Frequently Asked Questions

Paarhammer manufacture European style (tilt & turn opening) windows along with picture/fixed windows, sliding and bifold windows, heritage windows and clerestory/highlight windows, and various external door types. We do not manufacture louvres, awning window, skylights or double hung windows (but we do make heritage windows which look like double-hung). For information on window style please see WINDOWS

Our products are TIMBER, except the composite Wood-Alu Range which is made in timber with external aluminium cladding for low maintenance. All products are custom made to order and a minimum of double glazed.

Paarhammer products are supplied ready to be installed by your builder and are shipped all over Australia.

Finishes available are painted, stained or wood glaze. Finishes in more than one colour incurs a small surcharge per frame and colour.

We use ADLER paints which are high quality and long lasting, and come in a consistency suitable for our spray-painting robot. These products are also low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound). For more information please see low VOC finishes

Our showroom and factory are located at 53 Haddon Drive, Ballan Vic 3342.

Appointments can be arranged for a personal visit to our showroom/factory (dependent on COVID-19 restrictions) during working hours Monday to Friday or sometimes for a Saturday morning. We can also arrange an online appointment (zoom, facetime etc.) for customers who are not able to visit but would like to be shown through and speak with one of our experts. Contact us to book an appointment.

In terms of leadlighting, the double-glazed units we use are already sealed and inserted into our window/door frame before delivery to your property. After the windows are installed to your property, leadlighting can be attached to the outside of the double-glazed unit (not in between glass panes) on the inside of the house so the weather does not affect it. You would need to engage a leadlight specialist to do this for you once the windows/doors are installed. 

Paarhammer windows and doors are made in Ballan, Victoria, Australia, creating jobs for Australians and supporting the local timber and glass industry. We are part of the Australian Made Campaign, easy to recognise by the green and gold logo.

We would be happy to provide you with a quote. Please supply a full set of plans including elevations and all dimensions and your quote will be prepared as soon as possible. If a full set of plans is not available, hand drawn diagrams or photos of existing windows/doors with dimensions will suffice. As our products are custom made to our client’s requirements, we basically need to see the layout you would like i.e opening v’s fixed, number of panes etc.

At the moment quote requests take about a week to process, but this time may vary. Contact us for a quote.

We do not have salespeople on the road as such, but we would be happy to provide you with a quote. Please supply a full set of plans including elevations and all dimensions and your quote will be prepared as soon as possible. If a full set of plans is not available, hand drawn diagrams or photos of existing windows/doors with dimensions will suffice. We basically need to see the layout you would like i.e opening v’s fixed, number of panes etc. 

At the moment quote requests take about a week to process, but this time may vary. Where windows or doors are to be exchanged, we mostly do a site measure once our quote is accepted and before manufacturing begins. You are welcome to contact us about the best process.

Many of our interstate customers make the trip here to view our products but we understand this is not always possible. In these cases, we can arrange an online appointment with one of our experts. Appointments can be by phone or video call (zoom, facetime etc) and be booked by contacting us.

Our BAL-FZ compliant windows and doors have been tested and approved for use without shutter. They are double glazed and energy efficient, inward opening and made from self-extinguishing FSC certified Manilkara (Pacific Jarrah). They do not require shutters.

As per the Australian Standard for Building in Bushfire Prone Areas, all operable windows must have an ember protection screen. This is just like a flysreen but using stainless steel mesh with less than 2mm aperture. We provide these screens with our windows.

For more information and a short video of the BAL-FZ test please see here

Our BAL-FZ windows and doors are double glazed and have a u-value of 2.2 with a SHGC of 0.30. The inner glass pane is 14mm thick German Schott glass which features invisible intumescent layers. These swell up in case of fire to prevent radiant heat from igniting the interior. We can of course improve on this u-value by substituting the exterior glass with a low-e glass as shown in the example below: 

Improved Glass IGU make-up:

14mm Schott Pyranova clear

16mm airgap (alu spacer)

4 or 5mm softcoat low-e

This will result in a very low U-value of 1.4 AFRC (Australia), equivalent to uf-value EN (Germany) 0.9 and is suitable for Passive House.

