ALCOA Siding acquires a colorful change

Siding colors like lemon ice and strawberry fields will soon be available.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Picking out vinyl siding for the home has for decades had all the excitement of rearranging a sock drawer.
Beginning next year, however, homeowners once forced to paw through shades of white, almond and beige will be able to get siding in guava jam, strawberry fields, and about 700 other shades.
One of the largest suppliers of aluminum and vinyl siding has done a major overhaul of its manufacturing process, freeing it from inventory restrictions that have constrained much of the industry and made some new housing developments a study in monotony.
Although many homeowners might not ever choose vinyl siding, it is a huge segment of the housing market, used as the primary exterior material on 34 percent of new homes, according to the National Association of Home Builders, a trade group based in Washington, D.C. Up to 40 percent of new homes have some vinyl on the exterior, and use of brick, stone and clapboard doesn't even come close.
Still, vinyl siding sales have flattened out with new materials such as fiber cement gaining market share, something Alcoa hopes to change.
Can match colors
Alcoa Home Exteriors, a subsidiary of the aluminum giant, plans to introduce lemon ice, sapling, and hundreds of other colors in January at the International Builders' Show in Orlando, Fla. Officials said the company can not only produce hundreds of colors, but it can also match the color of a swatch of cloth, a strip of paint, or even a photo of a favorite pet, if desired, for no extra cost.
The industry has been shaped around what could be held in inventory, limiting companies to about three dozen colors, said Gary Acinapura, president of Alcoa Home Exteriors. The new process allows the company to produce siding by individual order, freeing inventory space, he said.
"Our industry has been artificially constrained because it was built at the trade level," he said.
Alcoa believes developers and suppliers will be able to cater to home buyers in ways unimaginable last year, but it's not yet known just how much choice homeowners want outside.
"I think people have been very conservative with the colors that we do have and I haven't seen any indication that the markets have been constrained for want," said Michael Carliner, an economist with the National Association of Home Builders. "It may create some distinction for this company, but I don't know about market share."
In Baltimore, one of four test markets, a number of suppliers said they welcome the new flavors.
"This would be great for the builders who also do additions, to match whatever is on your house right now," said Stuart Rosenzwog, a manager with ABC Supply Co.
"All of a sudden, now someone can mail a piece of whatever's up and Alcoa will make something awfully darn close."
Prices
The price of the colored siding is about 10 to 15 percent more expensive than traditional siding.
For an additional $130, homeowners can submit film or digital images of their home to "Studio A" on the company Web site and get an idea of how their fantasy color would look superimposed on the home. That cost is rolled into the purchase price.
The service also includes suggestions by designers, who make recommendations based on the neighborhood and other criteria, such as distance from the street.
A number of suppliers say there is already interest in more siding colors.
"The home is the single biggest investment people make and they want it to represent what they're about," Acinapura said.