Multi-general Living on the Rise

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Common some time ago, multi-generational living has come back into fashion again. Some families live together for financial reasons, others for companionship, but whatever the motivation, households where more than one generation of adults are living under the same roof are on the rise. As per 2016 documentation by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, multigenerational living (such as elderly parents living with their adult child’s family or adult siblings living together) reached almost 600,000 (or 2.4% of the population) with projections that this number is rising. Households with two or three generations living under one roof need to consider a

SBS – Small Business Secrets

Tuesday, June 02, 2020

SBS TV filmed a segment for Small Business Secrets at Paarhammer Windows in February. This story will be broadcast on the 7th of June and afterwards can be streamed on SBS On Demand, on the Small Business Secrets page. The experienced and professional SBS crew interviewed Tony and Edith Paarhammer and spent time with individual staff taking footage of machinery in action and craftsmanship at work, making high performance windows and doors. After filming at the Paarhammer factory and showroom they also visited a nearby client who generously agreed to have his house filmed to complete the story. Watch this

Australians like to buy local

Thursday, May 28, 2020

The number of Australians saying that they are more likely to purchase Australian made products has risen to 90% as per a recent study by Ray Morgan. This is a great sign for local manufacturers, including the window industry. Advantages of locally made windows and doors: Knowledgeable advice and reliable customer service right here and easily accessible Outstanding quality products Ethically made under safe working conditions and with decent wages for staff Continued development of skills Less transport reduces carbon footprint Long warranties as members of an Australian Industry Association Meeting and exceeding all Australian Standards Benefits all Australians through

Joinery position open

Friday, May 15, 2020

Be part of a dynamic and expanding company Update 29th of May 2020: Thank you to everyone who applied for this job opportunity. The position has now been filled. Paarhammer Windows has a job opportunity for a qualified joiner or cabinetmaker to join the team for an immediate start. This is a fantastic opportunity for a self-motivated person who has a solid industry background, likes to work in a team, is fluent in English and good in maths. It is a full-time position with working hours Monday to Thursday 7:30am to 4:20pm, Friday 7:00am to 1:00pm. Paarhammer has manufactured energy

Views with Functionality

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Form follows Function: but sometimes in a house design you want to achieve both. Imaging sitting at the dining table in this room or on the lounge, your eyes are drawn to the distant hills. Your views are not interrupted as large fixed panes are used here as picture windows. The main three fixed glazed areas are balanced on the left- and right-hand side of the central sliding door, and directly above, combining gorgeous views with functionality. The lift-slide door in the centre of this combination allows for easy indoor-outdoor living and invites you to explore the great outdoors. But

30-year Business Anniversary

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Tony and Edith would like to thank everyone who has shared their journey over the past 30 years, especially their talented staff and tradespeople, reliable suppliers, and the clients who have trusted them with their projects. When Tony and Edith Paarhammer decided to move from Austria to Australia and chose the small country town of Ballan in Victoria as their home for a perceived five years, little did they know that 30 years later they would call Australia home and have a business success story to tell. Originally they made fine furniture and kitchens in a rented garage which was

Advantages of tilt & turn Windows

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Turn your four walls into a home with noticeably high room comfort. Custom made tilt & turn windows by Paarhammer feature several locking points around the window and, together with rebated framing and compression seals, provide high energy efficiency, sound protection and security. While outward opening windows – whether awning or side opening – have issues with space when combined with external roller shutters, they are also difficult to clean from the inside. In this situation flyscreens must be mounted on the inside, and also hinder the cleaning process. Sliding and double hung windows are notoriously draughty even when closed,

Business as usual at Paarhammer

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Paarhammer Windows is open for business as usual. We would like to assure you that we have put in place measures to ensure that we still operate at our full capacity to meet the needs and demands of our valued customers, and to keep our lead-times the same. At present, our factory and staff are coronavirus-free and we are working hard to keep it that way. We will continue to monitor the situation and respond accordingly to the advice of the government and the World Health Organisation. We have a large stock of timber and hardware on site and our

Easy Window Installation by Owner Builders

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Decades into retirement, this couple decided to make their lifelong dream a reality and started to build their new home as owner-builders. One partner was a chemical engineer during his working life and had never built anything before. His wife was a medical practitioner, again with no building experience. But the love of creating something with their own hands that was beautiful, and most importantly sustainable, made them take the plunge. In 2013 a house block in a rural town came up for sale with a wonderful view. A steep location but a suitable house site had been cut into

Paarhammer featured on Small Business Secrets - SBS

Sunday, March 01, 2020

An exciting day of filming wrapped up last week here at the Paarhammer facility for an upcoming episode of ‘Small Business Secrets’ to air on SBS. Small Business Secrets focuses on the stories of migrant entrepreneurs who have turned their business dreams into reality. It all started out of necessity when Tony and Edith were planning to build their own house here in Victoria and were unable to find high performing European style windows and doors similar to those in Austria where they had grown up. From there the dream of helping others to live in a comfortable house with

Kevin McCloud on Sustainability

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

At a recent talk in Melbourne Kevin McCloud spoke of his background,influences, and how his intrigue with the built world began evolving from the age of 6. Eloquent and personable he joked with the audience with ease providing a multitude of anecdotes, speaking of the passage of architecture, and of course referencing his Grand Design experiences. However the lightness of tone gave way to the more serious topic of sustainability. The importance of leaving the world in a greater position than how we have found it. The worth and the value in making meaningful purchases where the supply chain is

Powered by the Sun

Thursday, January 30, 2020

In addition to the many sustainable features of the Paarhammer window and door manufacturing plant, it is now powered by the sun. The Paarhammer factory roof recently received the addition of an almost 100 kW photo-voltaic solar system to provide electricity which is used to manufacture windows and doors. While a high level of self-consumption is aimed for, there are also backup batteries and a gateway. The available energy from the sun is 3000 times higher than the worldwide energy need. Solar panels for hot water, or to create energy through photo-voltaic panels, are a truly sustainable resource which reduces carbon footprint