Has anyone else had this problem?

[benson]

We recently bought a set of French doors from Brico Depot 225x140 and shutters to match (same size obviously).  We measured the doors before fitting luckily as they were actually 145.2 not the stated 140.  This done we then fitted the shutters but they didn't meet in the middle We measured them and discovered they were the stated 140.  Is this a common problem?

[Jerac]

It is the usual practice for the size of windows to be quoted on the basis of the finished aperture but for the window to actually be about 50mm bigger for it to be secured into the wall.

This could have been a major problem for us, but fortunately the vendors of out house (well, barn when we got it) had warned us - because they too had had this problem.

Some suppliers are better than others at describing window sizes - have a look at the Lapeyre website   http://www.lapeyre.fr/Lapeyre  . The descriptions of their windows show both finished size('Tableau'),  and fitting size ('Totales').

Jerac.  53 & Cambridgeshire

[benson]

Thanks for your response

An error on our behalf for not understanding the tableau/totale thing but then surely the shutters need to be manufactured in the same way or they still wont fit.

[Jerac]

The traditional way of fitting the windows is to fix them to the indoor side of the wall into a rebate that is 2 to 3 cm wider than the actual window aperture, so the 145.2cm window is fixed into the wall behind the 140.0cm wide aperture. The shutters are then sized to the 140.0cm size of the outside aperture.  Does this make sense?.  If not try following the thread 'conseils - poser - exterieur - fenetres' on the Lapeyre site.

If you do what we did, and fix them in the  english style - fitted within the aperture, then you need an aperture and shutters to match the totales rather than tableau size.

I suspect that this may catch a lot of English renovators who are accustomed to a 140cm window actually being 140cm wide!

Jerac

[Alane]

Is it possible to trim off the excess between the "Tableau" and "Total" size on Lapeyre windows? It looks to me from the pictures in the cataloge as if the extra is just a lip around the window, is that in fact the case?

Best Regards

Alan.

[Jerac]

"Is it possible to trim off the excess between the "Tableau" and "Total" size on Lapeyre windows? It looks to me from the pictures in the cataloge as if the extra is just a lip around the window, is that in fact the case?"

Certainly it is possible to trim some off the frame, but as I recall the trimmable lip is only about 1cm all around. I had to plane some off our when I fitted them but I doubt that you could lose all the extra without getting too close to the hinges, and weakening the frame.

I cannot be sure - at the moment I am in the UK and my windows are in 53.

Jerac