That’s Included?!

What exactly is an exterior remodel?  It is literally anything you can envision on the exterior of your home; residing, additions, deck, porch, outdoor entertaining space, and can also include landscape design (we have ideas but we sub contract this part out). For this article, we want to quickly talk about exterior areas for entertaining—typically known as decks.

Some things to consider when creating a new outdoor area, specifically decks or porches, in Oregon is the wide spectrum climate we have.  Overall, Oregon (and the PNW) is considered to be a wet area of the US.  Therefore, sloped roofs with gutters or pergola type coverings (water can get through them) are important areas to invest in when planning your exterior remodel.

With most RBR exterior remodels, we focus on a full roof awning.  This gives us much more freedom to insert lighting and protect the deck itself, giving you and your guests a beautiful space to enjoy all year long.  That being said, water will still find the lowest, least resistant path to accumulate or flow, making horizontal surfaces, like decks, particularly vulnerable.

Composite decks are a wonderful choice in the PNW and we build these frequently for our clients.  Composite material is a blend making it more resilient to mold and water damage.  Composite decking can be a bit more difficult to clean (think: mopping with some elbow grease), but with wooden decks, you must treat them at least once a year to maintain easy cleaning…so pick your poison.

As we mentioned, exterior remodels can also include outdoor kitchen areas, additions to existing outdoor space, landscaping and siding (read more on that here).  All in all, we want to do what’s best for you.  That means working within your budget to accomplish your goals for the exterior of your home.  If you have questions we didn’t address in this article, please use the form below to ask those—we would be delighted to talk with you about your options.

Until next time, 

RBR Construction: Your Exterior Specialists

RBR Construction & Roofing
“Built on Integrity”
Oregon CCB# 202768
Washington CCB# RBRCOC*816MJ


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Siding: What You Need To Know

Hello there!  RBR Construction here—your exterior specialists in the Willamette Valley. First, if you are a client or have been a client, thank you so much for supporting a small, local business.  Your business not only creates jobs in our community, but it allows us to reinvest in the beautiful place we live.  

As you know, we are “Built on Integrity”. That means we bring honesty and a great work ethic into everything we do, but we also seek the best craftsman and highest quality product within your budget. When it comes to siding, there is a wide range of options, prices, and features, including home maintenance. In this article we are going to look into four popular siding choices, and go over some pros and cons. Please note this is a high level overview and you may have questions—that’s okay! Please feel free to reach out to us to ask any questions you have.

Up first, VINYL.  You’ve probably heard of vinyl siding (and you’ve definitely seen it).  It is the most common type of siding because of its light weight, easy install and budget friendly price tag. These are all great things to consider when choosing siding for your home.  Some not-so-great features about this type of siding include its sensitivity to heat and the fact that it is not recyclable.  When this siding needs to be repaired or replaced, waste goes straight into a landfill.

Next, let’s talk about the very popular, CEDAR siding.  The aesthetic of this siding, especially in the PNW landscape is hard to beat.  It is absolutely gorgeous.  Unfortunately, the pros stop there.  Cedar is far and away the most expensive product, hardest to install (which means additional labor costs) and requires very regular maintenance.  In addition, it is prone to rot, home to wood-boring insects and, as you may have guessed, is the least resistant to fire.

Moving on to ENGINEERED WOOD, we have a mixed bag of pros and cons. Because it is technically wood, it is less resistant to fire than siding products that are not wood-based.  Mold is often found in engineered wood siding and because it of its base component, wood, you run a higher risk of wood-boring pests.  The pros of this product include its lightweight, easy install, and affordability.

Finally, we’ve saved the best for last here, FIBER CEMENT.  This one is our favorite.  Of the four siding products we review in this article, this one is the most fire resistant with a Class A fire rating.  Although we take extra precautions when installing due to the nature of the materials fiber cement is made out of (literally, mixed with cement and you don’t want to breathe in that dust), it is affordable (comparable to engineered wood prices), requires average install time, and comes with custom features like, pre-stained to resemble cedar or pre-painted, reducing labor and cost.

And there you have it.  A high level review of four siding options.  We hope if you have any questions and that you will reach out to us—we would love to hear from you!

Until next time, 

RBR Construction: Your Exterior Specialists

RBR Construction & Roofing
“Built on Integrity”
Oregon CCB# 202768
Washington CCB# RBRCOC*816MJ

Exterior Specialists

RBR Construction has always kept customers at the center of our business. And to do that, we hire the highest level craftsmen, use the best materials for the job and, above all else, are committed to integrity in our work and in our lives. When you hire RBR, you’re hiring integrity, exceptional work ethic and expertise. We are going to be spending a lot of time together, especially on your larger projects, so it’s important you know what our standards are ahead of time.

So, I hear you’re the “Exterior Specialists”. Tell me more.

We would love to. You hear that because many times we are working within a budget to make the house you’re living in a home in which you feel comfortable. When working within a budget, we want to prioritize what is important to you and what will be the longest-lasting and most efficient use of your money. If there is exterior work to be done, we recommend prioritizing it because that is literally the framework of your home and it is important to make sure it is sound. So that is usually where we start. We focus a lot of time and energy to make sure we use the right type of siding, that it is installed correctly, and that YOU, our client, is happy.

What questions do you have about the exterior remodeling process?

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