The jobs that come up most in Melbourne homes
Broken window glass is the single biggest one, and the causes are predictable: hail and wind-borne debris in spring and summer storms, break-ins through rear and side windows, kids and sport, and ordinary accidents with ladders, furniture and mowers throwing stones. Reglazing an existing frame is a straightforward job when the frame is sound, and it is covered on the window repair page.
After that it is bathrooms and kitchens. A shower screen is the most requested planned job in the trade, usually as part of a renovation, followed by cut-to-size mirrors and glass splashbacks. All three are templated after the walls, tiles and benchtops are finished, because none of them can be trimmed on site.
Then there is the outdoor and structural work: glass balustrades on decks and stairs, pool fencing that has to meet the Victorian barrier rules, glass roofs and skylights over pergolas and stairwells, and glazed doors that open a living room onto a yard.
Safety glass in a house is not optional
The parts of a home AS 1288 treats as high risk are exactly the parts people forget: glass doors and the side panels beside them, anything in a bathroom or near a bath or shower, low-level glazing that a person could walk into, glass balustrades and pool fences, and overhead glazing. In those positions the glass must be grade A safety glass — toughened or laminated.
Melbourne's housing stock makes this a live issue. Victorian and Edwardian terraces, interwar bungalows and post-war weatherboards were all glazed before the modern standard existed, and a lot of them still have thin annealed glass in doors and bathrooms. You are not required to rip it out. You are required to put compliant glass back when it breaks. The safety glass guide goes through it position by position.
Heat, cold and the energy question
A Melbourne house loses far more heat through its glass than through the same area of wall, which is why double glazing keeps coming up in quotes. Victorian energy requirements have lifted the performance expected of windows in new homes and major renovations, and retrofitting insulated glass units into existing frames is the common path for everyone else.
It is not a free hit. Double-glazed units are heavier, so some old timber sashes need reinforcement or replacement, and in heritage overlay areas across the inner suburbs councils restrict what can change on a street-facing facade. Secondary glazing or slimline units are the usual compromise there. The suburb pages note where overlays bite hardest.
Getting a number
Home glass is priced on size, thickness, type, edgework and access, so a real quote needs a measure. What that means in practice, and what makes one job twice the price of another that looks identical, is set out in the cost guide. If the glass is already broken, start with emergency repairs instead.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be home for a glass measure?
For a measure, yes, or someone needs to let the glazier in, because glass is cut to the actual opening and a few millimetres matter. For an install, yes again in most cases. What you do not need is to be home for a quote on a whole-house job if you can send clear photos and rough sizes first, which narrows the range before anyone travels.
How long does a shower screen or splashback take to make?
Allow one to two weeks between the template measure and the install for most toughened work. Toughened glass is cut, edged and drilled before it goes into the furnace, and none of it can be modified afterwards, so it is made once and it is made to the opening. Rush jobs are possible but they cost more and cut down your colour and pattern choices.
Is old glass in my house legal?
Existing glass is generally allowed to stay until it is replaced or the area is renovated. AS 1288 applies to new work. So the annealed pane in a 1950s back door can legally remain, but the day it breaks it has to be replaced with grade A safety glass. Plenty of Melbourne homes are in exactly that position without knowing it.