Vinyl Siding Prices Rise Along with Resin

Vinyl Siding Prices Rise Along with Resin

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Ply Gem Industries has announced another price incrase for its vinyl siding due to the rising cost of PVC.

Ply Gem Industries recently announced its second price increase in six months for vinyl siding products with company officials pointing to higher PVC resin costs as a reason for the price hike of 6 to 8 percent.

The Cary, N.C.-based company initially raised prices for its Mastic and Variform brand siding by 6 to 8 percent in December. Major competitors followed with the same rates of increase implemented by Royal Building Products and CertainTeed. Will they do it again? That remains to be seen.

Resin prices were favorable in 2015 and 2016 but that’s not the case so far this year, according to Ply Gem Chairman and CEO Gary Robinette. The company says it saw a year-over-year April cost increase of 18 to 20 percent for PVC.

“There’s still commodity headwinds,” Robinette said Monday during a quarterly conference call with investment bankers. “Very seldom — and it’s only happened a couple times since I’ve been here — did we go out for two price increases in a short period of time. To cover that headwind, we had to go back out.”

Robinette, who was named CEO in 2006, said he thinks PVC prices will flatten out soon but it will take Ply Gem 60 to 120 days “to get on the right side of it.” The second price increase for siding goes into effect on June 3.

Back in September, Ply Gem also announced an increase of 6 to 8 percent for window prices for 2017, citing increased material costs for PVC, aluminum and glass. However, the company carries more siding inventory than windows so the higher resin costs won’t “flow through” the siding, fence and stone segment until the second or third quarter, CFO Shawn Poe said.

“The vinyl siding industry is a very consolidated industry and has acted rationally for a number of years,” Poe added. “I don’t expect a dramatic break from that, but we just announced a second price increase so it’s too early to tell. I’d say if that second price increase doesn’t hold, it’s probably because PVC doesn’t go to the level that the PVC producers are trying to push it to or maybe it actually walks back a little bit sooner.”

Overall, Ply Gem had a strong first quarter with net sales up 5.2 percent to $430 million and a gross profit of $89.5 million.

During the conference call, company officials also said they will combine their Ply Gem and Simonton window groups; manufactured stone is their fastest growing category of cladding; and the acquisition pipeline is shallow with no big deal in the works but a small bolt-on acquisition is possible.


Source: www.plasticsnews.com

 

Insulated Vinyl Siding Save Energy Save Money Add Curb Appeal

Insulated Vinyl Siding Save Energy Save Money Add Curb Appeal

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Insulated vinyl siding is one of the best investments you can make in your home. In addition to keeping you warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, it is energy efficient and environmentally responsible, and can breathe new life into the curb appeal of your home without intruding into your leisure time or tapping into your budget with maintenance needs.

No matter how fastidious your landscape or impressive your outdoor living space, it is all for naught against a neglected exterior. Here are some of the benefits of insulated vinyl siding.

Comfort

More than anywhere else, you want to be comfortable in your own home, and that includes being warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Your exterior walls may be adequately lined with insulation between the studs, but the studs themselves, can be a problem: Wall studs, both wood and metal, are poor insulators – they allow heat to pass through them (which is called a thermal bridge). Thermal bridging occurs when materials with poor insulating properties contact each other, allowing heat to flow through them. Nearly 25% of a home’s wall is made of studs that typically aren’t insulated, so it’s like having one entire wall of the home without insulation. Insulated vinyl siding is a “blanket” over the studs that prevents unwanted energy transfers. You’ll have year-round comfort and lower energy bills.

Energy Efficiency

The energy efficiency for any building material is known as its R-value – the higher the value, the more efficient. Many siding materials have a less than R-1, including steel, aluminum, brick, and stucco. Insulated vinyl siding can increase the R-value to at least R-2 and even up to R-3 or 4, a significant improvement in the energy efficiency of your home and a significant reduction in your energy bills. Also, the installation of insulated vinyl siding may make you eligible for energy tax credits.

Sound Reduction

As more and more people are aware of air and water pollution, they give little thought to noise pollution. Noise is considered a pollutant when it is unwanted and it interferes with normal activities, such as sleeping, conversing, watching television – anything that diminishes the quality of life. When extreme, noise can have major consequences to your overall health. Insulated vinyl siding can dampen the amount of noise entering your home: lawn mowers, barking dogs, passing cars, loud parties, etc. You may be surprised at how much more peaceful and relaxing your home is.

