THE VIEW WAS TO DIE FOR – In fact, one step out the window and you would sail to earth – and die. The broken window was on the tenth floor of a block of luxury apartments in East Perth. This one had a view up the Swan River that included the CBD and Kings Park.
The building had gone up apace before the GFC and the units sold just as quickly. Unfortunately however, someone had got away with using glass on this non-opening window that was not in line with the Australian Glass and Glazing Association’s guidelines. The owner’s child had thrown a toy at the window and . . . crash-tinkle – they had a glaring gap and broken glass raining down on the footpath below. Fortunately, no one was walking below at the time – very fortunate indeed. Laminated Safety Glass was called for. The film holds any broken pieces of glass together when it is broken. The upgrade would cost the home-owner nothing as the glass breakage was covered by their insurance.
There was still a risk of glass shards falling to the street as I cleaned out the frame, so I had to block off the footpath below with a series of high-viz cones. The window size was standard and I was carrying a stock sheet of Safety Glass on board. I cut it to size on my truck’s work deck. Sure, I got some funny looks carrying it up in the lift, but the lady of the house gave me a good coffee after I’d finished and cleaned up.
Standing there with my latte fresh from her espresso machine, gazing out through the new glass at the sparkling river and sunlit cityscape it occurred to me – this job has its ups and downs, its highs and lows, but it also has moments of sheer pleasure . . .
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