How Essex Locks & Glazing grew from a modest start-up into one of Essex’s fastest-growing double glazing firms. Built by best friends and business partners George Webb and Sunny Fallows, the company has developed steadily over the years, specialising in high-quality window and door installations while maintaining a strong focus on repair work where possible.
What makes ELG different isn’t just the product range or the growth. It’s the partnership, the principles, and the refusal to become just another sales-driven glazing company.
From Premium Bonds to Professional Growth
I started off straight after school interested in building design and maintenance. I did an apprenticeship with a local window fitting and security company and completed training with the UK Locksmith Association. The guy I trained with covered several aspects of property maintenance, so from day one I was drilling out mortice locks, fitting multi-point locks, changing uPVC hinges, swapping glass units and fitting new uPVC windows and doors.
It meant I learned several aspects of the trade together – security hardware, glazing and installations. It was never boring and I found that these areas all go hand in hand.
Eight years ago, Sunny and I went into business together. We’d grown up locally, been best mates since college, and decided to give it a proper go. I started the company with money I won from some premium bonds. My dad said, “give it a go in business son”.
Since then, the company has grown into a well-established business through hard work, dedication and sticking to the right morals.
Expanding the Services
We still carry out a lot of maintenance work and that’s important to us. We continue working with estate agents and property managers, handling repairs, multi-point locks, adjustments, misted glass units and door realignments. We use Ultion cylinders for our three-star barrels and ERA for standard hardware.
Around half of the work we do today involves installations, while the other half focuses on maintenance and repair. Sunny and I handle the repair work ourselves. We also have three teams of fitters, all Certass-accredited, who focus on installation projects.
We buy Liniar windows from SGM in Basildon, aluminium systems from Sheerline and Aluk for bifolds, Origin for internal heritage-style doors, and composite doors from Solidor, Distinction and Door-Stop.
Every door and window comes with a 10-year insurance-backed guarantee through HomePro, plus deposit protection. That peace of mind matters because, if we ever ceased trading, our customers are covered. That’s the kind of reassurance we’d expect for our own families when making an investment, so we make it a priority.
No Salesmen. No Upselling. No Nonsense.
At the moment, one thing we don’t do is send salespeople into homes. It’s always me and Sunny who turn up to quote or inspect a repair. We explain the options, the pros and cons of each product, and then we let the customer decide. We’re upfront, no pressure and definitely no hard sell.
As the business grows, that might change one day, but if it does, we’ll make sure the same approach stays in place. The last thing we want is someone walking into a customer’s home and pushing products they don’t need.
We’ve built genuine customer relationships with great reviews on Google and Checkatrade and strong links with letting agents. We look after the old dears round here in Essex. We’re not mercenary and we’re not about inflated prices. That’s not us. We’re just two lads who grew up locally, and people trust that; that’s our USP. We’re likeable, approachable and straight-talking.
Sunny is hyper-intelligent, a maths genius, sharp on building regulations and brilliant with compliance. I’m more customer-facing and approachable. I suppose we balance each other out.
They say never go into business with a friend but, for us, it works. We listen to each other, we respect each other’s point of view, and we’ve got similar family backgrounds and morals. Both our dads were salesmen. We take the job seriously, but we have a lot of laughs along the way. I even named my first-born son Sunny after him and that tells you everything.
Why We Don’t Do Emergency Call-Outs
We don’t do emergency work anymore, but that was a conscious choice. I’ve got a young family, my wife and I have been together since we were 15, and we’ve got two kids, Sunny and Grace. Family comes first.
Sunny’s the same, he’s got his partner, his dogs, and life outside work. We go on holidays together, his family and mine, we’re a social bunch.
Emergency work can dominate your life if you let it. We decided to focus on planned work, installations and repairs. It’s still security work, just a different model. If you’re in the security market, there are loads of branches you can go down. We chose repairs and replacements.
Fastest Growing in Essex, but Still Grounded
We’re fast becoming one of the biggest and fastest-growing double glazing firms in Essex. Each year we’ve moved onwards and upwards. Growth for us isn’t about chasing volume at any cost, it’s about evolving without losing what made us successful in the first place. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
We’re happy with the product range we’ve built. Now it’s about getting our name out there more and promoting our values. Sunny built our website himself. We’re adding an aluminium windows section to it next.
Social media is something we’re building back up. Our Facebook got hacked, so we’re starting again.
Instagram’s ticking along nicely, Sunny’s other half is brilliant on there and helps us push content.
We don’t overcomplicate it. We focus on quality installs, clean repairs and looking after people properly.
The Reality & Fun of the Trade
It’s not all smooth sailing. I hate traffic in London. Parking fines around Walthamstow are brutal. The travel can be tough, and traffic wardens don’t care that you’re trying to secure someone’s home.
Then there are the funny stories you never forget. I once changed a barrel for a bloke who wanted the highest security with coded keys. Twenty seconds after I handed him the keys, he dropped them down a drain while going out to his car, when his newly barrelled self-locking door shut behind him. He barely spoke English, and I thought I was going to have to drill out another brand-new cylinder and climb over his fence. Luckily, it was a thumbturn on the inside and I managed to get back in without too much drama, but I did have to drill the French door cylinder. It certainly keeps you on your toes.
Advice to Others in the Trade
If you’re thinking about expanding into other related trades, just give it a go!
There’s opportunity in window repairs, composite doors, aluminium systems and glazing installations. They’re natural extensions that link back to security and property maintenance.
If you already have the skillset to strip a multi-point and change a cylinder, you’re halfway there. It depends on your aspirations. If you fancy it, try it.
I was lucky I learned glazing and security work side by side from the start. A mate of mine, Stuart Pearson, who’s in the army reserves, taught me a lot about glazing and repairs. We worked together doing jobs before he went on to run his own business.
Pride in the Process
What I love most? Working with my best mate. Being a business owner. The pride in seeing what we’ve built. It’s stressful, but it’s worth it.
Every day is different. Different people, different characters, different challenges.
To me, it’s an adventure with my best mate; we’re building something together that will last, for both our families’ futures.
www.elgltd.co.uk
01371 499 826
info@elgltd.co.uk
More info
ELG is an Essex-based firm specialising in uPVC window installations, composite doors, aluminium systems, and locksmith repairs. Operating with three Certass-registered fitting teams and maintaining a strong locksmith division, the company offers both installation and maintenance services. All installations are backed by a 10-year insurance-backed guarantee and deposit protection scheme.