By Don Browne
As part of a new educational series, we are reaching out to architects, designers and design innovators who appreciate the many advantages polymeric exterior building products bring to their work. Last quarter, we spoke with Jeremy Bartlett, licensed Architect and Firm Principal of Wisconsin-based THRIVE Architects. In this issue, we feature a recent conversation with a designer from Georgia and a home renovation specialist from Tennessee.
JoAnne Loftus, President & Owner of Archival Designs in Suwanee, Georgia, has designed and built hundreds of homes over the past 40 years, earning key honors including “NAHB Builder of the Year.” The eclectic portfolio of style plans she has used for her projects includes “barndominium,” craftsman, modern farmhouse, cottage, A-Frame, cabin, luxury and castle house. Based on her vast experience, JoAnne is an expert in knowing which design and functional features are truly durable.
“The greatest design benefit I've seen for polymeric exteriors is the variety of color and texture choices that designers now have to work with,” JoAnne said. “The early days of vinyl siding were short and rather unsightly. That's all changed with the modern product line. We can set shake patterns, board and batten profiles, and deep saturated colors that will resist UV damage that painted wood never could.”
For JoAnne, the versatile designs are nothing without the durability of the materials that guarantee quality performance with minimal care.
“For clients, the functional benefit I get them to feel in my work designing residential homes is maintenance,” JoAnne emphasized. “A polymeric-sided house does not require repainting every seven to 10 years. That can save thousands of dollars and dozens of weekends over a 30-year ownership period. In fact, the price-to-performance ratio is better than most traditional options in the residential markets we design for.”
Matt Bigach is Co-Founder of Nexus Homebuyers, a Tennessee-based real estate company that specializes in buying distressed properties, renovating them and returning them to the market. He’s been involved in hundreds of renovations throughout Knoxville, Nashville and Chattanooga, and vinyl siding and polymeric exteriors are the most popular materials he’s specified.
“Polymeric exteriors are the most cost-effective exterior materials we specify for our renovation projects,” Matt said. “Over the years, we've seen this trend in hundreds of ‘flips’ in East Tennessee, and it remains the same. The functional reasons are simple. Retention of color and resistance to weathering are much greater than on older painted wood siding. Our buyers who walk through our properties do not see flaking paint or weathered boards. They notice a completed, contemporary facade that conveys that the house has been well-maintained.”
Matt also likes the speed-to-market that polymeric exteriors offer.
“The installation speed is what makes the math work for renovators specifically. The entire home re-side, which previously took a week with traditional materials, can now be finished in two to three days. When the carrying costs add up every day, that time difference is important.”
If you have a story to tell about your work with vinyl siding or other polymeric exterior building products, we would love to hear it. Contact Alex Fernandez at afernandez@polymericexteriors.org to share your experiences.