When a new homebuyer is choosing siding, Blatz says there are often architectural guidelines that need to be considered. “Builders will know the guide- lines that state there has to be a certain percentage of stucco, siding and stone on the façade,” he says, “but if buyers are working with a builder, it’s generally addressed at the design stage.” Colours are always changing to meet new trends, he adds. “They’re always bringing out new colours — anything from deep blacks to bright white to all the wood grains in between. The whole spectrum is always kind of evolving,” he says. As for what’s trending now, he says people are liking the natural wood look. “We do have a couple of colours that are new and becoming more popular, one in particular called Fawn, which gives you a
very wide range of varying grain colour within the product,” he says. “It’s not just monochro- matic; it gives you that appear- ance of natural wood.” Longevity matters, too. “Most products nowadays come with a fairly decent stan- dard warranty around 25 to 30 years. But you can get into more upgraded siding, such as Lux, a Galvalume product, which is the favourite one of ours to sell — it’s got a 50-year warranty on it,” he says. Galvalume coating is an alumi- num-zinc alloy that is highly resistant to corrosion with good heat reflectivity, which coats the metal siding. In addition to the Fawn colour, the West Coast Natural Series (the newest line found at Lux Architectural Products at luxarpro.com) features colours “inspired by the lush and varied landscapes of the West Coast.” The cladding gives the look of natural wood
with colours like Heartwood, Mahogany, Hemlock, Charwood and Ironwood. “If you are looking for a unique pop on your house, there are some really cool colours that are available in this material,” Blatz says. Appearance isn’t the only trend. Durability and zero maintenance are big factors. “Eliminating maintenance is a main concern we get from a lot of customers,” says Scott Sellors, owner at Red River Siding & Eavestroughs Ltd. (redriversiding.ca). “The sky’s the limit on what you could put on, but some people like it zero maintenance whatso- ever and a good warranty, espe- cially if you’re going to be there long term. Some people will put a little bit extra into it because they know that the resale value will reflect it.”
“The functionality of siding is protection from the elements — and then obviously the esthetics come into play.”
– ERROL BLATZ, GENERAL MANAGER, TIMBERSTONE, WINNIPEG
PHOTO BY DARCY FINLEY
FALL 2024 PARADE of HOMES 33
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