Contractor Advantage March/ April

MARCH / APRIL 2018

WINDOW (AND DOOR) ON THE FUTURE GETTING A HANDLE ON WHAT'S NEW PUT ON A BOLD FACE

Columns Inside What’s Trending Product Platform Tech Talk Design Talk

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE MARCH / APRIL 2018

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®™The DOW Diamond Logo is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company © 2016 CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. is a Canadian member-owned, Lumber, Building Materials and Hardware buying group representing over 300 member locations across Canada.

Contractor Advantage Magazine is the exclusive publication of Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. featuring quality Castle vendor brands available at Castle Building Centres locations.

Visit castle.ca to find a Castle location in your area.

Editorial Director Castle Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. Jennifer Mercieca Publisher - Espress Labs Inc. Dan Alexander Managing Editor Teresa Christine Art Director Daniel Polsinelli Contributors Lawrence Cummer Melissa Campeau Teresa Christine

Advertising Inquiries Jennifer Mercieca Director of Communications Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. 905-564-3307 jmercieca@castle.ca

MARCH / APRIL 2018 Volume 23 Issue 2

Material Contact Maryam Bashir Marketing Coordinator Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. 905-564-3307 mbashir@castle.ca Published and designed exclusively for Castle Building Centres Group Ltd.

by Espress Labs Inc.

About Contractor Advantage

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Contributors

Lawrence Cummer

Melissa Campeau

Lawrence (“Law�) Cummer has more than 20 years of experience writing for trade periodicals, businesses and communications agencies. He writes on topics ranging from contracting and construction, to general business, to information technology, personal finance and occupational safety, and has been a frequent contributor to Contractor Advantage since 2009.

Melissa Campeau is a Toronto-based journalist who regularly contributes to such publications as Yardstick, the OUR HOMES series of magazines, Mortgage Journal, Financial Post and National Post. She lives in Toronto with her husband, seven-year-old son and two-year-old puppy.

Denise Ciardello Denise Ciardello is the co-founder of Global Team Solutions (GTS), an accomplished speaker, and author of the Office Management Gems series. Through her engaging keynotes and consulting, Denise provides unique insight, creativity, and humour for her clients.

Her industry distinctions include serving as president of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants and membership in the National Speakers Association, and Toastmasters International. For more information on Denise Ciardello, please visit: www.GTSGurus.com.

Amber MacArthur Amber MacArthur started her career in San Francisco and Boston during the dot-com boom in the late 1990s.

As a strategist for Razorfish agency and Director of Marketing for an e-procurement software company, she spent four years in the technology start-up trenches.

MacArthur left the start-up world to join Microsoft to

build one of the first female-focused lifestyle portals.

In 2006, with her brother, she started her own agency called Konnekt. While building her own business brand as President of Konnekt, she has amassed more than 100,000 followers on Twitter, 450,000 fans on Facebook, 1.6M friends on Google+, and 10,000 followers on Instagram.

Lei Wang

continent and ski to both poles), Lei channels her experiences to convey a message of perseverance and steadfast determination that her audiences can use at work or at home. For more information about Lei Wang, please visit www.JourneyWithLei.com.

Lei Wang is an internationally-recognized adventurer, motivational speaker and author of After the Summit: New Rules for Reaching Your Peak Potential in Your Career and Life. The first Asian woman to complete Explorers Grand Slam (climb the highest peak on each

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MARCH / APRIL 2018

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

Contributors

What’s Inside?

07 News & Notes

Keys to Find (And Make the Most of) Your Professional Mentor

13 What's Trending

Hire for the Future Today...

Your Competition is

19 Building Better Business

Customer Retention

22

Put on a Bold Face

38

Getting a Handle on What's New

Roofing and siding doesn’t just protect against the elements.

Homeowners are using these areas to make a bold statement.

33 Supplier Spotlight

Gentek Building Products, Building Products of Canada

Corp. & Taiga Building Products

45 Product Platform

Premium products from Castle Vendor Partners

55 Tech Talk

Demystifying Artifical Intelligence

67 Design Talk

Size, security, finishes and tech: The biggest trends in door hardware.

Revealing the Current Trends in Window Coverings

58

Window (And Door) on the Future What’s trending, what’s new and what’s next in window and door design and tech.

On the Cover Photo courtesy of Jeld-Wen Windows & Doors

Contents

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE MARCH / APRIL 2018

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Start Painting Castlegard has everything you need to start painting including a premium line quality of paintware. Whether professional or DIY, Castlegard has the painting accessories you need to get the job done.

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MARCH / APRIL 2018

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

News & Notes

Keys to Find (And Make the Most of) Your Professional Mentor Written by Lei Wang

You have probably heard many stories of how other people credited their success to their mentors. Working with a mentor can truly pave the way to success in one’s career.

Discover Your Mentors: Not Every Mentor is Obvious A mentor is someone who watches out for you and gives you advice. Unlike a “forced” relationship between a boss and subordinates, or a contract relationship between a coach or a teacher and students, the relationship between a mentor and a mentee is often informal.

News & Notes

Often, they don’t wear a hat titled “Mentor”, and they may not be older than you or senior in professional ranking. You may not even realize someone is playing a mentor role in your life or career until much later.

There’s a tendency to determine the value of advice based on who it came from. When you receive guidance from someone that you regard as your superior—someone with an impressive title—you’re more likely give their advice more weight and take it more seriously. But sometimes, the most insightful advice may come from someone among your peers, an outsider, or even someone you considered less

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE MARCH / APRIL 2018

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knowledgeable than you. Sometimes the most innovative idea may come from a novice in the field. For a senior manager, you may find the best perspectives come from your subordinates or people of the lowest rank in your business. Have you noticed mentors in your life or in your career? Do not dismiss too easily advice from someone about whom you thought, “What does he know about this?” Keep an open mind and a humble attitude; your best mentors could be anywhere.

Asking for Help is a Sign of Strength, Not Weakness Now that you know how to discover your mentors, you need to learn when to seek their help.

Your passion may be in starting your own business, or adding value to your existing professional position. With an abundance of easily accessible information online or in books, you can often get started on your own.

There is tremendous value in self-teaching, learning through practice, and learning through mistakes. Those are important skills that can carry you far and keep you growing for the long run. But it is important to recognize when to seek out help.

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CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

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Some skills can only be accumulated over time, but some are a matter of knowledge and experience. There is no need to reinvent every wheel. Human progress is made on the foundation laid by previous generations. You reach further by standing at a higher ground to start with, so it is important to recognize when to ask for help. Asking for help where it matters is a sign of strength, instead of weakness.

Getting the right help at a certain point could make a difference between years of detours and missing the best opportunity, and gaining fast momentum early so you’re at the right place at the right time.

How to Get the Most Out of a Mentoring Relationship Since mentors are not “obligated” to you like in relationships bonded by monetary contracts or enforced by professional hierarchies, you have to work extremely hard and be driven and passionate so as to attract their attention and to deserve their time and effort.

The reward for the mentor is not money or promotions at work, but seeing the result—seeing they can make a difference in your progress.

News & Notes

To get the best out of a mentoring or coaching relationship, you first need to know how to listen to advice. Like in any communication, effective listening requires you to give up any prejudgment of what you hear.

