June 2023 - Westlake Royal Pros Blog

June 30, 2023July 5, 2023

Celect Cellular Composite Siding Offers Low-Maintenance Solution for California Houseboat

Houseboats featuring Celect and Cedar Renditions siding

When it comes to dream homes, you can’t get much more dreamy than a houseboat. And this 840-square-foot houseboat completed last year by Brad Schnoor is no exception.

Located in inland central California east of Modesto, Don Pedro Lake offers 160 miles of shoreline and a host of activities including boating, swimming, and waterskiing. It’s also a popular houseboating spot, with Schnoor’s project one of its most recent remodels.

For his first houseboat project, Schnoor took the home down to its studs, keeping only the original steel frame and pontoons.

Inside is fully modernized with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus a great room with kitchen and living room. Outdoor living spaces envelope the home, with a covered porch on the lower level and the top level featuring a fully outfitted outdoor kitchen, bar seating, lounge area, canopy, and ceiling fans.

In creating the exterior, Schnoor did a lot of research into what cladding was the best fit for a home on the water, and he eventually requested a sample of Celect™ Cellular Composite Siding. “I knew there wouldn’t be rot or rust issues,” Schnoor recalls.

Indeed, Celect combines the look of real wood but is engineered to stand up to harsh weather conditions, is low maintenance, and has a fade-resistant Kynar Aquatec^® coating. Celect requires no painting or caulking, and its patented interlocking joints keep moisture out so boards stay straight and true.

The houseboat’s entire exterior is clad in 7” Celect clapboard siding and Celect trim, both in Frost. After almost a year on the water, Schnoor reports that he has seen no movement, despite the moisture and the area’s vast temperature swings. “We’re completely happy with how it turned out,” the builder says. “We’re really pleased, and we get lots of questions about it.”

Schnoor says he plans to use Celect for future houseboat and coastal projects based on its performance.

In addition to Celect siding, Schnoor installed Cedar Renditions™ 6” aluminum soffit, in the Grey Oak color, on the ceiling of both lower- and upper-level outdoor spaces. Cedar Renditions is water-resistant, impervious to cold, insect-proof, and extremely durable while remaining virtually maintenance free.

June 29, 2023June 29, 2023

Vinyl Siding vs. Fiber Cement Siding: Which Is Better for Your Project?

The home’s exterior offers a host of product options, with one of the most important being which material to choose for the siding. The decision impacts not only the overall look of the house, but also its durability, upkeep, performance, and more.

Fiber cement has a reputation as a premium material, but there are many applications and situations in which vinyl is the ideal option for many homeowners.

Here are some considerations when weighing vinyl siding vs. fiber cement siding:

Moisture resistance: Though fiber cement is durable, it’s much more prone to moisture absorption than many people realize, and if it absorbs water, over time its matrix may expand and degrade, causing its paint to fail. To avoid wicking water, fiber cement can’t be installed in contact with a range of surfaces, including the ground and masonry. Vinyl, on the other hand, does not absorb moisture, and therefore does not have restrictions about installation against the ground and other materials.

Affordability: As a premium option, fiber cement often falls on the higher end of the siding cost spectrum, depending on brand and product. Vinyl siding has a much broader range of pricing options, offering some of the most affordable profiles on the market up to more premium options with more robust features or insulated backing. In other words, vinyl offers a little something for every budget.

Authentic looks: Vinyl siding also offers wood grains and shadow lines to evoke the look of cedar. More premium vinyl siding, such as Foundry Specialty Siding™ Grayne Shingle, for example, boasts even deeper grains and richer, weathered colors for increased curb appeal.

Painting: Some fiber cement products come with factory-applied colors, but others only come primed for painting on site. Vinyl siding is manufactured with through-body color and requires no painting throughout its life.

Windload: Though lighter in weight, many vinyl siding options offer high windload resistance. Exterior Portfolio Siding™, for example, comes in options with wind resistance of up to 180 mph. Fiber cement may require face-nailing to achieve certain wind resistance ratings, taking away from the aesthetic.

Airflow: Vinyl siding sits off of the wall, so it allows for air movement between the siding and the wall sheathing, promoting drying and reducing the chance of mold and other moisture damage.

Warranty: Warranties are all about the fine print, so be sure to read them closely. For example, one fiber cement paint warranty is pro-rated and the fade coverage is for only three years. Vinyl siding warranties vary, but often surpass that of fiber cement. Exterior Portfolio comes with an industry-leading double lifetime warranty.

Sustainability: Vinyl siding sometimes gets a bad rap in the green building community, but the numbers tell a very different story. Throughout its life cycle, vinyl releases significantly fewer toxic chemicals into the environment than other siding materials and has a lower overall environmental impact. Based on analysis using the BEES online software, vinyl siding has 79% less impact on global warming than fiber cement. (Learn more here.)

One final consideration when it comes to comparing vinyl siding to fiber cement is simply versatility. Vinyl’s diverse range of profiles, colors, textures, and performance levels means there’s a little something for every home, no matter the location, style, or budget. To see this for yourself, browse the siding and trim brands from Westlake Royal Building Products here.

June 24, 2023June 28, 2023

How to Be a Master at Canvassing

Canvassing is an essential strategy for introducing potential customers to new products, services, and ideas. As a canvasser, you get to interact with people face to face, listen to their feedback, and help them find solutions that fit their unique needs. Being a master at canvassing requires you to have the right skills and mindset to connect with people on a personal level and close deals effectively.

