Home improvement is the currently the most financially sound way to enhance your home living standards and provide additional comfort for you and your family without resorting to an expensive move.

A Pilkington poll of 1,390 homeowners has revealed that 59 percent of home owners are keen to add more space to their home and would like an extra room. However, a striking fact from our research also shows that 68 percent of those interviewed admitted to having a room at home that they don’t really use with conservatories being second in the list of most unused rooms amongst those taking part in the poll.

TV presenter, architect and Pilkington glass building products brand ambassador George Clarke said the high cost of moving was one of the reasons for homeowners’ continuing investment. George, who presents Channel 4’s The Restoration Man and The Home Show, explained: “Investing in your property will always be worthwhile and many more of us are choosing to stay put and make the most of the homes we already have.

“Simple things can make all the difference – like taking down partition walls to create more space, redesigning the layout of a living area, updating kitchen units or revamping a conservatory.

“It’s no surprise that conservatories are one of the most underused rooms in the home, and one which people are put off renovating. Old plasticconservatory roofs can be noisy when it rains, be hot in summer, cold in winter and often look tired and in need of some love and attention. But conservatories are so simple to revamp, and instead of replacing the entire structure which can be both expensive and disruptive, homeowners can simply upgrade their conservatory by replacing an old plastic conservatory roof with a new roof featuring Pilkington Activ™ self-cleaning glass.”

Bespoke Conservatory Roof Containing Pilkington Activ Products

George’s comments reveal that Pilkington Cervoglass™ insulating glass units incorporating Pilkington Activ™conservatory roofs and can be used to revitalise existing conservatory structures – helping to create a self-cleaning, noise-reduced, airy space and a comfortable environment which can be used come rain or shine. The units offer increased energy efficiency too as they are available with built-in solar-control performance and thermal insulation – helping to keep conservatories cooler in the summer, snug and warmer in the winter and helping to stop energy bills going through the roof.

Click on the link below to listen to the full interview with George Clarke

George Clarke on Home Renovation

The idea of cleaning is something that has struck fear into the hearts of people, especially men, since way before historical records began. Cleaning takes time and as time is becoming a precious commodity, especially in the modern world, people simply don’t want to spend it running around the house cloth in hand.

Technology and manufacturing have always looked to reduce the amount of time that we spend cleaning and various inventions like the washing machine, vacuum cleaner or dishwasher have allowed for tedious jobs to be reduced. However, the major gripe that people have with these modern conveniences is that they still require a level of manual effort that eats into precious free time.

In the Far East they are continually improving home cleaning appliances to ease the burden of chores and dependent upon success in home markets, these newer improved appliances can end up in the homes of British consumers. A recent example of such is the iRobot, or ‘Vacuum Cleaning Robot’ that, simply put, is a small robot that automatically travels around a room performing all of the duties of a regular vacuum cleaner without the need for manual control.

Another invention that’s similar in principle to the iRobot but is designed to automatically clean the windows of a house is the Windoro. The Windoro is a South Korean invention and was recently presented to a western audience at a technology trade show. Although the need for a gadget that performs such tasks in the current economic climate is debateable, there is no doubting a robot that automatically cleans windows would be a great talking point with the neighbours. Take a look at the video below to see the Windoro in action.

Those of you who are baffled by the concept of gadgets like the Windoro can always turn to Pilkington for a self cleaning solution that reduces the time and money invested in cleaning windows.

After years of development, Pilkington Activ™ is the world’s first self-cleaning glass to use a microscopic coating with a unique dual-action. The first stage of the cleaning process is photocatalytic. In this stage the coating reacts with daylight to break down organic dirt. The second stage is hydrophilic. Here, instead of forming droplets, rainwater hits the glass and spreads evenly, running off in a sheet and taking the loosened dirt with it, also drying quickly without leaving streaks.

So instead of waiting for the rise of the robots it probably makes more sense to consult Pilkington on the benefits of Pilkington Activ self–cleaning glass a technology that can be installed and left to clean itself with a little help form mother nature.

Pilkington Activ Blog Post 4

This week’s Pilkington Activ™ blog is designed to give you a brief insight into the history of glass buildings to reveal how they have become a key part of everyday life in Britain.

When the term ‘conservatory’ was initially coined it referred to stand-alone structures that were often used to house exotic plants in climates that couldn’t sustain them.  The ‘Glass House’,/strong> built in the grounds of Oxford University’s historic Botanic Gardens dates back to 1637 and is said to be the first building of its kind in the UK, and possibly the world. Although this particular building was created mainly from stone and slate – glass was only being installed for use as small windows.

Kew Gardens today

As time progressed more elaborate conservatories were developed – John Nash’s Georgian design constructed in Kew Gardens is a prime example of a 17^thCentury conservatory. The Victorian era was vital to the evolution of conservatory building as the production of steel – an ideal material for framing glass – became cheaper allowing designers like Sir Joseph Paxton to blaze a trail in glass architecture.  The conservatory he built at Chatsworth House between 1836 and 1841 covered three quarters of an acre and was the largest glass structure in the world at the time.  This glass house was only the beginning for Paxton as he was later commissioned to design and build Crystal Palace in London – a global symbol of Victorian style and prowess – that was built over a 22 week period, covered 19 acres, and required 293,635 panes of glass.  Crystal Palace helped popularise the use of glass as a building material, with many wealthy Victorians extending their homes with glass rooms as a result of being wowed by Paxton’s epic design!

Artists impression of Crystal Palace

The popularity of the conservatory dipped with the trials and tribulations of the early 20^th century – two world wars and economic instability – leading many people to abandon or dismantle them as they were difficult to maintain and impractical in an age of austerity. But the popularity of conservatories spiked post-war as improvements in glass technology and an increase in the number of homeowners saw many acquire the Victorians’ appetite for a glass outhouse.

Pilkington has been at the forefront of this growing consumer trend – developing innovative glazing solutions incorporating thermal and solar control properties to keep homes snug and warm in winter and cooler in summer, and self-cleaning glass which dramatically reduces the need for cleaning – which have become integral to today’s modern conservatories.