The most damaging prejudgment is not about deciding if the advice is right or wrong, or whether or not to take the advice, but telling yourself, “I know this already.”

When you think “I know this already,” you quickly determine that this advice, though valid, is of no new value, therefore quickly brush it aside and take no action. Often, when great advice motivates you to take the right action and

News & Notes

it yields the right result, it is not because it is new advice; you may have heard it many times before. Following that advice worked only when it clicked with you, when you really listened, were more capable of understanding the advice, and you thought, “Why didn’t I take action earlier?”

The best advice is not the new suggestion, but the suggestion you listen to and take action on. Listen to every piece of familiar advice like it is new advice. Instead of thinking “I know,” ask yourself, “Have I mastered it? Have I seen the result?” If the answer is no, make a plan and take action.

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE MARCH / APRIL 2018

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CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

•

Become Your Own Mentor Shortening your learning path is normally the reason to seek out a mentor in the first place. The most important role a mentor plays is in motivating you to reach higher goals—goals that you might have thought impossible when you first sought help from your mentor.

It is also important not to rely on professional help as a crutch forever. The goal of seeking professional help is to shorten your learning path, to become independent and competent faster.

When you are on the real battlefield, no one can do your work for you; you have to do it for yourself. You cannot go far if you have to rely solely on external motivation.

News & Notes

Ultimately, you have to learn to be your own motivator.

Seeking help and finding mentors is an important strategy for getting where you want to go in your career. Learning to listen to advice and keeping an open mind to recognize those around you who can serve the role of mentor will broaden the opportunities you have for learning.

While self-teaching is an important practice and can go a long way to helping you learn basic skills, coaches will know what you need, even what you do not.

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE MARCH / APRIL 2018

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MARCH / APRIL 2018

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

What's Trending

Hire for the Future Today...

Your Competition is.

Written by Ken Jenkins Castle President

The future is now. We’ve been worrying about the pending labour shortage for years, but in many industries, it’s already upon us. Many of us need a hiring strategy today to deal with the death of talent.

Over the past year I’ve witnessed first-hand how difficult it is for our suppliers, dealers, and even the contractors we serve across Canada to find good young people willing to work within our industry. I’m not talking just about skilled trades! I’m also referring to young unskilled workers who have an opportunity to learn, grow and excel within the building/construction industry.

Fact: as millions of Canadian baby boomers retire and exit the workforce, we are witnessing a massive shortage of workers, both skilled and unskilled. Even with more boomers working into their 70s, it’s still inevitable.

What's Trending

And we’re already seeing it. In its most recent annual Talent Shortage report, ManpowerGroup Inc. found that more than one-third (34%) of Canadian employers struggle to find the skilled workers they need. The number one area of difficulty in North America: skilled trades, of course.

As early as 2012, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce was predicting massive numbers of unskilled workers struggling to find a job (more than half a million in 2016, and well over a million by 2021). At the same time, the group estimated 1.5 million skilled job vacancies in 2016, climbing to 2.6 million in 2021. The people are there, or at least some of them; but we as business leaders need to do a better job on selling our industry to attract young people in the twenty first century.

Ours isn’t the sexiest industry. It’s sometimes hard and demanding work, but we need to attract young workers and show them that they can thrive and succeed.

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE MARCH / APRIL 2018

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In the trades, this will require breaking the misconception that trades are low-paying jobs with no future. In fact, the exact opposite is true. But as business owners and leaders today, how do you go about recruiting and retaining from the pool of talent that is shrinking?

How Will You Recruit in the 21st Century?

Obviously recruiting today means hiring from the generation coming up in the workforce. Commonly dubbed Millennials, this group born in the ’80s and ’90s was raised on the Internet and digital technology.

In many ways, the current generation isn’t as different as you may think. But there have been some major shifts in work priorities. While past generations strove for tenure and stability – a lifetime at one company was the brass ring – today’s employees crave more flexibility, more freedom.

With Millennials it isn’t just about the money.

Corporate culture is a more important factor in employee satisfaction than in past decades. Studies suggest that Millennials seek work-life balance more than any other generation, and look for employers who prioritize health and happiness, even above pay.

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CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

Professional development and providing a challenge are still important – perhaps even more so. Talented employees need to be engaged and challenged or they become bored. Remember: we’ve known for more than half a century that doing meaningful work, a sense of achievement, career deveopment, recognition and responsibility are the keys to job satisfaction. But while these are not new to hiring and retaining top talent, Millennials have brought them to the forefront.

Recruitment Tips So how do you go about hiring Millennials? Experts have a few tips: Don’t Wait For Them to Find You

The best and brightest aren’t going to be looking for you.

You have to find them. Jason Hiner, editor at ZDNet suggests targeting potential candidates and reaching out to them with an email. Engage Millennials where they live, and that’s on social media. This means having your own social media identity authentic and up-to-date. Future employees will want to connect with your online presence.

What's Trending

Get ’em Early

It’s believed by many that the best time to snatch up the top talent is fresh out of college, for example through paid internships. To be successful, some suggest going beyond that. Start to identify prospects and build a relationship, through apprenticeship programs, even before they graduate.

That way you can secure future hires.

Be Flexible

More than past generations, Millennials seek flexibility and autonomy in their work environments. While this is usually a factor of scheduling and teleworking, think about

What's Trending

what f lexibility means in the hiring process. Consider, for example, dress code expectations. How would you react to a candidate under-dressed by traditional standards during an interview? But also ask yourself, is it an important success metric?

Try Them Out

Many hiring experts suggest putting Millennial candidates on a trial run. Why? Some stereotypes around sense of entitlement, etc., may very well be true. At the same time, many Millennials are brilliant, hard workers. There’s only one way to know for sure to separate the wheat from the chaff.

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Expect and Accept Failure

Entrepreneurial Millennials need a culture that tolerates failures on the road to success. Remember Edison’s famous maxim on innovation, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Avoid Stereotypes

While today’s workforce definitely has different priorities than past generations – 72% of Millennials want f lexible work schedules and 68% want work-from-home options – they also include greater diversity than has been seen in a century. Lumping them together with a one-size-fits-all approach, or not recognizing their individuality, will set your recruitment efforts up to fail.

In recent years, most recruiters and business leaders have started to recognize that Millennials want the same things that employees have always wanted – flexibility, challenges, a rewarding culture, respect, professional opportunities and recognition. They just prioritize these benefits differently.

If you want the best (or even good) candidates, you’ll need to create a culture that’s engaging, with a path to growth and self-fulfillment. Otherwise, you may find yourself with employees who are not motivated and work only because they have a “job,” not a fulfilling career. This does not serve your customers or your bottom line.

Ask yourself, what type of employees do you want for your business? Are you prepared to create a culture that challenges and rewards your employees? Are you prepared to empower your staff, allowing them the freedom to make decisions (and mistakes) that serve your needs and those of your customers? Is yours a workplace culture where current candidates – of which Millennials represent the largest group – would want to work?

A fitting quote from Doug Conant, former President and CEO of Campbell Soup Company: “To win in the marketplace, you must first win in the workplace.”

