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22.
May
2018.
Westbury Garden Rooms celebrates 30 years of building glazed home extensions

Westbury Garden Rooms celebrates 30 years of building glazed home extensions

 

British manufacturer of glazed home extensions (conservatories, orangeries, garden rooms and pool-houses), Westbury Garden Rooms is celebrating 30 years of business in May 2018.  As part of its Pearl Anniversary the company intends to mark the year with a range of pearl-related events to celebrate, including its very own Oyster Day (at local supplier, Maldon Oysters) and the creation of the ‘Westbury Pearl’, a commemorative plant which will be given as a gift to future Garden Room customers as the finishing touch to a job well done.


Growth

Indeed 30 years on and the company is taking great strides in its growth, achieving growth in turnover of 20% year-on-year and looking to achieve revenues this year of £8.5 million. From its humble origins as a one-man-band, Westbury now employs over 80 permanent staff, a number which is continually growing.


Consumer trends

Over the past three decades, the company has seen many changes in consumer trends, having started out in an era when the conservatory was de rigueur, through to garden rooms and latterly the orangery is the company’s most sought after extension type, with a roof lantern as the strong focal point.


The company has also been phasing in new more classically inspired designs with clean architectural lines which it believes are more in line with its customers’ current vision.


Westbury has always made a clear distinction between the three types of products that it offers its customers but more importantly, what unites them all is the ability to create a connection between the home and garden and to maximise space and light. Quality, durability and architectural integrity are at the heart of the Westbury Garden Room concept.


History

Westbury Garden Rooms was founded by Jonathan Hey who started out as a self-taught builder renovating houses in the 1980s, but the idea to specialise in garden rooms only emerged on the back of a very personal project, when he built his housebound mother a conservatory so that she could still enjoy the beauty of her garden all-year round from within the confines of her living space.


Continued investment

Faced with a growing workforce Westbury has taken measures to ensure the quality of the people employed by the company and works closely with Investors in People, recently achieving Silver Accreditation – the hallmark of an outstanding place to work.


In 2016, the company added a London office to its portfolio in Lambeth Walk in, and in 2017 the company continued its growth plan by investing more than £300k in new machinery and innovative software to ensure all aspects of the company benefit from cutting-edge technology. 2018 will see more investment in staff, additional premises and digital capabilities.


The company’s dedication to its employees and personal growth is nowhere more evident than in the rise of the newly appointed Managing Director, James Upton, who joined the company as a school leaver and has been with the company for more than 20 years; climbing the ranks from apprentice technician to become Architectural Director and now MD.


Attention to detail

The company’s architecturally driven orangeries, conservatories and garden rooms are manufactured in its rural Essex factory and showroom, which also houses sister brand, Westbury Windows and Joinery (26 years old).


Commenting on the company’s mastery of modern technology and attention to the smallest of details, found Hey, said:


We don’t skimp on anything. So many companies use modern production methods to cut corners and drive down margins, but that comes at a cost to the customer. At Westbury we take the best products and the best of modern technology and use our understanding of each and every component to make a product that is beautiful and that lasts. In fact, we have a saying here at Westbury: We manufacture to a standard – not a budget.


The importance of the Pearl Anniversary

The company is particularly excited about the Pearl Anniversary.


Hey explained:


“Imitation pearls are widely sold and cheap to buy; but their quality is poor. A real and natural pearl has an iridescence that is unmistakable; it is the embodiment of quality, beauty and classic style – it is timeless and can be handed down from generation to generation. A Westbury Garden Room is much the same – its quality and timeless longevity set it apart from the rest of the market and so this is an anniversary we are keen to make the most of.”


For more information please visit www.westburygardenrooms.com.


For more information, please contact:

Ali Cort at Browser Media

ali.cort@browsermedia.co.uk

0207 099 0945


Notes to editors

Westbury was founded 30 years ago by Jonathan Hey. During this time, Westbury has developed an impressive reputation across the UK for design, quality and durability in bespoke garden rooms, orangeries, pool houses and roof lanterns.


Based in Essex, Westbury is a privately owned company, employing over 80 staff. This includes a full time team of bricklayers, ground workers, carpenters and electricians to ensure that every aspect of a client’s project meets Westbury’s exacting standards. In fact, Westbury ensures that all elements of the project, from start to finish, are taken care of in-house, including architectural design, planning permission as well as the build itself.


Westbury is committed to a policy of acting in an environmentally responsible manner.  In practise this means that the company only uses wood from sustainable sources and hardwood is used only where absolutely essential in order to minimise wastage.  In addition, where possible, Westbury tries to source materials from European suppliers to reduce its carbon footprint. Furthermore, Westbury also ensures that its extensions are insulated to a higher level than current legislative standards recommend, helping both the environment and the consumer or property owner.


The company has been designing, developing and manufacturing doors and windows as part of its overall service to clients which lead to the development of a standalone joinery business Westbury Windows & Joinery Ltd. Now, homeowners as well as architects, builders and specifiers can select Westbury products for their own developments and projects, with the knowledge that they are manufactured to the same quality and standards as its garden rooms.


In fact, Westbury’s commitment to creating superior products has seen the company invest in the latest joinery machining technologies, greatly increasing the company’s efficiency and capacity.


On average, Westbury completes around 50-60 projects every year ranging from smaller suburban installations to large orangeries or pool houses where luxury is imperative and more substantial budgets are necessary.