Sorting Through Siding: IBS Expert Roundtable
From wood to plastic, and everything in between, siding choices have exploded in recent years.
Sponsored by Westlake Royal Building Products™
At the 2025 International Build Show in Las Vegas, the Fine Homebuilding team hosted a roundtable with Westlake Royal Building Products™ (WRBP) that was all about siding. From wood to plastic, and everything in between, siding choices have exploded in recent years. During the roundtable, we took a closer look at the variety of options available in today’s market and chatted about cost, installation, performance, and other important factors.
This roundtable covers topics like:
- How to protect siding from wildfires, high winds, hail, and more
- Cost-effective and durable siding options for various home styles
- The next big trends in siding like exterior trim, color, shutters, etc.
Meet the Panelists
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Chris Johnson (CJ) — Director or Product Management, Siding & Trim
CJ Johnson leads the Product Management group for the Siding and Trim Brands within Westlake Royal Building Products. He has more than 11 years of experience in the building products industry and is an active member with PEPA (formerly VSI). He is responsible for developing and launching various new building products and is extremely passionate about siding. In his free time, he enjoy spending time at his cottage in the Finger Lakes region of NY, reading, exercising and travel. |
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Emily Mottram — Founder and Principal of Mottram Architecture
Emily is the founder and principal of Mottram Architecture, a boutique practice specializing in new homes and renovations that are beautiful, functional, comfortable, healthy, and durable. An educator at heart, Emily also teaches building science and sustainable design at a local community college and has served as a consultant for projects in a secondary school trade program. She hosts the weekly podcast E3: Energy and Efficiency with Emily and co-hosts the live-streamed BS* + Beer Show, a weekly building science show for professionals and “civilians” alike. |
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Ryan Smith — Framing Carpenter and FHB Contributor Ryan Smith is a carpenter specializing in residential construction and roof framing. Upon graduating high school, Ryan was immediately passionate about roof cutting, which led to many late nights listening to lead carpenters explain how the job was done. Ryan gained experience in many areas of construction including siding, roofing, drywall hanging, and trimming houses. Still, his first love was always framing. Over time, Ryan developed his own approach to the craft, which involves cutting roof rafters before a house has been built. Today, he is the sole roof cutter at 7 Construction Inc., a custom framing company based in Buffalo, New York. He is also the president and owner of Roof Cutter’s Inc. where he cuts and ships custom roofs around the country! He believes carpenters’ integrity matters more than their skill, as this enables them to bring a level of mastery–and respect–to the work at hand. |
View Comments
What a disappointment. So much going on in terms of new siding manufacturing methods (wood thermally or chemically treated, composite or engineered and many more) and the panelists spend more than half the time on the benefits of vinyl siding. Vinyl siding has its place but I was looking for the panelists to go over a more diverse selection and follow through on the title promise of “siding choices have exploded in recent years”. Especially when discussing “fine home building”. Sponsored videos are a tricky thing in real journalism and can easily slip into infomercial territory.