What Should Small and Medium Housebuilders Look for When Choosing Construction Membranes?

Small and medium housebuilders are already under significant time and financial pressures due to factors like planning delays. Remedying avoidable issues post-completion is not just frustrating, it’s an existential risk.

Braddus Homes is a small housing developer set up by childhood friends who wanted to offer something different to the volume housebuilding companies they had previously worked for. Their first development is Priory Fields, a site of four homes, each with five bedrooms.

• The challenge

Braddus Homes has set out to deliver excellence as standard and needed to ensure the materials they sourced would match their premium approach to housebuilding, right from their very first project. Their homes are marketed as luxury, exclusive and high specification – and they needed every detail to meet this high standard to ensure complete customer satisfaction.

• The solution

For the pitched roof specification, Braddus Homes chose to use Proctor Group’s air permeable, low resistance underlay Proctor Air®.

• Key quote

“Having the right product to avoid condensation issues is vital. We want to use the best products that fully reflect the care, quality, and attention to detail that we put into every home we build.”

Huw Richards – Operations Director, Braddus Homes

For developers of small housing sites looking to differentiate themselves in the marketplace, offering a high-end product means spending money in the right places. That includes using the best products that provide the performance they promise.

Compared to his previous roles in large housebuilding companies, Braddus Homes’ Operations Director, Huw Richards, enjoys the challenge of working in a different way and being involved in every aspect of the business.

“We are dedicated to building properties of distinction on exclusive developments – and that starts from the foundations all the way up to the roof of every house we deliver,” said Huw. “Making the right choices for our homebuyers when selecting materials will always be our priority.”

As an air permeable, low resistance (APLR) underlay Proctor Air allows the passage of both air and moisture vapour. This combination of qualities reduces condensation risk in roofs and avoids the need for separate roof ventilation products, as the underlay provides a more consistent flow of air than standard roof vent products.

Proctor Air’s performance is backed by a 15-year warranty, providing valuable peace of mind for housing developments of all kinds.

Both Huw and his chosen roofing contractor, AMF Roofing, were already familiar with Proctor Air. “I’ve worked with AMF Roofing before and knew they were happy to use Proctor Air. We rely heavily on our suppliers and sub-contractors, so having trust in the quality of the end result is important,” Huw added.

Proctor Air has proved popular with installers, including projects such as The Leaze and St Mary’s Barton. When an underlay is user-friendly, it increases the likelihood that it will be installed well, delivering the performance it promises.

For example, Proctor Air achieves an excellent Mullen burst strength result. This assessment of the fabric’s strength shows that the underlay helps it to resist normal roof installation loads. Also, an assessment of the slip resistance of Proctor Air shows it has a high coefficient of friction. This improves safety during the installation of the covering as part of normal safe working practices.

Previous experience and user feedback is great for understanding how a product behaves when installed. But product performance claims still need to be backed by accurate, independent and transparent assessment and certification.

Not only does Proctor Air have a BBA certificate, it is also one of Proctor Group’s products assessed against the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI). The underlay is also one of six products covered by an environmental performance declaration (EPD).

Furthermore, as developers and housebuilders grapple with best practice around using solar PV on new homes, Proctor Group has published industry-leading guidance around the use of Proctor Air with integrated solar panels.

Being part of a small team, Huw also recognises the importance of technical support availability. Bruce Manning is Proctor Group’s Housebuilding Manager, and the two have a good working relationship.

Bruce Manning added: “Having worked with Huw previously, I have been able to advise on best practise and suitability of Proctor Group products for Braddus Homes. Forward thinking housebuilders look to mitigate any customer care issues in the future and tend to specify higher quality roof membranes like Proctor Air.”