Clearview National May 2016 - Issue 174 | Page 72

DOORS&WINDOWS SPONSORED BY [email protected] A GREAT VIEW OF THE 17TH! »»FOLLOWING THE PRECEDENT SET by Royal Troon Golf Club’s beautiful return to glory, Mokoia House, a distinctively styled and architecturally important residence overlooking the course’s 17th hole, has received a fresh installation of PVCu sash windows produced by Halo fabricator, Masterframe. The Essex-based company is nationally renowned for specialising in only sash windows, and fabricated an extensive package of windows for the refurbishment of the historic Royal Troon clubhouse in summer 2015. “It was touch-and-go as to whether South Ayrshire would approve the installation of 16 PVCu windows on the third floor flat in this particular property as, alongside numerous other councils, they favour the use of traditional materials in significant buildings,” explains Sales and Operations Director for Masterframe, Carol Slade. The new windows had to blend with existing windows to preserve the architectural integrity of a registered building. “It was on the strength of our work at the neighbouring golf course that Scotia, the installer on this project, pursued a meeting with the Council to investigate the possibility of fitting Masterframe Vintage Collection sash windows to Mokoia House. “Councillors were convinced by Scotia’s pitch.” www.vekauk.com Keeping in Touch »»LEEDS-BASED KÖMMERLING manufacturer HWL Trade Frames has just launched a new website which includes product downloads and a dedicated and secure ‘trade login’ area. The fully responsive website has been developed to give a complete information portal for everything about the company, with the latest social media links; Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube and Twitter also included as the company looks to broaden its reach. The website will be very much a living entity with additional content adding on a monthly basis, most recently a comprehensive list of certifications for all products. The ‘trade login’ section includes the ability to order brochures, download order forms and a live chat facility. In time this dedicated area for customers will be developed to incorporate a marketing hub with a complete image library. Danika O’Connor, group marketing manager HWL Windows Group commented: “The new website is full of useful information for the trade and we will be adding monthly business communications to our customers. We’re a major player with an impressive product range from the likes of Kömmerling and so this is an important investment for us.” www.hwlwindows.co.uk www.kommerling.co.uk JUMPING ON THE BANDWAGON »»FOLLOWING NEWS that the UK timber market grew 17.1% Peter Dyer, managing director of Dempsey Dyer, thinks more installers should consider offering timber and capitalising on this booming sector. Peter commented:“Not all that long ago it looked like timber had been decisively overtaken by PVC and aluminium, but buoyed by PVCu f atigue among aspirational end users, timber is staging a comeback. “According to the Palmer Report, 739,000 timber frames were installed in 2014, while the installed value grew 25.4% to £439m.What’s more, predictions say that timber will continue to outperform the window market as a whole between 2014 and 2019, expanding 10% to 811,000 frames in total. “This represents a big opportunity, and I would encourage any installers that don’t currently offer timber to consider adding the material to their portfolio.The statistics are particular pertinent for installers that operate within the domestic sector, considering that 72 » M AY 2016 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M 69% of all timber windows sold are going into this sector.” As Peter explains, high margins are another benefit:“Wooden windows continue to demand a considerable premium over PVCu products.While in real terms, the average installed price for a PVCu window has remained flat for 14 years at £271 per unit, the figure for timber windows has doubled, now standing at £594.” Peter concludes: “For us, it’s no surprise that the industry and the public as a whole are coming back round to the benefits of timber. Timber is light, strong, naturally sustainable and brilliantly thermally efficient, and now, thanks to advances in wood treating methods, can be just as robust and weather efficient as PVCu. Properly looked after, a high-quality timber window can now be expected to last over 60 years.” www.dempseydyer.co.uk