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Westlake Royal Building Products manufactures three siding lines that are purpose-built for homeowners who want authentic shake and shingle aesthetics without the maintenance cycle: Foundry Specialty Siding, Portsmouth Shake & Shingles, and Royal Vinyl Siding. Herman Exterior Homes installs all three throughout Albany and the Capital Region. We're based in Schenectady — about 15 miles and 20 minutes from a typical Albany job site — and we pull every permit, handle every detail, and back our installations with the manufacturer's lifetime warranty.
Visit our Siding Hub for additional types of siding that we install and repair for our customers.
Albany's housing stock is one of the most architecturally varied in New York State. The Federal and Greek Revival rowhouses in the Mansion District, the Victorian and Italianate homes ringing Washington Park, the Craftsman bungalows and late Victorians throughout Pine Hills — these are homes where the right siding choice matters aesthetically, not just functionally.
For decades, real cedar shake was the premium answer for homeowners who wanted authentic texture on a historically-styled home. The problem: Albany's climate is genuinely hard on wood. Albany averages around 60 inches of snowfall annually, with January lows around 16°F and roughly 60–70 freeze-thaw cycles per year. Each cycle stresses wood grain, opens seams, and invites moisture. Add summer humidity that pushes into the mid-70s dew point in July and August — accelerating mildew and rot on north-facing elevations — and you have a recipe for a high-maintenance exterior.
Foundry is Westlake Royal's premium PVC shake and shingle line. It's the product that earns the comparison to real cedar because it doesn't just approximate the look, it’s cast from it.Foundry panels are made from 72 unique molds cast from actual cedar and stone. The non-repeat pattern runs 40 feet before cycling, the longest in the industry, which is why Foundry installations don't have the stamped, repetitive look that gives lower-grade polymer siding away at twenty paces.
Portsmouth Shake & Shingles is Westlake Royal's Exterior Portfolio line — a polymer shake and shingle system positioned at a slightly different price point than Foundry, with the same maintenance-free performance promise.
Portsmouth is a strong fit when you want authentic cedar character on a mid-century Colonial, a Pine Hills bungalow, or a suburban home in Colonie or Guilderland — where the architectural character calls for something better than flat vinyl, but the project scope doesn't demand Foundry's full PVC premium.
What sets it apart from commodity vinyl
Double Lifetime Warranty — one of the few vinyl siding lines that covers the second owner of the home; a real resale-value argument
Chromatix® Technology: Proprietary color protection that reflects infrared energy, reducing on-wall heat buildup and slowing UV-driven fading; warranted to fade no more than 3 Hunter Units.
Woodgrain texture and low-gloss cedar aesthetics — reads as cedar from the street without the weight or maintenanceFor the suburban neighborhoods surrounding Albany — Colonie, Guilderland, Bethlehem, Niskayuna — Royal Vinyl is a competitive upgrade from builder-grade vinyl that most homes carry after 20–30 years.
Herman Exterior Homes is based in Schenectady — about 15 miles from Albany, roughly 20 minutes to a typical Capital Region job site. We've been installing siding throughout Albany, Schenectady, and the surrounding communities for years, and we install the full Westlake Royal product family: Foundry, Portsmouth, and Royal Vinyl. Every project we run in Albany includes:
Permit pulled through the City of Albany Building Department
Housewrap installed on every re-side (most pre-1960 Albany homes don't have it)
Full manufacturer warranty on materials; our installation workmanship is warranted separately
Fixed-price scope provided before work begins — no mid-project surprises
Service area: Albany · Schenectady · Troy · Saratoga Springs · Clifton Park · Latham · Colonie · Guilderland · Niskayuna · Delmar · Bethlehem · Cohoes · Watervliet · Green Island
Everlast Siding Capital Region
James Hardie Siding Capital Region
Westlake Royal Building Products is the parent company that owns several siding brands — including Foundry Specialty Siding, Portsmouth Shake & Shingles (Exterior Portfolio line), Royal Vinyl Siding, and TruExterior.
Foundry Specialty Siding carries a Limited Lifetime Warranty covering both the panels and the finish. PVC siding of this quality tier routinely performs 40–50+ years in northeastern climates when properly installed.
Yes — it's one of the better performers in this climate. Foundry's PVC substrate is dimensionally stable through Albany's 60–70 annual freeze-thaw cycles. It doesn't absorb moisture, so it doesn't expand and crack under ice pressure.
Contact Herman Exterior Homes for a free on-site estimate. We'll evaluate your current siding condition, identify any underlying issues, discuss profile and color options across the Westlake Royal line, and give you a complete scope and fixed price before any work begins.
We provide comprehensive exterior renovations—including roofing, siding, and gutters—throughout the Northeast. Our service area spans the Capital District, from Lake George down to Catskill, as well as parts of Southern Vermont and Western Massachusetts.
Unsure if we cover your neighborhood? Contact us! We are likely working on a home near you.