Cost Of Vinyl Siding, Windows Going Up In Oklahoma

Dan Bewley, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma -- High gas prices and a struggling economy are starting to impact home repairs. Costs for materials are on the rise, and that's causing a big problem for contractors.

Mark Gibson is known as the Siding Man. In 1993, the siding expert took over the company his father started six decades ago. It's the last several years, though, that have been the most difficult.

"We've been in business 57 years," Gibson said. "What we were paying for a high end panel, now we're paying for a low end panel and that makes it extremely tough."

Gibson says the cost of vinyl siding and windows is on the rise.

Higher fuel costs is one reason to blame, but Gibson also says two of the five plants in the world that manufacture a material used in vinyl siding are in Japan. Both were destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami.

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In the last three months, he says, his costs for materials have risen 22 percent.

News On 6 reporter Dan Bewley: "Have you ever seen something like that before?"
Mark Gibson, The Siding Man: "No, normally we'll have a price increase once a year anywhere from about 7 to 10 percent."

The economy certainly has taken its toll on Gibson's business. His best year in sales was close to $250,000 and that was in the mid 90s. Last year, the company had $105,000 in sales, and Gibson doesn't expect things to get any better for at least another three years.

"I'm doing better so far this year than I was this time last year, but I'm out hustling a whole lot harder this year than I did last year to get the jobs that I've got," Gibson said.

It's not just vinyl siding that's costing more. Shingles and roofing materials are also expected to rise at least 20 percent by the end of May - all thanks to high gas prices and the vast amount of destruction from tornadoes in the south.

The hope now for these small, locally owned businesses is that the economy turns around quickly before their bottom line take a bigger hit.