Siding Squares Calculator (screen shot)

We’ve created another useful siding calculator.  This one is for figuring out your Siding Squares.  See our Siding Squares Calculator at SquareFootage.org.
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The Siding Top 10

by Estimates Requested for August 2011

1. Vinyl Siding – Materials Only
2. Vinyl Siding – Full Install
3. Fiber Cement Siding – Full Install
4. Vinyl Shake Siding – Materials Only
5. Fiber Cement Siding – Materials Only
6. Vinyl Shake Siding – Full Install
7. Soffits
8. Vinyl Siding – Small Job
9. Soffits – Materials Only
10. Cedar Siding – Materials Only

Why is this Top 10 list important?

If you are a Homeowner
… this Top 10 illustrates what is “most popular” and while WE are not typically an advocate of “going with the crowd” it illustrates an important point – if you had a staff of 46,000 people and they were all given the task of researching the Best Siding available today… what would stand out head and shoulders above the rest?
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The answer will be unique to each individual, home and situation… BUT there are some common elements that will be found with ALL Top Notch Vinyl Siding Installs…

Unique Vinyl Siding Before and After

First of all, what is a Top Notch Vinyl Siding Installation?

• The vinyl siding LOOKS like wood.
  • That’s the whole point of vinyl siding… to look like wood BUT not require the constant upkeep that wood siding requires.
• The LINES are straight and clean looking.
  • Installing vinyl siding is like exterior finish carpentry.  It’s the installers job to make the home’s exterior look good and that includes making up for “rougher areas” in the home’s exterior.
• The installation lasts for at least the length of the product warranty and/or the installation’s warranty (which ever is longer).
  • Yes this is a bit of a no-brainer but it stands to mention that if an installation looks spectacular at first then after a few years it falls apart… well that definitely is not a “top notch” installation.
• The installation process was a painless and quick procedure.
  • A vinyl siding installation is a major renovation and as “major renovations” go – it can be a stressful event.  A “top notch” vinyl siding installation team will work hand-in-hand with the homeowners to: reduce any potentially stressful situations, keep the homeowners informed about the progress of the installation and make the siding install as quick of a process as possible while maintaining a superior degree of craftsmanship and professionalism.

To get a top rate vinyl siding installation it takes at least these three elements:

Why Expose Vinyl Siding Prices?

There used to be a day when homeowners who were interested in vinyl siding could only get a ballpark vinyl siding price idea by inviting a siding salesman into their home. And then they really didn’t have any negotiating power because there wasn’t a baseline standard on how much vinyl siding should cost.  Unscrupulous vinyl siding salesmen (tin men, from the aluminum siding days) could then convince prospective siding consumers to overpay 2, 3 or even 4x as much as they should and when you are talking big ticket items like home remodels the price tag for vinyl siding could get enormous – and often did.  That all changed when our founder Robert Bury began educating homeowners about siding prices back in 1996.  Now in 2011, 15 years later, Mr. Bury’s vision of putting the power back in the consumers hands is a full blown reality.  In Mr. Bury’s words, “… I love the feeling of helping people I will never get a chance to meet.  I know that house siding isn’t the vehicle to world peace {joke} but if we all would govern ourselves with a little more in integrity and do what we know is right, the world would become and even sweeter place to live.   I’m just doing my part in an industry I happen to know a lot about.”

We thank you Mr. Bury (call me Robert is what he would say to that) you have been an inspiration to us all at Siding4u.com and the whole Siding Web™ group.  Here’s to another year of helping people we may never meet in 2011.

Get your Vinyl Siding Prices Calculated online now!!!

Vinyl Siding depicted as dysfunctional again, this time on ABC News

VIDEO: Vinyl Siding Melted

In the 9/30/2010 Good Morning America story about the damage caused by some energy efficient windows, vinyl siding is again showcased in a very poor light.  Albeit this is a very serious issue which we at Siding4u.com have been monitoring for quite some time, it IS however a reasonably rare occurrence.  It still should not be occurring.  HOWEVER… our concern is that media coverage of this phenomenon could deter homeowners from vinyl siding due to some freak occurrences like these.
In the video it does mention “… the extraordinary reflective heat can damage all sorts of surfaces, not just siding …” but the images of melted vinyl siding is what we believe will stick with the prospective siding consumers ~ not words. (continue reading…)

BREAKING NEWS! Are Siding Do-It-Yourself-ers Growing in Popularity over the king Vinyl Siding Installed professionally estimate requests?

You be the Judge…
In a report just released one can clearly see a solid number of “Materials Only” estimate requests where their once should have been “Vinyl Siding – Full Install” estimate requests.  This could be an emerging trend or a mere blip on the radar.  Rest assured we will keep our eyes on it and let you know if we see a solid “siding trend shift.”

