Here’s something many people don’t realise about Rainmen: we deliver large-scale social housing contracts. Not dozens of units — hundreds. A major estate regeneration in Blackburn saw us complete roofline packages for 500 homes over a 16-month programme. That’s 7,000 linear metres of guttering, hundreds of downpipes and full fascia-soffit installations, all delivered to tight weekly targets.
This is what we do when people aren’t watching. While our seamless aluminium gutters get plenty of attention on individual homes, our teams are out on major regeneration schemes, transforming entire estates and proving that scale is no barrier to quality.
Blackburn Estate: Regeneration at Volume
A large post-war housing estate in Blackburn needed comprehensive regeneration. Home to several hundred properties and thousands of residents, the estate required a complete roofline overhaul across 500 units — a mix of 1-bed apartments, 2-bed flats, and 3 and 4-bed houses.
Our scope covered the full roofline package:
- Complete uPVC roofline systems — fascia, soffit, guttering and downpipes throughout
- 14 linear metres of guttering per unit on average
- All supporting joinery work — the timber substrate that everything fixes to
The numbers tell the story: 7,000 linear metres of guttering across 500 homes. That’s materials procurement, storage, logistics, installation coordination and quality control at serious scale.
The Reality of Social Housing Delivery
Social housing schemes operate differently to private residential or even commercial projects. There are targets to hit, weekly programmes to maintain and occupied properties to work around. The 16-month timeline wasn’t flexible — it was fixed by funding requirements, contractor schedules and the need to minimise disruption to residents.
That meant:
Weekly installation targets that kept the programme moving. No room for delays, weather contingency built in, and teams working efficiently across multiple properties simultaneously.
Coordination with other trades — roofline works integrate with roofing, external wall insulation, decorating and utilities. Miss your slot in the programme and you hold up everyone else.
Working around occupied homes — these aren’t empty new-builds. Residents are living their lives while regeneration happens around them. Access arrangements, noise considerations and maintaining security matter.
Consistent quality across 500 units — whether it’s house number 1 or house 500, standards don’t slip. Every installation needs to meet specification, and every property deserves the same attention to detail.
Why uPVC for Social Housing?
While Rainmen is known for aluminium systems, we installed uPVC fascia-soffit, guttering and downpipes for this project because it’s the right material for this application:
Cost-effectiveness at volume — When you’re working on 500 homes, whole-life cost analysis matters. uPVC delivers decades of low-maintenance performance at a price point that makes regeneration schemes viable.
Proven social housing performance — uPVC systems have a long track record in housing association and council properties. They withstand varied maintenance levels, don’t require repainting and continue performing year after year.
Installation efficiency — On a tight 16-month programme with weekly targets, uPVC systems install quickly and reliably. That matters when you’re coordinating roofline works with other trades across 500 properties.
The Joinery Work Nobody Sees
Fascia-soffit installation isn’t just about the visible uPVC. Behind every clean roofline is timber substrate work — replacing rotten fascia boards, installing new soffit bearers, ensuring secure fixing points, and creating the foundation for everything else.
Across 500 homes, that joinery scope is substantial. We’re not just clipping on fascia — we’re rebuilding roof edges, addressing decades of deterioration, and creating solid substrates that will support roofline systems for the next generation.
This supporting timber work requires:
- Assessment of existing conditions (every property is different after 70 years)
- Structural timber selection and installation
- Coordination with roofing works above
- Treated timber appropriate for external exposure
- Installation that provides secure fixing for uPVC systems
It’s skilled work that doesn’t photograph well or feature in marketing materials, but it’s the difference between installations that last decades and installations that fail prematurely.
16 Months, 500 Homes: Programme Delivery
Delivering 500 roofline packages over 16 months meant running a sustained operation:
Materials management — 7,000 linear metres of guttering doesn’t arrive in one delivery. We managed procurement, storage and just-in-time logistics to keep multiple crews supplied across the 16-month programme.
Workforce coordination — Multiple installation teams working simultaneously across different property types, all to consistent quality standards. Team leaders, skilled installers and apprentices working together to hit weekly targets.
Quality control — Site supervision throughout, with checking at completion of each property. On a 500-unit scheme, you can’t wait until the end to spot problems — quality assurance happens continuously.
Adaptability — Properties varied in condition, design details changed, site conditions threw challenges. Our teams adapted while maintaining programme momentum.
The result? 500 homes completed on schedule, full roofline packages installed throughout, and weekly targets consistently achieved across the 16-month period.
What People Don’t Know We Do
This is the work that doesn’t make Instagram. There are no hero shots of seamless aluminium gutters being roll-formed on driveways, no individual homeowners praising their beautiful new roofline.
Instead, there’s an entire estate in Blackburn where 500 homes now have modern, low-maintenance roofline systems. Residents whose homes will stay dry and weather-tight for decades. A housing association whose maintenance burden has reduced. A regeneration scheme delivered on time.
That’s what Rainmen does at scale. We’re aluminium rainwater specialists, yes — but we’re also social housing contractors capable of delivering hundreds of units to tight programmes. We understand procurement, we manage volume logistics, and we hit targets without compromising quality.
Beyond the Domestic Market
This major Blackburn estate project demonstrates Rainmen’s capability beyond our core aluminium business:
Material versatility — We work with what the project needs: aluminium, uPVC, galvanised steel, cast iron. The material serves the application.
Scale capability — 500 units over 16 months proves we can handle volume. Materials procurement, workforce management, quality control at scale.
Programme delivery — Social housing doesn’t wait. We understand targets, weekly reporting and keeping schemes moving.
Supporting trades — Full roofline packages including joinery work. We’re not just fixers — we rebuild roof edges properly.
Housing Associations, Main Contractors and Regeneration Partners
If you’re planning social housing regeneration, estate refurbishment or new-build volume housing schemes, we’d welcome the conversation about roofline packages.
We understand:
- Volume procurement and logistics
- Programme delivery to fixed timelines
- Working in occupied estates
- Coordinating with main contractors and other trades
- Consistent quality across hundreds of units
- Whole-life cost specifications
Whether it’s aluminium, uPVC or mixed material packages, we have the experience and capability to deliver at scale.
Let’s Discuss Your Next Scheme
50, 500 or 5,000 units — if you need roofline packages for social housing, regeneration schemes or volume residential projects, get in touch.
Call us on 01457 871676 or visit rainmen.co.uk to discuss your requirements.
