Case Study: St. Michaels, MD

The Eastern Shore of Maryland is filled with eclectic small towns chock-full of tradition, fresh seafood, and remarkable waters. One of those towns, St. Michaels, is a place where numerous retirees who once enjoyed successful careers in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. now spend their days. It is also a popular destination for families in the area to buy weekend or vacation homes. The quiet, slow-paced atmosphere of St. Michaels makes it an ideal location for relaxed days and leisurely activities on the water.

One of those families is the Swarens, who own a waterfront home – their permanent residence – on the Chesapeake Bay. Tom Swaren, a retired engineer and businessman, and his wife were gearing up to make significant renovations to their home built in the 1990s. These upgrades included a new roof, front porch, rear deck, eyebrow roof above the garage, HVAC systems, and siding for the entire exterior of the home.

After an extensive search for the perfect material, the Swarens chose Everlast® advanced composite siding.

“I zeroed in on Everlast siding after many weeks of studying and driving as far as three hours away to see a number of projects and speak with experienced installers,” said homeowner Tom Swaren. “With Everlast siding, we found everything we wanted in a siding product.”

Swaren listed a number of advantages that Everlast siding provides, which all motivated him to choose it for his home:

• Ability to sustain extreme heat and direct sunlight without warping or cracking.
• Impervious to water, which was important considering the home’s waterfront location.
• No painting requirement.
• Low maintenance.
• A number of local installers informed the Swarens that the weight of fiber cement could become an issue for older, multi-story houses such as this, making the lightweight nature of Everlast a key advantage.
• Quiet. The location of the Swarens’ home tends to generate wind, particularly in the winter as storms come off the Chesapeake Bay. The Swarens did not want a product that would rattle or vibrate in the wind, such as traditional vinyl siding.
• Insect resistance.
• Curb appeal. Swaren noted, “The appearance of Everlast is certainly a step change above the vinyl product it replaced and, in our opinion, gave the house a more sophisticated and high-quality appearance.”
• Limited Lifetime Warranty and 100% replacement guarantee to the original homeowner.

The siding renovation features a two-toned approach: Flagstone 7” lap siding for the center stack and Natural White board and batten siding for the wings.

Everlast siding representative, Jonathan Winoker of Pro-Fit Sales, who was involved with the project, commented, “I thought the color choice was bold and unique and that it really gave the house a lot of character.”

Like many of the houses on the Eastern Shore, the home is a traditional colonial. Often times with this building style, designers attempt to achieve the look of a small original house (the center stack in Flagstone) that has been expanded upon over the years (the Natural White wings).

“Simply put, my wife and I liked the appearance of both profiles of Everlast siding,” said Swaren. “Although we are not the original designers or homeowners, we wanted to stay true to the traditional colonial pattern and accent the ‘additions’ not only with a different color, but by switching from lap siding to board and batten.”

Curb appeal and performance were both important considerations for the home. However, Everlast siding’s water-resistance made it the most viable option due to the home’s close proximity to the water.

Swaren noted that during his research he read too many accounts of leading fiber cement siding products absorbing moisture when installed near water and flaking or breaking down around panel edges. He consulted with a local siding installer who backed those claims, indicating that his company makes a lot of money removing and replacing fiber cement on homes in the area.

After a comprehensive examination of siding options and speaking with a number of construction professionals, the Swarens entrusted Everlast siding to clad their forever home. The family is happy that Everlast siding will keep the home’s exterior looking beautiful for the rest of their lives without ongoing maintenance or painting.

“We are absolutely satisfied with the product and the updated renovation of our home,” concluded Swaren.

The siding installation on the Swaren home was completed in the summer of 2022. In addition to Pro-Fit Sales (Newton Grove, NC), the project team included remodeling contractor Sundance Custom Homes (Earleville, MD).