MORE NEW PREFIX PRODUCTS FOR THE FIT SHOW

The thirst for new product development continues, as Prefix Systems look set to launch a number of new products at this year’s FIT Show, further enhancing their credentials as the most dynamic player in the extended living space market.

As we reach the NEC for the first time in the history of the FIT Show, Prefix Systems will have their largest ever exhibition stand at a UK trade show, with several new roofing developments and also residential glazing solutions. Their WARMroof is already widely regarded as the most configurable product in the solid, tiled roofing sector and will be featured in the stunning hybrid version, combining fixed triple glazed sections, within a tiled roof environment.

The OPUS aluminium/timber composite system will be showcased as fixed lights and as a sumptuous bi-folding door option and there will also be an aluminium patio door and bi-folding door from Smart Systems. Other residential glazing solutions include the Alitherm 47 heritage window, which is designed to replicate the sightlines of steel windows, boasting a slim back to front dimension of just 47mm.

The VS 600 vertical sliding window will also be presented and incorporates the traditional styling of sash windows with the advantages of modern thermal aluminium profiles and specific hardware developed by Calwell, as Prefix looks to offer one of the broadest ranges of aluminium doors and windows in the UK.

The popular Verandah system, which was previewed at the FIT Show in 2016, will also be on display as Prefix look to build their presence in the outdoor living market. The trend towards lantern roofs and Orangeries will also be satisfied, with an iX250 Orangery solution and ultraSKY lantern, featuring beautiful OPUS hardwood undercladding.

As a company with an unrivalled history in conservatory roofing, Prefix will also be launching their URBANroom at the show, which combines an Ultraframe aluminium roof, with a deep contemporary gutter shroud and internal pelmet detail. This is a product set for the modern conservatory market, who are inspired by contemporary living and the adoption of in vogue colours such as anthracite grey.

Prefix’s marketing co-ordinator, Hannah Gilrane commented: ‘It’s our biggest exhibition investment ever in terms of the stand and the products that we have invested in. There’s quite simply a product for everyone and we’ll also be looking to launch our new Product Directory.’

For further information, on Prefix Systems contact the head office on 01254 871800, visit www.prefixsystems.co.uk, e-mail enquiries@prefixsystems.co.uk or add to their considerable following on Twitter @prefixsystems. Visit them on stand R20 at the FIT Show in hall 8.

National Plastics has just announced it will now be supplying Safedoors’ composite doors throughout its nationwide trade counter network. Geoff Foster, Managing Director at National Plastics, commented: “Adding Safedoors’ composite doors to our range will enhance our USP as a one-stop shop for quality building products and more.”

Composite doors are the UK’s most popular choice of entrance door and National Plastics chose its range with care. Geoff said: “We wanted a door partner who could provide great choice and exceptional quality. Safedoors delivers that with its Diamond and Platinum ranges.”

The Safedoors’ Diamond range includes 21 doors in 13 colours and the Safedoors’ Platinum range includes 18 designs in 10 colours. Both ranges come with a range of glass and hardware options. The doors all comply with the latest building regulations and come with a ten year guarantee as standard. A Secured By Design option is available on request. Prices for a complete doorset offer great value for money, so all-in-all the new range is likely to prove very attractive to installers.

As Geoff says, National Plastics is renowned for being a one-stop shop when it comes to building products. The new composite doors will be part of a portfolio that also includes bathroom panels, guttering products, fascias and soffits, cladding, drainage products, roofing products, PVC-u windows, doors and conservatories, garden products, accessories and wall panels.

Alongside its product range, National Plastics is also renowned for its prices and the quality and knowledge of its people. It’s a winning combination that means it’s hardly surprising it’s become the go-to trade counter network!

www.nationalplastics.co.uk

Having an offering that reflects market trends is a fundamental requirement of a successful business and it’s something that aluminium systems company Exlabesa UK has got a reputation for doing. That reputation is being enhanced in its KLS patio door suite. Paul Benn, Exlabesa’s National Sales Manager, comments: “The trend at the moment is for large expanses of glass that give unrestricted views to the outside. In the KLS patio door suite you have a product that delivers what the homeowner wants and is also easy to install, so it delivers what installers need too.”

The KLS patio door suite has been designed to maximise the glazed area, giving the expansive views and slim sightlines that homeowners are looking for. The doors use the K Concept mechanical corner cleat system, a sliding mechanism that allows large panels of glass to move effortlessly, smoothly and quietly, something that makes them a pleasure to use. The system uses a multipoint locking system and is internally beaded to ensure high security levels. Single and dual colour options complete a door suite that offers considerable homeowner appeal.

