For Mike Schmidt of Schmidt Exteriors in Batavia, Illinois, the Platinum Pella Certified Contractor® program isn’t just a perk. It’s a driving force behind his business.
“There’s a lot of competition out there now. It’s more important than ever for contractors to take a sophisticated approach to lead generation and marketing,” Schmidt said. “The Platinum Pella Certified Contractor program helps me tremendously.”
Though he now finds the program’s benefits indispensable, Schmidt wasn’t always sold. However, it didn’t take long for him to see results and change his mind.
‘When Pella approached me to join the program, I was reluctant,” Schmidt admitted. “But when I finally joined, I tripled my business in one year.”
Since his game-changing decision to join the program, Schmidt has actively taken advantage of the exclusive benefits and tools that come with it.
“There’s a prestige associated with the program, and I use it to market my business,” Schmidt explained. “Plus, there’s unprecedented education and training for installation, marketing and how to conduct yourself professionally – everything you need to build a solid team.”
One of Schmidt’s favorite Platinum sales tools is GreenSky® customer financing.
“I can have a $50,000 deal approved, signed and documented in less than 10 minutes,” he said. “And customers don’t have to tap into a home mortgage line or deal with appraisals and paperwork.”
Though Pella’s sales and marketing tools have played a major role in growing his business, the personal, long-term relationship with his Pella rep is what Schmidt values most.
“I’ve worked with Josh for more than 15 years now, and our working relationship is a huge benefit to my business,” he reminisced. “We could sit and talk forever about everything other than windows, but he’s always ready to step up to the plate and get work done.”
Schmidt’s relationship with his Pella support team has influenced him to take a personal approach with his own customers. In fact, he believes that approach has been a key factor in his success.
“My Pella reps taught me early on to treat my clients like people,” he said. “I don’t talk about windows at all during the first 15 minutes of a consultation. I want to know how many kids they have, how long they plan to live in the house and what their goals are so I can guide them to the right decision.
I know my clients are making big decisions with big dollars. And I need to understand them before throwing out a sales pitch.”
Schmidt believes that delivering on his clients’ goals sometimes means steering them away from more lucrative projects. But he knows that giving honest advice has helped him build a solid reputation.
“They may say they want one product, but another might line up better with their goals and budget,” Schmidt explained. “If I give them what they need to make a smart and educated decision, they’ll feel confident in the work I do.”
Schmidt has learned that a contractor’s ability to adapt and change is the key to continuing success. And the resources he gets with the Pella Contractor program are huge assets when it comes to staying at the forefront of a changing marketplace.
“Contractors in the program are much more likely to succeed because they’re given the product knowledge, marketing skills, salesmanship and customer leads to be at that top level. The benefits continue to unfold. “
* source “Pella Professional” http://professional.pella.com/resource-center/pella-certified-contractor-tripled-business
You have plenty of design decisions when creating your new Midwest (Naperville area) home exterior.
You can start with home siding type—be it lap siding, straight or staggered-edge shingles or vertical panels—then move on to the color and texture. From there, it’s time to add the final touches—the HardieTrim® boards and window details.
Like the saying goes, design is in the details, and even though they seem minute, it’s the tiny details that make the most impact and sometimes take the most time to land on.
The trim on a home can truly add a final polish. It’s like the frame on a piece of art and can complete your home’s look by accentuating its architectural elements, like corners, columns, doors and windows, all while providing long-lasting performance and durability.
In the Midwest, the most popular HardieTrim board color selection is Arctic White, and most homeowners (84 percent to be exact) opt for white windows without the inlay option. Some homeowners select black, beige or brown window colors, and some don’t even realize they can stray from the path.
Here’s a closer look at the trim and window details on a few homes clad with James Hardie® siding and trim in ColorPus® finishes:
Autumn Tan HardiePlank® lap siding clads this abode. The entryway image shows off the HardieTrim boards in clean, crisp Arctic White, and the detail of the varied cream window inlay. We love that it adds one more layer to the look of the exterior and complements the tan main siding hue.
