SURVEY AND INSTALLATION FAQS

No. All of our installation team are salaried employees, which means that they have no incentive whatsoever to rush your blinds, leave early, or cut corners. In other words you can count on them to do the very best job.

Subcontractors are the “norm” in the conservatory blind industry, but we believe that the best way to satisfy our customers (and to make a profit) is to do an excellent job from start to finish.

From past experience we have found that subcontracting the fitting means that we cannot necessarily rely on the quality of workmanship, availability for work, experience in specialist conservatories, or even the customer service being provided.

We have come across an increasing number of sales people claiming that their company is a “family business with employed fitters” however this is never true, so beware of taking such claims at face value.

You can be sure that our installers are all paid a fixed salary, with no commission payments. They all have company vehicles and tools, they do not work for anyone else and only install conservatory blinds.

Because we have to travel to you in order to survey and install your blinds, there are many factors that can affect our exact arrival time (from traffic congestion to not knowing when we will leave our previous appointment) so, rather than offer a time that may turn out to be wrong, we tell you whether it is likely to be AM or PM.

If we think that we can give you an approximate idea of when we might arrive, then we may be able to suggest a 2-hour window for our estimated time of arrival, but these cannot be adhered to, so our Conditions of Sale specifically exclude any accuracy regarding time.

Our installers are happy to call you when they leave their previous appointment, so that they can give you a rough idea ofthe travelling time estimated by Satellite Navigation but, as well know, these can vary in accuracy.

We are honest when providing estimated timescales, so please bear with us.

Whenever you have conservatory blinds fitted we need your conservatory to be clear so that there is enough room for us to work safely and without inadvertently damaging anything. We also need the conservatory sufficiently clear so that we can also measure and survey your conservatory.

From a health and safety point of view we need to have easy access to the work area. Any smaller items should be easily removed and will avoid any risk of them being damaged.

The extent of clearance required varies with the shape of conservatory and the type of blinds you have ordered:

Shaped Roof Blinds – the entire conservatory needs to be clear
Rectangular Roof Blinds – the area under each end needs to be completely clear
Window Blinds – an area approx. 900mm (3’) wide needs to be clear all around

If you have any flooring or wall coverings that are easily damaged by dust etc. then consider protecting them as well.

Please always remove any breakable items, including light fittings.

If you are unable to move certain very heavy items of furniture then please tell the installer when you book the survey (before we arrive). We may be able to work around it at survey stage, but are unlikely to be able to fit roof blinds around any furniture.

In certain circumstances the installer might be able to help you move an item, but obviously this must be at your own risk and in some circumstances he may have to decline if he is concerned.

Any items left in a conservatory are done so at the customer’s own risk. Whilst we make every effort to avoid any damage, we will not be held responsible for any damage caused.

Obviously everyone’s conservatory is different and so this may not be an issue in your conservatory. If you are in any doubt please discuss this with the installer by phone before he visits you.

Yes, wherever possible we need you to be present at survey because we go through the order with you one last time and check the smallest details. This way we can be sure that you understand what the blinds will look like and exactly how/where they will be fitted and how they will operate.

Because your blinds will be manufactured from the details confirmed at survey, this is the last chance to make any amendments without causing delays or additional costs.

At installation we need to go through the correct operation and care of the blinds with you to make sure that you are happy so that we can take final payment.

If you are unable to attend survey then we will make your blinds using our best endeavours but cannot accept any liability for anything that is not exactly as you imagined it. Without discussing your order in detail at survey, there is always a risk that your expectations may differ from what we have recommended.

We require payment at installation based on the method of payment agreed at order stage and which is stated on your order. Card payments need to be taken by no later than 5.00pm on a weekday in order to be authorised. Unfortunately we do not accept payment by cheque.

If you have opted to pay the balance by consumer credit/finance then the specific person that applied for the finance must also be present at installation to sign the completion form (no other person can do this – not even a spouse). Without the correctly signed form we are unable to install your blinds because we will not be paid.

Regrettably, any return visits due to the above requirements not being met are chargeable.

Obviously there is no truly definitive answer to this question, as the time required to survey and installl conservatory blinds varies with size, complexity and the nature of the conservatory construction.

