April 2024 - Westlake Royal Pros Blog

April 24, 2024April 25, 2024

Mid-America™ Adds Four New Dark Colors to Vinyl Shutters Line

New color options for Mid-America vinyl shutters: French Roast, Storm Cloud, Treated Cedar, and Platinum.

Westlake Royal Building Products ^™ has added new on-trend colors to its Mid-America™ vinyl shutters line. The four dark colors—French Roast, Storm Cloud, Treated Cedar, and Platinum—complement current trends in siding colors. They’re ideally suited for styles across the Mid-America vinyl shutters line, including open louver, raised panel, Board-N-Batten, and louver/panel combo shutters.

“Shutters give homes a distinctive appearance, elevating their curb appeal and charm through accurate architectural designs and vibrant colors. Beyond simply complementing windows, they contribute an additional layer of beauty and vibrancy to a home’s overall aesthetic,” said Steve Booz, vice president of marketing for Westlake Royal Building Products. “We’re proud to expand Mid-America’s comprehensive selection of shutters through the addition of four new colors that cater to the rising demand for darker accessories.”

Mid-America vinyl shutters in the new French Roast hue — Mid-America shutters in new French Roast

Vinyl Shutters Provide Aesthetics, Low Maintenance

Mid-America vinyl shutters come in a diverse range of colors, sizes, and styles, making it effortless for pros and homeowners alike to find the perfect accents to complement any home. The shutters are visually appealing and low maintenance, and they’re easy to install, equipped with hardware suitable for any siding system or home exterior, including vinyl, poly-ash, fiber cement, wood, brick, stucco, and stone.

All Mid-America exterior vinyl shutters feature SolidThru™ Colors. This ensures enduring vibrancy and guarantees that even in the event of scratches or impacts, the chosen color remains unchanged.

With the addition of the four new hues, Mid-America offers 14 total colors, including Black, White, Clay, Midnight Blue, Forest Green, and Wineberry. A paintable version also is available.

For more information about Mid-America siding accessories, including shutters, trim, gable vents, and mount blocks, visit https://midamericacomponents.com.

Be among the first to learn about Westlake Royal’s latest product introductions by subscribing to our enewsletter here.

April 17, 2024April 25, 2024

What Home Buyers Want the Most

What features are most in demand from new-home buyers? NAHB sought the answers in its latest “What Home Buyers Want” report. Among the top and/or fastest-growing in-demand features were laundry rooms, patios, and home security.

The Top Features Home Buyers Want

In the What Home Buyers Want study, buyers were given a list of more than 200 home and community features and asked to rate them as “essential,” “desirable,” “indifferent,” or “do not want.”

According to Eye on Housing, of all the features in the study, there were 13 that ranked “essential” by at least 80% of respondents:

Patio (86%)
Laundry room (86%)
Energy Star-rated windows (83%)
Exterior lighting (82%)
Ceiling fan (81%)
Garage storage (81%)
Front porch (81%)
Hardwood (81%)
Full bath on main level (80%)
Energy Star appliances (80%)
Walk-in pantry (80%)
Landscaping (80%)
Table space in kitchen (80%)

Laundry rooms are a top feature in the What Home Buyers Want report. — Photo credit: Adobe Stock

In addition, there were a handful of features that made tremendous gains in popularity over the past decade. All were in the area of technology, including security cameras (climbing 36 percentage points in 12 years), wired home security systems (35 percentage points), and programmable thermostats (31 percentage points).

What Homebuyers Want in Exteriors

When it comes to exterior design styles, Eye on Housing found no national consensus in the study. “At best, a plurality of 34% would prefer to purchase a ‘traditional’ home (rooted in historic styles), while a smaller 26% would rather buy a ‘contemporary’ home (clean lines, sloped roofs, expansive windows),” Rose Quint reported. “Far smaller shares of 17% and 12% of buyers, respectively, would choose a ‘modern’ home (bold, boxy, flat roofs) or a ‘transitional’ home (contemporary design with traditional cues).