While the benefits of the KLS patio door system for homeowners are clear, the benefits for fabricators and installers are also numerous. Doors up to 3,300mm x 3,200mm are available, meaning the system is suitable for use in the largest of glazed areas. The system integrates with Exlabesa’s KWS Window Systems, and Curtain Walling System which means it can be specified as part of a total glazed solution. It’s a thermally broken system that meets and exceeds current building regulations. It uses a mechanical corner joint for easy fabrication and features an innovative gasket design for easy glazing. And it’s easy to install too, so it’s a welcome addition to any installers’ portfolio. What’s more, because it’s an Exlabesa system, fabricators and installers will benefit from the company’s strong technical support and customer-focused approach.

Having a portfolio that attracts your target market is vital to the success of your business. By partnering with Exlabesa, not only do you get products that meet market demand you also get the support of one of the country’s most experienced and reliable aluminium systems companies.

www.exlabesa.co.uk

The newly launched Bowater by Birtley range from Birtley Group will be on display for all to see at this year’s bigger and better FIT Show at the NEC. The new comprehensive door range includes composite, fire, flood and steel doors but the focus at FIT will be on the composite range.

Kevin Kiernan of Birtley Group says: “We’re thrilled to be attending this year’s FIT Show and especially pleased we’re attending with something genuinely new to show the market. Our composite door range alone offers more choice than most with both 44mm and 68mm available, a range of doors to suit all budgets from commodity to high end and a wide range of colours thanks to our in-house paint line. The range combines the best of Bowater Doors and Birtley Group with superb aesthetics, security and energy performance.

“Visitors to our stand (F20) will not only be able to see first-hand the excellent quality of our range, they will also be able to quiz our team of experts about why we’re different and what to expect from Bowater by Birtley in terms of product and service. Bowater by Birtley is a new force to be reckoned with in composite doors and we’re looking forward to showing fabricators and installers why at FIT 2017.”

If you want to find out more about Bowater by Birtley and see the complete new range, call us today on 0191 410 6631.

Customade is promising excitement and nostalgia on its stand at the FIT Show (N20). Although the theme of the stand is still under wraps, the Customade team will be showing installers just how easy it is to propel their businesses forward with aluminium.

Visitors will discover more about Customade’s ‘REAL Aluminium’ innovation and how it can make the advance to aluminium as ‘easy as child’s play’.

Gareth Thomas, Customade’s sales and marketing director, hints: “Aluminium is the material of choice for millions of homeowners now and we want to create a playful buzz about it at the FIT Show. Our stand will be teaming with visitors who want to find out more about REAL Aluminium and how it takes the whole performance out of promoting, quoting, selling and ordering aluminium.

“I’m not able give away too much at this stage, but I’m very excited about the star attraction – our competition. It cleverly captures the essence of our pre-show campaign and is sure to release the ‘inner child’ in everyone!”

REAL Aluminium was launched last year to help installers to grow their businesses and enhance profits with aluminium. Since then, hundreds of installers have made the fearless leap to aluminium with the help of REAL Aluminium. It has equipped them with everything they need to promote and sell the most extensive range of aluminium windows, doors and lantern roofs from one source.

REAL Aluminium is a solution to the perennial obstacles that installers face with aluminium, particularly complex pricing structures and lengthy lead times. Designed to make sourcing aluminium as easy as buying PVC-u, REAL Aluminium has cut lead times on standard profile to just two weeks.

Customade exclusively manufactures the REAL range at its purpose built 72,000 square foot factory and holds more than 100 miles of aluminium extrusions in stock in four colours – white, grey (7016), black (9005) and dual grey on white.

To find out more about REAL Aluminium, please call 01453 826884 or visit www.real-aluminium.co.uk.

For the perfect timber alternative garden room, Composite Wood Company™ now features unique Composite Wood connecting posts as standard – further enhancing the garden rooms’ natural wood style, design flexibility and ease of installation.

Already one of the fastest-growing home improvement products, it’s now even easier to order and fit Composite Wood garden rooms with a choice of fixed-price modular designs or bespoke options.  That means window installers won’t leave their profits in the garden when working on a job.

“Homeowners love the natural timber appearance, fully insulated comfort and long-lasting, low-maintenance performance of Composite Wood garden rooms,” says Tony Pratt, Sales Director of Composite Wood Company.

“By designing our connecting posts from the same material, customers get a superior finish and colour co-ordination with the garden room walls, for a consistently eye-catching look.

“The connecting posts make installation a breeze.  We now offer a modular range with fixed-price set designs, to make Composite Wood garden rooms accessible for installers looking for added-value home improvement products.

“The posts are also really versatile, so if a customer wants a more complex design, we’ll help you to create a bespoke garden room.  The connectors can also be used for orangeries and conservatories.

“The Composite Wood garden room with matching connecting posts will be on display at FIT Show 2017, but if you’ve like to see it ahead of the show, please let us know and we’ll give you a preview of our new showroom in Oldham.”

All Composite Wood garden rooms are fully insulated and built to withstand the weather for all-year-round usage.  They are ideal as garden offices, family rooms or ‘man caves.’

www.compositewoodcompany.co.uk 

Essex based trade fabricator U70 is manufacturing Residence 7 (R7) to enable customers to sell into larger properties and more prestigious developments.

