Clearview National July 2019 - Issue 212 | Page 62

ROOFTECHNOLOGY
Roofing Technology and Trends
Ultraframe Design & Development Director, Andrew Thomson, discusses the
latest trends in roofing and the technology that supports and drives them…
» » IF YOU ASK ANYONE IN
the glazing industry what
Ultraframe means to them,
they would most likely say
conservatory roofs, after all, it’s
the sector we’ve been the pioneer
of for some 35 years, and I’m
proud to say that many of the
true innovations in conservatory
roof technology have been ours.
In fact our Classic system boasts
over 50 patented features such
as ridge and eaves ventilation,
Speedlocks and an eaves cleat
that are still unique to the system
which is the original and longest-
established conservatory roof.
While in the past,
conservatories rarely tended to
deviate from the white PVC
structures that can be found on
several million homes in the UK,
conservatory roofing technology
has moved on so much in recent
years. There is now not only a
much wider choice of products
to provide hugely enhanced
aesthetics, but also to provide
thermal performance which far
exceeds that of the early roofs.
During recent consumer
research undertaken by
Ultraframe, we found that
the huge advancements in
roofing technology, driven by
market trends for open plan
living and ‘Grand Designs’
type extensions, mean that
many consumers are no longer
certain what’s a conservatory
and what’s an extension. What
they were very clear on however,
is that the new types of living
spaces that are made possible
and more achievable than ever
before thanks to being based on
simpler-to-install conservatory
roofing principles, as opposed to
traditional building methods, are
what the majority of consumers
desire when adding new living
space to their home.
Our customers have been
quick to pick up on this trend
for light-filled living spaces that
also provide a solid, room-
like feel and we have seen our
Classic and Ultrasky glazed roofs
increasingly being used to create
structures that would be more
likely to be classed as extensions,
as opposed to conservatories.
This is achievable by pairing a
glazed roof with our internal
pelmet – the deeper the pelmet,
the greater the orangery-type feel
that is achieved. It’s a clever way
of using a system such as Classic
which has been around for as long
as Ultraframe, to create a new
contemporary look.
Brought to the forefront of
many consumers’ minds by
Grand Design’s Kevin McCloud,
flat roof extensions have moved
on hugely from their poor
reputation in the 80s, thanks to
huge advancements in material
technology in components such
as membranes. While many of
the flat roof structures shown on
Grand Designs feature a solid
roof, for the room below to feel
light and spacious, it is imperative
to include some form of glazing
in the roof, using products such as
lanterns and flat skylights. Here at
Ultraframe we offer both of these
roof types and are seeing their
sales continue to accelerate.
Of course, another key trend
in roofing systems is the solid
and tiled roof market. Offering
the looks and performance of
an extension, yet created from
systems which are well within
the skill set of any conservatory
installer to build, the market for
these roofs just continues to grow
and grow. So much so, that we’ve
62 » JUL 2019 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
‘We are also helping many of our customers
to rebrand and reposition themselves
as home improvement companies’
recently launched the second
generation Ultraroof tiled roof
system, which was also declared
the consumer’s favourite tiled roof
at around the same time.
Ultraframe is actively engaging
in consumer activity to enlighten
homeowners that their local
conservatory company is just
as capable of building them a
stunning extension as their local
builder. We are also helping many
of our customers to rebrand
and reposition themselves as
home improvement companies
as opposed to window/door/
conservatory companies. We
know from our research that
this type of company name
inspires more confidence about
a company’s capabilities to carry
out what homeowners often class
as ‘building work’.
As long as consumers are
educated to understand that such
structures are no longer solely the
forte of their local builder, there
is a huge opportunity for those
in the conservatory industry. Not
only have the advancements in
roofing technology brought home
extensions up to date in terms of
their aesthetics and performance,
but they have also opened up the
extension market to a whole new
sector of trades people.
ultraframe-conservatories.co.uk