Delving further into in-demand exterior features, consider the results of AIA’s quarterly Home Design Trends survey. In its Q4 2023 edition, examining Neighborhood and Community Design, the survey reported that “low maintenance/durability” continue to be the most popular feature, with 59% of architects reporting increasing interest. Unlike the NAHB study, the AIA survey found contemporary styling to be most common, with 51% of architects reporting increasing interest, down just 1 percentage point from 2022.

To learn more about what’s in demand, the full “What Homebuyers Want” report is available for purchase here.

Stay up on all the latest trends and industry insights by subscribing to our enewsletter.

April 12, 2024April 25, 2024

“Family to the Rescue” Remodel Improves Homeowner Accessibility

Front of family to the Rescue house featuring Foundry siding and Royal trim

On April 6, Dina saw her newly renovated home for the first time. The joyful reveal was the culmination of months of hard work by volunteers, product donors, and Rescuing Families, a nonprofit organization that specializes in remodeling the homes of people with physical limitations. The donation and installation will be featured on the docuseries “Family to the Rescue” on PBS.

Updates Bring Safe, Modern Improvements

The home, located in Franklin Square, New York, was renovated to improve accessibility and safety for Dina. Dina and her father have lived in the home for nine years.

The bungalow’s new exterior exudes a cozy coastal vibe with cedar-look shingles, crisp white trim, and elegant flower boxes. Working closely with its distributor partner New Castle Ronkonkoma in Long Island, Westlake Royal Building Products™ donated Foundry 7″ Split Shake siding in the color Golden Straw, as well as rabbeted white Royal PVC corners, starter strip, historic window trim sill, and trimboard. Westlake Royal team members were also on site to assist with the installation.

“From our work as contractors and our experience as caretakers, we have seen that often when a person is suffering from an illness, mental or physical disability or even aging, their home becomes an unsafe environment for a multitude of reasons. We see individuals not being able to thrive in their homes anymore, and even get to the point of becoming fearful of their own homes,” said Gina Cantone-Centauro, co-founder of Rescuing Families. “With the help of our partners like Westlake Royal, and the community, we are able to work on projects that affect the overall quality of life of our community’s most vulnerable.

The front of the home is more welcoming, with a larger porch and beautiful windows.

Rear of family to the Rescue house, featuring Foundry siding and Royal trim.

The interior was gutted to the studs. The finished project included new drywall and paint; new flooring, plumbing fixtures, lighting, and heating; and a new, modern kitchen with stainless steel appliances, white cabinetry, and a beautiful tile backsplash in Dina’s favorite color, blue. Dina’s sister Gina cleaned and repaired stained glass piece in the kitchen window, which had been beloved by their mother. An old chimney discovered during demo was updated with manufactured stone.

Family to the Rescue Improves Lives

“Family to the Rescue” follows Rescuing Families on its quest to improve the lives of people with disabilities. There are more than 50 million disabled individuals in the United States who need access to unique home construction and specialized design. Through a completely new approach to home design, they transform the lives of families who feel forgotten, and raise awareness of solutions that are available for them.

“We are humbled and honored to donate Foundry siding and trim to the well-deserving family and contractors working with Rescuing Families,” said Steve Booz, vice president, marketing, Westlake Royal Building Products. “Making homes safe and accessible for people with disabilities is incredibly important to us, and we feel confident that our products will be low maintenance and durable, ensuring that these families do not need to worry about upkeep or renovations after installation.”

“The products that we work with are extremely important to the overall outcome of our renovations, and we are so thankful to Westlake Royal for their generous donation of top-quality siding and trim,” said Vinny Centauro, co-founder of Rescuing Families. “We always want to make sure that the products we use are low maintenance and long lasting, so the last thing the families need to worry about is upkeep. We want to give our families absolutely zero work while also making the home accessible to their specific needs.”

See the home’s transformation by following #ProjectDina on Instagram.

Want to see more projects? Be sure to subscribe to our monthly enewsletter.