R7 is the stand-out 75mm premium flush system from Residence Collection. It’s flush on the outside so it looks like traditional timber windows, but it’s also flush on the inside, giving it a sleek modern feel perfect for most types of home.

U70 Sales & Marketing Manager Allan Wilding says: “R7 is a great addition to our customers’ ranges, and it’s proving very successful in attracting new customers. High profile installers are very interested, so we make it easy for them to add R7 to their upmarket showrooms.”

U70 already fabricates Residence 9 (R9), and has a loyal customer base. It’s added R7 to open up a larger market for flush sash windows.

“R7 opens up new avenues for us because it’s a very different product. It looks the same as R9 from the outside, but it doesn’t carry the same premium as R9,” adds Allan. “R7 is very competitive, and, like R9, transforms properties in a way that other PVC windows can’t.”

Residence Collection CEO Martin Dickie says: “R7’s flush look means it can be used as a timber alternative, or as an aluminium alternative with its internal flush look. It suits homes looking for beautiful, high quality windows. R7 and the other Residence Collection systems, R9 and R2, are opening up new markets for fabricators like U70 because they offer the look and quality that no other systems can.”

For more about U70 call 01376 511360 or visit www.u70.co.uk.

To expand your markets and find out more about Residence Collection visit www.residencecollection.co.uk, call 01452 300 912 or follow @Residence9 on Twitter.

Pitched as ‘no ordinary mud run’, Tough Mudder South West takes place on the weekend of 19th-20th August at Badminton Estate in South Gloucestershire. Tough Mudder Half consists of 13 obstacles across a 5-mile course and Brouha Marketing’s Lucy Baker has signed up for the challenge in aid of a touching cause close to home.

The course covers acres of undulating historic parkland, muddy fields and dense woodland and is certainly set to keep Lucy and her teammates on their toes. Lucy is taking part in the challenge for a very good cause as she explains: “I signed up for this particular challenge to raise money for Cancer Research UK after hearing the news about a friend of the family, Mitch, a three-year old boy who, in a matter of days, had his and his family’s life literally turned upside down.”

Tara, Mitch’s mum, tells the story: “Mitch was a healthy, active, normal three-year old. That was at 5.44pm on the 3rd of January. Then, in an instant, he wasn’t. One second you don’t have it, then the next second, you do. When they draw the curtains around you at the hospital and say “I’m really sorry, it’s not an ear infection. Your son has a brain tumour” and in the blink of an eye, your whole life changes.

“39 hours later, Mitch began his journey. A 9 hour operation to remove the main tumour at the base of his brain. We are now well into the 6 weeks of intensive radiotherapy treatments to be followed by 4 months of the equally destructive chemotherapy. These treatments will hopefully eradicate the remaining cancers in Mitch’s brain and spine. Tough on anyone, permanently damaging for a 3 year old. Our previously independent little boy now struggles with the basics like walking and eating. But he is a fighter and he will beat this.

“Other families will go through what we are experiencing. Cancer is happening right now, but research will eventually find a cure. The research has meant that there are more survivors of cancer than ever before, but still, not enough.”

Lucy concludes: “I’m not sure how much of a Tough Mudder I really am – I guess on the 20th of August I will find out! – but I am delighted to be part of a team of people who are currently fundraising in Mitchie’s name and would really appreciate any sponsorship you can spare.” To sponsor Lucy access her fundraising page here: fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/lucys-page-1

For more information on Team Mitchie log on to fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/team/for-mitchie

How do you transform a dark and uninspiring interior without losing the rustic and traditional appeal of a home? That was the challenge facing architect Lydia Robinson, as she began a renovation project on two traditional miners cottages in Bristol, Somerset.

The brief wasnt straight forward: make the most of the aesthetic beauty of the interior while adding a brighter contemporary finish. However, the result was a juxtaposition of new and old that resulted in the project being awarded Best Renovation Project in the Daily Telegraph Homebuilding and Renovating awards.

According to Lydia, the part natural light plays in turning a dark and seemingly small interior into a bright and open space cannot be underestimated, so she chose fixed flat roof lights from supplier, Roof Maker.

Period features offset against modern fixtures and fittings ensured a cool, contemporary finish while a real sense of the past is said to be ever-present.

Fixed flat roof lights and bi-fold doors have an immediate benefit, as the period features are enhanced while light from above enhances the original character of the kitchen. The fixed flat roof lights are offset against the wooden beams below on the kitchen ceiling to project the natural light.

Lydia said: Roof Maker roof lights were installed in both kitchen extensions of our miners cottages. We placed them close to the original cottage wall and new extension in order to get light into the deep part of the plan and through to the centre of the cottages.

The roof lights have both achieved and exceeded our ambitions by capturing an edited section of sky which provides delight and light. Looking up though the roof light from the contemporary industrially inspired extension back to the existing cottage provides an interesting juxtaposition between new and old.

You can find out more about this award winning renovation here.

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