PRO INSTALLER AUGUST 2013
55
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PRO BUSINESS
BIG BROTHERLY ADVICE
PRO Installer has teamed up with celebrity builder, Craig Philips, to cover industry topics relevant to you…
Craig Phillips won the nations’ hearts with his cheeky humour and for confronting cheating Nasty Nick in the first ever reality TV show, Big Brother, back in 2000.
Having beaten 45,000 other applicants to appear in the programme, he spent nine weeks in the Big Brother house being watched by over 10 million people, riveting viewers and the media alike. On triumphantly leaving the house as the winner, Craig famously donated his entire winnings to childhood friend and Down’s syndrome sufferer Joanne Harris. Within six days of leaving the show, he had raised £250,000 to pay for her life-saving heart and lung transplant. Before Big Brother fame, Craig ran his own successful building business, giving him a wealth of knowledge to bring to TV after Big Brother life. Renovation Street, 60 Minute Makeover, Big Strong Boys and Housecall are just some of the top TV programmes where Craig has presented as resident builder and DIY expert. Craig has also appeared regularly as a DIY Expert on Daybreak, GMTV, The Richard Bacon Show and many more. With more and more DIY projects being undertaken as homeowners respond to the financial concerns of the credit crunch, Craig has teamed up with Home TV for two new and exclusive series as part of the channel’s Seize the DIY campaign, which aims to get British homeowners to learn basic DIY skills. These two shows are Celebrity DIY with Craig Phillips and If It’s Broke Fix It. Craig is also the DIY Expert for Home’s website www.lovehome.co.uk.
As well as being every girl’s dream DIY fixer, Craig has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charities with his marathons, football matches, cycle tours, tennis and his Christmas charity singles… Craig tells PRO Installer, “After years of working in the building trade, I have seen how windows help to establish a home’s visual character whilst letting in light and air to the interior of the house. I have seen a number of jobs where the windows have not been installed properly and, as you probably know, the problems can be immense! Windows that have not been properly fitted can create unwelcome water avenues leading to rot around the frames. Another serious problem is that burglars have an easier time breaking in to the house. In the most extreme situations, poor window installation can affect the structure of the house, resulting in potential damage to the foundation. I have listed the top things that I always consider when fitting windows: - First, discuss with your customer the style of windows they would like and match this to what is available. Some buildings may be listed in a conservation area or building control may insist on a certain style of window - wooden, UPVC or even metal in some cases, to keep in line with the adjoining building /area. - When the style and materials have been decided on, it is very important to have the windows designed to suit the building. Issues that may arise often involve window bars, window openings, obscure glassing and safety glass if they are next to opening doors or
below the legal height limits for health and safety. - When measuring up the openings to order the size of the windows, check all levels around the window openings - top, bottom and the two sides to see how true they are, as this will need to be reflected in the overall size being made. If all levels are true I normally still leave around 5mm play to allow the window to easily slide into the opening as this avoids any kinks in the frame.
- When fixing the windows, pack the frame in with plastic packets to set the level, then drill though both sides of the frame and into the brickwork so you can get a good firm window fixing. They need to have a least 3 on each side or be approximately 300mm apart. Next, apply a spray fixing expanding foam around all four sides of the frame to make the unit is airtight as new regulations mean that all windows need to be airtight.
- Once the frame is airtight, fixed level and the glassing is installed, you may need to drip away some of the expanding foam once it has fully dried. You will then need to seal the frame on both the inside and the outside using a trade quality waterproof silicon sealant which not only gives it a better and neater finish but will keep it waterproof as well. These steps will help give the windows you install
weathertightness, impact strength, durability and security. Achieving these four things will give your company a fantastic reputation and keep customers coming back for future window and door installations.”
Craig is the official brand ambassador for Blaklader workwear. More information can be found at www.blaklader.com