Clearview National April 2015 - Issue 161 | Page 78

ALUMINIUM

Maximising the glazed
extension opportunity
The conservatory market has evolved in the last three years
towards the delivery of sophisticated and unique glazed spaces.
»»In this exclusive
interview, we talk to Ultraframe
marketing director Steve
McIntyre, to understand how
installers can maximise the sales
opportunity in the delivery of
today’s glazed spaces.
“In brutal honesty the recession
caused us to really look at our
system range and develop new
approaches to glazed structures
that would broaden the appeal of
the conservatory.
“The first product of course
being the original pelmet system
LivinROOM, which still leads
the market today in terms of
delivering the internal aesthetics
of an orangery. This was quickly
followed by the development
of Loggia which we brought to
market in 2012, and of course
since then we’ve delivered a
broader cornice range which
now incorporates an integrated
outlet cover to hide the drainage,
a feature that really improves the

overall aesthetic of the finishing
detail. Add to that the solid
roof systems in LivinROOF
and realROOF, and our newest
addition to the family, the new
rooflight system UltraSKY.
Short of delivering the doors
and windows there isn’t a glazed
extension design out there that
our systems can’t achieve.

‘the systems
really appeal to
the consumer’
“Let me expand on the reasons
for this development process.
First, the systems really appeal
to the consumer – we average
over 30,000 visits to our website
every month from hungry home
owners seeking inspiration – that’s
incredible numbers in this market.
But critically, we have evolved a
range of systems that absolutely
maximise the sales opportunity

78 » A PR 2015 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M

for the installer – that’s the critical
point. If you imagine, as recent as
five years ago, if the homeowner
was leaning towards an orangery
style structure then the installer
would need to have brought in
sub-contracted labour to fulfill
that brief – not only to build
brick piers but to construct the
interior pelmet system. If the
customer wanted a solid roof to
take the weight of a heavy slate
then they sub-contract a roofer. In
total a simple orangery, or glazed
extension could see a retail installer
bring in at least three or even four
additional trades and of course for
every trade is a further dent in the
opportunity to make additional
margin on that build.
“There’s no question that today’s
home improver is more discerning
when it comes to the options
available for a home extension,
we’re in part responsible for that
education process. But aligned
to that is an opportunity for the

retail installer to capture far greater
margins throughout the entire build
process. We’ve carefully developed
a range of components that alleviate
the burden of sub-contracted
labour and allow installers to use a
complete system from Ultraframe.
“If we look at a conservatory,
assuming the homeowner wants
the improved thermal performance
of a Loggia column versus a brick
pier then instead of using two or
three sub-contractors, the entire
build can be completed using
our Classic roof, LivinROOM,
Loggia columns and cornice. It’s
simple, it minimises the supply
chain but critically maximises
the profit opportunity of the
overall installation. What we
have today is a range of systems,
that combined create a powerful
building proposition, with
appropriate sales training the
profit opportunity presented
delivers unprecedented profit
opportunities.”