Renovators and Self-Builders: When to Bring Glazing In
Secondary glazing is one of the last things installed and one of the first things you should design for. Reveal depth, radiator position and architrave detail all get fixed months before anyone measures a panel, and any of them can eliminate the specification you wanted.
Decide the cavity depth at plastering stage
If a bedroom faces a main road and you want a 100 mm cavity, that depth has to exist in the finished reveal. Lining out a reveal to square it up can easily eat 40 mm you needed. Tell your plasterer and joiner before they start, not after.
- Confirm target cavity before reveals are lined
- Keep radiators clear of the panel swing line
- Set architrave so the frame can land on a flat plane
- Run any wiring away from the fixing zone
Install last, measure twice
We survey after plastering and decorating are complete because a 5 mm skim changes a template. Manufacture then runs three to four weeks, so book the survey with that lead time in hand rather than treating it as a final-week item.
Interaction with other trades
Underfloor heating manifolds under a window, deep window seats, plantation shutters and secondary glazing all want the same 100 mm of reveal. Get all of them on one section drawing early. It is a five-minute conversation at design stage and an expensive one afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
We can give an indicative price from drawings, but we will not manufacture from them. The final template is always taken from the finished opening.
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South Yorkshire's specialists in secondary glazing — survey, measure, manufacture and install.