Replicating REHAU Reliability Throughout the Supply Chain for Ashford Borough Council

With a portfolio of 5,000 homes, many of which are over 30 years old, Ashford Borough Council is continually striving to ensure its social housing meet regulatory standards to provide maximum security and comfort to its residents.   

When the time came for the council to renovate its existing portfolio, it was looking to improve thermal efficiency and reduce the maintenance requirements of the current windows. The council needed to work with a reliable team including a supplier, fabricator, and installer, and use products that could meet high standards and be replicated across several properties. 

Sizing up the challenge 

The Stock Condition Survey, which is primarily carried out to help housing providers plan future maintenance and investment, identified 35 flats from Luckley House, an independent living scheme for older persons, and 9 general needs flats from Clockhouse. 

With issues at both sites and some parts unavailable or hard to source, the existing uPVC windows at both sites had come to the end of their life. Ashford Borough Council therefore opted to install new windows and doors that exceeded minimum requirements to future proof its housing stock. 

A relationship built to last 

After a competitive tender process, the contract was awarded to The Window Company (Contracts), as part of a wider five-year rolling social housing upgrade project. The extensive experience of The Window Company (Contracts) in the sector, and the excellent U-values of REHAU’s products, were both leading factors in winning the tender. 

Rueben Brown, building surveyor at Ashford Borough Council, said: “REHAU windows and doors were the ideal product to meet our aims for this project. The thermal efficiency of the products is excellent, and we’ve never had a bad experience with them in the past. On top of this, the replacement parts are always readily available when needed, so we knew it wouldn’t be an issue if we needed to carry out repairs in the future.” 

For over 10 years, The Window Company (Contracts) has worked with fabricator, Polyframe, on a variety of projects, mainly in the commercial sector. When The Window Company (Contracts) reached out, Polyframe was actively looking to grow its presence in the social housing sector and take on more refurb programmes in the area. Polyframe had also just completed a £2 million investment into its factory, which ensured they could fulfil the high demands of the project. Polyframe’s existing relationship with REHAU made the project a perfect fit for all parties.  

Phil Walker, Chief Operating Officer at Polyframe, said: “The Window Company (Contracts) is a valued partner of Polyframe and we’ve worked with them on a number of projects over the years. Our recent investment in a new cutting centre and a new automated welding and cleaning line allowed us to offer greater speed and efficiency in fabricating the REHAU frames for this project. 

“Like The Window Company (Contracts), REHAU is similarly experienced in the commercial space and their team were a great help on this project. They act as that ‘critical friend’ and assist us with quoting, tenders and technical expertise. It just makes the whole process a lot smoother from start to finish.”