Make a safe inventory
From an ordinary safe viewpoint, give each window a neutral reference and record the panes you can identify. Keep fixed and opening sections clear in your sketch. Do not open inaccessible windows, climb, lean out or remove fittings to obtain a count. Unknown areas should remain unknown for the professional assessment. An estate photograph is not a reliable measurement or access plan.
State which surfaces are requested
Specify whether the enquiry concerns inside glass, outside glass, frames, sills or another item. Keep each inclusion explicit. A window with two panes has two glass faces on one side and potentially two more on the other; the count alone does not mean every surface can be reached or is included. Ask how the provider counts an actual quoted unit.
Leave access methods to competent planning
HSE’s window-cleaning guidance addresses the need to plan work and manage height-related risks, including avoiding work at height where reasonably practicable. Tell the provider about relevant access restrictions through verified private details. A long pole in a source photograph is not a method recommendation for your site. Do not choose ladders, roof access or equipment from this worksheet.
Reconcile the quote with the inventory
Compare the provider’s actual scope with your references and ask about missing or inaccessible surfaces. Keep an estimate based on descriptions distinct from a confirmed site-specific scope. Retain exclusions and the process for changing the work. The inventory supports a clearer enquiry; it does not establish a cleaning technique, safe access or a universally correct price.
Read the drawing as text
Two fictional two-pane windows contain four panes. Both sides would make eight glass faces, but the enquiry requests only the four inside faces.
Work through an example
A fictional room has two window units, each containing two panes. There are four panes and eight glass faces if both sides are counted. The enquiry requests the four inside faces only; outside access is unassessed. Frames are a separate question. A quote saying two windows is therefore clarified before comparison. No site, working method or price is approved.
Illustrative example; figures, people and organisations in the worked record are fictional.
The example record
Units
- Illustrative evidence
- Two windows
- Meaning or next step
- Provider’s counting definition?
Panes
- Illustrative evidence
- 2 × 2 = 4
- Meaning or next step
- Separate from window count
Requested glass
- Illustrative evidence
- Four inside faces
- Meaning or next step
- Outside scope unassessed
Other work
- Illustrative evidence
- Frames and access unanswered
- Meaning or next step
- Not silently included
Download blank worksheet (.csv) ↗Download worked example (.csv) ↗
Keep your own record
Use the result within its scope
Use the actual provider’s definitions and competent access assessment. A numerical inventory does not make a surface accessible or establish that the work can be carried out safely.
Reference sources
Earlier articles on this subject
- Reasons To Consider Hiring Domestic Labor To Keep Your window Clean ↗ — 2022-08-25, Maria Baldwin.
- What You Need to Know Before Replacing Your Windows ↗ — 2022-09-20, Maria Baldwin.