Remodeling – Carlson Exteriors Inc.

Mid Week Check-in 5/18/2022

May 19, 2022by carlsonexteriorsLeave a comment

Bryants-crew-is-almost-finished-with-this-new-construction-siding-job

Bryant’s crew is getting close to wrapping up this new construction siding job. We should have finished photos this time next week.

Nathan's crew is in the homestretch in finishing this LP SMartside siding replacement — Nathan’s crew is in the homestretch in finishing this LP SMartside siding replacement

Nathan’s crew has been removing cedar siding off this local hotel and installing LP Smartside in a custom color. They should be finished in around 1 week.

Joe’s crew has started a new siding replacement. All the old siding has been removed and the house wrap has been installed to keep the home dry from any leaks.

Mitchell has been hanging openers, weatherstripping, and new garage doors

Mitchell has been installing garage door openers (that connect to a mobile app) on new construction homes. Many times when he is installing garage doors the drywall has not been installed yet. He has to leave the openers off and return what that is completed.

Johnney has fixed up a lot of small storm damaged siding repairs

Johnney has been doing a lot of little siding repairs such as install missing fascia that was blown off, loose or cracked siding panels, and replacing garage door metal casings.

Brad’s crew has been working on repairing and replacing gutters, installing new construction gutters, and sealing up aggressive gutter leaks.

Dave installed a metal roof on a home. He’s has tackled lots of roofs leaks. This home in particular had a roof leak from flashing being installed incorrectly. Dave removed the old shingles, installed correct flashing, ice and water shield, new shingles, and a new pice of cedar trim. The same home was having leaking at the bottom of the valley. Dave removed shingles there, installed ice and water barrier, and new shingles to match.

Josh replaced some missing shingles and fixed a roof that had a whole from a tree falling through it

Josh was sent to fix a roof that was damaged from a tree falling through the roof. It took a while for the tree limb to be removed, which caused the wood to rot. He replaced the rotted wood, added ice and water barrier, synthetic felt, and new shingles.

Ricky replaced 9 windows on 2 seperate home. Some of the windows replaced are surrounded by brick, vinyl siding, and other aluminum siding.

Mid Week Check-in 5/11/2022

May 12, 2022by carlsonexteriorsLeave a comment

brads-crew-replaced-some-rotted-fascia-replaced-fascia-metal-and-installed-new-seamless-gutters

In-between new construction gutter installs, Brad’s crew replaced rotted fascia boards, installed new fascia metal, and ran new seamless gutters and downspouts.

Johnney has been doing multiple wind damaged soffit, fascia, and siding repairs. We recently had some high winds from a tornado watch and many homes have small repairs from the wind damage.

bryants-crew-siding-progess-on-a-deep-grantie-grey-siding-with-white-trim-and-black-roof

Bryant’s crew has been working on this new custom build with deep granite grey siding, white trim, moire black roof. They have about 1 week left on this home!

Nathan and his crew have continued to work on replacing tear siding on a local hotel with LP Smartside.

Charles is siding a new build with silver grey siding and white trim. He’s making some great headway..

Joe and his crew are working on replacing 8 windows on this home. Many of the old windows had small leaks that wound up rotting the wood around the window opening. Joe replaces the rotted wood, tyveks and seals each window properly.

Mitchell has replaced 5 doors in 3 days! WOW! In-between door install has has slipped in a few siding repairs.

josh-has-repalced-some-blown-off-shingles-and-insatlled-a-chimnay-cap

Josh has been helping other crews with larger projects for most of the week. He has performed some pipe boot installs, missing shingle repairs, and installed a chimney cap.

John J house wrapped a new construction home and stopped some metal roof leaks

John J has been waterproofing new construction homes and sealing up metal roof leaks this week.

National Home Improvement Month

May 10, 2022by carlsonexteriorsLeave a comment

May is National Home Improvement Month. As you look around your home for roof repairs, siding replacements or a new garage door, here is a brief rundown on what your priorities should be.

Identify Functional Needs

It’s worth putting money towards functional needs over any aesthetic changes. If you have been living with any small leaks, consider getting those fixed sooner rather than later. Rotted wood can be hiding underneath a leaking window or leaking door. The photos below are from a window replacement where older windows had a small leak for years. Over time the small leak caused a decent amount of hidden rotted wood.

