moved to large new premises on Gwash Way just off Ryhall Road and they are proud that they now have the largest showroom in the area.'

plastic, aluminium does not expand or contract in extremes of temperature. Aluminium is perfect for bi-fold doors too. And bi-fold doors are what everyone wants. There’s not a huge di erence, to be fair in aluminium or UPVC windows,’ says Spud. They are both thermally effi cient, hard wearing, low maintenance and will last for years. All the glass sealed units used today are very thermally effi cient too. Glass is also recycled which makes a big di erence.’

Timber windows are at least double the price of aluminium or UPVC which doesn’t make a lot of sense to me as environmentally they are more ‘friendly.’ But they are available, and all of Classic’s windows, whatever materials they are made of, are British made and many are bespoke.

There is no doubt, home improvements do not come cheap. The price of a new front door is costly. But a new front door can transform the look of a house completely, make it more secure and, like new windows make it thermally more effi cient and that means saving on heating bills; vital these days.

Another large part of Classic’s business is ‘Warm Roofs.’ Everyone used to want a conservatory. And anyone who has a conservatory knows that they are not all they are cracked up to be. In the winter, they are freezing so too cold to sit in and in the summer can be far too hot. So to make them a useful all year round room you put a fully insulated warm roof on it with a choice of di erent tiles and add some heating. Then it complies with building regulations and, hey presto, you have another fully functioning room! Classic are doing a lot of these installations and interestingly haven’t fi tted a new conservatory this year.

Classic employs 21 people, plus a building crew and has fi ve teams of installers. nd they need them, being extremely busy. They also do a lot of kitchen extensions, knocking walls down and installing bi-fold and large patio doors; they convert garages and will do single storey extensions as well. They even employ a full time plasterer so you can see how busy they are.

But what’s most important is that you can trust them. ‘We are a moral company,’ says Spud. 'We will not sell products that aren’t suitable or safe. We pride ourselves on our customer service and quality of work. Yes things sometimes go wrong, but our customers know we will put it right; effi ciently and without any fuss.’

Classic tamford won’t fi t something that is not fi t for purpose, can o er you lots of unbiased advice about di erent frames, doors, roofs and glass. And that new showroom is defi nitely worth a visit.

www.classicstamford.co.uk