Click here to read a story about melting vinyl siding.

My good friend Bruce is always kidding me about how good vinyl siding is, but even HE can’t deny this!

Blue Ridge Exteriors doesn’t install vinyl siding.  We specialize in the installation of HardiePlank siding from James Hardie.  HardiePlank is fiber cement siding and is actually FIREPROOF.  It can certainly withstand reflections!

Call us today at 804.405.3683 for your free no hassle estimate!

Every single siding appointment I go on I make it a point to tell homeowners that on 40% of the homes we work on we find some rotten or insect infested sheathing (the wood your siding is nailed to).  And on a small percentage of those homes we find rotten wood under the sheathing.  It’s not a scare tactic….it’s the truth.

We are working on a house right now that had absolutely no evidence of rotten wood under the siding.  There was no reason to believe that there was an issue.  However, when the siding came off there is was!  And under the rotten sheathing we discovered even MORE rotten wood.

The culprit?  A badly placed nail in the siding to attach a garden hose holder.  You know the kind.  You may even have one on your house.  The homeowner who has owned the house for 15 years says there used to be a hose holder there from the previous owner. 

Well, that nail that was used to attach the holder to the house punctured the water line from the sink.  Water has been leaking from that pipe for 15 years!!

We had the homeowner fill his sink and then pull the stop.  Paul says water just sprayed all over!

After seeing this the homeowner said that it’s the exact reason he decided on HardiePlank siding rather than covering up the existing siding with plastic siding. 

HE WANTED TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON UNDER HIS PRESSBOARD SIDING!

The outcome would be much different had he decided to go with plastic siding.  This issue would keep festering until it became an emergency and he’d have paid dearly for the repairs.

The lesson learned is that not knowing can hurt……and not only financially!

For a free no hassle estimate on HardiePlank siding for your home give us a call at 804.405.3683.

Blue Ridge Exteriors is the ONLY VIP Preferred Remodeler in Central Virginia and specializes in the installation of fiber cement siding from James Hardie.

Well, the Vinyl Siding Institute wants to set the record straight for you right here.  If you go to page 2 you can read that vinyl siding is considered a “supplemental rain screen”. 

An umbrella can be considered a “supplemental rain screen” too since it doesn’t keep you 100% dry either.  The big difference between the two though is that you can dry yourself off when you get inside your house.  Your siding stays wet under the vinyl for a while which can lead to rot and mold that can end up costing you THOUSANDS of dollars to fix.

You only want to side your house once, right?  Then do it right the first time with HardiePlank siding from James Hardie.

HardiePlank siding isn’t a cover-up.  It actually replaces your existing siding so you don’t have to worry about what you’re covering up with vinyl.

Blue Ridge Exteriors is proud to be one of only 7 VIP Preferred Remodelers in the nation.  Call us today at 804.405.3683 and see the difference for yourself!

We here at Blue Ridge Exteriors have been saying for years that vinyl siding isn’t the right choice.  What with the “lifetime warranties” and the foam backing and the “thicker is better” pitch and all the other good stuff vinyl salesman tell you.

Hey, if thicker really is better check out HardiePlank siding.  It’s 5 1/2 times thicker than the thickest vinyl siding on the market!  I bet the plastic siding salesman hasn’t told you about that has he?

How about that “fade warranty” that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy?  Certainly that has to be proof that your new plastic exterior will look good forever.  Read the fine print…….there’s usually an “excessive fade” disclaimer.

Do your homework.  The internet can tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about EVERY product.  If someone has had a bad experience you can bet it’s on the internet!

Blue Ridge Exteriors is one of only 7 VIP Preferred Remodelers in the entire country and only offers HardiePlank siding from James Hardie.  It looks like wood, feels like wood, is termite resistant and fire resistant.

Give us a call today at 804.405.3683 for a free no obligation estimate for your home!

And remember, wrap your leftovers in plastic….not your home!

But is thicker better?  If that’s the selling point I guess it is.  Let’s take a quick look.

Thickness of plastic siding is measured in “mils”.  1 mil = 0.001″ (mil is the abbreviation for 1/1000 th). 

Alcoa sells a plastic siding that is called XL55 that is .055 mils thick.  Royal sells a plastic siding called Duraplank that is .054 mils thick.  Alside sells a plastic siding called Prodigy that is .050 mils thick.  Crane Board is a plastic siding that is .046 mils thick.