Minimize Maintenance

As a homeowner, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the list of things you need to maintain yearly on your home. For exteriors that likely includes, cleaning your gutters, power washing your siding, check all caulking, wash/inspect windows, etc. It is worth evaluating products or services to minimize your (the homeowners) involvement. If you hate cleaning gutters and feel like it’s a waste of time, get pricing for leaf procreation. If you don’t know what you are looking for when you inspect your roofing, siding, windows, or gutters- hire a contractor to come inspect and provide an estimate for any minor repairs you might need. If birds love to nest in your siding vents, get a bird guard that matches the color of your siding.

Improve Curb Appeal

If you have no functional needs and are happy with your involvement level in home maintenance, its time to talk curb appeal! This is where you add your style and personality with colors and textures. A few easy ways to update are to add Gable accents, bright colors, or a new garage door. Gable accents can be some decorative trim boards or a real cedar accent. You can add bright colors by new shutters or painting your entry door. Many people don’t realize that a garage door can make up almost 30% of your home’s front. It is your main entrance to your home (if you have a connected garage). Updating the garage door even though “it still works” may be well worth the money!

Pebblestone clay siding, wicker handsplit shakes, red gable accents, white trim in Normal il

Gable accents can be custom built out of cedar. They can be offset or be flush with your siding

Moulding is an easy accessory to add to any home - especially brick.

A Look Into Our Work Week

May 5, 2022by carlsonexteriorsLeave a comment

Mitchell has replaced a few dented garage door panels and installed 3 garage doors this week.

blown off shingle and damaged shingle and damaged drip edge replacement

Jayden has been helping Dave out with some larger projects but in-between he has performed some roof repairs – blown off shingle install, damaged shingle and drip edge replacement.

Low slope roof line installed properly against the siding wall

Dave has been working on some larger projects this week. This home in particular had a section of architectural shingles that should have been low slope rolled roofing. This was causing leaks inside the home. Dave and Jayden corrected this.

Rotted fascia board repair with new fascia, soffit, and gutter repair

Ricky worked a little bit this week before he left on vacation. This home had a rotted fascia board that was causing the gutter and soffit to fall down. Ricky replaced the rotted wood, installed new fascia, re-installed soffit, and hung new gutters and downspouts.

Johnney has been working on a lot of storm damage repairs to siding and fascia. He has also been fixing window leaks and siding leaks from improper waterproofing.

Josh also worked on a low slope roof that had architectural shingles where it should have had rolled roofing installed. He removed the shingles and installed the Flintlastic Low Slope roofing material; then properly tied it in tot he main roof. If you are unsure if your roof line should have rubber or Flintlastic – click here for more information.

Bryant wrapped up a New home just in time for it’s deadline. He started a new custom home with a lot of fabulous details.

Joe has been working on updating the look of this home with new cedar trim in Linen color.

Nathan and his crew have started a hotel siding replacement. After tearing off all the old siding, they realized a lot of the sheeting underneath was rotting. They replaced all rotted wood and house wrapped it to keep it water tight – no more leaks! This hotel will get LP Smartside installed over the next few weeks.

A Look Into Our Work Week

April 28, 2022by carlsonexteriorsLeave a comment

finished a complete reside of a house and started replacing trim on a new house

Joe and his crew completed installing new siding on a home. They used Sandstone (tan siding) with Royal brown soffit and fascia. Since they completed that they started updating the look of a home by replacing the trim boards with new. Joe has been working very closely with the homeowner to achieve the look she has been dreaming about.

installed-gutters-on-new-homes-and-fixed-gutters-and-downspouts-in-existing-homes

Jamel has stepped into the gutter lead role while Brad is helping Mitchell install garage doors. Jamel has been excelling at installing gutters on new construction homes, replacing existing gutters for homeowners, and making small gutter repairs.

Mitchell and Bard have installed 9 garage doors in 3 days. The variety of the doors this week has been really fun to see. They have installed garage doors with a cedar look but maintenance free, timeless raised panel garage doors, and lovely stamped carriage garage doors.

Johnney has been busy with a lot of window and door leaks this week so far. Many of the windows had tyvek installed incorrectly and were not properly sealed. He has to remove the windows, replace any and all rotted wood, add tyvek, install the window, tape it properly, and re-install siding. Johnney and Ricky have been working together a decent amount this week.