Here are some tips from Paul Burleson, Senior Account Executive of National Remodeling Accounts for Westlake Royal Building Products™, to help you become a master canvasser:

1. Be confident: Confidence is key when it comes to canvassing. You need to believe in the product or service you are offering and be sure of the value that it adds to the potential customer’s life. Confidently express the benefits of your product or service, and be ready to answer any questions regarding it.

2. Know your product: To be an effective canvasser, you need to have a deep understanding of your product or service. Know its features, benefits, and limitations. Highlight the essential points and how they benefit the customer.

3. Listen actively: Listening actively is an essential skill for any salesperson. Listen carefully to your potential customer’s needs and pain points. Once you identify those, show them how your product or service will address them. People appreciate it when someone listens and offers a solution that meets their needs.

4. Use persuasive language: Master canvassers know how to use persuasive language that creates an emotional connection with customers. Use descriptive language and meaningful expressions that make your value proposition compelling. Use persuasive techniques like storytelling and use of emotions relevant to the product/service you’re selling.

5. Be personable: One of the most crucial aspects of canvassing connecting with the customer on a personal level and making them feel comfortable talking to you. Use open-ended questions to keep the conversation flowing and get to know them. Show that your concern is not only to sell but also to help them solve real problems for them.

6. Build rapport: Building rapport is crucial, especially when canvassing door-to-door. Strike a conversation with customers about their hobbies, interests, or environment. This will help to build rapport and make the customer feel more comfortable talking to you. Smiling, making eye contact, and using the customers’ names are excellent tools to create strong rapport.

7. Follow up: Follow-ups are critical to closing the deal. Whether the response you get from the customer is positive or not, be sure to thank them for their time and give them a business card or brochure. If you follow through on your commitments and regularly touch base to maintain the connection, your efforts will yield returns in the long run.

In summary, becoming a master canvasser takes practice, patience, and commitment. Confidence, product knowledge, and preparation are key.

Stay connected with Westlake Royal Building Products on LinkedIn.

Featured image: iStock.com/grandriver

June 21, 2023June 26, 2023

How to Use Inspiration Boards for Siding Selection

Westlake Royal Building Products inspiration boards

With the sheer number of siding options on the market, siding selection can sometimes be difficult for homebuyers as they navigate which materials, styles, profiles, and colors are right for them. Being able to see—and feel—the choices and understand how they work together can be powerful. Physical inspiration boards at the dealer or in a builder’s showroom or model home can help customers begin to envision how products look in real-world applications, visualize how they come together in popular multi-textured facades, and determine what they like and don’t like.

An inspiration board is a three-dimensional element that serves as a miniature wall section, combining several types of cladding, trim, and accessories into a diorama of sorts. Unlike a display board showing a small sample or even a larger product section, an inspiration board gives buyers an idea of how the finished exterior will look when fully outfitted with other claddings and accessories.

Here’s are examples of some of the inspiration boards Westlake Royal Building Products™ curated for this year’s International Builders’ Show:

Vignettes can combine several types of cladding to show common ways of achieving the multi-textured look, such as Versetta Stone with Cedar Renditions in the center vignette above or Exterior Portfolio Market Square siding with Foundry 7” Split Shake in the right-hand vignette. Each includes coordinating accessories to complete the look, including Atlantic Premium Shutters, Royal Trim & Mouldings column wraps, and a color-matched Mid-America mounting block.

“It brings it all together, catches people’s eye, and helps them visualize how they can outfit their exterior with Westlake Royal Building Products,” said Kriss Swint, Director of Marketing Communications. “Those applications help create more of a feeling and a mood. It helps us tell our story.”

If space is a concern, inspiration boards can take the form of smaller shadow boxes, such as these boards displayed at the 2020 Builders’ Show:

Though slightly smaller, these displays still make it easy for customers to see how various products come together to make a cohesive, eye-catching look.

Here are some tips for creating inspiration boards to ease siding selection:

• Seek out ideas: To put together Westlake’s inspiration boards, the team consults with product managers about the latest trends and draws on what customers are doing with the products. They also study magazines and Pinterest to keep up on new combinations and find fresh ideas.

• Include signage: Be sure to identify the products in the display so that buyers know what they are looking at, that everything is available from you, and how they can replicate the exact look if they so choose.

• Include images: Accompanying images showing a rendering of the look on a full home or of the home that inspired the vignette can help further increase and ease visualization.

• Add decorative touches: Don’t forget the other elements one would find on the exterior, such as plants, a light fixture (with mounting block), window box, or address block.

• Add QR codes: Including a QR code with a link to the products’ web pages or online brochures can make it easy for visitors to get more information on the products they’re seeing as they make their decisions, freeing up your staff in the process.

• Leverage your manufacturer: Don’t be afraid to reach out to your manufacturer rep for help curating your inspirational displays. They can offer advice on what products work best together and assist with finding the right information to link to, along with providing take-home samples, fan decks, and literature.

To make inspiration boards more powerful, you can pair them with Westlake’s online design tools, including the Virtual Remodeler, the Dream Designer, and HomePlay Prime, which allow buyers to mix and match products on an image of their own home or a similar home.