Surveys can take as little as 15 minutes (for the smallest simplest orders) to more than 2 hours. Generally speaking we would suggest allowing at least an hour for a typical survey, but this also depends on how much technical information you require.

Likewise, installation can take as little as an hour for small simple orders, to all day (or more) for large complex orders. The very largest orders with lots of motorised blinds can often take more than a day. We normally suggest half a day as a being “typical”.

Your installer will be able to give you an estimated time for installing the blinds when he visits you at survey. He will also book your installation date at that time.

In addition to measuring all of your glazing and roof angles, as well as checking the fitting options and positions, we also need to go through the order with you in as much detail as possible – as it is from the survey that we make your blinds. If you need to make any changes (however minor) this must happen at survey otherwise it will cost more money and take longer.

Installations are even harder to generalise. If you have ordered conservatory window blinds then the installation could take as little as an hour or so (subject to the conservatory construction).

Roof blinds and shaped blinds are much more complex and so you should probably allow around half a day. Blinds for very complex conservatories can take all day and very large conservatories can even involve more than one day’s installation.

Your installer will be able to give you a more accurate idea at survey. Our fitters work very efficiently, but will not rush their work, so you can be sure of the very highest possible standard of installation.

Yes. We normally have to take down any existing blinds at survey stage because they are often in the way of our taking accurate measurements, however we do make a small charge for this and cannot take them away.

Current legislation means that we cannot actually take away your old blinds away and dispose of them without charging a fairly hefty amount just to cover the waste licence and minimum tipping charges that are applied nowadays.

Unfortunately we cannot re-fit existing blinds as they often fall apart or break, and we cannot risk them falling down afterwards. Nor is it possible for us to use the existing holes from your old blinds for our fixings, but most are covered by the new blinds when they are fitted.

Any holes from your existing blinds can be filled, but we would need to provide you with a quotation for a specialist to do this. The quality of finish possible in repairing a UPVC conservatory is exceptional, but comes at a cost; to repair the dozens of holes left over from old blinds, normally costs £300-£600.

Many people with UPVC conservatories just use flexible filler to disguise the holes, which makes them much less apparent and is obviously cheaper than paying anyone to do this for you. Timber conservatories are different: unless you use 2-pack resin filler (which requires a great deal of preparation) wood conservatories can rarely be filled without the filler shrinking back and leaving obvious marks that require complete redecoration.

If you are redecorating (or just cleaning) your conservatory, make sure that it has plenty of time to dry before your blinds are due to be installed. If in doubt, please let us know, as this will avoid the any abortive visit costs.

We normally suggest that orders take approx. 6-8 weeks, but this varies with the time of year, how busy we are at the time, the complexity of your order, the fabric that you have chosen and your flexibility in providing access for us to survey your conservatory.

When we are less busy and if you are able to provide us with access when we request, straightforward orders can be completed within 4-6 weeks of order.

If you have a complex order with restrictions regarding access and it is during our busiest period then it will inevitably take somewhat longer than 6 weeks.

Because there are so many factors that can affect progress, it is impossible for us to guarantee any specific time period and this is specifically stated within our Conditions of Sale.

On average, over 95% of orders meet our estimated timescales.

In addition to general reasons why timescales inevitably vary, here are some specific examples:

Very large orders (or those with difficult access) can often necessitate two or more installers being required for two or more days. In order to program our workload to accommodate this, we sometimes need more time to create the necessary ‘slot’ so that we don’t rush your work, or have to resort to different installers on different days.

Motorised blinds tend to take a lot longer to survey and install, so we suggest a longer period may sometimes be necessary. Motorised blinds can take often up to 4 weeks from date of survey.

Custom finishing of blinds always adds at least 1-2 weeks to an order because of the additional work involved in manufacture, but is also dependent upon confirmation of colour. This will normally require at least 4 weeks from date of colour confirmation.

If you have chosen our Factory Direct Service, then timescales are dependent upon our other workload and how we can fit your order in around these other orders. Often this does not present a significant problem but, at certain peak times of year, we will be very busy and this can increase the time it takes to reach you.

Orders placed from late November onwards will be affected by the Christmas break, so please allow an extra 2 weeks in addition to the manufacturing period.

Of course, we can always accelerate orders, but we believe that most people would prefer that we do not rush our work and so tend to err more on the side of caution, rather than mislead you.