April/May 2021

Spotlight
A COLOURFUL HERITAGE
An exclusive YouGov report, commissioned by systems house Deceuninck, suggests that the
age of a property makes colour and finish critical in determining purchasing decisions.
Total Fabricator explores some of the findings...
It may seem incredible, given how broadly
the term is applied, but there is in fact no
specific definition of what counts as a period
property. There’s a general consensus that
it was anything built before the end of WWI,
but housing experts seem unable to agree,
completely at least.
“It’s about moving away from a ‘onesize
fits all’ approach to drive up
margins and win more business”
Chris Jones, Deceuninck
There’s also disagreement about if the ‘bar’
should move as time passes. A house built today,
will, after-all, at some point in the future, become
a period home!
Less open for discussion are the facts that 21%
of the UK’s housing stock was built before 1919;
16% between 1919 and 1944; 19% in the post
war period to the early 1960s; 20% through to
1980; 8% 1981 to 1990 and then everything
else, since then.
What is also notable is that much of our housing
stock was built in the pre-war period and is
notoriously ‘leaky’, and equally significantly
around 75% of the residential properties that will
be occupied in 2050, already exist.
So how does the age of a property influence
the decision-making of its occupiers when
purchasing new windows and doors?
A survey by leading pollster YouGov and
Do the maths!
Pre-inserted, co-extruded
gasket in frame, vent
and glazing beads
commissioned by Deceuninck, offers new insight.
“We asked a number of questions,” explains
Chris Jones, sales director, Deceuninck. “Energy
efficiency, acoustics, colour and finish; we
wanted to understand how each impacted on
the end-user’s choice, so that we can support
installers in targeting prospects more effectively.
Driving up margins
“It’s about moving away from a ‘one-size fits
all’ approach to drive up margins and win more
business by bringing more focus to prospecting.
“One of the areas where PVC-U sales aren’t
always easy is in sales to owners of older
properties, particularly in conservation areas. We
wanted to know what those owners understood;
what they thought, so we could address the
gaps and any misconceptions and support our
customers in targeting them more effectively.”
The findings of the study show that in common
Marine grade, dual
colour and textured
finishes as standard
with all property owners, colour was cited as ‘very
important’. Other drivers like energy efficiency
and security were also important.
How new windows matched into their home was,
however, significantly more important for owners
of properties built pre-war and immediately after
it, with 70% stating that it was ‘very important’
in their purchasing decision.
“It compares to say 56%, for people living in
properties built between 1950 and 1970, a period
dominated by large estate developments,” Chris
continues. “It’s not that the owners of those
properties don’t care about how their homes
look, it’s just that the match to their home is less
important than those who live in older pre-war
properties, where keeping with ‘character’ is
more important.
This had ramifications for colour choices too.
Owners of properties built after 1949 expressed
Modular – lower
stock holding and
release cash!
14 T F APRIL/MAY 2021 CONNECTING THE WINDOW, DOOR & ROOF FABRICATION SUPPLY CHAIN