Melbourne’s Glaziers are busier than ever. A run of crazy storm events that trashed windows all over the city, as well as a spike in home invasions, and a renewed focus by homeowners on renovating their middle and inner suburbs properties have both cut down on availability and stretched out waiting times for both emergency and scheduled glass replacement Melbourne jobs. People ringing a glazier expecting to get someone to turn up the very next day often find they’re in for a bit of a wait. Five to ten working days or more with the more reputable operators. The pressure on the supply chain is one thing, but there’s also a separate issue regarding pricing. Material costs for float glass, toughened panels, and double-glazed units have gone up over the past two years, and that’s flowed straight through to the prices charged to customers in the Melbourne market.
Emergency vs Scheduled: The Price Difference
If you’re standing there in the middle of the night with a broken window that’s letting the elements in, that’s an emergency. Any after-hours call from a Melbourne glazier, especially on a Saturday or a public holiday, is going to come with a premium. That’s because the glazier is going to be working long hours and has a lot of choice in who they deal with. It can cost between $200 & $400 just to get someone to turn up & take a look before you’ve even ordered any glass. On the other hand, if you’ve got a bit of notice that you need a new glass unit fitted, say it’s a double-glazed unit that’s gone south or you need a new shower screen, the whole thing is a whole lot cheaper. There’s no rush. You can order the glass when you like and get someone in to fit it at a time that suits you. People who can put up with a bit of boarding on the window for a couple of weeks can save a heap of cash compared to the emergency rates.
Double Glazing, The Time to Upgrade
When the time comes to replace some old single-glazed windows, especially in an older home in Melbourne where the original glass has become a bit dodgy, it makes sense to upgrade to double glazing or low-E glass at the same time. Retrofitting double-glazed units into the existing frames is expensive. The ongoing savings on your power bill & the improvement in how warm & toasty the house stays are well worth it.
Sourcing Glass in Melbourne, A Personal Approach to Custom Sizes and Lead Times
Melbourne’s old homes are full of unique windows that don’t come in standard sizes and part of the charm is the old glass, its weight, its character. You’ll be hard pressed to find that sort of thing with just any old glazier in the city though. If you’re after heritage glazing with that lovely old look, the heavier float glass and slight distortion and texture, then you need to know which suppliers in Melbourne have that sort of stock and be prepared for longer lead times. If you need custom-sized toughened glass for a big window, a frameless shower screen or some fancy architectural glazing then you’re looking at a lead time of anything from a week to three, depending on the thickness and surface treatment. The thing is, you really do need to get your measurements right on a custom order because once the glass gets tempered it can’t be adjusted. If you mess up the measurements then it’s back to square one.
Working with Builders vs. Working with a Dedicated Glazier
Some homeowners in Melbourne figure it’s easier just to let their builder sort out the glass replacement for them. Yeah, it can be a bit more complicated that way but at least you don’t have to deal with as many different trades. On the other hand, the builder’s glazier is probably their preferred supplier. They might not be the best ones for the job and the price might not be the best either. If you just need some new glass in an old window that’s all good, just go straight to a good glazier and it’ll be a lot faster and easier to understand what you’re getting. If you’re doing a whole renovation and need to change the frame or modify the structure then using the builder makes a lot more sense. It’s all a bit of a project management thing.
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