Many siding repairs and fixed leaks around sliding glass door

Ricky has fixed siding that has come loose from the higher winds and replaced siding that blew off completely. He has fixed leaks on sliding glass doors and windows. These leaks were all caused by the doors and windows not being properly installed originally. All windows and doors were re-used so homeowner didn’t not have to buy new windows or doors.

replacing a valley that has a lot of ice dam related leaks

Dave performed a cedar roof repair this week. Jayden helped Dave replace a big valley on a roof that was leaking from ice dams. The shingles were removed, an ice ands water barrier was added, and then new shingles were added and worked into the older shingles.

On top of all the small shingle repairs, Jayden has removed a satellite tv dish from a roof and replaced the shingles with new. Jayden also installed 2 new chimney caps. Way to go!

One day this week, Josh replaced all the plastic vents on this home with new aluminum ones. Aluminum vents are more durable than plastic roof vents. The new vents matched the color better than the sun faded plastic ones. On top of this, Josh has performed many smaller roof repairs this week.

Nathan and his crew have been working hard to meet a deadline set on this new build home. It’s hard not to fall in love with the look of this home. Selections are: Driftwood Roof, Harbor grey shakes, Harbor grey siding in a 5″ reveal (wider than the standard width for siding), and white fascia and soffit.

Bryant has been helping Nathan and his crew meet their deadline. He has also managed to squeeze in some siding repairs and help other new homes complete their punch list items so the homeowner can close on their home.

John J has been busy making sure all new builds are water tight and leak free.

A Look Into Our Work Week

April 21, 2022by carlsonexteriorsLeave a comment

Mitchell and Bradley have been teaming up to knock out garage door installs

Mitchell usually works alone installing garage doors but this week he teamed up with Brad to install 2x the amount each day. In 3 days they installed 7 garage doors with chain drive openers on each one- WOW!

Nathan and his crew are almost done with residing this zero lot line home with dark blue siding and shakes.

Nathan and his crew have almost finished replacing the siding on this home. The natural slate dark blue siding and shakes give this home a stunning makeover. The crew made it work within the confines of the zero lot line property lines.

Ricky and his crew built a porch awning and installed the rubber flat roof and new soffit and fascia on it.

Ricky and his crew built a porch awning from scratch. They tied the flat rubber roof into the asphalt roof properly so no leaks will occur where the roof lines meet. They installed new porch soffit and fascia metal to match the existing soffit.

Charles installed a lot of soffit on porch ceilings and all around the overhangs on a rather large new construction home.

Charles, our lone wolf, has been busy installing soffit on porch ceilings and overhangs on a big new construction home.

Dave installed a metal roof and rubber roof on top of many pipe boot installs and shingle blow offs

Dave installed a metal roof on a new construction home and finished installing a rubber roof replacement. Mixed in with those bigger jobs, Dave installed pipe boots, installed blown off shingles and other storm damaged roof repairs.

Joe and His crew are wrapping up a siding replacement job.Down to the beautiful details.

Joe and his crew are wrapping up a siding replacement; stay tune for more before and after photos of this complete reside.

Between helping other crews accomplish their weekly goals, Bryant has been doing siding repairs and storm damaged fascia repairs.

Bryant has spent a lot of his time helping out other crews accomplish their goals and training a newer employee on siding. Between all of that, he still found time to slip in blown off fascia repairs and other smaller siding repairs.

John J has house wrapped 3 homes in 3 days.

Josh took care of many blown off shingles and added new venting into homes so snow would stop sucking into the attics.

Josh replaced many blown off shingles this week. He also reconfigured the venting on a few different rooflines; this consists of deleting and adding different forms of ventilation. The photos shown here- he has cut in a new ridge vent on this home.

Which Shingle Should You Put On Your House?

April 19, 2022by carlsonexteriorsLeave a comment

These are all Weathered Wood – you can see the color differences in each line

It’s time to replace the roof on your home, which shingle should you pick? Many contractors present you with a “Good, Better, Best” scenario but that is a generalized comparison of the shingles. The specific details are what will help you make your decision. Carlson Exteriors quotes CertainTeed Landmark, Landmark Pro, and Northgate shingles for roof replacement options. There are more options but these 3 really cover the basics for a homeowner wanting to replace the roof.

