36
AUGUST 2014 PRO INSTALLER
FROM THE INSIDE
www.proinstaller.co.uk
A DAY IN THE LIFE
OF AN INSTALLER
As readers may recall from last month, I recently spent a couple of days working with a team of fitters, Terry
and Alan, who work for a Sheffield-based company. The van and work attire are both provided by the company
for which they fit. The job they were fitting was in Swallownest, a suburb of Sheffield in South Yorkshire.
I was intrigued - as the
products to be fitted
were a four leaf set of
uPVC Bi-Fold Doors.
The job was to cut out
some existing brickwork,
fit the door and make good
the reveals etc. During the
loading process I noticed
that particular attention was
paid to ensure all of the
components to the door and
the trims were present.
How many times
do you arrive at a
job to find missing
components vital to
the installation?
Once we had completed
the loading, we set off –
with a stop on the way for
bacon sandwiches which
are considered an important
part of the day!
When we arrived, Alan
introduced himself, Terry
and me to Sally, the lady
of the house where the installation was to take place.
Sally kindly put the kettle
on while I helped the fitters
unload the van. The next
thirty minutes consisted of
a brief look at the job and
the necessary requirements
to get started. Lots of dust
sheets were deployed and a
make-shift curtain erected
to contain as much of the
inevitable dust as possible.
How many companies
employ separate
builders to prepare
and make good this
type of installation?
Out came the brick
saw and, following some
measurements of both the
Bi-Folds and the window
reveal using a level, lines
were drawn on the wall to
ensure the cut out would
be square. There followed
what I could only describe
as like something from a
desert storm with sound
effects! The cutting out of
the bricks took about thirty
minutes, and the clearing
up of the mess just as long.
It was now mid-morning
and according to both fitters
and Sally, things were going
according to plan.
Now for the installation
process. The fitters were
obviously well-versed in
working as a team and this
showed as they started to fit
the Bi-Fold Door.
Do you always
work in the same
team or are team
members swapped
according to the
particular jobs?
They started with the
outer frame. They stressed
to me that the whole job
could stand or fall on the
correct fitting of the outer
frame. For this installation,
the bottom of the frame
was to be level with the
floor to prevent the children
tripping over it. All of this
was common sense to me
but on occasions this can
be overlooked. Setting the
outer frame in place and fixing it was taken slowly and
continual levels were taken
leaving nothing to chance.
Do you agree that
the setting of
the outer frame
is critical?
The stress and tension of
the fitting of the outer frame
led us to stop for lunch
prior to the fitting of the
four leafs of the door. Once
they started the door leafs
went in quite quickly. Both
fitters reminded me of the
benefit of taking their time
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fitting the outer frame. The
couplings from leaf to leaf
were assembled and the
door started to take on its
own identity, much to the
delight of Sally. As soon as
the doors were fitted and
operating to the satisfaction
of the fitters, they appeared
to go into auto pilot as they
set about the making good
around the area of the newly-fitted doors. Everything
was sealed and waterproofed on the outside.
Terry mixed the plaster and
finish for the inside, making
sure beforehand that all
of the dust etc. was swept
up so as not to stick to the
finished plaster.
Why is the fitting of
Bi-Fold Doors one of
a fitting team’s most
unpopular jobs?
I helped the fitters load
the tools and rubbish
onto the van, while Alan
produced a satisfaction
note and an invoice. Sally
checked the work, signed
the satisfaction note and
gave Alan a cheque.
I’m sure that there are numerous outcomes at the end
of every job. Feel free to
share them with us (danny@
clearview-uk.com)
Next month, I will take a
look at running your business from a mobile office.