VP OPERATIONS: Rob Bates
FIRM: Rockwell Custom Homes
Well-known in Philadelphia and its surrounding suburbs, Rockwell Custom Homes is one of the area’s top builders. They create communities in well-to-do zip codes with high-end amenities that today’s homebuyers desire. Rob Bates, VP of Operations, is tasked with managing the costs, purchases and day-to-day activities of numerous job sites.
Despite building houses in a market where vinyl is a standard siding choice, Bates believes James Hardie® fiber cement siding is a natural fit for Rockwell Custom Homes (RHC). The look and performance of James Hardie products provide a premium alternative that aligns with their stated mission of “building better homes with superior customer service.”
“Rockwell differentiates itself by choosing to build with James Hardie products, which set the high-end standard for aesthetics in the market,” says Bates. “To compete in the high-end market and achieve a look that stands out, James Hardie products are a great choice for our customers.”
Bates is particularly impressed with the advanced James Hardie® ColorPlus® Technology finishes. “Aesthetically, there’s no comparison. ColorPlus products deliver a far superior look than vinyl siding. From the day they’re installed and for years to come the products always look good on our homes, no question.”
The ColorPlus palette provides the color selection RCH needs, from stylish shades of grays, beiges and off-white that are popular in suburban Philadelphia, to a variety of green and blue tones coveted by residents along the Jersey Shore. Bates explains, “The ColorPlus palette stays current with 2018 standards with enough color choices to satisfy any market and any taste where we build.”
With the rising popularity of outdoor living, today’s homebuyers expect their entire exterior to be appealing. So, RCH mixes profiles and textures to treat the house as a holistic structure rather than a façade. Bates believes James Hardie more than meets their needs with a wide range of authentic siding textures, widths and profiles – including lap siding, board and batten and shingles – to use in combination and beautifully capture any home design.
The products’ exceptional performance has an even deeper appeal for RCH, because homebuyers see the value in low-maintenance siding that can hold its beauty over time. Only James Hardie siding is Engineered for Climate® to withstand the conditions where the products are used. For the many years that RCH has been using these products, they’ve proven to perform wonderfully through the hot, humid summers and the winter storms that pound Philadelphia. “Customers appreciate the look of James Hardie and the fact that it keeps its good looks,” claims Bates.
The Rockwell Custom team is confident that its trade partners can always depend on James Hardie to deliver the product they need when and where they need it. Bates asserts, “They’re a reliable partner to our business. In so many ways, James Hardie works with us, so we can offer a higher standard of product on the many homes that we build.”
