It’s hard to believe that I haven’t written on this blog for a few months. We got incredibly busy in the second half of last year, and I had to sacrifice something. But I’m baaaaack!

Let’s start the year 2010 off with an FAQ page, huh?

Q: I’ve been told that your company uses subcontractors. I’ve heard horror stories about unreliable subcontractors.

A: I’ve heard the same horror stories about subcontractors, but there are actually 2 different definitions of the word subcontractor in home improvement lingo. The first is the way you are thinking; a company sells you a job and calls a friend of a friend to install whatever they just sold you. Or worse yet, they drive down to Lowe’s or Home Depot and hire the first guy who has a pickup to install your job.

That is NOT what we do. We decided long ago, when we started this company that we would pay our installers 1099 labor. That means that technically they are subcontractors because we pay them as such, but they are, in reality, OUR HardiePlank® siding installers.

It’s a good story by other companies to scare you into thinking that we don’t care who works on your house, but the truth is that Paul trained our installers on James Hardie’s Best Practices years ago WHEN HE WORKED FOR JAMES HARDIE and they constantly are trained by Paul when James Hardie® makes changes to Best Practices.

Look, when you hire Blue Ridge Exteriors to install HardiePlank® siding for you, our installers will finish the HardiePlank® siding job they are on now and then come to your house. After your house, they will start another HardiePlank® siding job. They won’t be installing a kitchen or, even worse a deck before coming to install your job.

Q: Isn’t a vinyl siding lifetime transferable warranty better than the James Hardie® 30-year non-prorated transferable warranty?

A: You might think so, but again you need to do some research on your own here. Vinyl siding warranties have disclaimers that usually aren’t mentioned at the point of sale. For instance, did you know that while you may get a fade warranty from a vinyl company, you don’t get a warranty against EXCESSIVE fading? Weird, huh?

Also, if you read the fine print, you’ll see another disclaimer against reflections from windows and car windshields melting your siding.

And your vinyl siding isn’t guaranteed to look pristine for a lifetime. It’s just guaranteed not to fail……What was it that Tommy Boy’s dad used to tell him? “You can get a good look at a t-bone steak by sticking your head up a bull’s [butt}, but I’d rather take the butcher’s word on it”? In this instance, don’t take the butcher’s word on it.

James Hardie® realizes that everything- be it vinyl or HardiePlank® siding will weather. It’s just that with HardiePlank® siding, you can remedy that by applying a fresh coat of paint.

Q: Yes, but I was told I have to paint it every 2 years or so.

A: Of course you were told that. Vinyl companies want to sell vinyl. HardiePlank® siding is dimensionally stable, and the ColorPlus® Technology factory applied, baked-on finish provides better fade resistance than competitive products.  It resists cracking, peeling, flaking, and blistering.  Sometime between 15-20 years, you’ll notice the color isn’t as vibrant. That’s when you may decide to brighten it up with a fresh coat of paint.  Of course, you may decide to change the color altogether and which you can do at any time too.

Q: What’s the difference between being a James Hardie VIP Preferred Remodeler and a Preferred Remodeler?

A: James Hardie® has criteria that a company has to meet to become a Preferred Remodeler. A VIP Preferred Remodeler has even more, including 2 very important ones for consumers. The first one is that we have to install a certain amount of HardiePlank siding per year. The second is that we agree to allow James Hardie to come out to any and all of our jobs, unknowingly to us, and allow them to audit the installation of your job. This means that you could get a call from James Hardie during the job, and they would ask to verify that it’s being installed correctly. How great is that???  The manufacturer is willing to audit jobs that VIP Preferred Remodelers do! How much more could you, the consumer ask for?

I do know that it is VERY difficult to achieve VIP status because, as of today, there are HUNDREDS of regular Preferred Remodelers and ONLY 6 VIP Preferred Remodelers nationwide.

The only exterior cladding that Blue Ridge Exteriors installs is HardiePlank® siding. We want to make money just like every company, but we’re not willing to install inferior vinyl siding just to make a buck. We are specialists who know what we’re doing.

Call us today for a free estimate for your home at 804.405.3683!