Adler Windows Places on Fastest-Growing Companies List

As part of Quickslide’s quest to encourage homeowners to consider windows and doors as furniture the company’s design team has added ‘Living Oak’, one of the most authentic woodgrain foils ever developed, to the options for its Vertical Sliding Sash window.  Living Oak, with the unmistakeable silver-grey lustre of weathered vintage timber including authentic knots and hand-sawing grooves, is the latest addition to Quickslide’s already comprehensive range of finishes, textures and woodgrains, joining existing classics like Irish Oak, Golden Oak and Cherrywood.

In the continuing quest for authenticity Quickslide also prepares windows using a state of the art seamless welder.  Combined with the embossed and distressed rustic woodgrain and a choice of traditional furniture, buyers can choose an authentic-looking period window that offers the most advanced energy efficiency and security.

“This is one of the most authentic heritage foils we have seen in a long time and we had no hesitation in adding it to our range straight away,” said Sales & Marketing Director Tom Swallow. “Nothing is growing in demand faster than heritage foils, especially on classical window styles like our authentic Sliding Sash and judging by early reaction from installer partners and consumers, it will be another winner.”

Quickslide was one of the pioneers of bringing the classical Sliding Sash into the mainstream market, matching an authentic appearance with high-spec energy efficiency, security and weather resistance. That window has evolved by continuous improvement over two decades and now includes industry-leading features like seamless welding, deep bottom rail, authentic Georgian bars and hardware options, option of run-through horns, as well as modern twists like trickle vents and quick-release tilt arms.

This latest development of the Quickslide sliding sash has been shortlisted as ‘Window of the Year’ in the Build-It Awards because of its appearance, with many innovative features and ancillary features on this model but also because it operates more smoothly and easily due to developments in its mechanism and assembly.  Installation has also been considered with quick release sashes to assist transporting and installing on higher floors.

www.quickslide.co.uk

The WarmCore Fixed Roof Light was unveiled at the FIT Show earlier this year and has already become the product of choice for Celsius Solid Roof customers.

The fixed roof light, exclusive to Synseal Group’s tiled, solid roof system, has been designed using the Group’s award-winning WarmCore technology which uses a multi-chambered thermal core to offer a centre pane U-value of 1.0.

The stepped glass structure covers the whole area of the window, right up to the subtle ceramic edge which sits flush to the roof, to create an incredibly clean-looking finished product. This fully glazed design means the product has 41% increased visible glass area compared to the equivalent sized market leader in roof lights.

According to Synseal, the product provides installers with a neater alternative to what is currently available on the marketplace with better sightlines and a white or anthracite grey interior finish, complete with a discreet black flashing kit that is easily incorporated into the Celsius Solid Roof system.

To find out more about the new WarmCore Fixed Roof Light or to request images for use in your brochures and on your website, please email info@synseal.com.

www.synseal.com

Picture Above: Katie Leese Epwin Window Systems, Chris Reeks Mercury Glazing

Spectus trade fabricator Mercury Glazing Supplies Ltd. has become the latest fabricator to sign up to the Excellence as Standard programme. Launched at this year’s FIT Show the fabricator and installer programme advocates excellence at every stage of the project – from manufacturing through to installation in a consumer’s home. Fabricators and installers who are part of the programme will be demonstrating they are committed to raising standards across the industry and delivering an outstanding customer experience.

For Chris Reeks, Sales and Marketing Director of Mercury Glazing, the decision to join the scheme was an easy one. He explains: “The new Excellence as Standard programme offers major benefits to both Mercury and our customers and we did not hesitate to sign up.   As a business, our ethos has always been to manufacture quality products and offer an exceptional service throughout our customer base. In joining Excellence as Standard we can take that quality commitment to the next level as Mercury and our customers take advantage of what the scheme has to offer. This includes ongoing training and development opportunities through the Excellence as Standard Academy in addition to a comprehensive marketing support package, lead generation and business support from approved specialist partners including FENSA. We are very much looking forward to rolling out the programme to our installing partners.”

