Making a list, and checking it twice
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell is checking his windows for leaks.
Many suppliers to the window industry shut down completely over Christmas. However, not everyone has that luxury, and those involved on the homeowner-facing side of the industry – particularly builders – will wonder what it is about this time of year that makes everyone’s houses fall apart.
Indeed, according to new research carried out by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), almost 90% of builders have been called out to fix leaking roofs, nearly half have been asked to fix burst pipes, and a third have been asked to repair a broken boiler during the winter months. Even the windows aren’t immune to seasonal disorder.
The most common issues builders have been asked to deal with in and around Christmas are:
- 86% of builders have dealt with leaking roofs
- 74% of builders have fixed leaks from defective lead flashings and apron to chimney stack
- 51% of builders have repaired damage caused to the property because of blocked gutters
- 47% of builders have dealt with leaking windows
- 44% of builders have dealt with burst pipes
- 37% of builders have dealt with leaking doors
- 33% of builders have arranged for a broken boiler to be fixed
- 29% of builders have fixed damage caused to the property by falling branches from trees
- 24% of builders have arranged for electrical wiring to be fixed
The FMB’s message to homeowners is that they should carry out a “simple programme of maintenance”.
If this email has reached you before you turn out the lights, lock the door, and head out to the high street for that last-minute shopping trip, then all of us at Glass Times wish you a very merry Christmas and a prosperous new year.