I may have the opportunity to purchase some good condition used
double-glazed PCVu french doors. They are 5 years old. Will I have
problems with the building regs if I use them in a new extension ? What
if I can't prove what they are filled with etc.?
Thanks,
Simon.

sm_jamieson wrote:
I may have the opportunity to purchase some good condition used
double-glazed PCVu french doors. They are 5 years old. Will I have
problems with the building regs if I use them in a new extension ? What
if I can't prove what they are filled with etc.?

Difficult to say, but AFAIK the French make their
doors just like ours. Perhaps you could e-mail or
write to the manufacturer? Babelfish translations
might be useful if you don't speak the language.

Difficult to say, but AFAIK the French make their
doors just like ours. Perhaps you could e-mail or
write to the manufacturer? Babelfish translations
might be useful if you don't speak the language.

Oh Chris. I know, I know.
But EVERYONE calls them french doors, and if I ask a
question about "french windows" someone will say :
"Difficult to say, but AFAIK the French make their windows ..." (!)

The manufacturer is unknown - there were on a new-build house.

Simon.

sm_jamieson wrote:
Difficult to say, but AFAIK the French make their
doors just like ours. Perhaps you could e-mail or
write to the manufacturer? Babelfish translations
might be useful if you don't speak the language.


Oh Chris. I know, I know.
But EVERYONE calls them french doors,

Then they must be educated (or exterminated)!


The manufacturer is unknown - there were on a new-build house.

They may be questioned, it depends on the insulation of the
rest of the place, AFAIK - couldn't your local pen-pusher
be consulted? Slim chance of a sensible answer, I know...

They may be questioned, it depends on the insulation of the
rest of the place, AFAIK - couldn't your local pen-pusher
be consulted? Slim chance of a sensible answer, I know...
Extension is to an old house with solid walls, some single-glazing etc.
I am putting in my plans to building control soon.
I will probably have to make a calculated risk at this point about how
much it's worth paying / if they get refused etc.
Simon.

On 9 Jan 2006 07:03:09 -0800, wrote:

Difficult to say, but AFAIK the French make their
doors just like ours. Perhaps you could e-mail or
write to the manufacturer? Babelfish translations
might be useful if you don't speak the language.

Oh Chris. I know, I know.
But EVERYONE calls them french doors, and if I ask a
question about "french windows" someone will say :
"Difficult to say, but AFAIK the French make their windows ..." (!)

The manufacturer is unknown - there were on a new-build house.

I call them "Fenetre Francais"!

I suspect that the building control people will want some sort of spec
on the doors (Windows!) and at the very least you need to check they
are toughened and manufactured to the correct BS specification.

Have you considered getting the individual units replaced? Would the
council be happy with tnat?

It's possible that once the frame is removed you'll find a sticker
with a manufacturer's name on it.

Before parting with any cash I'd run the idea past the council and see
what they say.

sponix

Have you considered getting the individual units replaced? Would the
council be happy with tnat?
Any idea what I'd need to pay to get sealed units made ?
The overall size is 1500 x 2100mm (I guess 2 sealed units 1400 x 2000
approx).
Simon.

wrote:
Someone else wrote, but sm_jamieson munged the attributions:
Have you considered getting the individual units replaced? Would the
council be happy with tnat?

Any idea what I'd need to pay to get sealed units made ?
The overall size is 1500 x 2100mm (I guess 2 sealed units 1400 x 2000
approx).

About £140.

On Mon, 09 Jan 2006 16:19:30 GMT SPoNiX wrote :
I suspect that the building control people will want some sort of spec
on the doors (Windows!) and at the very least you need to check they
are toughened and manufactured to the correct BS specification.

Have you considered getting the individual units replaced? Would the
council be happy with tnat?

This is a case where an injection of common-sense on behalf of the BCO
is needed (some have it, some don't). These regs are all about energy
conservation: making the OP put these doors in a skip so he can buy new
ones which will probably deliver a minimal saving would be daft.

--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk
Free SEDBUK boiler database browser http://www.sda.co.uk/qsedbuk.htm
[Latest version QSEDBUK 1.12 released 8 Dec 2005]

The message .com
from contains these words:

But EVERYONE calls them french doors, and if I ask a
question about "french windows" someone will say :
"Difficult to say, but AFAIK the French make their windows ..." (!)

Everyone doesn't. French windows is the correct description in the UK.
Only foreigners from the other side of the Atlantic should call them
french doors.

--
Roger Chapman

Roger wrote:
The message from sm_jamieson contains these words:
But EVERYONE calls them french doors, and if I ask a
question about "french windows" someone will say :
"Difficult to say, but AFAIK the French make their windows ..." (!)

Everyone doesn't. French windows is the correct description in the UK.
Only foreigners from the other side of the Atlantic should call them
french doors.

"Dumbing down" (sic), ain't it.

