We also remember just how much effort went in to turning that reputation around. Now thankfully, the public’ s perception of fenestration is better than it’ s been in decades. But there’ s a new menace on the horizon – a different kind of tradesman threatening to undermine all that hard work with shoddy workmanship and dishonest business practices. I call them the‘ Cladover Cowboys’. Tiled conservatory roofs are more popular than ever. But instead of installing specifically designed, high-quality, long-lasting tiled roof products, Cladover Cowboys use basic timber installation material, tiles and plasterboard to try and shoddily create the same effect. To do this, they remove the old polycarbonate sheets and directly

fix timber battens to the existing roof – screwing into the existing aluminium frame, then plastering over it to mask any potential issues. Initially, the homeowner is delighted – they’ ve got something vaguely resembling a solid tiled roof for around £ 1,000, about a fifth of the price of a genuine, professionally fitted roof. But that happiness will be shortlived. So-called‘ cladovers’ are far too heavy for the existing roof structure and frames to support them, and provide next to no insulation. The money the homeowner saved soon gets spent on repairing the botched job, and the water damage that inevitably occurs when the leaky new roof is tested by its first rain shower. Furthermore, the building will now fall under current building

regulations- and the homeowner is often not made aware of this. The base will need to be checked for the correct footings, cavity wall and insulation within its core, as it’ s now classed as an extension. This is the mine field that awaits the homeowner when they come to sell their house, or if a neighbour reports them to the council. It’ s a false economy – leaving homeowners wishing they went to a reputable, experienced tiled roof installer the first time around. So what can the industry do to save homeowners the heartache of a cladover catastrophe, and hit back against the cowboys? One of the best solutions is marketing – raising public awareness of these rogue traders, and, in the process, drawing attention to the

quality of your own products and installation work. Consumers are savvier than ever. More and more of them are doing research – taking to their tablets, their laptops and their phones to look into which home improvement products and providers they should trust. That means you need to be online – and making sure you and your business ranks higher on Google than the cowboys, getting more web traffic and more leads. But many firms wouldn’ t even know where to begin to make that a reality. That’ s where Astraseal comes in. We created the AstraSEAL of Approval to help support our installers – which includes helping them get their heads around marketing. We provide free advice for our customers and help

them maximise the return on their budget – and we can help you improve your brand image, generate more leads, and convert them into more sales. We also provide extensive training on all our products, a fast-track remake service, easy online ordering and a best price guarantee. Get in touch to find out more. Together, we can beat the Cladover Cowboys – outranking them online, winning high quality leads for honest, experienced tradespeople, and giving homeowners the long-lasting roofing solutions and quality service they deserve.

Yours sincerely, Zac Nedimovic Sales & Marketing Manager, Astraseal