Episode 1957
From Siding to Selling: The Wild World of Home Construction
Big news alert! Eric G is diving into the juicy details of a massive merger in the construction industry, where James Hardy is making waves by teaming up with AZEK for a whopping $8.75 billion! We’re talking about the kind of cash that could build a small village—or at least a really fancy treehouse. But wait, there’s more! Eric’s also sharing some personal updates, like his plans to sell his home and the wild ride that comes with preparing for a move. And if that’s not chaotic enough, he’s poking fun at the major headaches that pop up in Facebook groups about home construction—seriously, it’s a treasure trove of DIY disasters. So grab your favorite drink and buckle up, because this Weekday Update is packed with insights, hilarity, and maybe a few “what were they thinking?” moments!
Merger mania is sweeping through the construction industry, and Eric G is here to spill the tea on the latest jaw-dropping acquisitions! Picture this: James Hardy, the big player in siding from Down Under, just threw a whopping $8.75 billion at AZEK, the composite decking wonder, in a cash and stock deal. I mean, can we talk about the size of that check? Talk about making waves in the housing market! With mortgage rates climbing and sales of previously occupied homes plunging to a near three-decade low, it’s clear that the construction landscape is shifting faster than a jackhammer on the job site. Eric dives deep into the implications of these mergers, like how James Hardy will control a staggering 74% of the new company, leaving AZEK stockholders with a mere 26%. But the real kicker? James Hardy's resilience through its asbestos scandal is a testament to the brand's grit. As Eric navigates through these corporate maneuvers, he also drops a personal bombshell: he’s preparing to put his house on the market! A big change is coming, but will he sell to a developer or find a new pad to call home? The stakes are high, and Eric's got a lot on his plate as he gears up for round two of home improvement adventures. Buckle up, because this episode is packed with insights, business smarts, and personal anecdotes that are as relatable as they are enlightening.
On the home front, Eric reveals that while he's tackling major changes in his personal life, he's also keeping a close eye on the social media world—especially those Facebook groups that focus on home construction. And boy, does he have some stories to tell! With a plethora of DIY groups at his fingertips, he’s noticed a pattern: the same construction pitfalls keep popping up. From cabinet disasters to questionable craftsmanship, it’s like watching a bad reality show unfold. He shares his experience from the group “Ask a Cabinet Maker”, where the majority of cabinetry issues stem from small custom shops that, let’s just say, may not be putting their best foot forward. With horror stories of ugly finishes and poor designs, Eric emphasizes the importance of doing your homework before investing in custom cabinetry. Should you trust the local kitchen and bath design center? Spoiler alert: yes! It’s all about finding quality over quantity, and Eric offers sage advice on what finishes and practices to look out for. So before you dive headfirst into your next renovation project, make sure to tune in for some golden nuggets of wisdom that could save you from a DIY disaster!
As the episode winds down, Eric leaves us with a tantalizing teaser about what’s coming next in the world of home improvement. With an exciting array of topics on the horizon—including smart home tech and lighting innovations—he’s ready to roll up his sleeves and get into the nitty-gritty of what makes a home smart and stylish. Not to mention, there’s a birthday celebration in the air for the show itself, marking 37 years of bringing you the best in home improvement tips and tricks. So whether you're a seasoned pro or just dipping your toes into the world of home projects, this Weekday Update is your go-to guide for all things construction, renovation, and a dash of real estate intrigue. Don’t forget to check in with Eric next time for more laughs, insights, and maybe even some unexpected twists!
Takeaways:
- Big mergers are shaking up the construction industry, with James Hardy's $8.75 billion acquisition of AZEK being a key example.
- Eric G is gearing up for some exciting changes at home, including moving and tackling new renovation projects.
- Facebook groups are a treasure trove of DIY advice, but beware of the common pitfalls with cabinetry and construction.
- The importance of doing your homework when selecting a contractor cannot be overstated; quality varies greatly among custom cabinet shops.
- With housing prices and mortgage rates on the rise, the market is in a state of flux that homeowners need to navigate carefully.
- Eric G emphasizes the value of high-end finishes and quality craftsmanship to avoid the dreaded 'bad cabinet' scenario in home improvement.
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Monument Grill
- James Hardy
- AZEK
- QXO Inc.
- Beacon Roofing Supply
- Home Depot
- Lowe's
To get your questions answered by Eric G give us a call in the studio at 833-239-4144 24/7 and Eric G will get back to you and answer your question and you might end up in a future episode of Around the House.
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We love comments and we would love reviews on how this information has helped you on your house! Thanks for listening! For more information about the show head to https://aroundthehouseonline.com/
Information given on the Around the House Show should not be considered construction or design advice for your specific project, nor is it intended to replace consulting at your home or jobsite by a building professional. The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed on the podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Around the House Show.
Mentioned in this episode:
Monument Grill Omni-Pro Eminence Series 405
Eminence 405 enhances grilling efficiency with a smart App-synced full-color LED touch panel, a durable quality finish, and an upgraded heating system. Its sleek, modern ClearView® lid design represents the perfect blend of elegance and expert-level performance. To find out more visit: https://monumentgrills.com/collections/omni-eminence-series/products/eminence-405
Champion Homes at Design and Construction Week.
