Multiple problems from the start so strap in. The job was 16 windows, three French doors and front and back doors. The follow-on job is the rear of the house with 14 more windows, a 3m bifold and a 2m bifold doors. I was told that if I paid the deposit in Nov 25, the installation would be before Christmas because that was their quiet time. That was not true and not achievable. It took weeks for them to get the spec right from small details like hinge colours to French doors and windows missed of entirely. I had to go through the spec multiple times to get it right and corrected mistakes seemed to reappear. The pictures in the spec didn’t always match the description because of issues with the software. I had to chase to get the surveyor booked because they forgot to book the appointment. Surveyor laughed at the Christmas install date. I had specified a dog flap in the back door which the sales guy said would be fitted. This was incorrect, I had to supply it. Surveyor said mid Jan for some of the windows and mid Feb for the doors. Couldn’t get hold of anyone throughout Dec either phone or email and feared they’d gone bust. Finally had someone show up and he got on with it OK but was missing various trim for windows and French doors. There was the wrong window handles on one window. Wrong locks on the French doors. One of the panes of glass was the wrong size so he put a piece of plastic in its place temporarily. He came back to fit the pane but brought the wrong size again. We’re in April and it’s still not done from Jan and no indication of when it will be done. They sent the final invoice when there were still three doors and three windows left to install. They fitted the front door mid Feb, still waiting for it to be finished. He was supposed to fit the back door the same time, but he couldn't find it in the factory. He was booked in to fit it but didn’t show up. He arrived a week late because he had been double booked. I had to ask where he was when he didn’t show. When the back door finally arrived, it was the wrong colour. There were so many errors on the spec, I missed this one, so they won’t even talk about it. He had to fit it because the old door had been ripped out. Either way, it’s still not finished and it wouldn’t open. They sent a subcontractor to fix the door so that it actually opens without kicking it. Debris left on site since Jan. Here’s the big one; the building inspector has said the upstairs windows do not comply with fire regulations. Launa’s reaction was that I should have “satisfied myself that they were compliant before they were fitted”!! They have offered a bodged solution. I don’t know where to turn to now.
1/5 stars by Theo on April 2nd 2026

Very poor, complete lack of attention to detail, failed to follow Trade and Manufacture guidance and procedures which attributed to roof failure with costs running into six figures. I used VMzinc approved contractor Artisan Roofing Ltd of Edinburgh in 2016. Despite assurances on their website of a 50-year guarantee & a service that states "This will include site visits as well as analysis of build-ups and details" by using an approved VMZinc partner and vetted member of the Federation of Traditional Metal Roofing Contractors (FTMRC) the roof failed due to the build-up. The cost of the mistake ran into six figures. David Kerr, Specification Manger of VMZinc told me when I initially found out that he was “shocked” that Artisan Roofing had fitted the the VMZinc without checking the substrate design and that “they” – Artisan Roofing - are Installers trained in VMZINC recommended details and “should have picked up on it.” When I tried to make a claim for what I had paid for the zinc I was then told by David Kerr, Specification Manger of VMZinc and Cyrille Piot, Director of Artisan Roofing that I had no warranty at all as Artisan Roofing had not put their specialist material onto a VMZinc approved detail and neither did they nor were they required to check that beforehand. They then told me that the “buildup used was considered acceptable” at the time – yet it was neither considered acceptable by VMZinc guidance nor any Trade guidance and has never been considered acceptable to any roofing professional. David Kerr of VMZinc and Cyrille Piot of Artisan Roofing told me their customers and building contractors shouldn’t expect that when approved VMZinc contractors are installing a proprietary system (VMZinc) they need to recognise, consider or ask the question of whether the build-up is inconsistent or consistent with their own manufacturer’s published guidance. In short they are saying we will come and put our Zinc onto your roof without viewing or any consideration at all to what we are fixing it onto and if you’ve got any problem with that later then that’s your problem – Despite this also being a fundamental requirement of the “FTMRC UK guide to good practice 2nd Edition 2012 ”- “the roofing contractor should satisfy themselves as to the construction of the substrate and its suitability”. How can any customer or building contractor have any degree of reassurance in using VMZinc approved roofing contractors or products if they don’t’ check and if they don’t know what the fundamental design elements of a roof should be.
1/5 stars by James Helliwell on April 1st 2026