This contemporary dwelling is clad in HardiePlank lap siding in Sail Cloth with HardieTrim boards in Arctic White. The striking black windows pop against the crisp white trim and add to the modern, clean look to the exterior. Only about 10 percent of Midwesterners opt for a black window, but we like the unique look.
This close-up reveals a HardieTrim board hue in Arctic White and a matching white window. The bright, crisp tones of the window and trim pair well with the HardiePanel® vertical siding in Cobble Stone.
When it comes to designing your home exterior, the final details make all the difference. Take a step back and soak up your design. Don’t forget to think through the look of the trim and window pairing, and if going with a window inlay suits your style. After all, little details add big impact.
These Midwest homeowners wanted their home exterior to stand out in their suburban neighborhood so they swapped their thin vinyl siding in light cream for James Hardie’s durable and stylish siding in rich green. The results made the home’s exterior stand out on the block, while adding a classic look with way more performance.
Durability: Every James Hardie siding product is engineered to help withstand damage from pests, fire and Midwest weather (such as freezing temperatures, moisture, snowfall, ice, hail, wind and extreme temperature variations).
Long-lasting, vibrant color: The James Hardie palette includes the added benefit of ColorPlus® Technology, a baked-on color process that helps resist fading, chipping and cracking. That means your siding and trim colors look fresh and bold longer with less maintenance.
A warranty: James Hardie is so confident in its products that it offers a 30-year non-prorated limited warranty on its siding products and a 15-year non-prorated limited warranty on HardieTrim® boards.
The new exterior’s HardiePlank® lap siding in Mountain Sage with HardieTrim boards in Arctic White seem to add a pop at first glance, and the addition of the straight edge HardieShingle® siding in the gables is a simple detail that adds big interest.
During the home exterior renovations, the homeowners also replaced the outdated stone facade for a more contemporary stone look, along with the cream garage door for a dark wood option that matches the front door. To complete the renovation, the roof was replaced with a new gray shingled roof that complements the vibrant green siding tone nicely.
When it comes to the “after” status of this abode, it not only looks updated and polished, it’s also protected from weather, fire and pests—a makeover with lasting power.
There’s nothing like the quiet of the morning—the mist on the grass, the sun’s glow peeping through the trees, the smell of the fresh air. It’s a perfectly serene time, then with swift speed, the day kicks into high gear, and stress can pile on until punch-out time.
That could be the reason most of us crave coming home to a calm environment, a place to relax and recharge. We find there’s nothing as calming as getting out into nature, even if that means sitting on your porch or in your backyard.
To create calm in your outdoor spaces, try out these zen-inducing tips—you’re about to put the ohm back in home.
Choose calming colors: Colors can affect your mood, so you’ll want to seek out the ones that most induce calm when selecting your home siding and trim colors. James Hardie’s ColorPlus® palette provides hues that seem to summon the early morning sky, such as Light Mist, or blend into nature such as Heathered Moss, or resemble a shell on the beach such as Sail Cloth. When a soothing palette of colors surrounds you, they seem to soak up the buzz of the day’s stresses.
Pump up your plant life: Research shows that having plants in and around your home can actually lower anxiety and raise productivity. Add potted plants to your porches, air purifying varieties such as lilies and pathos around the perimeter of your home, and hang ferns and flower boxes filled with lavender and rosemary.
Think shutter style: There are a handful of shutter styles you can choose from for the exterior of your home, from plantation, to louvered, to Bahama. We find the right style of shutters on your abode can induce a relaxing vibe in seconds.
Get comfy: When outfitting your porch space, seating is key. After all, you want to be able to lean back and put your feet up. You can go for a row of rocking chairs, a porch swing, a comfy loveseat, even a hammock. Be sure to add a small end table nearby—it’s the perfect tabletop for a cup of tea and your favorite potted plant.
Prop your feet up. Breathe in. Breathe out. Create a sense of calm in your outdoor space.
James Hardie’s HardiePlank® lap siding in Aged Pewter is a weathered-meets-classic hue, making it a smart choice for a main siding color, especially when teamed up with neutral-toned HardieTrim® boards. The contrast between the two colors provides a subtle look that’ll turn heads.
