Why choose an outdoor living specialist
With a number of systems companies now offering aluminium verandas, Mark Wood, managing director of Milwood Group, explains why businesses are better off working with a dedicated outdoor living specialist.
It’s not hard to see why systems companies are trying to throw their hats in the ring and break into the outdoor living market. Not only are aluminium verandas and canopies incredibly popular, allowing homeowners to create a luxury living space outdoors, but they present a valuable opportunity for businesses at every level.
The bifold boom and the growth of aluminium patio doors have allowed savvy installers to upsell premium verandas to match. It’s undoubtedly been a massive growth area for businesses in recent years, and one that doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. It’s therefore only logical that systems houses are looking to support their customers.
While they may seem like a good deal, the reality is that many of the shelters offered by the systems houses are not quite as they seem. Not only are they often bought-in rather than designed and manufactured in-house, they can be very limited, both in design and specification. Instead of compromising, tradespeople could partner with an outdoor living specialist and take advantage of a purpose-built range of premium verandas.
One of the biggest differences is in the depth of the range. At Milwood, we offer six bespoke veranda systems, and a full range of glazing options, rather than just one set choice. In addition to 16mm and 35mm polycarbonate, customers can offer 6mm glass in a choice of colours including grey, green and blue. We can even offer self-cleaning or 8mm glass to allow customers to tailor each shelter to the budget or application.
Instead of just a small selection of colours, our range is available in any RAL colour, allowing businesses to offer a wide range of finishes or colour-match the veranda to the customer’s new bifold or patio doors.
Our aim has always been to create the most robust range of verandas on the market, ones that customers can trust to deliver for their business. That’s why all of our systems have been thoroughly wind and snow load tested.
Our product range is the result of almost three decades of experience in the industry. I started out as a canopy installer myself, and I saw first-hand the challenges and frustrations. The frequent issues with timber and steel systems led me to explore using aluminium, while the challenges of buying parts from multiple suppliers highlighted the gap in the market for a kit-based system. That’s how the Milwood Group started out and the rest, as they say, is history.
That experience on the ground has been pivotal in shaping our product range. Whether it’s reducing parts to make it quicker and easy to install, or reducing the necessity to work at height to make our systems safer, our ethos is to use our experience to minimise the obstacles and maximise the opportunities.
From our Training Academy in Leicestershire, we provide trade partners with complete product and installation training for our entire range.
After partners graduate, they can take advantage of our exclusive Trade Partner Area on our website, where they will find promotional material, brochures, installation manuals and in-depth technical documents. We will also work with them to renovate their showroom and build them a dedicated webpage for their website if necessary. We even offer a bespoke Milwood installation app that allows customers across devices to access install guides and diagrams on site or on the move.
Ultimately, it’s fantastic to see systems houses branch out into outdoor living, as it reinforces everything that we’ve been saying. However, for businesses to truly capitalise on this soaring demand, they need the right product range. Not only is our range designed and manufactured by us in the UK, but it’s also trusted by over 150 trade partners nationwide. Expanding your business and adding new product lines shouldn’t start with a compromise.