We're diving into the world of affordable housing and stellar construction, showcasing how Champion Homes is flipping the script on what factory-built housing can look like. Picture this: gorgeous three-bedroom, two-bath homes that don’t just meet the needs of today’s homebuyers but also come packed with style and efficiency. To find out MORE head to https://www.championhomes.com/
Transcript
Foreign.
Speaker B:When it comes to remodeling or renovating your home, there is a lot to know and we have gotcha covered.
Speaker B:This is AROUND the house.
Speaker C:Welcome to the Round of House show, the next generation of home improvement.
Speaker C:I'm Eric G.
Speaker C:Thanks for joining me today.
Speaker C:This is Art Weekday Update.
Speaker C:This is the stuff that didn't make it into last weekend show and isn't gonna make it into this weekend's show.
Speaker C:This hour is brought to you by our friends at Monument Grill.
Speaker C:If you're out looking for that brand new barbecue with Father's Day coming up, Mother's Day coming up, we have got a lot of great things happening so we can make sure to give those loved ones something special and maybe that's a brand new barbecue.
Speaker C:Check them out@montymcrills.com first off, I want to say happy birthday to us here at the around the house show on April 1st.
Speaker C:That is our 37th birthday.
Speaker C:Yeah, around the House has been around here in the Pacific Northwest for 37 years now.
Speaker C:And I have been on the show for about a decade before that, for nearly a decade was handyman Bob Strong.
Speaker C:And of course there were some other hosts and people on before that, but always great starting out a new season or what I call it.
Speaker C:And here we go on year 37 with some even greater things coming ahead, which is going to be a lot of fun.
Speaker C:Thanks for joining us here on this.
Speaker C:If you want to find out more about us, head over to aroundthe house online.com you can find out a ton more information over there.
Speaker C:We've got our YouTube channel.
Speaker C:Make sure and subscribe to that because we've got a lot going on over there as well as all of our other social media pieces and things going on.
Speaker C:It's Twitter or X, it's Instagram, Facebook.
Speaker C:We've got, I've got a LinkedIn, all those different things out there.
Speaker C:Ready to get you more information about your home today.
Speaker C:I wanted to talk about something that's interesting.
Speaker C:We are starting to see these really big companies lining up and buying each other out.
Speaker C:We're starting to see that in the home building supply sector.
Speaker C:Great example last week, James Hardy, who was known as James Hardy siding basically right out of Australia.
Speaker C:It's where they come from.
Speaker C:They offered AZK, the composite decking company, $8.75 billion to combine those companies in a cash and stock deal valued, you know that 8.75 billion, including $386 million in debt.
Speaker C:So it's the second major acquisition of the building supplies and Geez, a little over a week.
Speaker C:So we're starting to see that.
Speaker C:Where QXO Inc.
Speaker C:Bought Beacon Roofing Supply for a deal worth about 11 billion, including debt.
Speaker C:So there's a lot of this stuff going on with housing.
Speaker C:Basically, we're seeing housing prices go up, mortgage rates going up, all those things.
Speaker C:Sales of previously occupied US Homes fell last year to the lowest level in nearly 30 years.
Speaker C:So that's a big one right there.
Speaker C:So anyway, we're seeing what's going on.
Speaker C:It's funny, James Hardy will own about 74% of the combined company, with AZ stockholders owning about 26%.
Speaker C:It's gonna be interesting.
Speaker C:James Hardy really has survived through its early days of asbestos.
Speaker C:They've spent a few billion dollars on settlements over the years with asbestos stuff that they were building back in the day, but they have survived through it and made it.
Speaker C:And they have been a very successful sighting.
Speaker C:Exterior company with James Hardy.
Speaker C:So interesting stuff, but we're starting to see that kind of happen out there.
Speaker C:We're seeing some of these people combine or take it a look at stuff, and it's an interesting space in our marketplace.
Speaker C:Here's a little secret to me.
Speaker C:My house that I've been working on here on around the house is going to go up on the market soon and I'm gonna be looking for a new location.
Speaker C:Not gonna be moving too far away, but gonna be working on the house number two.
Speaker C:So I've got a big plan for that coming up.
Speaker C:Can't wait to show you and share some of that stuff for social media as it comes up.
Speaker C:But yep, we're gonna be moving the shop and doing all other stuff.
Speaker C:So I'm kind of in the market of getting this ready to go and then to go out and find the next location, which will be a lot of fun.
Speaker C:So that means I got a lot of projects coming up because when you're doing a house like this, it's an interesting thing to look at because I have to look at it as I'm in a very expensive land place right here and do I want to go through and finish the house up?
Speaker C:Don't want to sell it to a developer that could put two houses on this piece of property.
Speaker C:There's so many different things to look at, and for me, I have to get in the unemotional side of things out there when it comes to this.
Speaker C:All right, what's going to bring me the best money and the best return on the investment?
