GRADIENT SERVICE OFFERING SHOWS TRUE VALUE OF CONTRACTOR SUPPORT
Contractor support is crucial to fulfilling a range of criteria regarding flat and tapered roof insulation. It facilitates correct product specification and a high quality installation which is completed in a time and cost-effective manner for the ultimate outcome: a property that benefits the occupant and environment by achieving an industry-required level of energy performance.
The contractor/manufacturer relationship should not be underestimated as a contributor to a roofing project’s success. This type of collaborative approach helps establish trust between parties, opening up an honest dialogue that leads to a greater understanding of each other’s requirements for the greater good of the application at hand. Furthermore, manufacturers who are able to offer a high standard of contractor support on a technical and customer service level throughout all stages of a roof’s insulation imbue clients with that most vital of commodities: peace of mind. Gradient’s surveying department is set up to provide just such a service.
Turnkey support is all part of the service
Each aspect of Gradient’s bespoke, turnkey offering is designed to result in the smooth delivery of a high-performance flat or tapered insulation that provides warm, dry protection for a building’s lifespan. The company’s first-class contractor support activates the moment clients make contact for a quote. This leads to a visit from a surveyor, who will carry out a full on-site survey of the roof, with real world dimensions, deflections and threshold heights being used to inform the scheme’s design. Therefore, with Gradient and the contractor having struck up a relationship at a project’s earliest stage, it puts the programme on a sound footing to assure the completed building’s thermal performance matches the design expectation.
Following a survey, Gradient will design an insulation scheme for the contractor’s approval. The system is then manufactured and delivered to site, with Gradient’s surveyors available for visits – if additional support is required – to provide further assistance with factors such as defining the insulation’s setting out points and helping with its initial installation. Gradient’s team can also offer additional guidance in the form of site visits as the project progresses. It’s this type of contractor support that differentiates Gradient from other manufacturers. From site surveys, through to the design, manufacture, installation programme and aftersales phases, it’s all part of the turnkey service Gradient is able to offer its clients.
Sustainable benefits of manufacturer/contractor collaboration
With sustainability core to Gradient’s culture, it’s also worth highlighting how the manufacturer/contractor collaboration is essential to minimising waste. With both parties working closely to deliver a design to fit the application’s precise requirements, Gradient is able to deliver a made-to-measure system that reduces the need for the cutting and resizing of additional materials on site. Less wastage means fewer trips are required to dispose of unwanted materials in landfill sites, thus Gradient projects have less environmental impact.
Creating insulation schemes to ensure buildings live-up to design expectations
No two tapered insulation schemes are the same, which is why it is so important manufacturers and contractors are on a metaphorical same page when it comes to drawing up the ideal roof design. This close working relationship ensures seemingly minor details – which can have major consequences if overlooked or unattended – are decided upon prior to installation. As an insulation specialist, Gradient has the expertise to design-out many potential performance issues, hence the need for clear lines of communication in order to satisfy each requirement when it comes to the design and installation of an appropriate tapered solution. For example, Gradient has the technical knowhow to be able to mix and match materials to optimise a system’s performance, particularly in relation to a roof’s existing falls which may need to be reversed to optimise drainage. Along with PIR, the company can offer cork board insulation or a hard mineral wool board solution if the application demands it; the latter being ideal to reducing noise when installed above a classroom as part of a school building project.
The truism that teamwork presents better opportunity for success is particularly relevant to construction. The more instances of manufacturers and contractors working in synergy from a project’s start to its finish, the more consistent the energy-saving improvement for the UK’s thermally deficient housing stock. It’s a united front that can certainly lead to new highs in the design and installation of flat and tapered roof insulation.
