SOLIDROOFS
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
We all remember a time when the industry ’ s reputation was terrible . You only had to say ‘ windows and doors ’ and people ’ s minds would immediately jump to the stereotypical shady doubleglazing salesman – rude , dishonest , and pushy to the point of aggression .
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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 short-lived – 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
Do you have something to say ? Email becky @ cvgroup . co . uk
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