References • http://www.manpowergroup.com/talent-shortage-explorer/ #.WfDGv7pFztQ • “The future of jobs in Canada”, Chris Sorensen, Maclean’s, March 19, 2013 • “How Millennials Are Reshaping What’s Important In Corporate Culture”, Larry Alton, Forbes.com • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-factor_theory • http://www.zdnet.com/article/video-3-tips-for-hiring-millennials/ • https://insights.dice.com/2012/05/23/hiring-millennials-tips/ • http://www.cspdailynews.com/industry-news-analysis/technology/ articles/3-tips-hiring-and-retaining-millennials#page=0

“INSIGHTS” Blog with Castle President Ken Jenkins Castle President Ken Jenkins has over twenty years in the Lumber, Building Materials and Hardware industry. His tenure has given him a unique perspective and he believes North American contractors, suppliers and independent dealers are the best in the industry.

His goal is to use his passion for the industry to share his insights with budding entrepreneurs in trade and manufacturing to become more entrepreneurial in spirit, more independent and more successful. Insights will help to attract bright new minds to this industry and guest writers will occasionally contribute to this blog, bringing their own unique perspective. You don’t want to miss an issue of Insights!

Subscribe to Insights online http://insights.castle.ca

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MARCH MARCH/ / APRIL APRIL2018 2018 CONTRACTOR CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE ADVANTAGE

What's Trending

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Colour

INSPIRATION Add some colour to your life and be inspired with Castlegard indoor and outdoor paints and stains.

Castlegard products can be found exclusively at your local Castle Building Centres location.

For Castle locations go to castle.ca

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CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

Building Better Business

Customer Retention: Key Ingredients for Lasting Relationships Written by Denise Ciardello

Peter Drucker famously wrote in The Practice of Management that the purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer. Unfortunately, the latter of these is often overlooked. With the papers, online content and mailers filled with so many ways to attract new customers, what businesses tend to forget is that they spend almost three times as much on attracting new customers than retaining the customers they already have.

Every business has a culture, and the culture defines whether the office is customer, time or technology-focused, along with a sense of negativity or an attitude of joy. The standards and values of the team can become apparent to a customer as soon as the phone is answered. When the emphasis of the office is placed on exceptional customer care, the team becomes an asset that will continue to grow the business over time. The significance of creating greater customer satisfaction begins with a total team approach.

Building Better Business

Personal Attention Customer service is the first step in effective marketing.

When a customer walks in your front door, how do they feel? Is it cold and sterile or warm and inviting? Do you look up and smile when a customer enters the room? Do you realize that you can change someone’s entire outlook with a simple smile?

Personal touches, like shaking hands and individual greetings provide an immediate differentiator, and project a form of professionalism that people expect from a business encounter. By ensuring that someone feels like you are glad that they are there, they will only leave your office feeling happy—and even better—they will go tell all their friends.

Be Punctual A major complaint from customers is the wasted time they spend in a waiting room or lobby prior to a scheduled meeting.

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Customers do not enjoy being forced to wait without knowing the reasons for the delay or how long the delay will be. These long waits may be interpreted as a sign of disrespect for the time and efforts your clients and customers spend to ensure their calendars are clear.

Staying on schedule (or close to it) is a major factor in customer retention—perhaps even one of the biggest.

There is a clear message of “indifference” that flows when people frequently experience long wait times. Businesses should work to prevent delays by avoiding overbooking appointments and advising their clients and customers on the nature and length of delays. By merely explaining to a customer that you are running about five minutes behind can immediately diffuse any anger or frustration. Be honest with the patrons as soon as you know there will be a wait time.

Focus on Professionalism This area is lacking in so many businesses. Is it because our society has become so casual and that is getting mixed up with how to remain professional? Here are a few parts of professionalism that a business may want to focus on: Dress Appropriately

Your workplace attire may or may not include wearing a suit and tie, but you are still a professional. Whether you have to dress up for work, you wear a uniform or you wear scrubs, your appearance should always be neat and clean.

A wrinkled outfit looks no better than a pair of ripped jeans.

Wear the type of clothing your employer requires and take pride in what you are wearing. Generally speaking, revealing or tight clothing is a no-no. Avoid clothing that is too low, too high, too tight or too revealing.

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Don't Hide From Your Mistakes

As hard as it may be to do, take ownership of your mistakes and do your best to correct them. Try not to make the same one twice. Never blame others, but set an example so that those who shared in the mistake can step forward and admit it. By the same token, don’t constantly call others out on their mistakes; rather, help to teach them the right way.

Be a Team Player

A true professional is willing to help his or her co-workers when they are overburdened. He or she isn't afraid to share knowledge, opinions, or simply an extra pair of hands. One person's success reflects well on everyone in his or her workplace.

Every facet of your business—large and small—is important, and customers will always appreciate excellent customer service. While you put so much emphasis on the new customer, what about the returning customers? You need to woo each one equally. Give that personal attention that everyone longs for in every aspect of their lives. Treat customers with respect at all times. If you maintain a culture of respect, your customers will know that they are truly being well cared for.

Stay on time; work together as a team to maintain that time schedule and when someone falls behind, let the customer know that there will be a wait.

Conduct yourself in a professional manner at all times; this includes how you look, what you say and how you treat others. Keep an open line of communication with your clients, and ensure prompt attention to any issues that may arise.

It doesn’t take a lot to create the secret sauce to customer retention—it just takes consistency and attention to detail. Most importantly, it takes a team.

Building Better Business

Stands up to wear, tear and admiring stares.

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© 2018 Royal Building Products

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE MARCH / APRIL 2018

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PUT ON A BOLD FACE

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Feature Story: Put on a Bold Face

Roofing and siding doesn’t just protect against the elements. Homeowners are using these areas to make a bold statement.

Written by Lawrence Cummer

Photo courtesy of Ply Gem Building Products

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Seasons change and with them fashions too. A home’s roofing and siding, however, is built to last. So for contractors, the question is, how can they help homeowners pick out styles and materials that will help create a lasting impression?

A few trends have been on the rise in recent years. Naturally, some are based on larger design trends — like dark tones and mixed materials — others are unique to roofing and cladding.

“The exterior cladding market has changed considerably over the past 5 years. With more choices than ever,” says Ted Talboom, Manager of Retail Sales at

Gentek Building Products. “Traditional cladding is being com-bined with a wide variety of other exterior cladding such as real and faux stone, brick and shake, stucco and wood.”

In addition to this, Talboom notes that consumers are also looking for distinctive designer looks that can make their home stand out. Designs using, “rich dark earth tone colours edged in black trim combined with stone, or wood looking accents are very popular.”

At the same time, they are looking for roofs that are sustainable, functional and last. “Roofing is a grudge purchase,”

says Rene Laplante, President and CEO at Ideal Roofing. “You replace the roof because you have to. But at the same time, it’s the most important part of the house.”

Mixing and Matching Materials Homeowners are continuing the trend of mixing textures and materials to create their customized look and to up the curb appeal, experts say.

“We’re seeing a lot more instances where there are 100 or 200 sf of brick or stone being complimented by vinyl cladding and then a third material, be it printed aluminum such as our Cedar

Photo courtesy of Ideal Roofing Company Limited, Manufacturers

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Feature Story: Put on a Bold Face

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Renditions line, or shake or board and batten,” says Gary Taylor, Vice President of Sales, GM Aluminum Products at Royal Building Products.

