Business Anniversary

Friday, May 06, 2022

It took two extra years for Paarhammer to be able to celebrate their 30-year business anniversary. The Yarra Cruise was booked for April 2020, had to be postponed a few times due to Covid, but finally took place now on the 32nd anniversary. Owners Tony and Edith wanted to thank their employees for their hard work and commitment to the company and invited all staff with partners to an evening on the Kingfisher II with dinner and entertainment while cruising the Yarra and Port Phillip Bay.History Paarhammer was started as a small manufacturing business in 1990, becoming a company in 1996,

Passive House Primary School

Wednesday, April 06, 2022

It is an inspiration to all the industry, that Clifton Hill Primary School chose to build their campus extension to the strict Passive House standard. Importance of windows as an integral part of houses and buildings is well established, however, when it comes to an educational space, this increases multiple folds:Windows in a classroom A classroom with natural sunlight exposure, fresh air and outdoor views is proven to boost performance, help brain function and reduce depression among students as well as teachers. Another crucial aspect of windows in a school setting, is their ability to insulate noise pollution to create

30 Years on - Windows still perfect

Wednesday, April 06, 2022

A recent visit to one of the very first Paarhammer window clients confirmed that all their double-glazed windows and doors are working perfectly well after more than 30 years of daily use. “We are still so very pleased that we chose Paarhammer to make our windows and doors when building our home in the early 1990’s, and we still enjoy the benefits of high comfort and low energy use more than 30 years later.” Real sustainability is longevity of materials.TimbersIn these early years windows were made from Oregon timber but as Paarhammer was looking to use Australian raw materials, that

Why is airtightness so important?

Friday, March 18, 2022

The size of an average Australian house is 250m2 – or about 625m3 of volume - and most homes require heating or cooling for a large part of the year. If the building is not airtight – meaning if there are draughts – the home requires a fortune on energy costs just to keep it feeling comfortable. Why? Air leakage is defined as uncontrolled flow of air in and out of a building due to pressure differences across the building envelope. This means that the air of an average Australian home is unintentionally exchanged between the inside and the outside

2x Passive House Tradesperson

Tuesday, February 08, 2022

Paarhammer is proud to have 2 certified Passive House Tradespeople on staff and congratulates Thomas Paarhammer (Paarhammer Windows) and Andrew Ferguson (Siegware - Architectural Innovations) to the successful completion of their course. ‘A PHI Certified Passive House Tradesperson (CPHT) is equipped to implement the Passive House building standard. They have passed the accreditation exam issued by the international Passive House Institute, and they are in a unique position to work with design teams that have targeted Passive House certification as a project goal.’ is stated on the Australian Passive House website. Passive House is a holistic construction certification standard, that

International Year of Glass: 2022

Monday, February 07, 2022

Glass is a major part of window and door products and of our daily work here at Paarhammer. But with its unparalleled versatility and technical capabilities, glass provides so much more to our society like glass optical fibers, containers for life-saving medicine, optical glasses, support of solar cells, glass fibre, glass art and so much more. Therefore, the United Nations has decreed the year 2022 to be the Year of Glass. As window makers, we require glass in sheets, first flat glass was used and later float glass. The float glass process was invented by Sir Alastair Pilkington in 1952

Upgrade your Entrance Door

Thursday, January 20, 2022

Whether you would like to increase curb appeal, increase security or stop drafts and noise, a new entrance door might be the solution. For new buildings or renovations, the right entrance door is an investment worth making. Size Often modern homes use extra-large entrance doors or double doors for a generous entrance. Pivot doors are a consideration although if one wants to be energy efficient and stop drafts and noise, the sealing is much better on hinged doors. Materials: Timber and timber /glass doors have the widest design possibilities. Timber is also a very good insulator and combined with double

What is the largest size for sliding doors?

Tuesday, December 07, 2021

Giant lift-slide doors can be made up to 400kg per leaf. This means that a height of 3.4m and a width of 2.5m (maximum of 8.8m2) per sliding leaf is entirely possible, or a slider leaf height of 2.4m with a width of 3.6m (again at a maximum of 8.8m2) can be made. Stacker lift-slide doors can be made up to 14m wide. Even large sizes like these can be easily moved manually and glide smoothly, and single slider configurations can also be automated. How lift-slide doors work: With a turn of the handle the slider lifts up to free

Your entry to comfort and energy efficiency

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Windows and doors are one of the weakest links when it comes to energy efficient buildings. With many houses still being built with single glazed windows, it lets down owners in aspects of comfort and energy efficiency. Komfortline and Komfort+ are about to make it more affordable. Less time to manufacture Technologically advanced window and door products can be quite costly as these are very involved to make, from the materials used to the time it takes to manufacture them. Komfortline and Komfort+ are an entry range for domestic sizes that still uses the same high-quality Australian timber and glass,

New Staff joining the Companies

Monday, November 08, 2021

Paarhammer is delighted to welcome new staff to the company in various positions. Our affiliated wholesale company Siegware (Architectural Hardware and Construction Products) has also been growing and employing new staff members and we share marketing and certain office staff. For a manufacturer it is important to have some control over supply lines, especially in times like these where logistics has many issues and unprecedented delays. Paarhammer has the advantage of also operating a hardware company which makes it easier to guarantee timelines, to learn more about the hardware company please visit https://siegware.com.au/ With the increase in workforce we can

Avoiding Renovation Regrets

Wednesday, November 03, 2021

Australia's love affair with renovating is expected to continue not only because Australians love to renovate, but also as households increasingly prefer to direct excessive property transaction costs towards improving their existing homes, rather than trading up. Top 5 regrets But renovations can be fraught with issues: according to research by the Victorian Government, the top five renovation regrets are insufficient insulation, air leakage, poor lighting, not selecting double glazing, and poor design. Energy efficiency Windows and doors play a very important role in buildings. They let in light but at the same time protect the home from wind, rain

Difference in U-value Calculations

Wednesday, October 06, 2021

Windows around the world get tested and certified using different criteria: Australia uses the North American NFRC (National Fenestration Rating Council) system, Europe uses ISO 10077-2 and ISO 15099, then there is the Passive House Criteria and ift Rosenheim Directive WA15/2. How do you know you get the best window for your build? One thing is clear: the lower the U-value, the better your window. But if the outcomes of the different methods are not the same, can you compare apples with apples? Is an Australian U-value of 1.1 worse than a European U-value of 0.8? Or is it better or