What Lap Siding Products Should Suppliers, Distributors and Dealers Carry?

DemandBuilder℠, Principia’s online market share analysis tool enables evaluation of demand for building products on a national, regional and local basis.   Assessing siding suppliers, distributors and dealers success is largely dependent on where in the country they are located and which products they are emphasizing. A case in point is the graphic above contrasting 2014 channel revenue for vinyl and fiber cement.

Lap Siding Demand Varies by Region

Looking at the left side in the image above, it is clear that vinyl siding demand is heavily concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest specifically for repair and replacement. The right side indicates the opposite for fiber cement which has higher demand tied to new construction and is heavily weighted in Texas.  Fiber cement as well as engineered wood are alternative product choices to vinyl and in order to capture share, will need to drive a value proposition for replacement applications in areas that are dominated by vinyl. This means developing a value proposition around competitive on-the-wall costs, highly dimensional appearance and durability.

Conversely, vinyl siding has a large upside potential in further penetration of new construction, particularly for entry-level and move up homes in the growth areas of the South and West.  Key features of long term performance, low maintenance and overall lower on-the-wall costs should be emphasized along with attractive appearance especially in combination with other siding options like brick, manufactured stone and polymer shakes and shingles.