Mastic white siding, white trim, black windows, CertainTeed Pewter grey roof, Black garage doors with not windows

Landmark

Landmark is our standard shingle and is our most popular roof for replacements and new construction. It is a great quality shingles. The shingle weighs 220lb per 100 sq foot. It is available in 12 different colors. Compared to the Landmark Pro and Northgate, the Landmark is more unified in color. It use to be considered a 30 year shingles but is now called a limited lifetime shingles. We generally see this shingles lasting around 20 years plus or minus a few years. If you get a roof replaced by Carlson Exteriors we do register your roof for a 4-star roof warranty with Certainteed. This is a 50 year non prorated warranty that will increase with inflation. You can transfer this roof warranty once within the first 12 years to a new homeowner. Click here to read more about the roof warranty Carlson Exteriors offers. If you are unsure how long you will be living in your current home, this will likely be the shingle for you.

landmark-brocure-included-2022-changes Download

Landmark Pro

The Landmark Pro shingle is the most likely upgrade for roof replacements. This shingle weighs 240 lb per 100 sq foot. There are 14 colors available in this line; each color has lighter lights and darker darks to provide more variation and texture in the overall look. The Pro shingles has a 5 year longer warranty against algae growth. The granules are made with copper which helps fight against algae growth. If part of your roof gets little sun or is covered by mature trees the Landmark Pro might be the shingles for you. For a little more money, you get a heavier shingle, a shingle more resistant to algae growth, and a shingle with more color variations.

landmark-pro-brochure-including-2022-additions Download

Northgate

Northgate is a great option if you are looking at upgraded shingles. This shingle weighs 320 lb per 100 sq foot – that is 100 lbs more than the Landmark. The Northgate comes in 11 colors. The colors have a higher contrast (like the Landmark Pro) but it is a more defined shadow mark. This gives a better allusion to a shaker style roof. The Northgate is also SBS Modified shingle; this makes it more flexible to withstand hail, expansion, and contraction. We generally see this roof lasting closer to 30 years since the shingle is overall more durable shingle. Since the Northgate shingles is a Class 4 Impact Resistant shingle, you should check with your home insurance to see what discounts you might qualify for. The Northgate shingle is really ideal for the homeowner who knows they will live in their home a long time and can get the return on a higher quality shingle.

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northgate-cliamte-flex-shingle-brochure-1 Download

How Covid Changed The Construction Industry (and still is)

April 12, 2022by carlsonexteriorsLeave a comment

Ever since covid-19 made it’s roaring appearance; industries worldwide have found themselves in whirlwind of changes, problems, and shortages. Let’s narrow the focus to just construction so you can get an idea on what you might be facing if you decide to remodel or build a new home. The shutdown ripple effect, material shortages, man-power shortages, price increases, and wage increases are all at constant play in the current market. Let’s start at the beginning:

The Shutdown:

When everything was shutdown in March 2020, many manufactures laid off employees and shut down plants completely. Depending on the state the manufacturer was in; they were required to completely shut down. Others shut down because they thought new builds and remodels would come to a big halt. They were guessing that many homeowners would not want to take on any construction projects during an unpredictable financial period. instead, homeowners found themselves working from home and wanting to improve their new “offices”. Manufacturers quickly realized their mistake in predicting the future; however it was harder to backpedal than expected. Depending on the state and it’s covid mandate, some roofing, siding, and aluminum companies decided it would be better in the long run to move some manufacturing plants out of the state and into a state with looser covid restrictions. That means they would have to retrofit an existing building, move staff, and train new staff to get a plant running again. They were still likely working with some covid restrictions and not able to produce at full capacity. This produced some serious backlog on orders.

Material Shortages:

After hurdling all that the shutdown threw at them; manufacturing plants now found themselves facing a raw material shortage. All materials from shingles to vinyl siding to aluminum gutters to the steel in garage doors are facing a higher production cost and reduced manufacturing (partially due to reduced labor forces). If plants can’t get the materials they need to produce; products get backordered and prices get raised.

Price Increases:

Record price increases have occurred within the year. Before covid, prices would only increase once or twice a year to keep up with inflation. There would be at least a 30 day notice provided. Now it’s not surprise if there is just a 4 hour notice. This has never happened before. Prices are never stable. The manufacturers are dealing with such a volatile market in materials and strains on labor they have to keep the price changing frequently to stay profitable.

What does this mean for you?

