When Should I Speak to a Glazing Company?

Installation

When Should I Speak to a Glazing Company?

Earlier than most people do. A conversation at drawing stage costs nothing and routinely prevents changes that cost thousands once the building is underway.

3 min read

Written by Windows in the Lakes · A trading name of Home Glazing Ltd · Last reviewed 21 September 2026

Short answer

Speak to a glazing specialist as soon as you know roughly where the glass is going — typically at concept or early drawing stage, before drawings are finalised and well before structural work begins. You do not need a finished design, a fixed budget or a product decision. What an early conversation establishes is whether the openings are feasible, how thresholds and structure need to be detailed, what lead times apply, and whether the glazing you have in mind is realistic for the budget.

In short: speak to a glazing specialist as soon as you know roughly where the glass is going. You do not need a finished design, a budget or a decision on products — you need the openings to be feasible, the thresholds to be planned and the costs to be realistic before the drawings harden.

Four useful moments

  1. 01Concept stageWhen you know you want the rear opened up but not how. Useful for understanding what sizes are achievable and roughly what they cost.
  2. 02With architect's drawingsThe most valuable point. We can review proposed openings, sizes, thresholds and configurations against real system capabilities.
  3. 03Before planning submissionWhere a designation or a constrained elevation is involved, the appearance being applied for should be something that can actually be built.
  4. 04Before structural design is finalisedOpenings, supports and cill heights should reflect the glazing you intend to install.

Signs you have left it late

  • Steel is designed and the opening is a size no standard configuration suits neatly.
  • The floor slab is poured and a level threshold is no longer possible.
  • The planning drawings show a glazing arrangement the system cannot achieve at that size.
  • The builder needs the windows on site in three weeks and lead times are longer than that.

None of these are fatal. All of them are cheaper to avoid than to solve.

Sources and further reading

Regulatory and technical points in this guide should be checked against the current published guidance below, and against the specific circumstances of your property.

Guidance last reviewed 21 September 2026 by Windows in the Lakes

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