Vinyl Siding Contributes to Legacy Build Success

VSI Certified Trainers help ensure long-lasting homes for families in need

News Release
October 15, 2009
HousingZone

Certified Trainer David A. Smith demonstrates proper installation techniques. Photo courtesy of Cristina Lappin.

Washington, D.C., October 15, 2009 — When nearly 300 volunteers from 25 states and Canada gathered in Lanett, Alabama to build six new homes and rehab eight others for the inaugural Millard Fuller Legacy Build, the Vinyl Siding Institute, Inc. (VSI) was there to lend a hand. To help ensure the homes were built to last, VSI recruited Certified Trainers to contribute their time and expertise to show the volunteers how to properly install vinyl siding and accessories. All of the vinyl siding and accessories used in Lanett were donated by the vinyl siding industry.

Certified Trainer, David A. Smith, founder and president of Howell, Michigan-based United Certified Installers, the first VSI Certified Installer Company, explained why the training was so important. “Certified vinyl siding helps create beautiful homes, but proper installation is crucial, so we showed the volunteers how to install the vinyl siding and accessories so they lay straight, look great and ensure curb appeal for years to come.”

Smith and his company were certified through the VSI Certified Installer Program, which trains and tests experienced installers on the proper installation techniques for vinyl siding. Additionally, all the industry-donated vinyl siding was certified through the VSI Vinyl Siding Product Certification Program to meet or exceed ASTM D3679, the industry standard for quality.

“With vinyl siding, the homeowners get an exterior cladding that is beautiful, durable and easy to maintain,” said Jery Y. Huntley, VSI president, who also was training volunteers on site.

The Lanett event – held Aug. 30 through Sept. 4 – was the epicenter of the Legacy Build which spanned 30 U.S. cities and 10 countries. The build was organized by The Fuller Center for Housing, a non-profit organization founded by the late Millard Fuller and his wife Linda, dedicated to eliminating poverty housing worldwide.

“Millard would have been proud of the legacy being left by the vinyl siding industry and all our volunteers and sponsors,” said Linda Fuller. “As he always said, you can put vinyl siding on a house and drive by 10 years later, and it still looks as good as the day you installed it.”

About the Vinyl Siding Institute

The Vinyl Siding Institute, Inc., located in Washington, DC, is the trade association for manufacturers of vinyl and other polymeric siding and suppliers to the industry. VSI is the sponsor of the VSI Vinyl Siding Product Certification Program and the VSI Certified Installer Program. See www.vinylsiding.org.

About the VSI Certified Installer Program

The VSI Certified Installer Program, with more than 4,000 Certified Installers, is a comprehensive installer certification program, validated by an independent administrator, to ensure that individuals are properly trained and companies are properly staffed and managed to install vinyl siding as well as soffit and accessories, consistent with ASTM D4756, the industry’s recognized installation standard.

About the Fuller Center for Housing

The Fuller Center for Housing is a non-profit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry dedicated to eliminating poverty housing worldwide. By forming partnerships with local organizations, The Fuller Center for Housing provides the structure, guidance and support that communities need to build and repair homes for the impoverished among them. See www.fullercenter.org.

© 2009, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved.