velux windows

[brit]

Can anybody recomend where to buy a couple of velux ( or similar unbranded ones) in the Vienne dept(86) or a website ?

[vickybear]

Hi there,

Try www.castorama.fr  who are part of the Kingfisher group ( B & Q ).  They have a good on-line web site. You need to look under ....

Tous nos produits

Construction

Fenetres

Fenetres de toit

 

Their own brand starts from 125 euro I think, although they do sell 'Velux' brand if you prefer.

 

[LesFlamands]

Most builders merchants have them in stock. Avoid other makes, they all leak. There are lots of options with Velux these days and you need to know which flashing kit (raccordements d'etancheite) you need to suit the tiles on your roof - take a look at the Velux website http://www.velux.fr/produit

[Quillan]

[quote user="LesFlamands"]Most builders merchants have them in stock. Avoid other makes, they all leak. There are lots of options with Velux these days and you need to know which flashing kit (raccordements d'etancheite) you need to suit the tiles on your roof - take a look at the Velux website http://www.velux.fr/produit  [/quote]

Gosh you some sort of expert or what or do you work for Velux? I bought a unit from Brico Depot and it is not a Velux, in fact I don't know who makes it, all I know is it was the size I wanted which was the most important. It was considerably cheaper than a Velux and it been installed for two year and IT DOES NOT LEAK. Considering I know nothing about these things and am a real NON expert as well and it's the first time I have ever fitted anything like this I reckon thats pretty good. As my wife would say, if I can fit it anyone can.

As you are going to cut a hole in the roof anyway take a tile out and take it with you, these French know a thing or two and will happy supply you with the correct fitting kit, just go to customer service and point at what you want, no lingo required.

[LesFlamands]

[quote user="Quillan"]

[quote user="LesFlamands"]Most builders merchants have them in stock. Avoid other makes, they all leak. There are lots of options with Velux these days and you need to know which flashing kit (raccordements d'etancheite) you need to suit the tiles on your roof - take a look at the Velux website http://www.velux.fr/produit  [/quote]

Gosh you some sort of expert or what or do you work for Velux? [/quote]

OK may appear that I have shares in Velux but I still stand by my view. Velux is a well developed product and is quite well thought out for DIY fitting, also offers reflective glass units which are a bonus. A roof window and its flashing are a structural element of your roof and I think saving a 100 euros and fitting a lower quality make is a false economy. I've fitted about 100 Velux windows but I've never fitted another make - although I've criticised lots of them

[Quillan]

I can only speak as I find. The unit I bought from Brico Depot was a lot more than 100€ cheaper than a Velux unit if they had one the size I needed. I think that in more recent times with Velux (as with many other brands, take say baked beans for example) you are paying for the name. Not all other makes may be as good a quality and may have problems but certainly the Brico Depot own make worked fine for me with no leaks.

It is important, as is pointed out, that you get the right fittling kit and I am told that in general you never have a problem with the seal between the fiting kit and the unit. Where you do get a problem is between the fitting kit and the existing roof. If you have a sample tile from your roof I would strongly suggest (unless you feel your technical French is good enought to explain your roof tile in infinate detail) that you take it with you and ask for the correct kit.

My instalation instructions were in French so I scanned them in to my computer and used MS Word to translate them to English. Whilst not 100%  the translation did work with the aid of the pictures on the original installation sheets and as I said it has not leaked.

To be trueful the roof did leak after but that was because I had disturbed a tile further along as I walked back and forth across the roof to install the unit, it cracked.

[Bobc]

"OK may appear that I have shares in Velux but I still stand by my

view. Velux is a well developed product and is quite well thought out

for DIY fitting, also offers reflective glass units which are a bonus.

A roof window and its flashing are a structural element of your roof

and I think saving a 100 euros and fitting a lower quality make is a

false economy. I've fitted about 100 Velux windows but I've never

fitted another make - although I've criticised lots of them"

I would agree with Charles - saving a few Euros is probably false economy long term.

I have no experience of Brico Depot roof windows - Castorama offer

their own-brand 98x78 for 135Euros plus 44Euros for a flashing kit for

canal tiles - I can buy a Velux 98x78 for 150Euros plus 49Euros for the

flashing kit.

If you buy a Velux window then you have the options of:

Blackout blinds

Mosquito blinds

Venetian blinds

PVC coated wood frames for bathrooms

Child safety locks

Rain-activated closures

Exterior shutters

Remote-control operation

As far as I know, none of the ‘cheap’ brands offer any of the above.

Regards,

Bob Clarke

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/grindoux

[bigjimbishop]

I just bought 4 Velux 78x98 to fit tuile mechanique from Brico Depot.

I pondered going down the cheaper route with Roto but the accessories are much better and the garantee is 20 years and covers accidents during installation.

[Dick Smith]

We were also told that it was a false economy to get anything other than Velux, and they have been very good (I didn't install them myself which may explain that.) The only annoying part was that we had to buy the pole to open them as a seperate item.

[Viv]

It's probably some way off but if you decide to get velux blinds, there is a good selection on their website. The prices in Euros are a lot cheaper than pounds, I don't know where  you live but you will  be better off getting them from the French section of the website than the British section, delivery takes about 3 weeks.

 

[Coco]

I'd certainly back that up Viva.  I've just had a look at the site from Charles's link and they do some great colours too.  I remember staying in a gite in June several years ago which had a Velux window without a blind and it drove us mad, the sunlight streaming in at 5am when we were on holiday!!  We tried all sort of blackout contraptions from various articles of clothing, towels, dressing gowns etc.  When we asked the owners (Brits) why they didn't have a blind they said it was because they were much too expensive (they did the usual thing of bringing everything from the UK).

Since then I've noticed several people with Veluxes have attempted their own contraptions at curtains or blinds and naturally assumed it was because the Velux blind prices were so high.  So when we converted our attic into a guest bedroom last summer I thought I would just "have a look" at the blinds to compare it with the effort of making my own "contraption"  I was pleasantly surprised to see that for a 78x98 window the blackout blind in Bricomarché was only about 45 euros!!!  the only trouble was they only had cream or navy, which was fine for the guest room but we are converting the barn for our own living accommodation and I didn't fancy either colour for our new living room and bedroom.  However, on that site I have discovered a range of 20 odd very nice colours for only a supplement of 9 euros and for a blackout (bedroom) for the 114x118 window it will only be 93 euros and for the ordinary "rideau" blind (living room) it will only be 51 euros for the same size.  Absolute bargain I thought - cheaper than making my own curtains for similar size standard windows!!! [:D]

[Deimos]

Leroy Merlin sell Velux windows (that is the true Velux brand). No idea about their price and no idea about how good other brands are.

Ian

[Viv]

Velux have got a special offer on their windows, can't tell you anything more than that as the leaftlet that came this morning has now been recycled, so if you need more than one window it may be worth you having a look at the Velux.fr website and ordering them direct.

[Aitch]

We had our velux windows put in by the builder, yet when we decided that we needed the fly-screens(worth their weight in gold, by the way!) they were not listed in the french cataloque. We purchased then from Velux in the UK. They are two companies, same name, same products selling the same items but there are some small differences. It is worth checking the websites of both. Velux UK gave us a lot of help. We purchased from them and fitted them ourselves. Worth doing a little research if you go down that route.

[Bobc]

"We had our velux windows put in by the builder, yet when we decided

that we needed the fly-screens(worth their weight in gold, by the way!)

they were not listed in the french cataloque. We purchased then from

Velux in the UK. They are two companies, same name, same products

selling the same items but there are some small differences. It is

worth checking the websites of both. Velux UK gave us a lot of help. We

purchased from them and fitted them ourselves. Worth doing a little

research if you go down that route."

Confusingly Velux produce separate brochures for their windows and their blinds.

The full range of mosquito / blackout / venetian blinds are available in France from any decent builders merchants.

http://www.velux.fr/produit/Stores/modeles/

Regards,

Bob Clarke

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/grindoux