One of the best ways for construction companies to advertise is to display lawn signs on their project sites. For most companies, a lawn sign is a foam board stuck into the grown by metal stakes or something larger, possibly framed by a wooden design. VPC Builders took a very different approach, repurposing old wine barrels.  

The idea for these custom signs came from one of the North and South Carolina-based company’s remodeling jobs. A client was looking to get rid of old whiskey barrels used to catch rainwater from downspout chains. Instead of tossing the barrels, VPC Builders decided to make them into lawn signs. The jobsite was a busy Blowing Rock, N.C., intersection, so they wanted something that would really get attention.

Project Manager Gary Smith is responsible for the designs and a local sign company executes them. The sign itself is made out of high density urethane foam and then painted and sandblasted. When it’s complete, VPC Builders makes the necessary changes to the barrel needed to attach the sign. No two signs are alike; barrels may be facing different directions and sign placement can vary.

A creative project like this isn’t cheap. Wine barrels are purchased from North Carolina vineyards for around $50 and the sandblasted signs cost $250. Each completed barrel sign costs $300 and takes about two weeks to construct. So far the company has eight; however, they last a while.  After 15 months of use, VPC's oldest sign is still in great shape. It’s a little more of an investment, but the company believes it's well worth it.

The first barrel sign went up at a job site in fall of 2013 and the company hasn’t looked back. They typically place them at major project sites, such as custom home and commercial jobs. Despite their size, the signs are pretty light and easy to transport in company trucks.

Their unique appearance has proven successful, too. People comment on them and new projects have come in based on the signs alone.

“The wine barrel signs are a product of our continuous quest for innovative ideas,” says Marketing Director, Whitney Burns.