Maximum pane size for BAL-FZ including frame is 2.8 m² but we can supply a multiple of those divided by horizontal or vertical mullions. Sliding stacker doors have a maximum width of 4800mm and a maximum height of 2400mm. All our windows and doors open to the inside. 

Products which are not possible to manufacture for BAL-FZ are bi-fold doors, pivot doors, and outward opening windows or doors of any type, as we have not had them tested. More information on BAL-FZ products.

The frames of our BAL-FZ tested, approved and compliant windows and doors are made from FSC certified Manilkara (Pacific Jarrah) which is a very dense, self-extinguishing timber. More information on BAL-FZ products

Unfortunately, we can only help you with windows for BAL-FZ which are installed on a vertical plane. As far as we are aware there are no roof windows and/or skylights (or windows which go onto a slope) that have been tested and approved for use in high bushfire areas.

Any good builder can install these products. There are no special cladding requirements in regard to our bushfire windows, apart from installing them airtight with the use of expandable foam or similar as well as using flashings for water proofing and protecting the link between wall and window. We have CAD drawings for download & videos are available upon request from architects or builders if required.

The bushfire tests for BAL-FZ products are conducted at 850 degrees Celsius and aluminums' melting point is only 680 degrees Celsius, meaning that aluminium melts at such high temperatures and does not keep its integrity. The timber used in our bushfire products (Manilkara) is an extremely dense timber which chars but does not burn. The glass is double glazed and the inner pane is 14mm thick with invisible intumescent layers which stop the radiant heat from igniting your furnishings inside the house. For a short video on the BAL-FZ test please see here

Paarhammer manufacture composite Wood-Alu products which feature an internal hardwood frame and are clad with aluminium on the exterior for low maintenance. They are bushfire compliant up to and including BAL-29 (where required). As a standard our Wood-Alu windows and doors are triple glazed unless requested otherwise. The u-value is 1.7 but can be further reduced with the use of low-e glass.  The only product which is not available in the Wood-Alu Range is the stacker sliding door. The timber finishes available are painted or stained in a colour of choice while aluminium cladding colours are from the Colorbond range.

We offer two types of energy efficient and draft-proof entrance doors:

Timber entrance doors are custom made to a design of your choice

Wood-Alu entrance doors are available in a range of designs

Entrance doors are available only as a full package including door jamb, threshold, multi-point locking system and door furniture. Some entrance doors can be made to comply with BAL-FZ requirements.

While we do not manufacture double-hung windows, we can mimic the look. We called these windows 'heritage' windows, they look like double-hung, are extremely energy-efficient and draft-proof and reduce unwanted sound. They open as a tilt & turn window. See information and images of our heritage windows 

Paarhammer manufacture windows and doors for all BAL’s. Our BAL-29 products are made in Manilkara timber, double glazed, energy efficient and approved to all relevant Australian Standards. We manufacture our full product range in BAL-29 including tilt & turn windows, sliding doors, Bi-fold doors, French doors, hinged doors, and fixed panes. You may also consider the Wood-Alu Range as it too is BAL-29 compliant.

Paarhammer is a member of the AGWA (Australian Glass and Windows Association) and as such conforms to an Industry Code of Conduct designed to protect consumers. 

Our products carry a 7-year warranty against faulty workmanship and materials. The warranty does not apply to items of wear & tear, those that require general maintenance, or issues due to misuse.

Yes we do manufacture Pivot doors.

Unfortunately we have ceased manufacture of our -/60/- fixed tested and approved system. We apologise for this inconvenience.  

Paarhammer manufacture tilt & turn (European style) windows along with various external door types, including sliding doors. Sliding windows from us are a fair bit more expensive than tilt & turn windows as they are basically a miniature of our lift-slide sliding doors. They are very different to the typical Aussie sliding window, much more technologically advanced and designed around airtightness. We can supply detailed drawings upon request. See for a range of different window styles