There’s something interesting going on in the mid-Atlantic new home construction market.
At least three leading names in the 2024 Builder 100 rankings along with scores of local and regional home builders now specify a comparatively new construction solution.
For an industry that often greets innovation with skepticism and caution, the rapid acceptance rate is surprising to at least one long-time industry observer.
A Construction First
“It’s one of the quickest adoptions I’ve seen in my 30-year career,” reports Kevin O’Keefe, a manufacturer’s representative based near Philadelphia. “In terms of simplicity and cost-to-value, there’s nothing like it.”
The buzz is over a replaceable deck sill.
Most deck sills take a pounding. A cardboard or plywood overlay offers some protection. But it’s not perfect. Too often dings, scrapes, gouges, overspray, dripped paint, oxidization and weatherization get through despite the best prevention efforts.
No Risk or Delays
Removing and replacing a battered and bruised deck sill can easily chew up half a day, cautions home building expert Matt Risinger. The contractors, installers, pre-hangers and builders O’Keefe talks with would welcome a replaceable alternative.
“Many pros don’t know there’s a fast replaceable option,” explains O’Keefe. “I often hear ‘I can’t believe this is out there’ or ‘How long has this been available?’ I’m not surprised. A door system represents all kinds of decisions about material, style, size, locks, hardware, color, glass and finishes. The deck sill gets lost in the shuffle.”
Even so, the word is getting out. Endura, a leading building products manufacturer, started the ball rolling with their RDS system, short for Replaceable Deck Sill. The patented assembly is the first and only plug-and-play replaceable deck sill on the market.
3 Reasons
For production and custom builders, the value is immediately apparent: Field service staff are no longer tied up in a needless callback issue. For custom luxury builders, it’s a ‘Why wouldn’t I do this?’ advantage.
Today O’Keefe estimates that about one-third of all the door systems in his market are RDS enabled. “That kind of swift thumbs up isn’t typical in this industry,” notes O’Keefe. “Most contractors and builders take a wait-and-see approach before jumping on a new idea.”
The industry veteran believes pro acceptance is explained by at least three reasons:
- Practicality. With nothing more than the tools in a contractor’s belt, replacing a damaged deck sill is a snap. You’ll wonder why someone didn’t offer this before.
- Value. O’Keefe acknowledges RDS costs a few bucks more. The modest dollar difference is generously offset by contractor savings in time and trouble. “It’s like a super cheap insurance policy for deck sills,” O’Keefe notes.
- Trust. “It’s Endura,” he says, reflecting on the firm’s reputation for certified testing and performance quality. “You can forget about callback worries.”
Builder and field service teams no longer need to worry about deck sill issues. Now there’s an easy way to go from damaged to flawless in minutes with tools every contractor has on hand.
Learn more about a low-cost way to end a common door system issue with plug-and-play speed, certainty and affordability.
