'Curb Appeal' Upgrades, Energy Efficiency Promise Best Return for Home Sellers

ARLINGTON, Va., May 27, 2008 (VNS) – In today’s housing market, big ticket renovations are recouping less of their value on resale, but curb appeal projects, including vinyl siding and new windows, help homes stand out from the competition and are more likely to return much of their original cost, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article.

The article also noted that buyers are looking for homes that are energy efficient. “Energy-Star- rated vinyl windows and foam-backed vinyl siding are two home improvements that meet those needs,” said Greg Bocchi, president of the Vinyl Institute.

Innovative PVC products help both remodelers and builders spruce up exteriors. For example, a PVC column wrap from Archbold, Ohio-based Fypon has won several awards over the past year, including the 2007 “Best New Product Award” from Woman’s Day Home Remodeling and Makeovers magazine.

This free-floating decorative wrap is positioned around existing wood or steel structural porch posts. “Once wrapped, the columns align perfectly even if the support structures are not exactly parallel to one another,” said Tina Mealer, Fypon PVC product manager. “And because the wrap does not touch the support post, if that post (which is usually pressure-treated lumber) twists over time, the shape of the wrap will not be affected.”

Although spending on home remodeling will fall 4.8 percent this year, according to a report released last month by Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, homeowners will still spend nearly $166 billion.

Upscale remodelers depend on durable, low-maintenance, quality vinyl and PVC products. In Bucks County, Pa., near Philadelphia, Dave Haines of Haines Contracting in Doylestown, commonly uses cellular PVC to replace wood on exterior work. “It is maintenance free, it doesn’t rot, and it can be cut and milled just like wood,” he said.

In the Washington, D.C. area, Andy Ault of Little River Carpentry of Laurel, Md., reported, “We do quite a bit of custom work with PVC trim.  We have done everything from standard exterior trims to four-inch-thick custom window sills, and even entire addition exteriors where every single exposed piece from siding to crown has been PVC.”

For more information about vinyl in design and construction, please visit http://www.vinylindesign.com, http://www.vinylinfo.org and http://www.vinylnewsservice.com.

Contact:  Michelle Wesley-Ford at 703-741-5677 or michelle_wesley-ford@plastics.org.