Critical Documents to request from Window Supplier

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Windows and doors must comply with several Australian Standards, and your window supplier must prove that they do. There is a real risk to architects and builders by falsified or non-existing test reports or the quoting of a different Standard. Australian Standards: AS 1288 Glass in Buildings - selection & Installation AS 2047 Windows and external glazed doors in buildings AS 4055 Wind loads for housing AS 3959 Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas NCC – National Construction Code - 2019 Commercial NCC – National Construction Code - 2022 Residential Performance Tests: Under AS 2047, windows made from timber, aluminium,

Windows for Heritage Buildings

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

You have just bought a beautiful building, and it has a heritage overlay. How can you renovate such a building and bring it into the 21st century? You would like energy efficiency, thermal comfort, no drafts, sound protection, etc., all of this can easily be achieved also in a house with a heritage overlay. What is Heritage Overlay Heritage overlay is used to protect buildings or even whole precincts that have a heritage value. It is used to retain a consistent look of streetscapes and their overall attractiveness, and to conserve and enhance heritage places. As a rule of thumb,

Perfect handles for your style

Wednesday, April 02, 2025

In interior design, there are many design trends: from Art Deco to Contemporary, from Minimalist to Maximalist, from Country to Coastal to Scandinavian, and many more. Whatever your style, we can custom-make windows and doors with handles to match. For many years the only window handles available were chrome and plain in style. These are still the most used handles for tilt & turn windows with matching handles available also for lift-slide sliding doors.  Lately though, much has changed and a wide variety of handle styles and colours are on offer. Most come as 'handle families' with matching window and

Condensation and Humidity

Thursday, March 20, 2025

As nights are getting colder again in the southern States of Australia, condensation can form inside the home. Air has moisture in it which is called air humidity. The dew point depends on how much humidity there is in the air and at which temperature condensation happens. If the temperature in your room is 20 degrees, the air finds a surface below 20 degrees, and water vapour in the air will condense to form droplets. This is most easily seen on hard surfaces like glass or aluminium. It is the amount of water vapour in the air that determines the

Why Windows May Fail

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Mistakes in window installation can lead to drafts and/or water egress, or windows that do not work well. Correct flashing, fixing and gap sealing are extremely important. But it starts even before a window gets on site, with the correct installation of the glass into the sash, so the double/triple glazed glass units (IGU’s) do not fail.Mistake 1) Using the wrong support blocks while glazing:Wrongly positioned support blocks or blocks that are not load bearing may cause the window frame or sash to sag and deform. This could affect the seal, leading to condensation within the IGU. Support blocks must

TAFE Teacher on Staff

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Congratulations to Mat, Production Manager at Paarhammer, for successfully completing the course to become a TAFE teacher and Workplace Trainer and Assessor. Paarhammer are committed to apprenticeships and ongoing training of its staff. The course Mat took over the last year teaches how to plan, design, develop, teach, and create engaging learning options. It also taught him about leading group learning sessions, helping in workplace training, teaching work-related skills, assessing progress with tests and tools, and adult literacy and numeracy support. All these are important skills in training our apprentices and furthering the knowledge of other staff members. The company

Building in Bushfire Prone Areas

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

With bushfires already started early for this summer, it is important to know what to expect when building in one of the higher bushfire prone areas. And it is not necessarily ‘bush fires’ but also ‘grass fires’ that can be dangerous to homes. If you plan to build in a BAL rated area, you will require a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) assessment. Bushfire Attack Levels – BALs There are 6 BALs that range from BAL-Low, BAL-12.5, BAL-19, BAL-29, BAL-40 to BAL-FZ. The higher your BAL, the more expensive your new build (or extensive extension) will be, and the more important

Choose Windows Wisely

Thursday, October 31, 2024

With windows being a significant cost factor of a new home, it is worthwhile to start your decision-making process early. Already at the design stage, consider how the build will work, how the position of windows and doors will allow for airflow through the space, and how and where doors will provide access. Design for natural light and solar heat gain in winter, and shading requirements in summer, and plan carefully with current and future needs in mind.Building EnvelopePriority must be given to creating a well-insulated building envelope - walls, floor, roof and windows. All these are items that should

4 Awards - A BIG Thank You

Monday, September 16, 2024

Recently Paarhammer was awarded the NSW State Award for Residential Window/Glass Retrofit for Beach Retreat and the Victorian State Award for Commercial Window/Glass Project under $750,000 for Clifton Hill Passive House Primary School. Both projects were also successful and received the Australian National Awards in their category from AGWA, the Australian Glass and Windows Association. A big thank you to all our Paarhammer staff who as a team were making the windows and doors for these projects. A big thank you to our clients, architects, and builders who chose Paarhammer to work with them on their remarkable projects and to all

Proud of our Staff

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Staff are Paarhammer’s greatest asset. With much pleasure, we recently celebrated a 20-year work anniversary and a 30-year work anniversary. Judy was the first port of call when prospective clients rang our office from 2004 onwards. In the meantime, and with the growth of the business, Judy has taken on much more responsibility. She became indispensable as Office Manager and Personal Assistant to Tony, the Managing Director. Judy (centre) with Edith and Tony Paarhammer. Andy started as an apprentice in 1994. He worked his way up to become Production Manager and organised the workflow in the factory for many years.

Window = Frame+Glass+Hardware

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Windows are an important part of any building and have to comply with several Australian Standards (AS). This is the reason why windows are made as a whole system where frame, glass, and hardware, are designed as a unit to achieve the required results. If any part of such a system gets changed, it will not comply with the AS’s anymore and become a ‘deemed to satisfy’ or ‘engineered solution’. When hardware details, profile details, or any components are changed, or the overall size is made larger compared to tested sizes, the window system may no longer be compliant and

American Oak Windows

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Paarhammer is now in full production of American Oak windows and doors. Since Victorian Ash is no longer available due to the Victorian Government ending native timber harvesting, American Oak was chosen as its replacement for high-performing window products due to its colour, grain, strength and sustainability. American Oak – Quercus Rubra – is a blond, medium density hardwood of about 730kg/m3 with a straight open and even grain, and uniform texture. Windows and doors made of hardwood are naturally hard-wearing, strong, energy efficient and visually stunning. American Oak has itself a BAL-rating of 19, but should higher BAL-ratings be