John Vukanovich, Vice President of Marketing for Ply Gem Building Products / Mitten Siding & Accessories, agrees. “Homeowners don’t want to see a single colour and texture and that’s leading them to combine different materials such as vinyl, stone, and shake.” To add to the unique profile, Vukanovich notes homeowners and contractors are also often changing the

direction siding is applied.

“People are looking for more, they are looking for something that pops on their homes,” says Wade O'Brien, Vice President of Retail at Kaycan. He says that his company’s polypropylene shakes and aluminum sidings are becoming fashion statements for the home face.

To meet this demand, they are releasing a new longboard-like woodgrain product dubbed Urbanex and has also started to distribute Versetta Stone Siding.

Although in recent years, vinyl siding has lost some market share to competitive

products, Ta lboom says it rema ins his company’s top selling material and owns approximately 30% of the market.

This, he says, is because it’s durable, maintenance-free, economical, easy to install and has a f lexible design t hat lends itself to a combination of other claddings.

Richer, Darker Colours A siding trend that started in western Canada towards darker colours is making its way across the country, moving homeowners to request darker tans and reds,

Photo courtesy of Ply Gem Building Products

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Feature Story: Put on a Bold Face

Photo courtesy of Vicwest Building Products

Photo courtesy of Gentek Building Products Photo courtesy of Vicwest Building Products

as well as dark blues and greys rather than traditional earth tones.

The ability for Royal Building Products to offer darker printed aluminum siding and richer wood-like textures evolved out of technology developed for the garage door industry to stamp printed metal into doors, Taylor says.

“The paints weather really well, and the difference is that the technology of multi-coat printing has improved greatly in the past 10 years.”

It’s tied to roofing colours, Vukanovich suggests, which are, of course, traditionally on the darker side. Homeowners are looking for these darker colours in siding, as well as windows and other exterior products, in a bid to compliment their roofs. Of the 37 siding co-

Feature Story: Put on a Bold Face

lours his company offers, 21 are darker, bolder ones.

“And they perform very well in terms of heat gain, last a long time and don’t fade.” He attributes this to the R&D his company has done around vinyl formulation and additives.

Laplante says his company is seeing blues and reds give way to blacks, browns and earth tones for customers of their metal roofing. “Black used to be 6th or 7th on the list of colours, but now it’s 1st; brown has moved to 2nd and charcoal gray is 3rd,” he says.

Metal Roofing Taking Off In past decades metal roofing was viewed primarily as a commercial or agricultural trend, but residential metal roofing is

the fastest growing residential roofing product, says Steve Brooks, Business Development Manager, Vicwest Building Products.

While interest in metal roof products started in the ’90s, it has been climbing exponentially in the 21st century as “more and more consumers are looking for sustainable, eco-friendly and energy efficient home improvement materials,” Brooks says. He adds that steel roofing like that offered by Vicwest is a maintenance play. “In this day and age people want a product that you have to install once. You never plan on redoing the roof, it’s just an expense that happens,” he says.

“With metal roofing, it’s done for life and there’s no maintenance. That’s the long-term effect.”

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In 2018, Vicwest will also be releasing a metal siding line it will name Valera.

Brooks says Valera, which is expected the mid to end of the second quarter, will offer designers, architects and contractors another option to differentiate themselves. The product will be appropriate to accent, layer or pattern various looks to create exclusive aesthetics, but with the maintenance benefits of steel.

Laminated Architectural Shingles Because of the greater visual depth provided, and its ease of install, consumer demand has been moving towards laminate architectural shingles, says Rob Davidson, VP of Residential Sales in Canada, IKO Industries. “Consumers

are pretty well-educated on the differences between laminate and traditional 3-tab shingles,” he says.

Recently, he’s seeing a rise in demand for bolder colour patterns in his company’s laminate architectural shingles.

To that end, IKO has released its Dynasty line, which boasts a more succint blend of tones and colours for quick, secure installation.

Dynasty architectural shingles also boast a feature many contractors will love, Davidson suggests: a reinforced nail line with a larger “sweet spot” to prevent the shingles from blowing off while making it easier to use air nailers for quick, secure install.

Complete System and Warranties BP Canada has similarly developed a half-inch nail line to its Weather-Tite shingles to create a wider nailing zone.

It’s one of several new features the manufacturer has released with the contractor in mind, including longer shingles and a second line of adhesive to prevent blow off in strong winds (up to 135 mph) and the resulting call back contractors would face.

For roofing, longevity is the name of the game. While warranties of 20 years are common, Mathieu Bergeron, Technical Advisor at Resisto, compares his company’s two-ply roofing systems for flat roofs with that of a car.

Photo courtesy of IKO Industries

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Feature Story: Put on a Bold Face

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Photo courtesy of Resisto

“With a car, you have a warranty of five years, but after that you can continue to use it for many years beyond that.

Our Basic Waterproofing and HR (high resistance) Cap Sheet are like that,” says Bergeron. “Our products will last easily 25 or 30 years if the roof is properly insulated and well maintained.”

An impact resistant shingle developed out of BP’s Edmonton plant has begun to gain traction outside the west due to the unique UV-resistant capabilities discovered in the compound. This year, the company will be offering its

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Vanguard IR shingles in the east for those with an eye on longevity.

To help ensure longer-lasting roofing systems, BP Canada has started to manufacture or distribute accessories that maximize life expectancy. Because of this, it has been able to extend its warranties on its BP Weather-Tite Roofing System.

“We’ve seen a lot of response in the marketplace,” says Gilles Landry, Roofing Product Line Manager at Building Products of Canada Corp. It’s a welcome step beyond the usual roofing system sale,

which is focused on appearance, he suggests. “We sell aesthetic. It’s the first thing people choose,” he adds. “After all, the roof surface is 40% of the house itself.”

Visualization Tools Nothing is worse than making a major purchase and being disappointed with the result, and to avoid that dissatisfaction, contractors are urged to point customers to the many visualization applications offered by manufacturers on their websites.

Feature Story: Put on a Bold Face

Photo courtesy of Bullding Products of Canada Corp.

These online design tools can help contractors who might otherwise be worried about overwhelming their customers with options. Typically, they allow siding or roofing to be applied to a photo of the home. “The homeowners can experiment with colours and get an idea of what works. Most can’t afford to have a designer on staff,” he says.

Ultimately, it’s all about helping homeowners make better choices with the abundance of options currently available.

“It’s powerful,” Vukanovich says of his company’s iPad app. “Because now homeowners can participate; be shown options and, as the name implies, visualize. They can make better decisions about what they want.”

Photo courtesy of Ideal Roofing Company Limited, Manufacturers

Feature Story: Put on a Bold Face

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Supplier Spotlight Photo courtesy of Gentek Building Products

Gentek Building Products With more than 50 years of manufacturing and distribution expertise, Gentek continues to strengthen its foothold as a single-source building products supplier with an extensive offering of materials for residential and light commercial applications.

