Richard Burbidge is encouraging landscapers and trade professionals to add value to garden projects by incorporating outdoor balustrade into their designs.

The addition of outdoor balustrade to a deck or patio area can offer both practical and aesthetic benefits. Acting as an important safety guard and providing additional support, outdoor balustrade can also add personal style and help to define an outdoor area making it a more usable space.

With stagnation in the housing market and the credit crunch affecting consumer confidence in buying ‘big ticket’ items, more homeowners are looking for ways to improve rather than move. Smaller, more affordable home improvements that have an instant impact, such as outdoor balustrade are expected to increase in popularity.

Plus, predictions of a warm summer and an increased desire to spend more time outdoors is encouraging homeowners to utilise outdoor areas and see decking as a real extension of living space. These conditions are expected to create opportunities for trade professionals, as well as the chance to create add-on sales, as Decking Product Manager Catriona Nicholls explains: “The decking market was worth around £40 million in 2007 and since then, whilst it has achieved relatively strong sales it has failed to continue with its initial exuberant growth, due to pressures on disposable incomes and poor weather conditions. However, whilst it’s not expected to fully recover until 2012 it’s not all doom and gloom. Personalisation of the garden and instant gratification purchases are trends that look set to rise, so installers that can offer homeowners something extra for the garden or a quick fix, such as outdoor balustrade are more likely to achieve success.

“Landscapers or installers that are already installing a deck at a property should consider offering outdoor balustrade as a way of individualising a deck and creating a more usable and safer outdoor space. Many consumers will not be aware of the variety of balustrade available, plus it’s a great way of achieving additional sales.

Catriona adds: “The decking boom of the late 90s and early 2000s means that homeowners are now looking for ways to improve their existing decks, and ranges such as FUSION^®, which can be retro-fitted are ideal for adding instant and more affordable updates to mature decks. Installers can add value to garden projects and capitalise on this trend by offering outdoor balustrade installation as a specialist skill.”

To make installation even easier, Richard Burbidge has launched an online outdoor balustrade planning service. In just a few simple steps DECKPLANNER™ can help installers to plan a deck or patio area, producing accurate parts lists and plans for all Richard Burbidge outdoor balustrade ranges.

Richard Burbidge offers a wide range of decking and outdoor balustrade systems to suit gardening projects of different sizes, styles and budgets. The range includes balustrade systems suitable for domestic and commercial installations, including residential applications and decks in public premises.