Clearview South February 2014 - Issue 147 | Page 46
CONSERVATORIES
Giving homeowners the
living space they need
Howard Hirst, Liniar
Sales Director, explains
why the conservatory
market has a lot of growth
potential in 2014…
“Reports predict the UK will need another
one million homes by 2021 . Even though
the new build market’s recovering, that’s
a lot of houses! And according to research
by LV= home insurance , the average UK
family home has shrunk by two square
metres in the past 10 years.
“The research found we’re building the
smallest homes in Western Europe: figures
from RIBA show Irish homes are 15% bigger;
in the Netherlands they’re 53% bigger and
houses in Denmark are a staggering 80%
bigger. RIBA says the average new build UK
home is 8% smaller than the recommended
size with just 4.8 rooms.
“But the number of people living in
‘multi-generational’ homes is going up. Adult
children can’t afford to move out. Faced
with expensive care bills, grandparents move
in. Since 2008 there’s been a 14% rise in
multi-generational households, putting more
pressure on families’ living space.
“Unsurprisingly, the research found more
families have modified their homes to add
more room – one in five since 2008. But
traditional extensions are expensive and
normally require planning applications. What
people need is an affordable way of adding
extra space – space they can use all year
round.
“For people looking to extend their homes,
conservatories are often the answer. They
are the most cost effective way to add space.
But window companies might be wary of
selling conservatories. Ten years ago the
market stagnated and conservatory roof
companies stopped investing. Consumers
became disillusioned with conservatories that
didn’t live up to the promise. Draughty, leaky
conservatories that were too hot in summer
and too cold in winter didn’t appeal to anyone
and sales dropped.
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FEB 2014
“We are forecasting the conservatory market to
grow in 2014. The right conservatory is much
more affordable than an extension. In most cases,
you don’t need planning permission (although
it’s advisable to check larger ones with the local
authority first). And forget the ‘sun rooms’ of
the 80s and 90s – a well-designed conservatory
with the right glazing is very versatile. It can be a
play room, a home office, a dining room or even
a quiet living room. Add a good looking bi-fold
to the mix and you get flexible living space that
opens up the side of a house, brings the outdoors
in or adds privacy when needed.
“We aim to supply conservatories that
fabricators want to make and installers want to
sell. The Liniar Zoom conservatory roof is easy
to fabricate and install. It’s fully on-site adjustable
so even if the walls and base don’t quite align,
you still get a good fit. Liniar Zoom’s patented
Glazing Stop eliminates glazing slip, which is
expensive to fix. In our climate, conservatories
need to withstand the rain. Liniar Zoom has
a number of patented solutions for leaks, and
it’s BBA weather tested to 300 Pascals, the
equivalent to 113 inches of rain in 24 hours and
a Force 9 gale.
“We’ve also developed a new Energy Plus
twin-wall Top Cap to [\