News

Described as ‘make or break’ for the chancellor, the autumn budget included some positive announcements for the housing industry. Touching on key issues surrounding the housing crisis, it indicated there was quite a lot for the industry to get excited about. There’s been a lot of post-budget discussion, and as a whole it’s fair to say we are left feeling ‘positively optimistic’. This is also backed up by the NHBC’s announcement that builders registered nearly 38,000 new homes across the UK in Q3 this year – the highest Q3 since the recession, according to their statistics and a 6% increase on the same period last year. Interestingly, most of this growth is driven by the private.

Colour trends for windows vary to those of doors. Not massively, but there are different considerations. For example, more people choose black for their front door, than they do for their window profile! Anthracite Grey and Chartwell Green have been popular colours for windows (and doors) for some time and look set to continue to be. Grey is particularly popular as consumers try to emulate the sleek, cool look of aluminium, without compromising on the cost or thermal efficiency benefits they get from PVC-U. Of course, it depends on the property too, as to which colours come out on top. Owners of character properties are often the ones to opt for more pastel or natural.

We’re all too aware of the power property programmes hold with consumers and what an impact they can have, positively or negatively, on our industry. Grand Designs is still seen as an authoritative voice in building design, but there are an increasing number of programmes ‘educating’ consumers in how to make their homes look better, more welcoming, more on trend, as well as the best things to do to make them more sellable when the time comes. Property experts have recently been talking about the importance of the first impression of a house, especially when it comes to selling up, but warn that which colours you choose for your windows and doors could make all.

Following the success of our Swing and Slide Patio Door, we have now launched a dedicated Twitter channel for this product. Follow @swinganslide today to find out more about the practical alternative to bi-fold doors available from Profix.

A Plotted History

Sliding patio doors have been around for the past fifty years, originally made popular by the post war building boom which saw many homes have larger openings to open up the home, as well as the outside space. Early models were often made of PVC-U but were prone to wrapping and dropping, often making the doors unusable. Then came the “Bringing the Outside In” trend of panoramic, uninterrupted panes of glass which create even less of.

With the demand for new housing seeing no signs of slowing, the new build market is becoming even more competitive for suppliers. High volumes and lower margins mean it’s financially tight, but it goes beyond that now as specifiers and developers expect best service to back up their volume order. And even more importantly, a seamless supply chain that delivers the most suitable solutions on time, every time. When it comes to fenestration, the variety of housing offered on many new developments demands a mix of window and door solutions – for example, many sites now have a mix of both single dwelling homes and blocks of multiple occupancy properties. Naturally the products that suit these.