So which is best?  As it turns out NONE of them may be the best!  Just look at the side of your garbage bag box.  Believe it or not Hefty bags and the like are advertised to be up to TWICE as thick as the thickest plastic siding that people put on their house!  Click here to see different thicknesses of garbage bags.

I’m not suggesting that you go out and have garbage bags installed on your house.  For one thing you could only get your house covered in white or dark green, but it does put things in proper prospective doesn’t it?

Blue Ridge Exteriors is one of only six VIP Preferred Remodelers in the country and we specialize in the installation of James Hardie fiber cement siding and trim components.  HardiePlank siding is 5 1/2 times thicker than plastic siding which also means it’s thicker than those garbage bags too.  See the difference for yourself here. 

So tell me…..what would YOU rather have on your house NOW?

For a free no obligation HardiePlank siding estimate call us at 804.405.3683 today!

What’s left to do other than sign a contract?  Well, how about verifying the contractor license and insurance status? 

In Virginia a contractor has 3 levels of licensing that dictates what work they can do.  You should go to the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) to not only verify that the contractor still has a valid contractors license, but to also see if there are any past or current open complaints.

I bring this up now because I recently had a homeowner tell me they were signing a $30,000 contract with another company instead of Blue Ridge Exteriors.  He told me he was going to have (blank) construction do the work.  His price was cheaper. 

It’s not the first time a homeowner has gone with the lowest price.  But what really caught my attention is that the company is only a Class C contractor.  By law he can’t perform the work!

I’ll save you the details of my discussion with that homeowner, but as a homeowner you have the responsibility to make sure the contractor you are planning to use is licensed and insured properly for the job they will do for you.  Click here to see the different classifications of contractors in Virginia and their limitations. 

While your at it you should check on their insurance status.  Call their insurer to be certain all premiums have been paid.  I’m sure you won’t be surprised to learn that some contractors have let their insurance lapse due to money flow problems. 

Blue Ridge Exteriors is a licensed Class A contractor in the state of Virginia.  On EVERY appointment that we go on we leave a copy of our insurance certificate and a copy of our contractor license and we expect you will verify that all is up to date and accurate.

Blue Ridge Exteriors specializes in the installation of James Hardie fiber cement siding and trim components.  We are the only James Hardie VIP Preferred Remodeler in Central Virginia and one of only six in the entire country!

For a free estimate call us at 804.405.3683!

This is especially important for you to see for a couple of reasons.  First, you can see just how quickly vinyl siding accelerates the flames into a potential inferno and you can see how wood siding smolders for a while before finally igniting.

Secondly, and maybe more important, is the fact that vinyl companies install their materials over your existing exterior cladding whether it’s real wood or press board.  You will now have 2 highly combustible materials on the outside of your house!

Watch this video and honestly ask yourself if you still want vinyl siding on your house then call us at 804.405.3683 for a free HardiePlank estimate.  You’ll be glad you did!

HardiePlank siding by James Hardie Building Products is noncombustible and approved for fire-rated construction.  You can accidentally put your grill too close to it and it WON’T burn! 

How much more piece of mind do you need? 

Blue Ridge Exteriors specializes in HardiePlank siding and installs more residential HardiePlank siding in Central Virginia than any other company.  Do your homework and you may find out that HardiePlank is more affordable than you think.

Call us at 804.405.3683 for your FREE estimate today!

Wrap your leftovers in plastic…..not your home!

Blue Ridge Exteriors specializes in residential HardiePlank siding.  With more residential HardiePlank installations than any other company in Central Virginia you can trust Blue Ridge Exteriors to get the job done right.

Call us today at 804.405.3683 for your free estimate!

There are many other projects you can tackle, but only residing with fiber cement gives you the best return on your investment 4 years in a row.

• Residing with fiber cement gives a 31% better return than adding a bathroom and costs $61k less to complete
• Minor kitchen remodel gives you a 10% less return on investment than residing with fiber cement
• Adding a second story addition nets you 23% less return on investment than fiber cement residing

Remodeling magazine is the industry’s leading home improvement magazine.  Since 1988, Remodeling magazine’s Cost vs. Value Report has compared construction costs for common remodeling projects with the value they add to a home at resale in the current real estate market.  The results- upscale siding projects using fiber-cement return the highest value at resale.

Blue Ridge Exteriors is Central Virginia’s Only HardiePlank specialists.  With more residential HardiePlank installations than any other company in Central Virginia, you can trust Blue Ridge Exteriors to get the job done right.

Call us at 804.405.3683 today for your free estimate!