Gentek-branded products include comprehensive lines of vinyl, aluminum and steel siding, as well as specialty siding, soffit, fascia, trim and more. Gentek also manufactures replacement windows for a wide range of projects and price points. Overall, the company distributes more than 30,000 building products, including other popular brands specific to renovation and new construction markets.

From a practical and logistical standpoint, Gentek is well positioned to meet every customer’s needs with timely

Supplier Spotlight

order fulfillment and delivery. The company has four manufacturing plants for windows and siding products, 22 distribution centers throughout Canada, and fully integrated marketing and sales programs, including the easy-to-use Gentek Visualizer exterior design app.

Gentek’s exceptional commitment to customer service, strong business relationships and consistent product quality further contribute to its longevity and success. Gentek also takes the lead when it comes to warranty coverage and backs many of its products with lifetime warranties for added value and peace of mind.

Explore more at gentek.ca

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TRUST US, YOU’LL BE OKAY WITHOUT IT.

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taigabuilding.com 34

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Supplier Spotlight Photo courtesy of Taiga Building Products

Taiga Building Products What makes a company truly different is not what it’s done, but what it can do for you today and more importantly tomorrow.

While Taiga’s history since its inception over 45 years ago is rich with the anecdotal stories of David vs Goliath struggles, the real story is how they have managed to stay true to a core philosophy of pure customer centric behavior. They believed that the customer comes first, ever when they were an office of 12 and still believe it now with over 400 people across the nation.

“We realized very early on that we would do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to keep our clients happy.” says Trent Balog, CEO. “It’s true to our DNA. We just have to have all our ducks in a row, every day, so we can provide the best products and service possible.”

That could be why they are so deeply dedicated to product availability through 15 Distribution Centres in Canada,

Supplier Spotlight

with 2 more in Northern California and 6 reload stations in the Eastern USA. This, makes them an extremely reliable partner for inventory.

If this wasn’t enough, Taiga is always looking to improve and add new product lines to that inventory. What was great yesterday can be improved upon for tomorrow.

They’ve jumped on the latest technological and environmental advances in treated lumber, and set higher standards in all their flooring and siding categories. All this towards the larger goal of making the client happier.

While Taiga’s past has been truly historic they look forward to bringing their obsessive passion for client service to more businesses who just want more.

Explore more at taigabuilding.com.

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Supplier Spotlight Photo courtesy of Building Products of Canada Corp.

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Since 1905, BP Canada has been providing roofing solutions adapted to Canadian weather. With over a century’s worth of experience manufacturing shingles right here, in Canada, you could say protecting Canadian homes from the elements has become second nature for us.

Supplier Spotlight

That is why we proudly offer the most comprehensive system warranty on the market. That’s how much faith we have in our products. But don’t just take our word for it.

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GETTING A HANDLE ON WHAT’S NEW

Size, security, finishes and tech: The biggest trends in door hardware.

Written by Melissa Campeau

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Feature Story: Getting a Handle on What's New

If a home’s front door can make a major design statement, then its hardware can be the finishing touch. It can be a focal point, a statement piece or a tasteful accent. And compared to the expense of other impactful renovations, it’s a cost-effective way to update the look and feel of just about any home.

In the past several years, consumers have taken a growing interest in both the design and function of their front doors, door handles and locking systems, and several significant trends have begun to emerge.

Embracing Technology Without a doubt, smart technology is the biggest trend in door hardware, this year. Functionality plays a big part in that growing popularity. “With this technology, you can control your door from an app on your phone, and check your door and your lock from anywhere in the world,” says Lawrence Urquhart, Business Development Manager, Hardware for Alliance Door Products Canada.

“Tech savvy customers are looking for that, and many builders are, too.” He adds, “A couple of builders here in Calgary have included smart systems in their new homes that lets homeowners manage everything from the thermostat to lighting to the front lock.”

In recent years, design of smart-tech enabled locks has begun to catch up with the functionality. “We're finding the keyless, smart locks are growing very quickly in popularity, and that's probably helped by the fact that they're getting better looking, all the time,” says Steve Kolobaric, Marketing Manager at Spectrum Brands.

“Some of our newer products, including Obsidian, are sleek and stylish with very low profiles, while still offering the very best in terms of security features."

“The design of the hardware for this technology has improved dramatically

Photo courtesy of Allegion Canada

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over the last few years,” says Urquhart.

“Most are much sleeker and more attractive than they used to be.” He adds, “Some just have a touch screen where you swipe your hand to unlock the door.”

Increased supply has also helped these locks gain traction. “Now, they’re widely available,” says Urquhart. “You can get them at any retail lumber yard and there are a couple different brands.”

He adds, “That’s just going to expand in the next few years. Technology will be the biggest area of focus.”

There are also in-between options for homeowners who want to test out the new technology. "We have a new product that's in demand for customers who are in transition between conventional entryway systems and smart technology enabled systems. It's called Kevo Convert and it can transform an existing deadbolt into a smart lock,” says Kolobaric. “It replaces the interior

part of a current door lock for smarter access to a home using a smartphone. The exterior of the door remains unchanged and traditional keys will still work as a backup."

Looking further into 2018, Jonathan Bremer, National Account Manager at Allegion Canada says the next wave of technology will be biggest area of focus, including Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Apple’s Siri and soon-tobe-launched HomePod. “Keyless entry is no longer enough for consumers,” says Bremer. “With the expansion of the smart home and internet of things, consumers desire their smart locks to deliver a more convenient, while safe, experience that connects with all their other smart home products.” He adds, “They not only want to lock or unlock at the keypad or through the app, but with their voice.” The Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt, for example, works through the keypad, app or voice control.

Enhanced Security “We’re seeing a relatively new thing in the market—the multipoint lock system— driven at least in part by the increase in door sizes,” says John Arsenault, Director of Sales, Kohltech Windows & Entrance Systems. With the multipoint system, the door locks at three or four point points, into the frame.

“We’re seeing a growing number of multipoint locks in use,” agrees Nick Tassone, General Manager, Onward Hardware, a division of Richelieu Hardware Canada. “They’re mainly designed for higher than standard doors—say eight feet or higher doors—and they provide better security on doors of that size.”

With more and more doors made of fiberglass, the multipoint system has another advantage. “Fiberglass does react to thermal changes more than a steel door, so an entry system will have a better seal with a multipoint lock,” says Arsenault.

Photo courtesy of Allegion Canada

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Feature Story: Getting a Handle on What's New

Photo courtesy of Spectrum Brands

Sleek and Modern Urquhart agrees. “One of the biggest trends we’re seeing today is modern design, so hardware that’s sleek and simple, with squared-off shapes.” He adds, “Homeowners are really getting away from those very wavy, stylized handle sets and choosing more linear, square, very basic look.” The trend also reflects the growing popularity of mid-century modern and craftsman designs when

Feature Story: Getting a Handle on What's New

it comes to the doors themselves. “The pared-down, simpler look really goes well with a lot of the newer door styles,” says Urquhart.

The move toward the pared-down design also applies to smart-tech enabled hardware. “New products like the San Clemente, the Amador and the Camino help bridge the gap between technology and design,” says Kolobaric. “They incorporate clean, geometric designs and

low profiles, while still featuring the proprietary SmartKey technology for unrivalled security."

