The new build market is more active, but there is still a real housing shortage in the UK – added to current demands for more living space. Most modern homes don’t give people enough room to live and when asked, most homeowners say they’d like more space.
Traditional extensions give people extra room but they are expensive, subject to long planning applications and money is still tight. In contrast, the right conservatory adds space at a fraction of the cost, and conservatories can be versatile, comfortable and provide all year round living space.
Despite the potential, consumers fell out of love with conservatories, with installations that didn’t live up to the promise or could only be used for a few months of the year. Conservatories that leaked, had gaps that let the wind and rain in, and were either too hot or too cold to use properly didn’t give people what they wanted. It’s no wonder conservatory sales have fallen.
They also fell for two other reasons. Firstly, the housing market halved and money to fund extra living space was hard to come by. And secondly, suppliers stopped developing innovative new products and supporting customers with the tools they needed to build sales. Now, housing is recovering and money is becoming more accessible.
I invested in Zoom Conservatory Roof Systems because I believe in conservatories and because it’s a great roof. Zoom is now an important member of the Liniar family and we’ve rebranded it as Liniar Zoom. The developments Liniar Zoom is working on will help companies rebuild the market. Our official re-launch is in March, when the roof will be available to Liniar Window customers as ready-made roof kits, and in bar length for Liniar fabricators who want to make their own roofs.
Selling conservatories with confidence
Liniar Zoom’s aim is to give companies the confidence to sell conservatories again with trouble-free conservatory roofs that are easy to install and give unlimited design options. Liniar Zoom is already acknowledged as one of the most advanced roofs on the market and it has been designed to be easy to fabricate. The roof has patented solutions to problems like leaks and glazing slip. These solutions are designed-in and not afterthoughts, which make fabrication harder and more fiddly. The Glazing Stop, for example, eliminates 100% of glazing slip on both glass and polycarbonate without the need for fiddly additions or double-sided tape.
High performance conservatory glass keeps conservatories at a comfortable temperature all year round. This gives homeowners real living space that can be used as a dining room, study, playroom or extra living room – not just as an ‘occasional-use’ room.
Innovation makes Liniar Zoom even better
The Liniar team has been looking at ways to make Liniar Zoom even better and stretch its technological lead. We’re ready to launch a new Energy Plus twin-wall Top Cap that improves the roof’s thermal performance and enhances internal aesthetics with level bars. It also makes compound mitre-cutting faster and easier. Liniar Zoom is launching a wider, more substantial Box Gutter which is easy to fabricate and ideal for bespoke applications – for example, to join two roofs together. We’ll be launching further products this year, including new horizontal Cleat Plates and Eaves Beam Cloaking, a new Twin-Stud roof bar fixing, a new Transom Bar fixing and a Jack Rafter fixing.
A great conservatory roof needs to be fully integrated with a window and door system to give homeowners the complete package. Liniar Zoom sits perfectly with Liniar’s range of innovative, lead-free uPVC windows, doors and bi-fold doors. The Liniar family of products lets fabricators fabricate with confidence and gives installers the products they need to sell more effectively.
Liniar Zoom will be officially launched in March, following Liniar’s customer open day on Tuesday 25th February. Click the ‘Contact’ button to find out more.