Low Maintenance

You won’t have any surprise costs to keep insulated vinyl siding looking like new. Once a year, you can use an inexpensive telescopic-wand brush, some mild soap, and a garden hose or pressure washer to keep it sparkling clean. You won’t ever have to paint or caulk. It doesn’t chip, peel, rot, warp, crack, or fade. You won’t have to worry during hurricane-force winds or onslaughts of hail, nor about termites or other pests. There are no gaps between the insulation and the wall for insects or other critters to settle in, and they don’t find the insulation appetizing.*

Curb Appeal

 Create the exterior you have always dreamed of. If you already have a dreamy exterior, simplify its charm with easy-to-maintain vinyl. Like the look of cedar shakes? Maybe you’ve always admired Victorian scallops. Faux stone and faux wood siding is indistinguishable from the real thing. From the antique to the ultra-modern, whatever your preference, there are hundreds of colors, textures, and styles. You’ll feel like a kid in a wondrous candy store and your home will look years younger.

The insulation also helps the vinyl remain impervious to dents and surface damage that can ruin a home’s appearance and keeps the siding flat, straight and symmetrical for a neat, polished first, and lasting, impression – a fitting element in your overall landscape design. It even feels and sounds solid – go ahead, rap your knuckles on it!

Environmentally Friendly

Insulated vinyl siding scores well on strict environmental standards through manufacturing, transportation, installation, service life, and waste management. It emits fewer toxic chemicals while being manufactured and requires less fuel to transport. Scrap vinyl is immediately reprocessed, never dumped into a landfill. Since it needs no painting, staining or caulking, there is no danger from harmful solvents.

For more information on insulated vinyl siding or to set up a free in-home estimate call Premium Supply at 501-932-4477 or check out our full line of ClimaForce Insulated Vinyl Siding.


Source: www.vinylsiding.org


 

Great Home Project: Replace Your Exterior Siding

Great Home Project: Replace Your Exterior Siding

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Learn the material options, costs and other factors when replacing or updating your siding

We’re always taught it’s what inside that matters. But when it comes to your house, that doesn’t always hold true. The exterior of your home is arguably just as important as the interior when it comes to looks. After all, it’s the first thing you see when you arrive home, and it conveys a lot about you and your family to your guests, friends and neighbors. And the look of your exterior all begins with your siding.

If you’re thinking of giving your home a face-lift, here’s a guide to the pros and cons of common siding materials, how much they cost and why now is the best time of the year to get started.

Project: Replacing or updating exterior siding

Reasons for Changing Siding

There are two main reasons for updating your siding: damage or deterioration to existing siding, or just the desire to change the look of your home.

Tara Dawn of Opal Enterprises says the majority of her clients fall into the first category. Maybe they’ve owned or bought a home that’s 30 years old, and the siding is so deteriorated that they’re now worried about water infiltration.

Exterior siding is exposed to the elements, so it’s not going to last forever. Fading from sunshine, damage from storms or the aftermath of your lead-footed teenager ramming into the side of your house — there are many things that can take a toll on siding.

Should You Patch It?

If your siding is damaged in just one spot, say on the side of the house from a car bump or a small fire, you might be considering replacing just the siding on that area. But it’s not as easy as it sounds.

Many companies don’t do patchwork because it’s a liability for the contractor, Dawn says. Plus, it’s very difficult to match any existing siding due to fading and availability of the exact product, assuming you know what the product is and where to find it. Few contractors leave details about the siding product name and model number in the hands of homeowners to pass along.

Most times it’s just not cost-effective for siding companies to spend time trying to determine your current siding product, tracking down the exact same profile and trying to color match it. “It can be done, it’s just difficult,” Dawn says. “None of us want mixed-match houses.”

Many home professionals recommend that if you do have some damage to your siding and it’s not causing leaks or water damage, you should wait until you can replace all the siding on your home.

Common Materials

Most products are designed to mimic real cedar siding. Every product has its pros and cons, and it’s important that you do your own research before you reach out to siding professionals or a local contractor.

Often, siding pros deal in just one material and want to sell you on that product. Contractors might be familiar with installing only a certain material and will try to persuade you to go with a different product. So study up and make the right choice for yourself.

Vinyl. This is a plastic material that comes in a variety of thicknesses and qualities.

Pros: Vinyl comes in lots of colors and textures. It’s affordable and allows for the most insulation behind it. The product comes with a lifetime warranty. (Dawn cautions: It’s not your lifetime, but the lifetime of the product, which is a bit ambiguous.) It’s also treated chemically with insect repellents and rot resistance. Plus, installation is quick.

Cons: Dawn says she always tells homeowners that “plastic will do what plastic will do — warp, bend, crack, fade.” This product typically only lasts 10 to 15 years. It’s not fire resistant, either. “If you put your barbecue next to it, you could have melted siding,” she says.

Time to install: Two to three days

Cost: $9 per square foot, including labor

Composite board. This product is made from recycled wood pulp pressed together with glues and adhesives.

Pros: Composite comes in any color you want. Pick any paint color from any paint store, and the material comes prefinished in your color choice. It’s also paintable and relatively environmentally friendly due to its recycled nature. Installation is easy, so contractors like it. It’s also treated chemically with insect repellents and rot resistance.

