Homeowners keep choosing to take matter into their own hands and undertake their own home improvements, despite the difficulty of some of the projects, such as large kitchen renovations. This is partly due to the increased availability of ‘how to’ guides online and reduced consumer confidence causing people to tighten their
A four year regeneration programme that will prolong Gentoo’s housing stock and ensure residents are living in high-quality, energy efficient and sustainable housing, within a safe environment, will be delivered by Engie’s regeneration business. The work includes re-roofing existing properties and undertaking gable wall repairs at the Racecourse Estate in
One of the UK’s hallowed university sites benefited from Sika’s waterproof liquid-applied seal that helps preserve the roofing detail. The roof refurbishment at Central Building – part of Cambridge University’s Fitzwilliam College campus – was one of the first projects to apply a pioneering approach. The approach included combining Sikalastic®-621,
Innovate, invest and improve were the key themes at the inaugural Forticrete Roofing Forum. The event, held at the Forest of Arden last week (July 4), was attended by more than 50 people from across the roofing industry. As well as updates on company activity and the state of the market, a number
Mr Galloway has joined Triflex with responsibility for the development of business in the education sector, where the company has delivered a significant number of successful roofing and walkway projects over the last few years. Having been directly involved in the roofing sector for some 23 years, he has an
Homeowners keep choosing to take matter into their own hands and undertake their own home improvements, despite the difficulty of some of the projects, such as large kitchen renovations. This is partly due to the increased availability of ‘how to’ guides online and reduced consumer confidence causing people to tighten their purses. This boom has been witnessed first-hand by Roofing Megastore, which has shipped in excess of 250,000 products to over 12,000 customers. The majority of these customers are homeowners who are taking on small roofing projects themselves, typically reroofing a shed or constructing a polycarbonate shelter. Although, according to the Banbury-based supplier of roofing materials, a healthy portion of their customers still seek the advice of a tradesman, the company feels ready to provide one-to-one support to DIYers. This includes an award-winning Customer Care Team and steady flow of how-to guides to inspire homeowners. “When buying high involvement products online customers are often overloaded with information we commit considerable resources into simplifying that information and providing a seamless user experience. When combined with our dedicated Customer Care Team, we believe this provides homeowners with the confidence they need to turn their DIY dreams into reality,” said Managing Director Gian Carlo-Grossi. Having seen the DIY market’s continued growth, Roofing Megastore has decided to expand its offering to consumers. Not only will this involve welcoming leading brands, such as Redland and Britmet, onto its website, but continuing to remove the confusing lingo that often leaves homeowners bewildered. The company also has hopes of going beyond roofing to expand their offering to both DIYers and tradesman. Having witnessed almost 300% growth over the past 12 months, there is little doubt that Roofing Megastore will inspire more homeowners to take on their projects throughout 2019.
A four year regeneration programme that will prolong Gentoo’s housing stock and ensure residents are living in high-quality, energy efficient and sustainable housing, within a safe environment, will be delivered by Engie’s regeneration business. The work includes re-roofing existing properties and undertaking gable wall repairs at the Racecourse Estate in Houghton le Spring and Town End Farm in Sunderland. As several properties have been identified as shortly needing repointing, brickwork, leadwork, fire breaks and topping up roof space insulation, Gentoo has committed to investing now, in an effort to future proof homes for their tenants. “This is a sensitive but vital project, in which resident welfare is the utmost priority. Gentoo has a very clear and direct vision of ensuring their housing stock is fit for purpose and their tenants are safe and happy. We have demonstrated our extensive abilities in this line of work and have the infrastructure in place to ensure we deliver a seamless and inclusive programme for residents,” said Andrew McIntosh, Regional Managing Director for Engie’s Places & Communities division. All work will be completed with residents in occupation, while Engie will be working openly and closely with the residents throughout the duration of the project to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum. Those who are affected by the programme of works will benefit from several consultation meetings and coffee mornings, as well as a dedicated resident liaison officer that will be on hand at all times. “As with all of our projects across the UK, we will also be looking to use a local supply chain and provide employment and training prospects for people in the area, including Gentoo tenants, to ensure we are putting as much as possible back into the local community,” Andrew concluded. As a leader in the energy revolution, Engie offers a comprehensive range of clean mobility solutions that transform the way energy is used. The Group has developed a systems-based approach that combines its skills and expertise in alternative fuels, transport infrastructures, smart transit systems, and upstream design and planning.
