Before hosting the wedding of a very close friend, Marsha Wallace, of Virginia Beach, Va., decided to renovate her 20-year-old house that would accommodate about 90 guests for the big celebration.
Located in a natural environment that has accelerated the weathering process, Wallace’s home is sited at the scenic convergence of three waterways on serene land forested with oak and magnolia.
“I held off our renovation until I couldn’t put it off anymore, simply because I was apprehensive about finding the right person to trust with our home,” she says.
After a roofing contractor installed new architectural roof shingles on the home, K & B Construction went to work, installing 45 windows and six doors, plumbing and lighting fixtures, main level flooring, appliances, cabinetry and a garage door. The company also repaired the screened-in back porch and completely resided the entire home, which had originally been done in cedar (pictured below).
“With the updates inside and out, it’s just shy of like having a new house,” Wallace says. “In the end, the wedding was great and it was a truly a wonderful day. Everyone was thrilled about the house and happy to see it.”
The new siding for Wallace’s home was actually the result of a last-minute change. Knowing that she wanted red siding to complement the touch of red in her new roof along with a continuation of shake style, she had originally agreed on a polypropylene shake product. Wallace recalls how K&B President Scott Dickey suggested using Foundry Split Shake Siding, a premium vinyl shake panel, instead.
The price difference was negligible and the warranty protection was better, so Wallace agreed to take a look. “We actually liked it a lot,” she recalls. “We really loved the Russet siding color and the idea of it working with my roof, so we chose it.”
With the exterior’s new color and texture, the update lends a Victorian inspiration to the 2,400-sq.-ft. home. e siding’s wood-grain authenticity is provided by more than 100 molds of natural cedar used to craft the shake panels. Spanning 40 ft. with no repeat, there’s no evidence of any telltale siding pattern.
Dickey says he has noticed a major shift from wood to vinyl shake siding. “It has really taken off around here,” he says. “People making the switch from cedar are just done with having to maintain it; the cracking, checking, warping, splitting. They definitely don’t want that maintenance or upkeep. Once a product like Foundry is on, it’s done. There’s no painting involved, it looks finished. With a couple washes here and there, it should forever look like it does now.”
It’s also much easier to install than poly- propylene or fiber cement. “You don’t have to use a saw, you can just use your snips. e installers are happy—and I get a lot of feedback from my guys on the product,” he says. “With Foundry, I’ve never had any fade issues, I’ve never had any warranty claims. With some other products I’ve worked with, I’ve experienced all of the above.”
For more information, visit www.foundry-siding.com.