That simpler design lends itself to larger locks and pulls—something that pairs well with the growing trend of oversized front doors. “The traditional grip set or door knob is not 100% of the market now,” says Susan Ryan, Product Line Manager, Interior/Exterior Doors, for Jeld-Wen of Canada. “More and more

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Photo courtesy of Allegion Canada

often, you’ll often see these gigantic twoand three-foot door pulls to suit these very large, eight-foot doors.”

Finessed Finish When it comes to hardware finishes a growing number of homeowners are opting for the dramatic. “In terms of

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trending finishes, matte black is definitely the fastest growing at this time, particularly in modern styles,” says Kolobaric. “Every category of home up-grades is seeing black on trend.”

Matte black hardware made several designers’ top picks for trends to watch both last year and this year, given its

visual impact and versatilityand it goes hand in hand with the sleek, modern styles homeowners are favouring, at the moment.

Brass, too, continues to enjoy something of a renaissance, with homeowners taking an interest in both bright brass and a more modern looking

Feature Story: Getting a Handle on What's New

Photos courtesy of Spectrum Brands

brushed brass. “Home design and renovation shows are a big influence,” says Urquhart. “And those shows are showing homes with all of the hardware—door hardware, taps, lights—in brass finishes.”

Where a particular finish may have dominated the market, in the past, now consumers and builders and taking advantage of choice. “There are a lot of different finishes available,” says Ryan.

“We do see a trend in the brushed nickel or the patina finishes.” She adds, “As well as antique bronze and black.”

Consumers are seeing the whole picture of door hardware and accessories, rather than just zeroing in on the handle and lock, too. “We’re seeing more and more consumers buying hinges and other accessories to match the lock finish,” says Tassone. “They’re definitely paying more attention to that level of detail than they have in the past.”'

On the other hand, when it comes to varying finishes throughout a home, homeowners are letting loose, a little bit. “Mixing metals is definitely trending,” says Bremer. “People no longer care if they have satin nickel throughout their house from lighting to plumbing to hardware.”

Simple Change, Big Impact Whether homeowners are looking to incorporate the best of new technology, upgrade security, or make a design impact, door hardware can offer a relatively affordable and effective solution.

Whether the goal is high-impact style, or high-efficiency safety and tech, well chosen hardware can go a long way to making a home’s entryway instantly modern, welcoming and up to date.

Madero door systems focus on the design flare currently on trend with today’s home designers.

With affordable entry level pricing, explore the art of the door.

Madero.ca

Madero’s Maverick door, featuring Clear Narrow Lite and Schlage Century Handleset in Satin Nickel.

Feature Story: Getting a Handle on What's New

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ThermaVent

ThermaPack

ThermaClad

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ThermaDry

ThermaSlab

Fox Blocks

www.thermalite.ca

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Product Platform

PRODUCT PLATFORM

Latest & Greatest Products Available at Local Castle Building Centres

Vangard 42 IR : A shingle that can take it!

A Building Products of Canada Corp. exclusive, Vangard 42 IR shingles are manufactured with a proprietary new generation of SBS-modified asphalt, making them our most resistant shingle yet. Vangard 42 IR shingles pass UL 2218 Class 4 Impact Resistance testing procedure. This means they can be hit –hard without fear of them tearing or cracking, which could otherwise lead to water infiltration.

SBS-modified asphalt yields a longer lasting shingle by considerably increasing granule retention on the surface of the shingle. Those granules produce the gorgeous Vangard colours, of course, but most importantly they protect the asphalt from degradation caused by UV exposure.

Vangard 42 IR shingles are also designed to provide superior wind protection. BP Canada's unique Weather-Tite™ dual sealant strip technology allows for the best high wind warranty in all of North America, going up to 220 km/h (135 mph).

In other words, Vangard 42 IR shingles offer outstanding shingle performance and unparalleled endurance. It then comes as no surprise that they are eligible to the most comprehensive system warranty on the market: BP Canada’s Weather-Tite™ System Warranty.

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Protecting Your Investment & Your Community Westman Steel Roofing and Siding Panels STEEL ROOFING & CLADDING PRODUCTS Over a Dozen Unique Steel Profiles to Choose from in 46 Classic, Exotic, Textured & New Wood Grain Colour Options!

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Styrofoam™ Cladmate™ CM20 Introducing ONE solution for ALL of your residential rigid insulation needs!

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We Can Help With Your Next Siding Project Bring It To Life with LP® CanExel® Prefinished Siding You can tell by its authentic cedar-grain texture. You can tell by its deep prefinished colours. You can tell by the beautiful way it stands up to harsh weather.

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Discover the perfect colours for your designs at canexel.ca

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INTRODUCING THE VANTAGE PATIO DOOR Engineered for Canadian weather, Vantage provides superior energy efficiency, protection against the cold, and water shedding performance. Available with triple pane glass, Vantage prevents heat loss while providing greater soundproofing. It’s also offered with a true fixed sash for a balanced appearance, and comes in 2, 3 and 4-wide panel options, ranging in size and configuration.

Vantage features our acrylic wrap colour application on its exterior, available in six attractive colours and backed by a 10-year warranty for performance and lamination. With durability unsurpassed by painted frames, acrylic wrap resists chalking, cracking, fading and scratching. Vantage also boasts modern features such as optional integrated interior blinds and three elegant, easy to grasp handle options available in several beautiful finishes.

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Fiberglass Insulation Castlegard速 products meet the highest safety, performance and quality standards. Castlegard速 Insulation is Formaldehyde-free, offering a healthier and safer indoor air quality. Castlegard速 insulation is a cost effective home insulation solution for your home with proven safety and performance ratings.

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GAF’S VALUE COLLECTION LIFETIME DESIGNER SHINGLES

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Note: It is difficult to reproduce the color clarity and actual color blends of these products. Before selecting your color, please ask to see several full-size shingles. © 2018 GAF 1/18 52 MARCH / APRIL 2018 CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

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2018-01-16 6:30 PM

Recommended by Jim Caruk, Master Contractor, HGTV Host and Editor-in-Chief of Renovation Contractor Magazine

DO-IT-YOURSELF AND SAVE UP TO 20% ON HEATING & COOLING COSTS* The Owens Corning™ AttiCat® Expanding Blown-In Insulation System is a quick, easy, safe and reliable system to help you take control of your home’s comfort and energy usage.

Quick & Easy: Complete in as little as 2 hours† Virtually No Settling: Keeps its energy saving R-value over time Virtually No Mess: Releases and expands inside machine for low dust

THE PINK PANTHER™ & © 1964-2017 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. The colour PINK is a registered trademark of Owens Corning. © 2017 Owens Corning. All Rights Reserved. *Up to 20% heating and cooling savings based on Hot 2000, Version 8.7 run for a 2 storey 1972 type base house with 1149 sf per floor for an increase from R-8 to R-40 in the attic in Canadian climates. Savings vary depending on original amount of insulation in your home, climate, house size, air leaks, and personal energy use and living habits. †Blowing time, based on attic size 100m2/1000 ft2 at RSI 8.8/R-50.

