Qualified Remodeler Magazine

SEP 2015

Qualified Remodeler helps independent remodeling firms to survive, become more professional and more profitable by providing must-have business information, namely best business practices, new product information and timely design ideas.

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know it is contemporary or it is traditional, so homeowners are picking options, colors and other items to reinforce that look," Premeau says. "People becoming smarter every day, and a lot of that is due to the Internet, specifcally websites like Houzz and Pinterest. Tese idea generators are available to people and are be- ing used a lot. And we're seeing that from our customer base." AESTHETIC DECISIONS With websites like Houzz and Pinterest pro- viding inspiration at the touch of a fnger, Kolbe does not ofer a visualizer tool, but they do ofer a wide array of project photographs on their website and literature. "I think that people want what they see, so when they see that door or that exterior look of a home, whether on Houzz, Pinterest or even in their own neighborhood, they're going to want to copy that," he says. Te company's website features photo galleries, product literature is regularly updated and an active social media presence is maintained. also develops its door panels and glass designs to ofer a well-rounded, attractive portfolio. Pella takes a vibrant approach. "With any type of design, history always repeats itself, but we're really latched on to this vibrancy color and the style-focused trending that's happening right now," Snyder says. "We see the vibran- cy paint collection taking hold and sticking around for a while — the colors may difer year to year, but we're paying attention to that." Kolbe sees homeowners using their doors to further enhance their home's architectural style. "We're fnding great care is being taken to present homes in such a way that people we have the right portfolio to coincide with the market needs. We have a great sales team and great partners throughout the country. Having good partnerships with those folks keeps us on the pulse of what's going on across the country." HITTING THE CURB APPEAL NOTES While regional extreme weather concerns may afect some decisions, homeowners may be paying more attention to curb appeal and giving it more consideration with the home market bouncing back. And a door might be one of the simplest ways to accomplish that from an exterior perspective. "Te style of door, the color of the door and what's in that door — what you would see from the exterior of the home as you're driving by — are the things you're going to notice. Does it have any glass, and if so what's the shape of that and style?" says Wengerd from ProVia. "And what we're seeing as a re- sult of that is people are looking for privacy in the glass. I think they like the light that's coming through but they still want privacy. So we continue to look for ways to develop decorative glass lines that show beauty very well but conceal what's inside the home." Color plays a key roll from the perspec- tives of Masonite and Pella. Masonite's Senior Director for Exterior Products, Mark Albrighton, explains the company's doors can be painted with any exterior paint, and their stain oferings are constantly being evaluated to make sure they are current. Te company JELD-WEN's Architectural Fiberglass Doors (pictured left) are available in 23 glass panel exterior door models. Its Smooth-Pro Fiberglass Doors (pictured below) can be painted any color and enhanced with a wide selection of glass offerings. Circle 7 on inquiry card MASONITE presents a clean, contemporary look with its VistaGrande flush-glazed smooth fiberglass exterior doors and forgoes typical glazing bead or lite frames for a wider viewing area. Circle 8 on inquiry card September 2015 59

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