Broken pane replacement: make safe, measure, refit
Board-up first, then measuring, ordering the glass and a fitting visit: how glaziers can split broken pane jobs into clear appointments customers can book.
5 min read
A broken pane is two jobs, not one. First the opening has to be made safe, sometimes the same day. Then the glass is measured, identified and ordered, and a second visit fits it. Keep urgent make-safe calls on the phone, where you can judge them, and let customers book the planned parts online: a measuring visit for a cracked or misted pane, and the fitting visit once the glass is in. Each visit then has a clear length and price, and your planned days stay planned.
Urgent or planned
A smashed shopfront or a ground-floor window that will not close is urgent: the customer needs the opening boarded or temporarily glazed. A cracked pane that still holds, a double-glazed unit that has misted between the panes or a chipped table top can wait for a measuring visit. Say this clearly on your booking page so customers with urgent damage call you, and the rest book a slot.
Making safe until the new glass arrives
After a board-up, the customer lives with a dark window until the replacement is fitted. Tell them the lead time on the spot, take the measurements during the same call if the frame allows it, and book the fitting as soon as the glass is ordered. One visit to make safe and measure, then one to fit, keeps the number of trips down for both of you.
What to record at the measuring visit
- Glass size: measured to the rebate, not the visible glass, with the tolerance you need for fitting.
- Glass type: single or sealed double-glazed unit, toughened or laminated where safety glass is needed, patterned or obscured for bathrooms.
- Unit thickness and spacer: for double glazing, so the new unit fits the existing frame and beads.
- Frame material and beads: timber, PVC or aluminium, internal or external beads, and their condition.
- Access: floor level, ladder or scaffold needs, and how the glass will be carried in.
Safety glass and markings
Doors, low-level panes and glass near floors or baths may need safety glass under the rules where you work. Check any existing marks on the broken pane and explain to the customer why the replacement may differ from what was there before. Write the glass specification on the quote so there is no doubt on the fitting day.
When the frame is the problem
A rotten timber frame or a damaged PVC sash can make a new pane pointless. If you see it at the measuring visit, say so and quote for the repair or refer the customer on. Fitting new glass into a frame that will fail soon helps nobody.
Ordering and the fitting visit
Sealed units and toughened glass are made to order, so give the lead time your supplier quotes and add a margin. Once the delivery date is known, book the fitting visit and tell the customer what to expect: furniture moved away from the window, curtains or blinds taken down, pets kept out of the room. On the day, remove the old glass safely, clean the rebate, fit the new pane with the right packers and beads, and take the broken glass away.
Insurance claims
Some customers will claim on their home insurance. Give them a clear written quote and an invoice that names the glass and the work, and let them deal with the insurer. Avoid promising what an insurer will or will not cover.
Booking glass replacement visits with Book
On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. Create a "Glass measuring visit" service, and say in the description that urgent damage should be phoned in. Publish slots that repeat weekly on the days you work in each area. Each slot belongs to one service and sits within a single day, and with one place per slot a booked visit no longer appears on your public page. Customers book with their name, email and phone and can add an optional note with the address and which window is damaged, which you read in your new-booking email. When the glass arrives, book the fitting visit for the customer yourself from your calendar.
| Service | Example slot | Example price |
|---|---|---|
| Glass measuring visit | 30 min | €35 |
| Single pane fitting | 1h | €80 |
| Double-glazed unit fitting | 1h30 | €110 |
| Laminated pane fitting | 1h30 | €130 |
Durations and prices are examples, labour only: set your own. If a fitting has to move because a unit is late, change the booking from your bookings list and tell the customer yourself, as Book does not email clients when a booking is rescheduled or cancelled. Book costs €5/month, all-inclusive: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no commitment.