Finding the Right Siding – The Small Details

By Alec Doniger. 

The Kruse brothers share their knowledge about siding and its place within the construction industry. 

In a recent episode of Roofing Road Trips, Heidi J. Ellsworth interviews Randy and Steve Kruse of Kruse Brothers, Inc., and LP® Building Solutions about their siding knowledge. The two brothers have been in roofing and construction for over 30 years, and it runs in the family. They fondly remember their early days in roofing, and firmly believe in the trade. “[In] those early years of roofing or siding, your body has a different feel to it. It feels like you worked, it feels refreshing, and it feels like an accomplishment,” remembers Randy. With years of developing their expertise, they have many thoughts about proper siding. 

For contractors, Randy stresses finding the right siding for their specific needs, “Is someone a vinyl siding installer? Are they a composite siding installer such as LP® SmartSide®?” Depending on your experience using different siding materials, it would be beneficial to use materials your company is familiar with. However, if a different type of siding performs better and increases a home’s property value, homeowners may choose to have a higher quality siding installed, like LP® SmartSide. “The more expensive a product is, usually the more profit somebody can make with that product,” Randy explains 

Siding pertains to walls and windows, not roofs. However, Randy and Steve both have experience with roofing, and when asked what roofers can do to get involved with siding, Randy explained why customer loyalty could be the determining factor in making this decision. “When you see that there is a potential to continue working with that homeowner, it's hard to just leave that out on the table for someone else to come through and make such great profit off of,” says Randy. Most roofing contractors don’t offer siding services. When you do an excellent job on a roof, though, your customer will likely want to stay in contact. It may be worth it to expand your offerings to include siding to maintain a good customer relationship. 

Learn more about LP® Building Solutions in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit LPCorp.com. 

Listen to the whole podcast to learn more about siding installation and acquisition. 

About Alec   

Alec is a reporter for RoofersCoffeeShop, MetalCoffeeShop and AskARoofer. When he isn’t investigating the state of the roofing industry, you might find him playing drums with his bands in Denver.