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Tech Talk Photo courtesy of IKO Canada

Demystifying Artificial Intelligence: 3 Things You Need to Know in 2018 Written by Amber MacArthur

While “Artificial Intelligence” might seem like a shiny new tech trend, the term was first coined at Dartmouth College in the 1950s. However, it’s only in the last few years that we finally have the computing power and access to large amounts of data that we’re seeing applications of AI that are changing the world around us.

Tech Talk

For starters, look no further than the smartphone in your pocket to witness machine learning (a form of AI). When your mobile device does automatic email classification, prompts you to use a voice assista nt, a nd g ives you the ability to use facial recognition for photo classification, you’re benefitting from AI advancements. In fact, in a recent

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Deloitte survey, they found that “65 percent of smartphone owners across 16 developed markets have used an application featuring machine learning.”

What’s especially interesting about the AI market is how quickly it’s taking off. Over the next five years, every industry will be impacted by this technological shift.

While there will be plenty of opportunities, there will also be many business challenges.

To understand both, here is how AI will change the way we live, work, and play by 2025.

The Future of Work Many people are worried about robots taking our jobs, but the bots are coming first - especially if you’re in the business of providing any type of customer service.

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If you’re not familiar with a chat bot, it’s a tool that automates digital interactions. Today, we’re seeing this technology on websites and on social platforms, such as Facebook Messenger. You ask a chat bot a question and the chat bot searches through data to find the most likely answer (no human required). This is helpful for retailers that are often bogged down with common questions from customers such as store hours, return policies, and other generic information.

According to research group Gartner, “By 2020, customers will manage 85% of their relationship with the enterprise without interacting with a human.” This will lead to an estimated $8B in business savings by 2022, but it will also lead to jobs lost (e.g. call centres). Beyond chat bots, automation is becoming a more common reality in warehouses where robots are starting to do the heavy lifting.

Tech Talk

The Future of Homes In 2018, AI is having the biggest impact at home. If you received Google Home or Amazon Alexa for Christmas, you’re already taking part in this voice-enabled change.

Wired explains why these devices are critical to the future of connected houses: “It will be your central command module, the device you talk to when you need to get stuff done.”

Beyond just answering questions and playing music, voice assistants are interacting with other smart products to help us better manage the temperature (e.g. Nest thermostat), control the lighting (e.g. Philips Hue lightbulbs), and keep us safe (e.g. Scout alarm system). This year in Canada, Nielsen reported that 46 per cent of Canadians intended to buy smarthome devices. Once we get comfortable with this technology, we’ll start to demand these products in every room to add high-tech convenience to our lives.

The Future of Transportation As the World Economic Forum shares, “Elon Musk has promised to have Tesla vehicles with level 5 autonomy within the next two years. Toyota is planning to have self-driving vehicles available in 2020.” In most countries, governments are racing to figure out how to regulate these vehicles. The insurance

Tech Talk

world is hustling to try to determine what role they’ll play in the future of driverless cars (in other words, they’re debating who will be responsible in the event of an accident - among other questions).

Canada is laggingwhen it comes to the global autonomous vehicle race, but we’re working hard to catch up. According to The National Post, late last year, “the provincial government opened a new testing centre in Stratford, as part of its $80 -million autonomous vehicle innovation network, where researchers and companies can test their technology in a range of real-life scenarios.”

As we quickly launch into an AI-enabled future, today’s business owners must stay on top of these dramatic changes.

Historically, when it comes to new technology, consumers adapt quickly while companies struggle with the same adoption pace. To sum up what to expect in the artificial intelligence explosions we're about to experience, consider this current quote from journalist Graeme Wood, “Change has never happened this fast before, and it will never be this slow again.”

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WINDOW (AND DOOR) ON THE FUTURE What’s trending, what’s new and what’s next in window and door design and tech.

Written by Melissa Campeau

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Feature Story: Window (and Door) on the Future

When it comes to interior design, curb appeal, energy efficiency and security, no other elements of a home have quite the same impact as doors and windows.

Today’s doors and windows reflect the changing needs of building codes, broader choices thanks to technological advances, and on-trend styles and colours in line with homeowners’ evolving wish lists.

Stately Darker Frames “In terms of colour, what we’ve seen over the last few years is a move to darker colours,” says Jeff Pigeon, Product Line Manager, Windows, at Jeld-Wen. “With exterior colours, the painted options for vinyl windows in dark earth-tone colours have been dominating the market for the past few years.”

Technology has been an integral part of that trend. “Before, painting a colour on a dark window profile meant you would end up with a warped, blistering profile,” says Pigeon. “Advancing paint technology has opened up the option of using those dark colours over the past few yeas. Before we weren’t able to get people these dark true blacks for exterior colours, but now we can, and we can still provide a full warranty on them, as well.”

Tracy Nadiger, Director of Marketing, All Weather Windows, agrees. “From a color perspective we are seeing black on the outside of windows becoming more and more common.” She adds, “Right now, grey is even more on trend for windows and has increased in popularity over the last 18 to 24 months.” She points out that these colour choices reflect other design trends. “If you look at siding and hardy board, their popular color palettes have shades of grey as well so it makes sense that the windows are following suit,” says Nadiger.

Dark shades aren’t the only ones gaining traction. “We are starting to see a bit of an uptick in bronze, so that will be a color to watch,” says Nadiger.

Technology has improved over the years, which has facilitated choices beyond basic white, for consumers.

Photo courtesy of Jeld-Wen Windows & Doors

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“The way color is applied to a window varies by manufacturer; you can have capstock color, painted windows, acrylic wrap which is laminated to the PVC, and then aluminum clad which is put over top of the PVC,” says Nadiger.

“The acrylic wrap has gained a lot in popularity as it resists scratching, fading and chalking which are common issues in capstock, paint and aluminum clad.”

Inside, Anything Goes Inside the home, colour palettes for windows are expanding, as well. “No longer do you have to have white windows inside your house,” says Nadiger, who says she’s seen an uptick in the number of consumers interested in her company’s interior colour options, as well as other finishes. “Customers can have any of our six acrylic wrap colours, or if they want a wood look without the maintenance

they can have a stainable fir grain acrylic wrap that you stain to match the rest of the wood in your home.”

The Shape of Things Beyond colour, other changes are taking shape, as well. “One trend we’re keeping an eye on is a move to a more contemporary, smaller window profile,” says Pigeon. “It’s about maximizing glass and making the most of the view.”

Photo courtesy of All Weather Windows Photo courtesy of All Weather Windows

Photo courtesy of Jeld-Wen Windows & Doors 60

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Feature Story: Window (and Door) on the Future

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Photo courtesy of Kohltech Windows & Entrance Systems

he adds, “Clean lines seem to be dominating what everyone’s looking for.”

“The other big thing in windows is that we see them getting bigger,” says John Arsenault, Director of Sales for Atlantic Canada, Kohltech Windows & Entrance Systems. “That can be a challenge because they’re getting a lot heavier, which makes things more challenging for installation and everyone who handles the windows in the supply chain.”

Arsenault points out homeowners are giving a lot of thought to their windows and how they’ll help enhance their homes and make the most of their

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surroundings. “They’re choosing styles that have fewer grills and let in more light.” Arsenault adds, “If people are building homes with lake or mountain views, for example, they’re making sure they have big windows.”

