Clearview National April 2020 - Issue 221 | Page 50

Outdoor Living
A roof for all seasons
Adding an extra room to the home for some
much needed space and to ‘bring the outdoors in’
is hardly a new notion, but keeping the outdoors
out in the cooler months and being able to enjoy
the extra room in the summer without over
heating is an age old problem for homeowners.
» IN THE PAST,
conservatories, orangeries, and
sunrooms (plus all the other
names they have been given)
have been a fantastic idea to
start with, but the reality has
been very different. And, the
fantasy of having a place to
read, relax, have friends over to
entertain, and enjoy and evolve
as a family; would often become
nothing more than wasted space,
a collection of storage items,
and an area that was always ‘too’
something to use – too hot, too
cold, too bright, too dark… you
get the picture.
The resurgence of ‘loving
instead of leaving’ when it comes
to homes however meant that
homeowners needed a new,
improved product that would give
them a space to succeed; all year
around; a simple specification
that included innovative design
features, easy to install, worth the
money, and most importantly,
something that enhanced their
current living space from an
aesthetic point of view and
through its usability.
Someone who understands
this better than most is Dave
Jackson, MD of Icotherm.
With almost two decades in the
conservatory industry, including
stints at Quantal, Synseal, and
K2; Dave spotted a gap in the
market for a roof system that
was thermally efficient, easy to
install and a ‘solid’ solution for
old and underused conservatories.
An answer to the problem of
anyone who had a conservatory
that didn’t previously live up to
their expectations, or anyone who
wanted to add a conservatory to
their home but was put off by
their past reputation.
Rob Exley, Clearview’s own
publisher, from Darfield, was
exactly one of those customers.
When renovating his house over
the summer and autumn months
of 2019, he and his wife wanted a
conservatory to connect the main
home and the newly-landscaped
garden seamlessly. Imagining a
room that could be used all-year
round however, was a pipe dream
as Rob never thought there would
be a solution that would allow a
large floor space to be usable –
and comfortable – every day of
the year, after past stories from
friends and family.
After some careful research, the
Exleys decided to take the plunge,
plumping for an Edwardian style
Icoroof; Icotherm’s standard
pitched roof, with Tapco slate tiles
to crown their new conservatory,
and haven’t looked back since.
50 » A PR 2020 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
Rob commented: “We
wanted the new conservatory
to be the crowning glory of our
house renovations and were not
disappointed. We spent months
choosing the correct doors and
windows, and re-designing the
garden – we’d even had a new
state-of-the-art bathroom fitted so
this had to live up to all the other
improvements we were so happy
with.
“After speaking to the team
at Icotherm, all our previous
conservatory concerns were put
aside. The thought of having such
a large room that we wouldn’t be
able to use in the winter was a
major worry, I’ll be honest. But
looking at the specification guide
of the Icoroof, we were confident
that the roof would provide all
the insulation we needed to enjoy
the room no matter what the
weather was like outside.
“Speaking of weather though,
our second worry was would the
rain hold off long enough to get
the roof up and watertight, and
fast. We couldn’t believe how
fast it was fitted, and even the
installer was amazed at the ease
and speed of the entire process.
All in all, we’re over the moon
and, seeing as it was completed
six months ago, and we’re in the
North of England, as you can
imagine we’ve already had every
type of weather imaginable and I
can proudly say it’s passed the test
with flying colours!”