One of the UK’s hallowed university sites benefited from Sika’s waterproof liquid-applied seal that helps preserve the roofing detail. The roof refurbishment at Central Building – part of Cambridge University’s Fitzwilliam College campus – was one of the first projects to apply a pioneering approach. The approach included combining Sikalastic®-621, a highly-durable and elastic liquid polyurethane system, designed for areas with complex detailing, with Sika Sarnafil’s single-ply waterproof membrane. Working closely with architect Cullinan Studio, contractors Gunite (Eastern) and Roofing Contractors Cambridge (RCC), and the college, Sika’s challenge was to create an appropriate waterproofing solution for the roof’s intricate design. Constructed in 1963 by renowned architect Denys Lasdun, the original Central Building features protruding ‘scalloped’ detailing, hence the contractor’s potentially challenging requirement: waterproof the flat roof – which itself had plenty of challenging details – and the scalloped areas, whilst maintaining the look and integrity of the roof and the building as a whole. Concrete repairs were carried out to the underside of the protruding scallops. Initially, this involved applying Sika® MonoTop®-610, a high performance, polymer-modified primer, in lieu of high-build concrete repair mortar: Sika® MonoTop®-615. The steel reinforcement was protected with Sika® FerroGard®-903+. This penetrates the concrete and forms a protective monomolecular layer on the surface of the reinforcing steel, to prevent its corrosion. The concrete was finished with Sikagard®-550W, a high-performance anti-carbonation coating, with crack-bridging capabilities, that protects the concrete, whilst meeting the aesthetic requirements of the structure. “Due to the unusual shape of the scallops, it wasn’t aesthetically practical to install sheet membrane on them, so many, many discussions took place to decide how best to tackle this. The Sikalastic® product ensured these unique details would be protected without altering their shape. It’s not unusual for a project to incorporate small amounts of Sikalastic, but this is one of the first projects where the Sarnafil membrane and Sikalastic®-621TC have been used over large areas together,” said Save Stewart, RCC Managing Director. It was thanks to the collaborative relationship between Sika Sarnafil’s technical experts, RCC’s highly experienced fitters and concrete repair contractor Gunite (Eastern), that the finished roof met the strict requirements of the architect and client.
Innovate, invest and improve were the key themes at the inaugural Forticrete Roofing Forum. The event, held at the Forest of Arden last week (July 4), was attended by more than 50 people from across the roofing industry. As well as updates on company activity and the state of the market, a number of educational syndicate sessions held throughout the day gave attendees the opportunity to ask questions and give feedback in key areas. Sessions included health and safety for roofing contractors, product development, customer support as well as scheduling and ordering. A key message to emerge from the forum was that by working in partnership throughout the supply chain “everybody has the chance to grow their business”. John Lambert, Managing Director of Forticrete, commented: “This forum marks a major undertaking for Forticrete. It was an opportunity for us to share our future plans and generate feedback from the people who are most important to us. Our objective is to improve the customer experience. By listening to our customers, it will help us drive forward future initiatives across our business. The aim of the forum was to have a collaborative approach so we can continually deliver the products, services and solutions the roofing industry needs.” Joe Hudson, Chief Executive of Ibstock plc, also stressed the value of the customer relationships, saying: “Without customers we don’t have a business. The only way we can continue to grow and invest is by having a partnership with you. By focussing on the needs of our customers and working together more closely we can make changes together that create value for everybody. There are a lot of opportunities within the roofing industry, and there is great potential for us all to grow at a very dynamic time in the market. We can achieve this by working in partnership throughout the supply chain.” Forticrete, part of Ibstock plc, is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of concrete construction products including roof tiles, concrete decorative facing blocks, walling stone and cast stone dressings.
Mr Galloway has joined Triflex with responsibility for the development of business in the education sector, where the company has delivered a significant number of successful roofing and walkway projects over the last few years. Having been directly involved in the roofing sector for some 23 years, he has an appreciation of the benefits to be derived from building robust working relationships with property and asset management companies, fundamental to the continued growth and development of Triflex. Speaking of his new appointment Mr Galloway commented: “I am delighted to have joined Europe’s leading manufacturer and supplier of cold applied liquid waterproofing systems at such an exciting time in the development of the company. The product offering continues to evolve and strengthen and I look forward to working closely with the UK team promoting the trusted Triflex brand.” Prior to joining Triflex UK, Mr Galloway’s time was spent at IKO. His role as business development director involved assisting with the growth and development of a wide range of waterproofing products and systems for the roofing sector, within specification, education and commercial distribution sectors. Triflex UK national sales manager Craig Smith commented: “Alan brings with him a high level of professionalism, expertise and knowledge of the roof waterproofing sector which will be key to our future key account development strategy in the UK.”
