ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
As construction sites across the UK reopen and contractors return to work, we are presented with an extraordinary opportunity for change. Beyond flexible working, employee health and wellbeing, and green business practices, lies a chance for self-improvement – advances that can lead to higher profit margins and business efficiency.
By developing your rooflight installation technique and broadening your product knowledge, you can look to step away from ‘off-the-shelf’ rooflights and vents and explore bespoke products with a higher value.
Tackling Technique
A professional installation makes good business sense. Fitted poorly, and even the very best rooflight can end up costing valuable time and money. Call-backs are a financial drain, and at the very least, a waste of everyone’s time.
A shoddy installation can damage both a building and reputation of the fitter and manufacturer. For example, our aluminium roof lights are thermally broken for superior thermal performance, achieving a U-value of just 0.7 W/m²K. A poor installation would have a negative impact on the thermal efficiency of the roof light. Ultimately, all our roof light products are designed to keep out the bad weather, a substandard installation would compromise these design benefits and reflect badly on us and the installer.
Knowledge is Power
There are many factors to consider when installing a rooflight, but planning is crucial, especially when working at height. Access is often the biggest challenge and requires forethought. Depending on the size of the roof light, manual handling is possible but, in some instances, a more industrial solution, such as a crane or hoisting apparatus, is required.
Don’t underestimate the value of regular training and qualifications. Explore opportunities for personal development through NVQ qualifications, or similar. Some manufacturers offer installation training sessions to customers while video installation guides may also be available.
For those seeking insight and support from rooflight manufacturers and designers, workshops and online courses exist to improve understanding and techniques, and are often tailored to a specific system or product. These provide examples of do’s and don’ts and what to look out for. Most are relevant to sales representatives and installers alike.
First GQA Approved Rooflight Course
As a business we are committed to raising standards in the fenestration industry it is why, in part, we took the bold step to develop our very own Rooflight Familiarisation Workshop. Launched at the start of the year, we are proud to say that it is the first GQA approved rooflight course in the UK.
Open to all, the six-hour, fully accredited workshop provides a valuable insight into the construction of aluminium rooflights and is designed to improve technical and practical understanding.
Trainees will learn about the components, assembly and installation of our slimline rooflight, with hands-on experience.
Online Training
While we have continued to trade throughout lockdown, restrictions on movement and social distancing have presented challenges for the workshop, and so we have developed an online course which focuses on the technical rather than practical elements of the workshop. Completion of the online course will generate a Howells certificate of achievement.
Domestic Market
Using this unprecedented period to improve installation technique will reap reward further down the line. Domestic installers can look to benefit from those homeowners who have used lockdown to rethink their homes and priorities, for example. A survey by Nationwide revealed that 22% of people were considering improving their home rather than move to a new house, while 15% said they were considering a move as a result of life in lockdown.
Add to this the ready pot of savings once earmarked for childcare fees, foreign travel and leisure time, and the domestic market appears to be an area of opportunity for those with the skill and knowledge to succeed in this challenging climate.
To find out more about the UK’s first GQA approved rooflight course – Rooflight Familiarisation Workshop, please call 01384 820 060 or visit www.aspirerooflights.co.uk/training.
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