Fourteen Days, One Cup of Tea: Getting a St Clement Home Ready for the Fitters
Ordering new windows feels like the finish line. Then the diary page turns and you realise there's a fortnight between the tape measure and the drill — two weeks in which the success of fitting day is quietly decided. Not by how much you spend, but by how many small things you've moved, unclipped or mentioned to someone.
This isn't a military operation. It's a bit of shuffling, a few phone calls and one conversation with the neighbour about the van. Here's a calm plan for St Clement homes.
Week one: the boring bits that save a morning
Start with the things nobody enjoys thinking about. Confirm the installation dates in writing — even if it's just an email saying "yes, that's still fine". If your home has an alarm with sensors on the window frames, ring the alarm company now, not on the morning. Those little contact blocks aren't always a five-minute DIY job, and a fitter won't thank you for cutting a wire.
Next, walk the outside of the house. Where will the van park? If you have a drive, clear it of bins, bikes and the trailer that hasn't moved since summer. If you're on one of the narrower streets near the village centre, a quick note through the neighbour's door a week ahead is worth more than an apology on the day. "The window fitters are coming Tuesday, van will be outside for a few hours" — that's all it needs.
Check side gates, garage codes and any keys for conservatories or outbuildings. If the fitter has mentioned a tower or scaffold for an upper window, clear the ground beneath it. Plant pots are lovely; plant pots under a working platform are a trip hazard.
The room-by-room walk-through
Do this once, with a notebook, about ten days out. It takes twenty minutes and saves an hour of panic later.
Front room. Clear the windowsill and the mantelpiece. Take down photos and ornaments within arm's reach of the glass. Fitters bring dust sheets, but they can't wrap your grandmother's clock. If you have a curtain pole that sits close to the frame, it may need to come down; the same goes for blinds fitted inside the recess. Don't leave that until the morning.
Kitchen. If there's a window over the sink, clear the draining board and move the kettle, radio and washing-up liquid. Empty the sill. If you have a blind on a chain, take it down or tie it back.
Bedrooms. Move beds a foot away from the wall if you can. Strip the bedding on the day before? Not strictly necessary, but it keeps dust out of the sheets. Take down curtains and blinds, and put the screws and brackets in a labelled sandwich bag taped to the pole.
Bathroom. Clear shelves and mirrors near the window. Frosted glass still needs fitting, and the fitter needs somewhere to stand.
Hall and stairs. If you have glazed panels or a stair window, clear the landing. Anything loose on the stairs is a hazard.
Curtains, blinds and the curtain pole question
The single most common last-minute snag is window dressings. Take them down 24 to 48 hours before fitting day — not because the fitters won't do it, but because you'll want time to find the missing bracket and decide whether the old blinds will fit the new frame. They might not. New frames can be a different depth, and a blind that sat neatly inside the old recess may now clash with a handle.
If you're planning to replace blinds anyway, wait until the windows are in. If you're reusing them, measure the new frame once it's fitted and refit later. Nobody needs a blind falling on a fitter's head.
Alarm sensors and the wires you can't see
Window sensors are the quiet troublemakers. If your alarm has contact sensors screwed to the opening sashes, call your alarm engineer before installation. Some can be temporarily bypassed; some need rewiring. Either way, it's a conversation for week one, not 8:45am on fitting day.
The same goes for any wired door contacts on conservatory doors. Don't unscrew anything yourself unless you know what's behind it.
Pets, children and the home-working desk
A dog will want to investigate every new person, every drill and every open doorway. A cat will find the one window without glass and disappear over the fence. Plan for both. A quiet room at the back of the house, with water and a bed, is usually enough for a dog. For cats, keep them indoors in a room that isn't being worked on, and put a note on the door.
If you work from home, this is the fortnight to think about your desk. Drilling starts early and echoes. Could you work from the office on fitting day, or set up in the furthest room with headphones? If not, warn your callers. Nobody minds a bit of background noise if they've been told.
Parking, access and the neighbourly chat
Access is the thing people forget. The van needs to be close enough to carry frames and glass, but not so close it blocks a neighbour's drive. In St Clement, where some streets are tight and parking is a shared sport, a note through the door a few days ahead is the easiest win. If you have a drive, clear it. If you don't, agree with the fitter where the van will go.
Also think about the route to the house. Are there steps? A narrow side passage? A gate that sticks? Mention it when you confirm the dates. Fitters are good at carrying heavy things, but they're not psychic.
The last 48 hours
Confirm the start time. Put the kettle where you can find it. Move the car if it's in the way. Take the bins out of the driveway. Put a note on the door for the cat. And if you're the sort of person who likes to be useful, a brew and a biscuit go a long way — not required, but never refused.
What not to do
Don't remove windows yourself. Don't unplug the alarm without advice. Don't book a carpet clean for the day after fitting, and don't plan a big shop delivery for the same morning. Keep the day clear.
The fortnight before new windows go in isn't about pressure or perfection. It's about moving the ornaments, ringing the alarm man and having a word with next door. Do those small things and fitting day becomes what it should be: a couple of busy days, a bit of noise, and then a quieter house with fewer draughts.