Cons: You have to repaint composite every three to five years. It’s not fire resistant, but very combustible. Composite products can have delamination problems, meaning that water absorption can swell and break apart the pressed wood chip layers. Sometimes the material can arrive sloppily finished, such as paint missing on the edges. “If anything isn’t painted, that means it’s not protected,” Dawn says.

Time to install: Five to seven days

Cost: $10 to $11 per square foot, including labor

Fiber cement. This is a composite mostly made of silica, Portland cement and recycled cardboard.

Pros: Fiber cement siding is durable, fire resistant and hail resistant. Insurance companies might give you a small discount for installing it. It’s also treated chemically with insect repellent and rot resistance. It’s paintable and comes prefinished from the factory with many bold color options.

Cons: It’s very heavy and takes a long time to install, which means labor is expensive. Some contractors don’t like working with it.

Time to install: 10 to 12 days

Cost: $12 to $13 per square foot, including labor

Cedar. Real wood

Pros: This is the real deal. Cedar looks beautiful. It’s also pretty easy to replace, as you can just go down to your local lumberyard and have it installed, then painted.

Cons: Cedar is really expensive and high-maintenance. It tends to have moisture, rot, insect, rodent and woodpecker issues. (Yes, woodpeckers.)

Cost: $15 to $16 per square foot, including installation

Decorative Elements

Be prepared to consider a number of decorative elements for your siding. Siding companies will go over it with you, but it helps if you come prepared — for example, by creating a Houzz ideabook with siding styles that you like.

All materials come with decorative elements meant to mimic wood. You might find you like shake-style shingles, fake stone, decorative columns, scallops, belly bands (like a belt for your home that separates paint colors from different siding portions) and more.

You can also find decorative accessories for electrical boxes, water spigots and lights. Of course, the more decorative you get, the more you’ll pay. “Most homes get pared down to what’s affordable,” Dawn says.

If it sounds a little overwhelming, don’t worry. A siding professional can help guide you through the selections. He or she even will come out to your home and take photographs to upload into design software that will show you what your home will look like with your new siding, color and decorative accessories.

Obstacles

Make sure you check with your homeowners association, if you have one, to make sure it doesn’t prohibit certain materials and colors.

Insurance and payment plans. If your home is insured to cover damage from storms or accidents, you may get money to cover the cost of siding repair. But insurance companies will likely only cover the cost to the damaged portion of the home, not the entire siding, so be prepared to foot the extra bill to re-side your whole house or live with a somewhat mismatched area of your house.

Heller suggests clients get insurance money first before starting the project to prevent any holdups.

Budget. Many contractors offer 12- or 24-month payments for siding so you don’t have to pay everything upfront.

Permitting

Permit requirements are up to every individual city, town or village. Most pros will pull the permit for you, but you must pay for the cost of the permit.

Best Time to Start

For many exterior siding pros, the slow season is December and January, but that is the best time to contact a company to get on its schedule for spring, which is the busy season. “Once the first sunny day hits in March, you want to be there on that list,” Heller says.

The long lead time ensures that your product can get ordered and delivered on time.


Source: www.houzz.com


 

6 Reasons Vinyl Siding is the Best Siding for Your Home

6 Reasons Vinyl Siding is the Best Siding for Your Home

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Choosing siding for your home is no easy feat. Fiber cement, wood, brick, the list goes on. But one type of siding that should always be on the top of your list is vinyl. Vinyl siding offers many benefits without the maintenance of other siding materials.

Six reasons vinyl siding is the best siding for your home.

1. Vinyl siding fits every homeowner’s budget.

Vinyl siding is less expensive than other siding materials and can fit a wide range of budgets, from your first home to your dream home. In addition, it’s the best bang for your buck. Few home improvement projects offer a better payoff than vinyl siding replacement. In fact, according to the 2015 Cost vs. Value Report, new vinyl siding will maintain more than 80% of its value, which is higher than most home improvement projects.

2. Vinyl siding is the easiest siding material to maintain.

Vinyl is extremely easy to maintain. In fact, it hardly requires any maintenance at all. Once vinyl siding is installed it never needs to be painted or re-sealed, saving you time and money, year after year. All it needs is annual cleaning to keep it looking its best.

3. Ply Gem vinyl siding has an industry-leading warranty.

We stand behind our products. Ply Gem Siding offers an exclusive Limited Lifetime Warranty. Our products are covered for as long as you live in and own your home, and if you sell your home, the warranty is transferable and the new owners are covered for 50 years from the date of original installation.

4. Vinyl siding is durable.

Vinyl is strong enough to withstand storm damage and harsh winds, meaning your home is protected during inclement weather. It’s also incredibly durable and resists denting and scratching.

