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APRIL 2016 PRO INSTALLER
FIT SHOW 2016
Visit Made For Trade
at The FIT Show on
stand number 260.
NEW ROOF LANTERN IN POLE POSITION
When Made for Trade’s Managing Director Bradley Gaunt saw a gap in the market for a new
kind of lantern roof that combines ease of installation with thermal properties and aesthetics,
he was given a helping hand by his brother Ashley, who works in motorsport car design.
»»The end result was the Korniche, which
will be unveiled by Made For Trade at the
FIT Show. Apart from the interface between
the eaves beam and the existing roof, there
is no need to use silicone sealant anywhere
on the Korniche - just one bead of sealant is
required between the underside of the eaves
beam and the existing structure. This allows
for quality, style and ease of fitting for the
installer.
After 14 months’ of hard graft,
manufacturing engineer Bradley is excited
to reveal the outcome of the work and
expertise applied by himself and by Ashley,
who works as a mechanical engineer at
Danisi Engineering in Turin, Italy.
Bradley said: “I think that the current
extension/conservatory market is changing.
We are already seeing a shift towards brick
built extensions with large glazed bi-folding
doors or patios coupled with a slim-line
aluminium roof lantern overhead. After
looking round the market, there didn’t
seem to be anything that was both easy
and quick to install with great thermals and
aesthetics.
“With this in mind we decided to set out
to develop and design an attractive, slimline, thermally efficient roof lantern that is
incredibly simple and quick to fit. A great
deal of time was spent on the de sign and I
believe we have now been able to tick every
box on our list.”
ONE TOOL INSTALLATION
Bradley added: “All roofs tend to be fiddly.
You have silicone and little bits of plastic
that you have to click on and the installer
would usually be into an hour and a half, two
hours to install, but this can be assembled in
half the time with a single hex key - supplied
in each roof kit - in a one tool installation.”
He believes the design has hit the mark
aesthetically too, by having all the fixings
hidden and a cleverly designed boss
providing unbroken sight lines flowing down
from the ridge through the hips of the roof.
The aim is to transform rooms into bright
and airy spaces by offering a modern and
easy to maintain alternative to skylights. The
slim aluminium sight-lines help to create a roof
that allows maximum natural light to flood in.
GAME CHANGING
Everyone is talking about thermal
efficiency, and by designing the Korniche
from the ground up, Made for Trade has
been able to produce a fully thermally
isolated roof lantern. Sleekly designed
injection moulded seals as well as industry
leading gaskets will result in ‘fantastic
thermal properties,’ so much so, that
Bradley believes the Korniche is set to be
the most thermally efficient roof lantern
currently on the market - and what he
describes as a real game-changer.
He added: “Other systems out there
claim to be thermally efficient but they rely
on silicone. Many of the roofs available
also bastardise bits from various systems
and that compromises the engineering.”
Made for Trade was in the process
of structural and thermal testing of the
product when we visited the business.
In a demo, Bradley showed how the
whole roof snaps together into a strong
interlocking structure. He explained:
“The glazing retainer acts as a glass lock
ensuring maximum weather-tightness,
protection against buffeting and excellent
thermal properties. Factory fitted cleats will
provide additional structural strength to
the aluminium profile giving a robust and
reliable roof, all year round.
“It’s all locked in together and is a
very neat finish. It’s a simple and elegant
product which is incredibly fitter friendly.
The installation guides are colour coded
with the ridge in the first pack, the hips in
the second and so on.”
The Korniche lantern roof will be
completely bespoke to each client’s needs
with the cutting for each part completed
to the customer’s specifications during the
manufacturing stage. This allows the roof
to be ready for assembly on delivery.