TradeTalk - A Quaterly Review of Vinyl Siding Tips, Techniques, and News for Contractors from CertainTeed

New Contractor Benefits

Five-Star Contractor program adds new benefits for 2008.

The 5-Star Contractor program has always been good. Now it’s GREAT. In addition to exclusive 5-Star benefits—credentials certificate, customer presentation folders, magnetic truck signs, special website access, custom quote folders, free literature and samples—all 5-Star Contractors are now eligible to receive:
       Premier listing on certainteed.com
       FREE 5-Star exclusive job site signs
       FREE 5-Star business cards
       Sales excellence training
       Access to CertainTeed-negotiated discounts

Don’t miss this opportunity to improve your competitive advantage and grow your business. Log on to www.certainteed.com/5star and follow the links to the 5-Star Contractor program.

Sustainably Speaking

TMG Homes Goes for Green

When Torrey Marks and Chadd Martin joined forces to create TMG Homes, their slogan was “Building a Better Home.” It is no surprise that they should have discovered and adopted the concept of green home building.

Established in 2004, in Glenmoore, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia, TMG was surrounded by large, established builders such as Toll Brothers, Pulte and many long established local builders. As a young company, TMG was looking for a strategy to set them apart. Martin, Vice President of TMG, started researching the concept known as “green building” that emphasizes greater energy efficiency along with minimal environment impact. Martin knew that building an energy efficient, environmentally friendly home was the way to go for TMG. He joined the U.S Green Building Council and continued researching methods for green building.

“The green roof concept was catching on and at the National Builders show in 2007, you could feel the way things were going,” said Martin. “All it meant for us was making a few changes. We were already committed to building a better house. This was a quantifiable way to say it was a better house.”

TMG was using products in their building projects that were environmentally-friendly but Martin and Marks knew that the time was right to build a home that would showcase their company, take them through the certification process, and give them the opportunity to educate realtors, homeowners and buyers about the benefits of owning a green home.

Before long, TMG Homes was selected to participate in a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) pilot program. The guidelines for LEED certification are extensive and the project needs to be judged by an independent, third party inspector. Their project is a 4,100 square foot, 4 bedroom, and 3.5 bath Colonial home on 1.2 acres in Chester Springs, PA.

“The biggest challenge is getting the subcontractors to buy in to this concept,” said Martin. “Building a LEED house is more management-intensive and the subs have to be willing to learn.”

By using green products, TMG was able to cut down the amount of waste going into the landfill. Most of the waste was recycled and used for fertilizer. They reduced the waste for a recent project by one 30-yard Dumpster.

The Value of Green
According to Martin, green homes provide a healthier way of life. There are three key components to that healthier lifestyle: personal health, financial health and community health.

Personal health relates to the air quality in the house. Air quality can be vastly improved by creating a “whole house recovery system” in the basement that recycles and filters the air. This is especially good for people concerned about asthma or allergies.

Financial health requires some education for homeowners, according to Martin.
“The cost of a house is not just the price up front. It’s what you pay over the life of a house,” said Martin. “If the house is energy efficient, over time you will pay less in utilities.”

Community health is a commitment to being better stewards of our natural resources, both locally and globally. According the Martin, LEED-certified homes are more energy efficient, use non-toxic building materials, are water-smart, and respect the environment.

From Vision to Reality
While researching green products for this project, Martin came to the CertainTeed® website, having used these products in the past. “CertainTeed has one of the better sites for LEED information and support,” said Martin. “With this house, we had an idea in mind and when we were doing research, and we found a house on CertainTeed’s site that was exactly the color and style we were looking for.” The siding products they used included Cedar Impressions® Double 9” Staggered Rough-Split Shakes in Sable Brown with contrasting MainStreet™ Double 5” in Desert Tan, along with CertainTeed soffit and trim.

CertainTeed vinyl and polymer sidings are manufactured responsibly. They are produced, shipped and installed using minimal resources, and because there is no need for painting and caulking, the environmental and economic impact throughout the life of the home is dramatically reduced.

“Our concern is giving the consumer added value,” said Martin. “We want to position ourselves as THE green builder in the area and work on custom homes for people wanting a more efficient and environmentally-friendly home.”

TMG Homes is starting to work on a custom home that they hope will be the second LEED-certified home in Chester County.

“It’s about education and the budget,” Martin added. “Where do you want to spend money and where do you want to save. Whether you look at the net cost vs. the lifetime cost.”

Siding Plants Continue Efforts to Go Green

Manufacturing and delivery methods undergo a green evolution.
While efforts to contribute to sustainable building products remain at the forefront of the greening of our industry, we continue to take a hard look at what CertainTeed can do to minimize the impact our plants and processes have on the environment. One such effort has resulted in a savings of 3.9 million gallons of water per year, while another encourages our customers to recycle delivery pallets.

Smarter Water Use at Hagerstown
CertainTeed’s Hagerstown plant is located in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed—an area known for its sensitivity to land and water use. As part of its on-going efforts in environmental management, the Hagerstown plant recently began upgrading the plant process water monitoring system. Electronically monitoring critical aspects such as tank levels, return loops, and discharge rates has reduced water use by 3.9 million gallons. Adding supplemental water storage tanks has also reduced sewer discharges by 5,000 gallons per week.

Recycling Pallets
Pallets - they’re everywhere. And more often than not, you see them piled up in the back of a distributor’s warehouse or stacked up next to a dumpster. At the end of 2007, CertainTeed introduced a pallet recycling program and encourages our customers to return pallets rather than tear them down. Our customers benefit because their disposal costs - $3 to 4 per pallet - are reduced. The environment benefits because fewer pallets are added to landfills. CertainTeed maintains and, if necessary, repairs the pallets before they are reused.

Spotlight on Communications

Contractor ProDialogs™ reveal need for increased communication.

You asked. We delivered. At our recent Contactor proDialogs discussions, you told us you’d like to hear from us more frequently. In response, you received SPOTLIGHT, the latest component of our expanded communications with our customers. SPOTLIGHT is a quarterly email flyer. Designed as an extension of our HIGHLIGHTS brochure, SPOTLIGHT concentrates on just a few of the year’s new products and programs. It’s a reminder of what’s new and how you can benefit from new products and programs.

Earn an Extra $25

Earn money when you purchase Restoration Millwork profiles.

Thinking about installing a Restoration Millwork profile on your next siding job? Now’s the time. From May 1 through July 31, purchase 15 pieces of any Restoration Millwork profile, and we’ll load your CertainTeed Show Me the Money Visa card with $25 extra dollars.

These low-maintenance, long-lasting profiles are just the ticket to make an ordinary siding job look like a custom installation. Whether you choose crown moulding, lattice, brickmould, back band, or any of our nineteen distinctive profiles, Restoration Millwork trim cuts, shapes, routs, and mills with traditional woodworking tools and fastens with nails or screws. And your customers will appreciate the Class A (Class 1) Flame Spread rating and CertainTeed’s 25-year limited warranty.

Don’t delay. Call your CertainTeed distributor today, and ask how you can earn an extra $25 just for ordering Restoration Millwork profiles. [More details]