Speaker C:So those can be tough questions to ask.
Speaker C:And yeah, do I want to see an excavator come in and knock down this beautiful house.
Speaker C:No, but is there something to be gained by selling it financially and doing something with it?
Speaker C:Yeah, it's wasteful something.
Speaker C:There's always a little twist.
Speaker C:So we'll see what happens with life on this one.
Speaker C:I'm throwing it out in the wind and we're just going to see what the numbers come in and to have some fun with it.
Speaker C: some exciting times ahead in: Speaker C:One other thing I wanted to bring up today, and this has been something very interesting, and I'm in a lot of social media groups, Facebook groups to be specific.
Speaker C:I am in so many things.
Speaker C:We have our around the house nation, which we're growing.
Speaker C:I'm in one called Ask a cabinet Maker.
Speaker C:DIY home improvement projects.
Speaker C:There's so many different ones out there.
Speaker C:Ask the appraiser.
Speaker C:All these different groups.
Speaker C:I'm either an admin or a expert contributor for.
Speaker C:And it is one of those things that I'm seeing so very much where the same problems are happening over and over again.
Speaker C:Great example.
Speaker C:Ask a cabin maker.
Speaker C:And this is an interesting group.
Speaker C:There's 33, 34,000 people in this group.
Speaker C:But if I was going to sit there and say, what is the trend in these groups?
Speaker C:And it's interesting in the Ask a cabinet maker group, 99% of all cabinetry, construction, finish and even design issues are because of small custom cabinet shops that probably shouldn't be in business that are just absolutely building a ugly, horrible product.
Speaker C:Bad finish.
Speaker C:All these other weird little things going on, caulking cabinet doors before they finish them.
Speaker C:Just ugliness.
Speaker C:And I'm seeing that over and over again.
Speaker C:So it's one of those things that I wanted to bring up in this episode here to be very careful up there.
Speaker C:Be very careful when you're out looking at cabinetry, quite frankly, the stuff you're going to get in, you know, Home Depot, Lowe's, or a branded cabinetry that's coming out of your local kitchen and bath design center.
Speaker C:That's the place I would go by as my local kitchen and bath design center.
Speaker C:Talk to them.
Speaker C:That is your safest bet.
Speaker C:Home centers.
Speaker C:There's some decent stuff in there.
Speaker C:Are you paying a little more for it because it's the home center?
Speaker C:Absolutely, you are.
Speaker C:But I'm seeing homeowners, contractors walking into these little custom cabinet shops and the disasters that are coming out are horrible.
Speaker C:Just ugliness.
Speaker C:Bad design, bad construction, name it.
Speaker C:But it's always the same Character actors.
Speaker C:Now, there are a lot of great custom shops out there that are small, but you as a consumer have to go do your due diligence to understand it because that is so.
Speaker C:The marketplace is so riddled with low quality cabinet shops using lacquer finishes.
Speaker C:That's one of the first things I would ask.
Speaker C:What kind of finish are you putting on the cabinetry?
Speaker C:If they say lacquer or cat lacquer, I'm done.
Speaker C:Next, I want to see them running that higher end finish to protect your investment.
Speaker C:I've even seen some custom cabinet shops sending out raw cabinets and the contractor is supposed to finish them on site for stain, let alone paint.
Speaker C:That's a hard no.
Speaker C:So be very careful as a consumer out there, guys, when you're out looking at cabinetry, if you're out there looking at it, you're gonna.
Speaker C:I'm gonna do a remodel.
Speaker C:Send me a message over to roundthehouse online dot com.
Speaker C:I'll give you my two cents.
Speaker C:I tell you what I'd be looking for.
Speaker C:Feel free to ask out.
Speaker C:I can be your resource there.
Speaker C:I do get back to people on that.
Speaker C:That drops right into my email box.
Speaker C:I would much rather help you spend a couple minutes there than have to make a show out of it and just talk about how bad.
Speaker C:How bad things went.
Speaker C:So take some time, do your research.
Speaker C:It's going to save you so much money and headache in the end and I want to make sure that you've got that dialed in.
Speaker C:All right, everybody, I gotta run here.
Speaker C:I've got so much to do today.
Speaker C:We've got a great show coming up this weekend and we'll talk about that on Friday.
Speaker C:But tons of brand new content, lots of good stuff.
Speaker C:Happy Spring, Happy birthday to us.
Speaker C:We've got a great week ahead and some epic episodes coming up that you are not going to want to miss.
Speaker C:We've got some new interviews.
Speaker C:We got some great stuff coming up.
Speaker C:Going to be talking about smart home stuff.
Speaker C:We're going to be talking about lighting.
Speaker C:There's so many great things happening that I'm excited because we're going to be talking about some stuff I've been wanting to talk about for a very long time.
Speaker C:I'm Eric G.
Speaker C:Thanks for tuning into around the House.
Speaker C:We'll see you on Saturday.
Speaker A:Somewhere unseen and undiscovered Anywhere beyond the me Life is a love song let's be lovers we're all over the radio Take my hand out Nowhere to go all over the radio With.