Everyone doesn't. French windows is the correct description in the UK.
Only foreigners from the other side of the Atlantic should call them
french doors.
When describing component parts, what do you say. E.g.
I have a set of french windows. The left window has a crack ..
OR
The left door has a crack. If you had a single side and called it
a window, people would be well confused !
Simon.

wrote:
I may have the opportunity to purchase some good condition used
double-glazed PCVu french doors. They are 5 years old. Will I have
problems with the building regs if I use them in a new extension ? What
if I can't prove what they are filled with etc.?

I'd be surprised if the frames weren't date-stamped somewhere
(everywhere?) which would provide evidence for the BCO - although didn't
the regs change about 5 years ago? Which may be worse for your case...!

David

wrote:
Someone wrote, but sm_jamieson munged the attributions yet again:
Everyone doesn't. French windows is the correct description in the UK.
Only foreigners from the other side of the Atlantic should call them
french doors.

When describing component parts, what do you say. E.g.
I have a set of french windows. The left window has a crack ..
OR
The left door has a crack.

"The left [one] has a crack".


If you had a single side and called it a window, people would be
well confused !

"Well confused". Hm. ".. people would be, well, confused!" perhaps?

On Mon, 09 Jan 2006 17:02:18 GMT, Tony Bryer
wrote:

This is a case where an injection of common-sense on behalf of the BCO
is needed (some have it, some don't). These regs are all about energy
conservation: making the OP put these doors in a skip so he can buy new
ones which will probably deliver a minimal saving would be daft.

That is very true.

However, will that tick the correct boxes on the BCOs checklist?

sponix

The message . com
from contains these words:

Everyone doesn't. French windows is the correct description in the UK.
Only foreigners from the other side of the Atlantic should call them
french doors.
When describing component parts, what do you say. E.g.
I have a set of french windows. The left window has a crack ..
OR
The left door has a crack. If you had a single side and called it
a window, people would be well confused !

Only the clueless.

But you don't need to take my word for it, just consult an English
dictionary.

Incidentally french windows don't have to be in pairs. Single examples
used to be quite common.

--
Roger Chapman

I wouldn't pay anything for them if I were you. Getting rid of old
plastic windows etc is a problem as nobody usually wants them - not
least because they are crap to start with and 2nd hand they are going
to be crappier and a problem to fit. Really they should pay you for
taking them away.

cheers

Jacob

I wouldn't pay anything for them if I were you. Getting rid of old
plastic windows etc is a problem as nobody usually wants them - not
least because they are crap to start with and 2nd hand they are going
to be crappier and a problem to fit. Really they should pay you for
taking them away.
These have only been used internally (I know how owd would interpret
that -
stuck it up their a...).
And if I can get pretty much what I would be paying 500 quid for, for
150 quid, seems OK to me. They look identical to the present screw-fix
offerings and are exactly the same size I need.
In the perfect world I would have oak, but its not and I can't.

On 9 Jan 2006 06:45:17 -0800, a particular chimpanzee named
randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

I may have the opportunity to purchase some good condition used
double-glazed PCVu french doors. They are 5 years old. Will I have
problems with the building regs if I use them in a new extension ? What
if I can't prove what they are filled with etc.?

If you assume they're air-filled with no coating and you can establish
the gap between the panes, you can work out their U-value (from
Approved Document L1). The requirement is for an _average_ U-value of
2.0W/m²K where the area of opening is no more than 25% of the floor
area. There are trade-offs if the area of glazing is less than the
permitted or the other elements have a U-value less than the maximum.
--
Hugo Nebula
"If no-one on the internet wants a piece of this,
just how far from the pack have you strayed?"

wrote:
I wouldn't pay anything for them if I were you. Getting rid of old
plastic windows etc is a problem as nobody usually wants them - not
least because they are crap to start with and 2nd hand they are going
to be crappier and a problem to fit. Really they should pay you for
taking them away.
These have only been used internally (I know how owd would interpret
that -
stuck it up their a...).
And if I can get pretty much what I would be paying 500 quid for, for
150 quid, seems OK to me. They look identical to the present screw-fix
offerings and are exactly the same size I need.
In the perfect world I would have oak, but its not and I can't.

Occasionally this can work: I'll give you 150 if the BCO passes them.
If not, you'll get them returned, no charge. If they know theres no
other buyer, and know who you are, they often say mumble mumble, well
ok then.


NT

Occasionally this can work: I'll give you 150 if the BCO passes them.
If not, you'll get them returned, no charge. If they know theres no
other buyer, and know who you are, they often say mumble mumble, well
ok then.


NT
I've decided not to go for them now. It's too far in the future - only
just
putting plans into building control. They are on ebay, and I'm no
longer
the highest bidder so I'm out. I would always have had a slight worry
about
them. I sent a note to BC, who said if I could "show" that the U values
were
up to regs, I could use them. I may have been able to come to a
compromise,
but as I said, its all too far into the future.
Simon.