Performance, Efficiency Energy efficiency is a driving force for innovation, when it comes to windows.

“First, the national building code requires new home builders to meet certain overall energy efficiency levels in their homes,” says Nadiger. “Since windows are a big part of the building envelope it’s import-

ant that they are as efficient as possible.

There are requirements for windows to meet certain U values or energy ratings, depending on the number of heating degree days in the geography.”

Another driver in the push for more energy efficient windows is the Pan Canadian Framework on Climate Change.

“The Canadian government has said that by 2030 they want all new homes to be net zero and that windows will have U value ratings below 1,” says Nadiger.

“Currently there are no mass-produced windows that meet this U value and so this will definitely drive innovation.”

Feature Story: Window and Door on the Future

She adds, “Things like vacuum glazing and triple pane glass with standard IGs along with a number of coatings on the glass will become more of the standard.”

Arsenault sees demand for triple glazed windows already on the rise. “It used to be that a typical upgrade for energy efficiency would be to go from standard glass to a Low E glass,” says Arsenault.

“Well, now it’s going from two panes to three and that’s with Low E on two of the three glasses.” He adds, “You can double the energy performance when you go to a triple glaze window.” And that’s critical for energy efficiency, he points out, since, “you can insulate the walls all you want but windows are the area where there’s the reduced energy

rating. A better rating on the windows means you can make a significant performance improvement on the whole envelope.”

Door Styles and Colours In terms of design impact, doors have the potential to make a serious design statement. “When you look at a house, what do you remember?” Asks Susan Ryan, Product Line Manager, Interior/ Exterior Doors, for Jeld-Wen of Canada.

“What you should remember is the door; it should be the focal point.”

The big trends in terms of door design —simple but bold choices—support this idea. “The continuing trends that we see staying popular are the craftsman

style product and mid-century modern styles,” says Ryan. “These types of doors can either have traditional glass with rail patterns or they can have more decorative caming and different types of glass.” She adds that it’s the clean lines that customers are finding so appealing.

Preferred shapes for door lights are changing, too. “Think back to it in the ‘50s and ‘60 where they would have three diamonds cut into the door or four squares, or one big long light that’s six inches wide but runs the whole length of the door,” says Ryan. “They’re coming back, but with a little more flair; so it’s not just plain or opaque glass, but decorative glass with silk-screened designs and textures.”

She adds, “It replaces the half moon

Photo courtesy of Jeld-Wen Windows & Doors

Feature Story: Window (and Door) on the Future

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and sunburst door lights that we’re not likely to see much of anymore.”

Bold Colours As far as colours go, there are several trends. “If it’s a fiberglass wood grain door, we tend to see dark browns and even shades of black,” says Arsenault.

“People are interested in a rich wood look.” That ability to look like wood grain, plus its durability, has helped fiberglass continue to grow its share of the market, over steel.

When it comes to smooth, painted doors, bolder colours are an increasingly

popular choice. “We’re often seeing bright reds and blues and yellows,” says Arsenault.

“People are looking for very vibrant and distinctive front door colours.”

"It’s one effective way to really have your house stand out from your neighbours,” says Pigeon, whose company offers on-trend door colours in mid-century inspired turquoise, green, red and other hues. “They want something distinctive, even in a neighbouhood where houses look the same.”

On all home design points—including doors and windows—consumers are spending more time thinking about their

choices. “They’re doing a lot of research online and they’re watching renovation and design shows and reading magazines,” says Arsenault. “They’re building their retirement homes or their dream homes and making choices about energy efficiency and performance and comfort.”

He adds, “They’re asking contractors for features they never considered asking about, 20 years ago.”

More choices, better-informed home owners and improved technology can add up to door and window design decisions that benefit the look and efficiency of any home.

Photo courtesy of Jeld-Wen Windows & Doors Photo courtesy of Kohltech Windows & Entrance Systems

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Feature Story: Window (and Door) on the Future

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Design Talk

Revealing the Current Trends in Window Coverings Written by Teresa Christine

When it comes to design, windows are one of the few elements that impact both the interior and exterior home design. Today’s window trends also reflect what’s covering them and reveal not only the industry’s technological advances but also the changing needs of builders, contractors and homeowners alike.

Consumers are spending more and more time thinking about their design choices and how these decisions will ultimately affect their home’s overall curb appeal and investment value. From researching online to reading magazines to watching renovation and design shows, their wish lists

Design Talk

continue to evolve to include more and more features from fame to frame. Below, Contractor Advantage has compiled some of the hottest trends in window treatments.

Material Matters One of the most popular design trends dominating almost every industry including window coverings is the use of organic materials and “going green” wherever and whenever possible. Whether homeowners opt for curtains, blinds or drapes, woven cotton and bamboo are gaining traction with

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the environmentally conscious consumer looking to keep out allergens and the exterior elements. Stain, mildew and mold resistant fabrics are also becoming more prevalent to those looking to keep their spaces as natural as possible.

This trend is also in line with energy efficiency which has become the driving force for innovation when it comes to the windows themselves. For more information on window performance, please see feature on page 58.

The Feel of Fabric Homeowners wishing to add some luxe in their life are in luck.

Lavish embellished oversized panels of fabric seem to be framing the face of window trends. Luxurious and soft fabrics like velvet, silk, suede and damask patterns are finding a way to enrich even the simplest space. Sparkling materials, crystals or beaded tassels seem to be accenting every frame.

Colour is Key When it comes to fitting your window frames this year, contrasts like white paired with black or deep shades of blue are quickly replacing the red of years before. Ocean hues like teal, aquamarine and pale green are making waves in the window world and accompanying industries and accessories. Dusty

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Design Talk

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hues and soft, soothing lavender and gray, complete the design palette whether homeowners are covering their window panes or dressing their rooms.

for a smaller or larger than average window, clean, contemporary lines seem to be dominating the industry. For a closer look at what’s new in window trends, turn to page 58.

Go Bold or Go Home

The Touch of Tech

According to many leading designers, accompanying the trend of bright colours is the use of daring prints, stripes and florals. Similar to some of the flooring styles that are increasing in popularity bold geometric patterns are also dominating window fashions. Simple oversized panels are also trending so for those looking to change the look and feel of a room can do so fairly easily. The move toward minimal has changed the way homeowners view their windows and now allows those who want to keep up with current trends do so without breaking their budget.

The surge of technology has found its way in windows too.

Since it plays a huge role in everyday life, features like remote controlled blinds and curtains can be monitored and used via remote and by the touch of a button. Similar to what the world is seeing in doors, security, climate functions and almost every other section of the home, the touch of tech is the way of life.

To read up on some of the tech trends for this year, turn to page 55.

The Shape of Things Beyond the trends mentioned above, other changes are taking shape, as well. Many builders and contractors are moving toward increasing and decreasing window profiles depending on the development or project. Whether a homeowner opts

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For those homeowners looking to invest long term in their window coverings or for those simply looking to change the existing curtains, there is bound to be a style that fits the frame.

Powered by the “green� movement or by the latest in technology, letting the light in and enjoying the view are just some of the considerations to choose from and potentially control whether you decide to draw the drapes or click a button!

Design Talk

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