A show flat is fitted to a specification and the delivered flat is fitted to a budget, and the shower enclosure is one of the clearest places that shows. Understanding exactly what was substituted is worth doing before deciding what to upgrade, because it is usually not the glass.
What generally gets substituted
The toughened glass in a builder-supplied enclosure is normally fine, because glass is a commodity and there is little to save on it.
The savings are in the hinges, the seals, the handle and the fixings, which are invisible at handover and decide everything afterwards.
So if a show flat felt more solid than yours, it is almost certainly the hardware you are noticing rather than the glass. That is worth knowing, because upgrading hardware on sound panels costs a fraction of a new enclosure.
Upgrading without replacing the glass
Where the panels are undamaged, re-hanging them on proper hinges with better seals transforms how the enclosure feels and works.
The limit is the drilled holes: toughened glass cannot be re-drilled, so new hinges have to match the existing centres.
We measure those before recommending it. Where the centres match it is much the cheapest good outcome available; where they do not, we say so rather than fitting something that only nearly lines up and moves within a year.
When it is worth replacing after all
There are cases where the whole thing should go: glass chipped at an edge or around a hole, panels of a size that never suited the room, or an enclosure fitted so badly that the fixings are in the wrong places.
Toughened glass fails from edge and hole damage, so a chip there is a reason to replace regardless of how it looks.
We check the edges and holes first on any enclosure we are asked to upgrade, because that single inspection decides whether this is a hardware job or a replacement.
How the job works
- Tell us about the jobSend a few photos, rough sizes and what you need. Use WhatsApp or the form. For a repair, a short video of the door moving helps a lot.
- We call you back in about 2 minutesWe confirm what you need and a time to visit. Where we can, we give you a rough price on the call.
- We come and measureWe measure the opening and check the walls, floor and ceiling around it. Anything made to size is made to these measurements, so they must be right.
- You get a written priceIt lists each item, with GST as its own line. If anything about the job changes, we tell you before we go ahead.
- We fit itYou approve the price and pay the advance. Our own team fits the work, checks that every door and window opens and closes properly, and clears up. Most jobs are done in 3 to 4 days.