Let’s reduce all of this to what it means for the homeowner of 2022. If you know you want to replace the siding on your home – jump on it. Unless you are ok with paying more in a couple months, don’t wait! Get your roofing selections to your contractor to lock in your price even if you aren’t ready to do the work for months. If you are building a new home, the sooner you place your selections the sooner you will have your prices locked in. We have found many homeowner building new homes, take their time in making selections. Normally we don’t like to rush homeowners into decisions but after a month the price will likely increase 5-15%. Once the order has been placed, it may take months to get in. Most contractors don’t mind you checking in for updates. It’s always nice to stay in communication during these unprecedented times.

Before: Cedar siding looked run down. After: English Wedgewood vinyl siding brightens up this home

Comparing Vinyl Siding to Hardboard Siding

March 31, 2022March 31, 2022by carlsonexteriorsLeave a comment

It’s time to reside your home but what siding products should you use? Vinyl siding, James Hardie Fiber Cement siding, or LP Smartside siding? What are the pros and cons of each product? What is right for you? Let’s tackle those questions with this article.

two story house with brick and fiber cement shake gables — AFTER – Carlson Exteriors removed faux stucco from the gables on this Peoria, IL house. It was replaced with James Hardie fiber cement shake

Back to the basics– what is vinyl siding and what is considered a hard board siding?

Vinyl siding is primarily made up of PVC resin that is extruded out to make up the length of the siding piece. The top layer usually includes fade resistant material to protect the original color of the siding from fading in the sun.

Hardboard siding can cover an array of products but is meant to simulate a real wood product. It’s a solid board while vinyl siding is a shell. Our company only offers LP Smartside and James Hardie Fiber Cement Siding as hardboard options. LP Smartside is an engineered wood product including waxes, resins, and wood strands harvested from a renewable wood source. James Hardie Fiber Cement is cellulose fibers, cement, sand, water, and minor additives. Both LP Smartside and James Hardie Fiber Cement use heat and pressure (in different ways) to create their finished product. Below are 2 virtual tours of the factories.

In the photo, you can see the vinyl siding only gives the allusion of being a solid piece while LP Smartside and James Hardie Fiber Cement Siding are actually solid pieces of siding.

Comparing the profile of Mastic vinyl siding, LP Smartside, and James Hardie Fiver Cement siding

Pro’s of Vinyl Siding

Maintenance free
Costs less than LP Smartside or James Hardie Fiber Cement Siding
Easier to make storm damage repairs on
Most Siding Contractors can install correctly
Wide array of colors

certainteed cobblestone grey roof, mastic white board and batten white siding and trim, black garage door

Con’s of Vinyl Siding

More susceptible to storm damages
No insurance discounts
No custom color options are available
Limited in profile options (Double 4″ and Double 5″ are available in most colors. Single 8″ is only available in white)

LP Smartside siding in custom dark grey siding white white trim

Pro’s of LP Smartside Siding

Impact resistant (may qualify for insurance discounts)
Available in standard colors or custom colors
Comes in a wide array of profiles
Looks like real painted cedar siding
Does not require and special blades or tools to install
Costs slightly less than James Hardie Fiber Cement because it’s slightly easier to install

Con’s of LP Smartside Siding

Limited contractors are skilled enough to install properly
Requires re-caulking around every 3- 5 years
Harder to make repairs on
Costs 4-5 times more than vinyl siding

Pro’s of James Hardie Fiber Cement Siding

Impact Resistant (may qualify for insurance discounts)
Fire Resistant (may qualify for insurance discounts)
Available in many profiles and styles (Board and Batten come in custom widths)
Looks like real cedar siding
Available in 700+ standard colors

two story town homes with two toned grey siding

Con’s of James Hardie Fiber Cement Siding

Limited contractors are skilled enough to install properly
Requires re-caulking every 3-5 years
Higher risk of product breakage in delivery
Needs special blades and tools for install
No custom colors are available (but it is available in 700+ standard colors)
Costs 4-5 times more than vinyl siding

Conclusion

If you plan on staying in your home for a long time, a hardboard option might be right for you if it is within budget. If you aren’t sure how long you will live in your home or are trying to update on a slimmer budget, vinyl siding might be the best option for you.

Need Design Ideas?

March 22, 2022by carlsonexteriorsLeave a comment

If you are building new or remodeling your current house, it can be a daunting task to pick out the selections. The small samples can make it hard to envision the final product. While not exact, we have a few different programs we can offer as a service to you. If you are happy with our current stock of prints or houses we can use that to generate a rendering of your home. If you wish to see your exact home we can upload that.

See More here about our Hover Design Service with your own home.