The interest around Excellence as Standard since its launch is a reflection of the strengths of a programme that is the most comprehensive ever devised. Designed with the fabricator at its heart, it offers a compelling package designed to gain a competitive edge and earn customer trust. And with specialist companies such as Mercury Glazing now joining the programme its importance and value throughout the industry is clearly evident.

www.spectus.co.uk

The ideal ‘forever home’ for the average British homeowner is a four-bedroom, detached house in the country, worth £458,000 – and just down the road from Mum, it has emerged. 

A detailed study of 2,000 UK homeowners, carried out by Origin, one of the leading British manufacturers of bespoke aluminium bi-folding doors, residential doors and windows, also found that homeowners hanker after a property with a driveway, a play room – and somewhere to hang the washing.

Plenty of natural light was also a must-have for homeowners, with 99 per cent of people saying it was important.  Over half said they wanted big windows, while bi-folding or sliding doors that lead out to the garden were also high on the list of features. 

Other must-haves include a large kitchen and breakfast room, an ample lounge, utility room and dining room. 

A double garage and conservatory are also essential, as is a study and cloakroom. Ideally, we want to live in a location just 10.5 miles from the office.

Ben Brocklesby, Director at Origin, said: “We wanted to find out more about the concept of the forever home, whether it still exists and what homeowners want most from their properties. This provides our partners with market insights that will help them further understand homeowners, their customers, and what it is that they want from their homes. This will allow them to offer an even more rounded experience when in the showroom.

“We pride ourselves on the gold standard of service that we offer to our partners, providing them with the best possible opportunities to maximise profitability, and this extra knowledge will set them in good stead when dealing with customers every day.

“Interestingly, more than three quarters of people still believe in the concept of a forever home, which shows that the clear majority of homeowners are constantly climbing the property ladder, striving to find a home to live in for the rest of their lives.”

Two bathrooms, two en-suites and two reception rooms are also key components. 

Good transport links and a pub within a mile and a half are also vital elements.

While an ambitious one in three even went as far as to suggest their ‘forever home’ would include a swimming pool and sauna.  

Over half of people chose the sea as the perfect view from their windows, followed by a countryside view of either rolling hills or a field of cows. Britain’s least chosen view from the home was, perhaps unsurprisingly, a football stadium. 

It also emerged that homeowners dream of spending their years in a street where they are surrounded by friendly neighbours, four of whom they are on first name terms with.

A 1,000sq ft garden is the ideal size, according to most Brits.

With regard to amenities, the ideal forever home would have everything residents needed within a three-mile radius. The Post Office, corner shop, newsagents and off-licence are considered the most important to have close by.

While a third of people are actively putting savings aside for their forever home, a third already reside in theirs.

The age at which most believe they will own their forever home emerged as 53, and four out of ten were convinced they would, at some point, purchase their dream pad.

Eighty-four per cent of UK adults are happy with their current home and around eight in ten think it’s likely they will try to improve or renovate the house they own now.

Ben Brocklesby continued “With such a high proportion of homeowners planning to improve or renovate their current house, we have some great practical advice on our website from our experts, looking at everything from how to make the most of a conservatory to styling your front of house – getting homeowners one step closer to creating their forever home.”

THE IDEAL FOREVER HOME:

• Is worth £458,000.
• Is 10.5 miles from work and has transport links.
• Has four friendly neighbours – who we are on first name terms with.

Has the following rooms:

• Playroom  x1
• Reception rooms x 2
• En-suites x 2
• Bathrooms x 2
• Bedrooms x 4

And has the following features:

• Front AND back gardens

• Driveway
• Off street parking
• Patio
• Double garage
• Flowerbeds
• Summer house
• Somewhere to hang the washing out
• Gates at the front
• Veg patch
• Open fields
• Garden 1000sqft
• View of sea view, rolling hills or field of cows

Is this far away from local amenities:

• Post office – 1 mile away
• Doctors – 1 mile away
• Dentist  – 2 miles away
• Corner shop – 1 mile away
• Supermarket – 2 miles away
• Leisure centre – 3 miles away
• Newsagent off licence – 1 mile away
• Petrol station – 2 miles away
• Park – 2 miles away
• Playground – 2 miles away
• Farm shop – 2 miles away
• Pub – 1.5 miles away
• School – 2 miles away
• Clothes shop – 3 miles away
• Library – 2.5 miles away
• Cinema – 3 miles away
• Restaurant – 2 miles away
• Chemist 1.5
• Vet – 2.5 miles away

