October 2020

Installation Advice
TOP TIPS & ADVICE FOR INSTALLING
STORMKING’S PRODUCTS
Stormking has very recently entered into the flat roofing market, launching two new highperformance
flat roofing systems which excel in terms of cost and ease of installation. The
brand is also well-known for its GRP dormer windows and chimneys, which are made in
Britain and produced offsite in factory-controlled conditions. To give a glimpse into how the
products are installed, Paul Oldham, Technical Manager from Stormking, lists the top tips
that roofing contractors should consider when using these products.
Look up, look out: GRP chimneys and
dormers
Although traditional methods of construction
still retain their value, at the moment the
industry is facing a huge shortage of
skilled workers to meet the high standards it sets.
This is compounded by statistics that highlight
the UK construction workforce is too small to
meet the government’s housebuilding targets.
Traditional processes alone cannot be responsible
for meeting the government’s aim, meaning
alternative measures must be adopted to keep
the industry on the right track.
The use of GRP prefabricated components is
favoured when there is a shortage of skilled
workers and a complex design. In recent years
there has been a greater drive
towards more ambitious
designs, which has
subsequently
raised the
profile of
construction
methods
which can
meet this
requirement.
Therefore, where
there is complexity or
a lack of experienced
tradespeople in the locality, a
far better consistency of quality and
finish will be achieved by
selecting an offsite
manufactured GRP
solution. These
products are
also ideal on
roofing
projects
where mass
quantities of a
particular
solution are
needed.
Stormking has longspecialised
in the offsite
manufacture of prefabricated GRP chimneys
and dormers, but which considerations should
roofing contractors make when these products
have been specified?
The answer is that with an offsite manufactured
product, roofing contractors needn’t make many
considerations at all. This is one of the famed
benefits of prefabrication; it enables contractors
to save time, control risk and ensure the same
quality finish is achieved every time.
With a GRP chimney for instance, a roofing
contractor doesn’t need to calculate where the
trusses will sit or factor in additional wind
loading, as they would do traditionally. Using
Stormking’s special lifting eye the product is
crane-lifted to the roof, where it sits straight onto
40 TC OCTOBER 2020