“I knew the only way I was going to be able to stay in business was to provide the best quality work,” Day says. “We’re always trying to stay a step ahead of the other guys by emphasizing quality and keeping on the cutting edge of fence design, and I think that’s what sets us apart.”

 

One of the ways Day has stayed on the cutting edge is by building close working relationships with local builders and working with them to come up with the most appropriate exterior design for each home . About five years ago, Day started working on luxury townhomes with Tim Grein, Vice President and Director of PHD Builders in High Point, and the two decided to try color-coordinating vinyl fences with the homes’ exteriors. Matching the fence styles and colors more appropriately to the house made for a more visually appealing look. As time went on and more fence colors became available, color coordination became a lot easier, and Day and Grein have found themselves on the cusp of a growing trend.

 

“When I started out in the business, there were hardly any colors available in vinyl fencing,” Day says. “Most of it was white, and occasionally, you could find gray. I know companies can’t offer every possible color for fences, but just the addition of the clay and tan colors has made a big difference. We now do a tremendous amount of townhomes, and it seems that a lot of our customers are incorporating white, tan or clay into their siding. The color coordination has worked out very well for us and for the contractors we work for.”

 

“We’ve always tried to do at least a little color-coordinating, but recently, with the growing selection of fence material colors, we’re working a lot harder to match the fences with the siding, soffit, windows and roofs,” Grein says. We want to tie everything in together.”

 

One of the recent projects Day Fence and PHD have collaborated on is Pennfield Estates, a high-end subdivision in the High Point area with homes priced between $350,000 and $600,000. For this project, Day specified a few different fences, all of them CertainTeed products. For the entryways, he used CertainTeed’s Prestige, ™ a black, wrought iron-emulating composite fence, and for the privacy fence, he installed Bufftech™ Chesterfield vinyl fencing in clay or tan color, depending on the home. Day also installed EverNew® vinyl railing in clay and tan on stairways and raised porches in the rear of the homes. These all matched well with the CertainTeed Cedar Impressions® cedar-style polymer siding used on the houses.

 

Day uses CertainTeed fence and rail products almost exclusively, appreciating their quality and design.

 

“I’ve always been impressed by the quality of CertainTeed vinyl fencing,” Day says. “I’ve never had a problem with it.”

 

Though Day still installs wood, wrought iron and aluminum fences on some projects, he prefers working with vinyl and composite materials for their durability, ease of installation and low-maintenance for the homeowner. Day says that he makes it clear to customers that using vinyl is one of the best ways to ensure their fences will continue to look good for years to come, and the majority are starting to get the message.

 

“I don’t use inferior products,” he says. “I built two bad fences when I started, and I went back later and rebuilt them at my own expense because I didn’t want my name on that kind of work. If somebody tells me ‘I don’t need the best,’ I’ll say ‘That’s fine, but you’ll have to find someone else to build your fence.

“I usually recommend the vinyl fences. Almost all of the builders we work with building high-end townhomes are asking for vinyl these days, and we’re happy to provide it.”

 

The color-coordination of fences with the home’s exterior is expected to grow as upscale homeowners demand more color options. Karen Hoffman, designer-builder and co-owner of Hoffman Builders, Inc., of High Point, a design-build firm that often works with Day Fence, says she’s noticing a new breed of customers with a more discerning taste in home design. The color coordination feature is one that often catches their eyes, she says.

“Customers are much more educated these days, so they are more particular about what they want,” she says. “Part of selling something is getting them through the front door, and if they don’t like what they see on the outside, they’re not going to come in.”

 

Day sees color coordination as an excellent way to better meet customers’ design needs and increase business for fence contractors. The key to getting this extra business is by consistently doing quality work and working closely with builders and general contractors to come up with the best design solution, he says.

“If you’re a fence contractor who does mediocre work, builders and contractors are not going to take your advice. It’s more of an issue of making builders aware of color coordination options if this trend is going to take off. I think fence contractors need to spend a lot more time doing this.”

Day Fence Builders has been in business since 1996, serving the Piedmont Triad area of Central North Carolina with residential, commercial and farm fencing. PHB Builders, a family-owned business, has been a residential builder in Central North Carolina since 1946. Hoffman Builders, Inc., founded in 1987, designs and builds a variety of custom homes, townhomes and speculative homes throughout the Piedmont Triad.