And these are the most desired views:

• Sea view – 54 per cent
• Garden – 38 per cent
• Mountains – 44 per cent
• Field of cows – 21 per cent

To find out more, visit www.origin-global.com/forever-home

Optima has taken the market by storm since its launch last year. It won New Product of the Year at the 2016 G Awards, record numbers of fabricators are choosing to switch to it and it’s fast becoming the commercial system of choice too. For Gerald Allen, Marketing Manager at Profile 22, the reason for its success is simple. “We knew we wanted Optima to offer the best of everything and to ensure it delivered we worked closely with our fabricators to develop the system they needed.”

Gerald said the overwhelming message from their customers was simple: “Fabricators wanted a product that looked better and performed better than their rivals’ and we were happy to oblige.”

Visually, all three Optima systems, chamfered, sculptured and flush sash, are a close relation to the classic Profile 22 system but they are updated for the 21st century, making them a truly beautiful choice. The colour range offers a huge choice of durable colour foil options, including subtle shades, bold tones and varnished wood effects and the Xpress range allows customers to order a single length of any colour they need.

The thermal performance really delivers too. Optima has a six-chambered outerframe and a five-chambered sash, which can also be used with RCM thermal inserts to increase the number of insulating chambers. Revolutionary additional centre seals to the outerframe and sash give outstanding insulation and weather protection, as does the 10mm cover on the window sashes. The system has the widest range of glazing options on the market, ranging from 24-44mm, plus triple glazing in three sizes. All-in-all, it means that an Optima double glazed unit can achieve an A+ rating and a U-value of 1.2 W/m²K. And with triple-glazing, U-values as low as 0.8 W/m²K can be achieved.

Security features include a central Eurogroove that gives the sashes greater rigidity and a secure bead system that passes security tests without glazing clips and is ready for proposed enhancements to PAS24.

The system offers flexibility through the extended range of ancillaries. It also fully integrates with other products from the Epwin Group stable to provide a complete project solution.

In looking at the pedigree of Optima, it’s clear to see that the development work undertaken by Profile 22 is a masterclass in product design and innovation. The result is a product that gives fabricators and installers access to more opportunities, more markets and more sales.

www.profile22.co.uk

Fast-growing Astraseal has extensively expanded its offering of high-performance composite doors made in-house with the Distinction Doors slab.

Boasting a stunning woodgrain finish based on real oak, and coming available in an extensive range of over 30 styles and 40 colours, the Distinction slab is one of the most authentic and aesthetically versatile on the market.

Thanks to its rigid polymer sub-frame and high-density, high-impact resistant GRP skin, warping is a thing of the past. What’s more, it offers exceptional security, and a track record of achieving PAS24:2016 and Secured by Design accreditation.

A Distinction slab is also more than 17% more thermally efficient than solid and timber panelled alternatives, and comes with a 25-year warranty.

“It’s no surprise that one in four doors installed in the UK now uses a Distinction slab,” comments Astraseal marketing manager Zac Nedimovic. “It’s a fantastic product, it excels on all fronts, and that makes it a perfect match for Astraseal – a business committed to offering trade customers the highest quality windows, doors and conservatories, and the sort of exceptional service that helps them grow.

“Trade customers can also benefit from our new online door designer application, which you can visit at www.tradedoordesigner.com. It’s unbranded, so you can send your prospects to it to design their own doors, and even upload a picture of their own house so they can see how the product would look after it had been installed.”

Astraseal also incorporates the Distinction slab in its extensive range of 30-minute and 60-minute fire doors, both of which are fully compliant with BS476 Parts 20 and 22.

The firm’s FD30 is made with the Winkhaus Ecoframe outerframe, while the FD60 is made with a bespoke timber outerframe. Both doors are available in a range of colours and styles, including sidelights.

For more information call Astraseal on 01933 227233 or visit www.astraseal.co.uk