The one-click
construction industry

We have arrived at a one-click, next day delivery experience that increases the pressure on everyone to do it now, whatever ’it’ may be.

This immediate, 24/7 world has come to the construction industry and yes, I can provide a one-click ordering service and a next day delivery but I cannot put it through your letter box!

Why, I hear you ask. That’s because what I sell online is rooflights that can be 1m x 3m and weigh up to 150kgs!

My delivery vehicle will be loaded efficiently in the factory and the driver will enter your postcode into his satnav and arrive at your premises. He will engage the on-board crane and deliver 150kgs of perfect polished glass and aluminium onto the kerbside. It is at this point you take responsibility.

If you have employed a modern well-informed builder, he will be waiting with the site crane and lift the rooflight from the delivery position up onto your roof, where it will be lowered carefully over the preinstalled insulated timber upstand, supplied to you several weeks earlier to be fitted and weather proofed. The rooflight will fit perfectly because both the upstand and the rooflight were manufactured in my factory. My fitter will secure the unit and with a quick clean and polish the job is done.

You walk into the room below the roof light and are greeted by the splendour of natural sunlight which transforms the space and lifts your spirits. You feel good, a life-transforming decision taken with one click. Easy.

But what if you’re a DIY guru? If you managed to fit the wooden upstand to the roof yourself but are now standing in front of 150kg of glass and aluminium, the chances are you’ve not ordered a crane. You might think that all you need is at least five fit and strong friends to help you lift the rooflight to the house, up the stairs and up through the roof opening onto the roof, but it may not be as straightforward as it sounds.

Can you do it this way? I’m sure it has been done but Health and Safety legislation is there to protect us all. The cost saving will not be worth the risk of injury and pain.

When the job is finished, will you enjoy the glow from the natural light or will you remember the struggle and injury of getting the rooflight to the roof?

The one-click world is here to stay, but for a good result with your rooflight avoid the pain and order a crane.

Chris Chaney, Managing Director