Custom homebuilders Jon and Jay Roberts discovered a silver lining behind today’s building challenges.
The Roberts brothers own and operate Cascade Custom Homes & Design, a 35-year-old design-build company serving picturesque Whidbey Island, about 30 miles north of Seattle in Puget Sound. The brothers have faced their share of ups and downs since March 2020, including recent news a leading fiber-cement siding manufacturer was limiting product availability in the Pacific Northwest.
No builder needs that kind of disruption, especially on a basic building material. The brothers required a rock-solid alternative. “It’s an island. We live with our customers. Positive word of mouth means everything,” Roberts explains, referring to the island’s 70,000 residents.
It was about then fate smiled.
Limited Lifetime Warranty
Engineered polymer trim and siding is ideally suited to protect a home from the island’s harsh saltwater environment. It’s formulated to resist moisture and will not split or rot like a wood-based product. AZEK Exteriors, a leading manufacturer, even backs up the resilience claim with a limited lifetime warranty. “A lifetime warranty is huge for homes on this island,” Jay Roberts says. “Our homes come with a 10-year builder’s warranty. But the truth is, we always take care of good customers. We operate by a lifetime warranty, too.”
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Last summer the brothers installed PVC straight edge shingle siding and trim on a custom-designed 1,450 square foot, 2-bedroom dream cottage. The installation revealed several engineered polymer advantages … not all of them expected:
- Minimal Maintenance. “We strive to build zero maintenance homes,” Jay Roberts says. “In three or four years if the exterior looks like it could use a refresh, just hit it with a garden hose. It will look like new.”
- Fast Installation. Installation subcontractors are understandably wary of any new material. By the end, the Roberts’ long-time subs were believers in engineered polymer. “They started on the most difficult side of the house first, with lots of doors and windows to cut around. Once they got past that, the panels went up very fast,” Jay Roberts says.
- Less Waste. The brothers returned nearly a full pallet of unused panels back to the distributor. Jon Roberts says panel length and the fact cutting didn’t “… burn through shingles left and right to create a staggered shingle pattern” reduced cladding waste.
- Superior Aesthetic. The clean, straight shake edges appealed to the owner and conforms to a Northwest Contemporary design style. “We set up head-to-head panel comparisons. She preferred AZEK Exteriors Shingle Siding for its refined shading pattern,” Jon Roberts says. AZEK Exteriors is an exterior building product manufacturer specializing in siding, cladding, trim, molding, and other building products.
- Ready Availability & Price. Speedy installation and one-coat painting reduced siding costs. The product was readily available through the island distributor.
- Paint Guarantee. A proprietary polymer siding technology from AZEK called PaintPro supports a 15-year warranty on shingle siding painted finishes. No surface prep or primer needed. Color selection includes lights to darks, including black. The cottage owner opted for a gray tone.
In uncertain times, it’s good to know manufacturers are stepping up with quality alternatives that can outperform traditional choices. Keep an open mind to solutions like the AZEK Shingle Siding with PaintPro technology and AZEK Trim to help differentiate your projects while affirming your commitment to quality, timeliness, and performance.
Learn more about how engineered polymer siding and trim can make a difference on your next project.
