Tuesday November 8, 2011

Order Now for Christmas Delivery

Yes, it really is hard to believe how close we are to Christmas.  Decorations are out in store and some "big kids" already have their Christmas trees up!

Our Production team have so much work they want to remind you that ordering your joinery now is essential for pre-Christmas delivery.  With The Lunch Room on site we were all a little concerned that our waistlines would suffer.  But as one of my Project Managers advised he has been so busy out measuring up new projects he has lost weight!!

Bruce & I have just come back refreshed (or perhaps just our wallets a little lighter) from a week in Melbourne which included a great day at the Melbourne Cup.

This month we feature a wonderful renovation in Manly, remind you about the complimentary Westpac Spring Business Series featuring Davenports and invite you to our fun Windowmakers Bowling Tournament.

Best regards, Heidi

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Windowmakers Provides Renovation Solutions

When Karen Franklin set out on a major project to turn her existing Manly house into the stunning executive home it is today, she sought out suppliers who could deliver what she wanted, and could do it with a minimum of fuss or stress.
She carried out some renovations to the original 1970s home five years ago, and in 2009 came up with plans to double the home’s floor space to what is now a 310sqm, four bedroom, three bathroom home.

The revolting gold joinery in the home had to go, Karen laughs. “I wanted joinery which was in keeping with the overall design. It was fantastic to be able to talk to Windowmakers about all the options, and get advice about the right option for the application I needed,” she says.

In hindsight, the best advice was Windowmakers’ recommendation to use sliding doors in the living areas. These have multiple moving panels which slide and stack behind one fixed panel, rather than the concertina affect of bi-folds. “When the doors are closed, it is fantastic not to have to look past the mullions [upright dividers] which the bi-folds would have needed. With safety glass in the sliding system, we’re able to have large windows with no interruption to the view.”

The bedrooms, living and dining areas flow out to the north though these sliding doors: “They slide right back and totally open the house up.”

Karen was particular about the type of window she wanted in the bathrooms, and was impressed with the frosted glass option suggested by Windowmakers. “Everything in the project was so simple, really. If I asked a question I was given a range of options, with a clear explanation about what each would deliver, the pros and cons.” “I chopped and changed what I wanted a few times, and Windowmakers simply re-quoted. It wasn’t a hassle; they wanted me to be happy with the final choice.”

Windowmakers’ advice – from Managing Director Heidi Johnston – to cover in the outside gazebo using bi-fold doors suitable for this use transformed this special part of the home’s indoor/outdoor lifestyle. “It was the perfect way to ensure the kitchen and bar is safe and secure when we’re not enjoying them.”

In Karen’s view, the measure of a supplier is how they deal with a customer when things don’t go according to plan. With a project of this size, glitches were inevitable. When something did go wrong – such as a window joinery measurement being out, Karen was impressed with Windowmakers’ reaction. “The problem was identified during installation on a Thursday. They must have stopped production of our joinery just like that, because by Friday the correctly fitting joinery was on site and installed.” “The problem just got fixed with no delay, and that is rare with the companies I’ve encountered.”

The project manager had an impressive attention to detail, Karen says. When he noticed a window latch was facing the same way as the one next to it, rather than the correct mirror image, he had the team replace it. “The sliding doors needed to be fine-tuned once they had been in place for a little while, and Windowmakers was not satisfied until this was done to perfection, even if they had to come back several times.”

Karen says she also trusted the company to recommend the right product for her home, rather than the one which they could charge the most for. This trust developed during the project has since become friendship with Windowmakers’ owners, and she can’t say more about the company’s service than that.

Presently for sale you can view this stunning renovation at http://www.harcourts.co.nz/Property/Residential?pageid=-1&search=manly+park+avenue&formsearch=true&OriginalTermText=&OriginalLocation=1713&location=1713&proptype=7&min=&max=&minbed=&maxbed=

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Chance for Rodney Businesses to Get Free Expert Advice

We are sharing some of the secrets to our success by hosting several business seminars featuring law experts from Davenports, and finance specialists from Westpac.

Our team has worked hard to achieve its ongoing growth and the accolades it has received in the last two Enterprise North Shore awards.

A crucial part of our focus has been to develop excellent local business partnerships which provide the expert advice we need in areas such as protecting our brand, and making sure we have the correct financial protocols in place. Two of our most trusted advisers are Davenports and Westpac, so I’m delighted they agreed to work with us to develop the Spring Business Series and provide their valuable expertise for free so that local businesses contributes to a flourishing Rodney community.

The first seminar was very well received, and we hope more business owners and managers will take advantage of the two remaining events on 10 and 24 November.

In my view, there is no better way to learn than to hear first hand from experts, and share knowledge and experiences with other business owners. I look forward to doing that with Rodney business colleagues at the two further seminars.

Thursday, 10 November (5.30-7.30pm)
Davenports explains how to get small to medium business structure correct, and Westpac explains the best way to finance plant and equipment.

Thursday, 24 November (4.30-6.30pm)
Learn from Windowmakers about developing a winning brand, with intellectual property advice from Davenports, and the keys to risk management from Westpac.

Venue: Windowmakers Design Centre, 79 Forge Rd, Silverdale.

Contact Debbie on (09) 426 6901 or debbie@windowmakers.co.nz to inquire about remaining availability.

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