CWIN(tm) Estimate Request REPORT:
Timeframe: from:(Sun, November 28th 2010 4:22am) to:(Thu, December 2nd 2010 5:47am)
============================================================================
FORMAT:
City State Zip – Date & Time
Estimates Requested
============================================================================

Kansas City KS 66106 – Thu, Dec 2 ’10 05:47
Vinyl Lap Siding – Materials Only, Vinyl Windows – Materials Only
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Reading PA 19606 – Thu, Dec 2 ’10 05:40
Vinyl Lap Siding – Materials Only
Project Details: “Replacement of old Siding. House is 12 squares.”
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Staten Island NY 10314 – Thu, Dec 2 ’10 05:17
Windows (General) – Multiple Windows Install
Project Details: “IT IS 2 SLIDING DOORS AND, 1 BASAMENT WINDOW AND 3 80″ X 48″ APROXIMILY”
—————————————————————————-

Freehold NJ 07728 – Wed, Dec 1 ’10 17:19
Vinyl Lap Siding – Full Install
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Saint Clair Shores MI 48080 – Wed, Dec 1 ’10 16:57
Vinyl Lap Siding – Full Install, Soffits (General) – Full Install
—————————————————————————-
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Freehold New Jersey Vinyl Siding Estimates are Top Requested Again!

Below is the Siding and Window Estimate report for the Freehold New Jersey for their area over the past 2 months. The report shows homeowners that requested Freehold NJ (area) Siding Estimates and Freehold NJ (area) Window Estimates from the Contractors With Integrity Network™ (Cwin™).  One can clearly see that Vinyl Siding is the #1 most requested siding estimate for the Freehold New Jersey area.

ref.: Contractors With Integrity

CWIN(tm) Estimate Request REPORT:
Timeframe: from:(Thu, August 26th 2010 12:26pm) to:(Mon, October 25th 2010 12:22pm)
============================================================================
FORMAT:
City State Zip – Date & Time
Estimates Requested
============================================================================

Somerdale NJ 08083 – Mon, Oct 25 ’10 12:22
Vinyl Lap Siding – Repair
—————————————————————————-

Jersey City NJ 07306 – Sun, Oct 24 ’10 01:26
Fiber Cement Shake Siding – Full Install
—————————————————————————-

Mullica Hill NJ 08062 – Sat, Oct 23 ’10 12:52
Vinyl Shake Siding – Full Install
—————————————————————————-

Port Monmouth NJ 07758 – Wed, Oct 20 ’10 12:04
Vinyl Lap Siding – Full Install, Vinyl Shake Siding – Full Install, Vinyl Vertical Siding – Full Install, Fiber Cement Lap Siding – Full Install, Fiber Cement Shake Siding – Full Install, Fiber Cement Vertical Siding – Full Install, Rock Siding – Small Job, Vinyl Windows – Multiple Windows Install
Project Details: “Not sure what type of siding and also interested in replacing 15 windows.”
—————————————————————————-

Manasquan NJ 08736 – Wed, Oct 20 ’10 11:20
Vinyl Windows – Multiple Windows Install, Vinyl Windows – Materials Only
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Google Trends for Vinyl Siding - ©2008 Google

Now make no mistake, Vinyl Siding is still #1 as far as siding materials goes and vinyl siding is still the #1 most requested siding estimate request in the nation.  We believe the graph above (courtesy of Google Trends’s search for vinyl siding) illustrates the general economic downturn since you will see a similar graph for all siding search terms.

But Wait…

What’s this?  In comparing 2009 & 2010 (so far) with the previous years we can see a stabilizing and possibly indicators of a potential comeback.  At any rate the steady decline in searches for Vinyl Siding appear to have leveled off considerably.

Conversely, the Contractors With Integrity Network (CWIN for short) reports that they have only seen increases in vinyl siding estimate requests over the past several years.  However they are the first to admit that this could be due to their steady increase in popularity and search engine rankings – resulting in an offsetting of the universally felt economic downturn.

Maybe… just maybe… things are starting to turn around. We will keep our eyes peeled and let you know when we can say for sure.

Vinyl Shake Siding

We added a new “Vinyl Shake Siding” page to siding4u.com today…

It answers the question “What is vinyl shake siding” plus gives the top 5 vinyl shake siding tips.

View Siding4u’s new Vinyl Shake Siding page or read our Top Vinyl Shake Siding Tips below.
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Vinyl Siding & Vinyl Replacement Windows have one of the best Cost vs. Value ratios (ROI) in this economy.

In a report by G.M. Filisko it is reported that “Remodeling magazine’s annual report shows that maintenance-related projects and moderately priced upgrades are providing stable paybacks, even in a slower market.” this is great news for siding market.

G.M. Filisko goes on to say, “Despite home price drops in many cities, remodeling projects are holding their own as a way for owners to add value.

Many people are wondering where their money will be safest during these uncertain economic times. When home owners turn to you for your expert advice, counsel them that some things never change: Investing in their home still pays off.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® statistics show that home prices have fallen by an average of 7 percent nationally in the past year. But the value of home owners’ investment in remodeling projects has declined only 3.86 percent on average between 2007 and 2008, according to Remodeling’s 2008–2009 Cost vs. Value Report.

Remodeling produces the Cost vs. Value Report each year in cooperation with REALTOR® magazine. REALTORS® responding to a survey in midsummer said home owners could expect to recoup a national average of 67.3 percent of their investment in 30 different home improvement projects. At the height of the housing boom in 2005, home owners could expect to recoup a national average of 86.7 percent on projects.

Remodeling remains hot in 10 cities, where, on at least some projects, home owners can recover 100 percent of their costs. In Charlotte, N.C., for example, decks, midrange kitchen remodels, vinyl siding, and window-replacement projects all would net more than they cost, in respondents’ estimation. High rates of recovery were seen in both strong real estate markets and weak ones.
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