At Collingtons, everyone works together as a team ensuring that the customer journey, from initial consultation through to the finished installation, is as seamless as possible. There are many varieties of homes in Cornwall, ranging from 300-year-old cottages in the middle of nowhere to new build properties in the centre of town. This huge range of property types tests the knowledge and experience of the Collington team, but very little phases us!
The process
Business Development Manager Lloyd Harris deals with all installation requests, and will work with the customer to go through all options available. Once the design and price has been agreed, Collingtons’ experienced Surveyor Glyn Hocking (who has been with the company for over 24 years) will ensure that all discussed options and designs are able to be realised.
All fitting options are discussed with the customer through Glyn and then passed onto the fitting team to carry out. The fitters play a vital role in that journey as it’s their responsibility to ensure that the product is installed correctly and the customer is happy. We catch up with expert fitter Tim Brett to find out what a typical day looks like for them.
7:30am
Due to Cornwall’s rural nature, we might have a fairly long drive ahead of us and so we get together for an early team meeting with all staff – fitters, engineers, surveyor and office team – to discuss the jobs for the day and the week ahead. This also gives us a chance to debrief from the previous day’s jobs.
7:45am
Next we pack up the vans for the day, ensuring we have both the product and all the necessary tools and accessories needed for a smooth installation. Once we’re safely loaded we leave for site.
8:30am
We try to arrive on site in good time, to give us the most amount of hours possible to complete the job. We’ll meet with the customer to discuss what we will be doing, as it’s important that they are kept informed and happy with the process. All Collington fitters are skilled tradesmen with vast experience across many different products. We need to have an eye for detail, detailed craftsmanship, excellent people skills and, of course, a sense of humour!
At this point we also check on what utilities are available to us. The next step is to measure the aperture to ensure the new item will fit before removing the current one. This will have already been done during the ordering process but it’s always better to check! Once we’re happy that the new product will fit, we carefully remove the current item and install new, ensuring that it’s plum and level and that the customer is happy with the fit.
There are many different ways to finish a recently installed window or door. These can include render fillets, plastic trims, caulking or silicone. These options would have been discussed with the customer on initial consultation by Lloyd, and with Glyn when he surveyed the property, going through the options with the customer. Now it's time for us to finish the installation off as agreed with the customer. This is where, as craftsmen, we like to take the time to ensure the final detail is completed to the best possible standard.
At Collingtons, we like to ensure that we are realising the potential of the property and pride ourselves in our craftsmanship and the extra time and care we take over every aspect to capture the full potential of each individual project.
We have been working with our suppliers for many years. Fensa is our governing body for all installations, ad as fitters we all hold MTC (Mandatory Technical Competence) cards, with any new recruits taking the exams to gain this qualification once their two-year training is complete
No-one likes a mess, least of all us! We like to leave a site as we find it, so we’ll tidy up after ourselves, hoover, load any rubbish into the van and head back to the factory. Once there, we’ll clear out the van ready for the next morning.
A quick stop-off in the office before we leave will see us debrief the office team and gives us a chance to update them on any issues that might have arisen.
4.30-5pm
Home time!
To arrange an appointment to discuss your windows, doors, or conservatory requirements, please get in touch here.