5. Vinyl siding adds curb appeal.

There are a variety of vinyl siding styles such as lap siding and vertical siding, to fit any house style. These styles come in a number of colors that will match your home’s décor and add curb appeal.

6. Vinyl is energy efficient.

Thanks to the insulation quality of vinyl, homes tend to stay warm in the winter and cool and comfortable during the summer. This means more money stays in your pockets when you pay your utility bill.

Source: www.plygem.com

Quick Tips for Installing Vinyl Siding

Quick Tips for Installing Vinyl Siding

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For best results, use certified vinyl siding and colors certified for color retention. The VSI Vinyl Siding Installation Manual, found at vinylsiding.org, provides more information about how to install vinyl siding and accessories. Please see the manufacturer’s instructions


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10 Steps for Winterizing Your Home Indoors

10 Steps for Winterizing Your Home Indoors

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Cooler temperatures are a reminder that winter is on its way. Though the calendar says winter is still a week away, it is important to begin preparing your home and family now. In this article, we will lay out ten important steps for preparing the inside of your home for colder weather.

1) REPLACE AIR FILTERS

Your heating and air conditioning system’s effectiveness is predicated on maximizing airflow. Make sure your HVAC and furnace filters are changed once every month or two, or as often as they are dirty. This will help ensure you and your family are warm all winter.

2) CHANGE BATTERIES IN EMERGENCY SYSTEMS

Make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are functioning properly. Fire and carbon monoxide dangers during the holidays and winter include:

  • Christmas trees and presents
  • Supplemental heat sources
  • Damaged heating vents
  • Increased time indoors
  • Presence of typically outdoor pets

Your home’s first line of defense against fire and carbon monoxide poisoning are emergency detection. If you have disabled the systems, or if batteries need to be replaced, take action as soon as possible.

3) CHECK YOUR FIREPLACE

Before building a fire in your wood-burning fireplace, make sure it is free of debris, children’s toys, and other items. Remember to replace any grates or protections removed during the summer, especially if there are curious, young children in your home.

4) REVERSE CEILING FANS

Reversing ceiling fans can help circulate air through your home, pulling rising warm air from the ceilings and distributing it throughout your house. Before reversing your fans, take time to clean them of dust and debris that may have collected during spring and summer.

5) INSULATE WATER HEATER AND PIPES

Insulating exposed supply pipes and your water heater can reduce heat-loss by as much as 40%, according to the plumbers at All American Heating, Air Conditioning, and Plumbing in Raleigh, NC. Read this article, to find out more about methods for insulation that can ultimately save you money.

6) CAULKING AND WEATHER STRIPPING ON DOORS AND WINDOWS

Drafty doors and windows release up to 25% of your home’s heating energy. There are a few quick steps you can take to improve the performance of old doors and windows:

  • Replace old weather stripping: V-Seal or V-Strip weather stripping will provide a layer of protection from invading cold air.
  • Repair cracked window panes: By glazing loose or cracked window panes, you can increase the performance of old windows. This is not as effective as replacing worn-out windows, but it will help retain heating energy.
  • Caulk around window and door frames: By applying caulking to gaps in door and window frames, you can significantly reduce drafty air in your home.
  • Utilize heavy window drapes: Thicker, darker window drapes will help retain heat in your home and block against frigid, outdoor air.

7) INVEST IN ENERGY EFFICIENT DOORS AND WINDOWS

Installing new energy efficient windows and doors is one of the top seven energy efficient improvements homeowners can make to reduce energy usage and expenses. Some energy efficient improvements are eligible for state and federal tax credits. Contact us for more information about energy efficient siding, doors, and windows.

8) PREPARE NOW FOR WINTER WEATHER

When snow is in the forecast, avoid the mad dash to the grocery store by preparing your winter weather kit. Include in your kit:

  • Flashlights, candles, batteries, etc
  • Canned perishable foods
  • Back-up cooking source
  • Dehydrated milk
  • Frozen Naan (unleavened bread)
  • Canned, non-perishable foods
  • Gloves and snow appropriate clothing
  • Plenty of indoor games and fun

9) OPEN CLOSED OR BLOCKED VENTS

To improve airflow and reduce stress on your heating systems, make sure all your home’s indoor air vents are open and unobstructed by furniture and other debris. Contrary to popular belief, closing off rooms in your home will decrease the effectiveness and efficiency of your HVAC.

10) BEWARE OF MOLD

Mold development is typically associated with spring and summer, when humidity is high; however, in Raleigh, humidity levels can remain relatively high throughout the winter as well. Additionally, frozen pipes can crack and leak, leading to water damage and the excess moisture in which mold can develop and thrive. Keep an eye out for mold in the areas in your home that collect moisture.


We are here to help. For more information regarding winterizing your home, contact us.


 

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