And you can feel confident knowing that your Aged Pewter siding resists fading. James Hardie’s ColorPlus® products are engineered with multiple coats of finish baked onto the siding and trim. All of which means your siding colors will stay vibrant longer compared to field-applied paint.
Take a peek at the Aged Pewter siding hue paired with a neutral stone—it may be your new favorite pair.
Contemporary Cladding
This modern abode is clad in HardiePlank lap siding in Aged Pewter with natural stone. Up close, you’ll see the Select Cedarmill© siding has a natural wood texture for a bit of subtle interest.
Standout Gables
This suburban home is clad in straight edge HardieShingle® siding in Aged Pewter. The HardieTrim boards in Sail Cloth unify the look, and the palette pairs well with the pebble brown brick.
Staggered and Stunning
This suburban standout is clad in HardiePlank lap siding in Aged Pewter with staggered edge HardieShingle siding in Monterey Taupe in the home’s gables for a subtle and stylish contrast.
If Aged Pewter isn’t your favorite shade in the family, James Hardie has you covered. Four new shades of gray were recently added to the ColorPlus Technology collection of colors. Now, you can opt for any shade from light to dark with Pearl Gray, Gray Slate, Night Gray, and Iron Gray all of which pair nicely with Arctic White HardieTrim boards.
When you think of the Midwest Lakeshore, sailboat silhouettes lining the coast come to mind. You can almost hear the flap of their well-worn sails in the breeze. The classic sail shade is tough to replicate but James Hardie found a way with the ColorPlus® Technology shade, Sail Cloth.
We love this creamy siding and trim color that seems to resemble vintage canvas. The softer shade of worn-in white adds a clean and relaxed feeling to a home’s exterior. And you don’t have to worry about your creamy siding becoming dull prematurely. James Hardie’s ColorPlus® Technology is engineered with multiple coats of finish baked onto the siding and trim, creating a consistent vibrant finish that performs better and looks brighter on your home. All of which means, your siding will be vibrant longer with less maintenance than field applied paint.
The nautical neutral looks good with any hue in the ColorPlus palette, but we love Sail Cloth paired with earthy greens like Heathered Moss and Mountain Sage, rich browns like Timber Bark, or crisp Arctic White.
Here are a few homes clad in the creamy shade paired with other ColorPlus hues:
James Hardie Sail Cloth Siding
This home is clad in HardiePlank® lap siding in Sail Cloth with Arctic White HardieTrim® boards. Even though the siding is fresh and new, the Sail Cloth shade provides a vintage look.
This craftsman is clad in HardiePanel® vertical siding and HardieTrim batten boards in Sail Cloth. The bright pop of the bold shutters adds interest and a modern sensibility.
The gables of this quaint bungalow are clad in staggered edge HardieShingle® siding in Sail Cloth. When paired with a darker HardiePlank lap siding hue, the Sail Cloth looks more subtle and light.
Evoke shoreline style—set sail for James Hardie clad homes in sturdy Sail Cloth.
Do you like this look? Call Schmidt Exteriors today! We are James Hardie Siding Experts!
No matter where you call home, the east, west, south or Midwest, farmhouses are a home style that thrives. Nowadays, farmhouses may not be on actual farmland, but they still evoke the same feeling of cozy, comfort. Each exterior differs slightly, but many modern farmhouses have some similarities, such as cladding in simple lap or vertical siding.
Here’s a roundup of our favorite farmhouses, from modern to traditional, all sided in James Hardie® siding.
Cozy Covered Porch
HardiePlank® lap siding in Autumn Tan clads this modern farmhouse, with HardieTrim® boards in clean Arctic White. The large, covered porch is an iconic farmhouse feature. This home’s well-lit porch, decked out with rocking chairs, is warm and welcoming.
Simple in Siding Choices
Another feature of many farmhouses is the simplicity in style and siding. This modern farmhouse is clad in HardiePlank lap siding in a light blue with HardieTrim boards in Arctic White, for a minimal-meets-classic aesthetic.
Numerous windows
This head turner has a unique stone façade with HardiePlank lap siding in Arctic White accents. The large number of windows is an iconic farmhouse detail that brings an ample amount natural light and heat to the interior.
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