Channelling success
Top-end home improvements are a high-margin growth area for glass specialists outside, and increasingly inside the home, according to PGS Glass.
Your average three-bedroom semi-detached home doesn’t have a pool, a sauna or changing or games room, but there are a growing number of properties that do, and glass is a defining feature.
“We’re definitely seeing more demand and doing more high-end domestic fit-outs,” Paul Groves, contracts manager at PGS Glass, said.
“The main thing to consider is that it’s a lot more involved. You’re working with architects, designers and alongside the main contractor but we have a growing reputation and we’re picking up more business on the back of that.”
With specialist expertise in the supply of fire-rated glass, and working across commercial contract and home improvement markets, PSG is one of a growing number of glass processors to have diversified its offer to include high-end domestic and commercial installations.
This included the delivery of a project at the tail end of last year to deliver a large scale and premium internal fit out in and around the pool area of a luxury home in Greater London, and PGS Glass selected Bohle as its supply partner.
“The installation was for a private client,” Paul said. “It was being project managed by a family member, which was very good because they got us in early and had a very clear idea of what they wanted. That doesn’t always happen.”
PGS Glass was brought in at the point at which the building was still largely a shell. This meant it could work effectively with the client, main contractor Manak Homes and architects, to integrate delivery alongside other specialist trades.
“We met and identified the requirement and then sourced the hardware that was going to be used so that the client and architect could review and approve it,” Paul said. “This was eventually signed off in a pre-order meeting.
“Almost everything we used was supplied by Bohle and we worked closely with them to identify the right fittings before we started.”
The largest single element of the project was to construct a frameless glass wall between the pool and games room, including locking options and access door.
PGS achieved this using a deep U-channel fixing from Bohle, which was hidden in the ceiling and the shallower channel, and ‘sunk’ into the floor, providing a fixing point for four 1,384mm x 2,235mm 10.8mm laminate panels, also used on a smaller scale in other areas of the project, including the gym.
Bohle’s Self-closing Patch Fitting was used by PGS throughout the project, to provide an access point between the games room and pool with a lock and key to secure the door.
This replaces the conventional floor springs used in traditional internal swing-door self-closing systems with a hydraulic option.
The major advantage is that the self-closing Patch Fitting doesn’t need to be recessed and can be fitted in as little as 45-minutes, using just four screws to achieve a fixing to the floor, as part of a simple two-stage process.
This delivers a significant on-site time saving compared to traditional installation techniques, including time lost for cement to cure. Also featuring simple and easy zero positioning of cover plates, the double action push/pull system opens to 90° and features fully adjustable closing speeds.
The Bohle Self-closing Patch Fitting was also used by PGS in the glass wall and door of the sauna. This again used the U-channel system to create to sidelights either side of the door.
“It’s obviously really important in a sauna installation that you keep the heat inside, so we needed to work within very small tolerances,” Paul said.
“The advantage of being in early was that we were able to make sure that the sidelights were absolutely square, which meant that we could install the door very tight. It’s very much about precision. The products command precision. The customer wants a precision fit.”
Bohle’s self-closing corner fittings were also used on a sandblasted sating changing room door, with privacy lock, plus single doors leading into shower areas.
PGS Glass used Bohle’s Bilbao Premium swinging shower door hinges, which accommodate weights of up 36kg or 50kg per pair, and 8mm, 10mm, and 12mm glass. This means that they can be used with doors of 1,000mm x 2,000mm.
Available in a choice of chrome or stainless-steel finishes and with a contemporary design, they offer an infinitely adjustable zero position, a plus or minus 15º return motion, and use concealed fixings.
“When you’re doing jobs like this, it’s also really important to get the support from your supplier and know that when you pick up the phone, someone is there help,” Paul said. “For us it’s a growing area of our business and having that relationship and confidence in your suppliers is key.”
