Europhobe or Europhile: Celebrate our differences, but be flexible in the market

Are you a Europhile or a Europhobe? Do you love them or can't you wait to leave the EU. It's easy to argue at length about enforced homogenisation or harmonisation but are we really under threat of losing our heritage?

As a European nation and part of the largest trading group in the world the UK has the responsibilities of adhering to directives, but we also have the freedom to celebrate our culture. No-one's telling us to drive on the right or to use two pin electric plugs. Yet.

French lorry drivers, one of the most militant groups in Europe embrace our traditions and drive on the left in the UK. Most of us sensibly pack an electric plug adaptor before jetting abroad.

It's good to celebrate our differences, but we need to be flexible enough to adapt to their differences too. Beer may be sold in pints but milk is sold in litres and it doesn't cause a problem in the pub or at home.

Euro-muddle

You wouldn't have thought it possible but there has been a quiet evolution in the home over the past decade as metric and imperial have integrated. Euro-muddle may be, but flooring is now sold by the square metre, not the square yard, although you'll be quoted a price in both.

A standard sized bath that once was 5' 6" is now 1700mm (about 5' 8") although you can buy smaller. The noticeable difference has been in the variety of sizes offered to accommodate the transition to metrification. Kitchen and bathroom units are often available in both 500mm and 600mm widths.

The construction industry is a good example of harmonious integration. Roads may be measured in miles, and Transport Secretary, Alistair Darling doesn't want the £700 million expense of renewing UK road signs in kilometres. But lengths of plastic, wood and glass are metric.

Metric has been embraced by our industry because it has obvious advantages: it is more accurate than imperial, with linear measurements in millimetres, finer and easier to use than the old fractions of an inch. Importantly, manufacturing in metric lengths makes sense in a global market and gives specifiers and installers unrestricted purchasing opportunities throughout Europe.

Metric madness

Existing low pitch roof systems are measured in 500mm centres and windows look 100mm out of kilter. So far, only one major player in the glass industry has realised the potential and come up with a solution.

The argument for using metric in windows is evident, but existing UK housing stock is imperial. Doors and windows remain roughly the same size - our architectural heritage is based on multiples of two feet - about 600mm. Most modern construction components are made in 500mm units and are not easy to match up in a practical and aesthetically pleasing way.

Adding a low pitch conservatory to a property makes the point. To make it fit in with the existing building the component parts need to match up with what's already there.

For window installations the measurements and design of the main house need to be replicated to fit, but then the conservatory roof doesn't line up. Existing low pitch roof systems are measured in 500mm centres and windows look 100mm out of kilter. So far, only one major player in the glass industry has realised the potential and come up with a solution.

Kerb appeal

Synseal saw the problem and went back to the drawing board. The result was Global 600, a product with Global quality and 600mm flexibility. It was a direct response to a perceived practical need. No doubt other companies will follow so installers can align the glazing bars, use a pair of 1200mm French doors and match the glazing bars to mullions. They'll follow because it looks right.

The installer has a product that is a better fit, is simpler and quicker to install and the customer has a property that is easier on the eye. But kerb appeal is also important in maintaining and realising the true value of a property. There's nothing so damaging to property values as poorly designed, inappropriate windows, doors or conservatories. If it doesn't look right, it won't sell right. Global's versatility in size and style from only one system has transformed it into the fastest growing conservatory system on the market.

The best of both

Whether you are a Europhile or a Europhobe having a system that's based on imperial sizes, but measured in millimetres, is a perfect solution for low pitch conservatory roofing. Perhaps other industries could learn from us.