News Release 2015 Home Makeover Winner –Page 2 of 3
For Immediate Release:
July 9, 2015
Detroit Family Wins $100,000 Home Makeover from CertainTeed
(Valley Forge, Pa.) – CertainTeed, North America’s leading brand of building products, has announced the Bird family of Farmington Hills, Michigan as the grand prize winner of the $100,000 Living Spaces® Facebook® Home Makeover Contest. The lucky family will receive a complete renovation including siding, decking, railing, roofing, insulation and more – with the entire process documented through a series of webisodes produced by CertainTeed.
Participants were required to submit a fun, creative 90-second video to demonstrate why their home should win. The winning video – entitled “Rappin’ For a Redo” – features Anne and Lee Bird and their two children, who composed a melody-turned rap to describe the siding, insulation, roofing and decking needs of their 1940s home.
“The Bird’s creative video definitely engaged Facebook viewers putting it into the semi-finalist category. The exterior of their home certainly needs a makeover which was the primary criteria for the CertainTeed selection committee,” said Matt Gibson, marketing director for CertainTeed Siding. “The ingenuity of rap lyrics, highlighting their many renovation needs, was a fun way to communicate how CertainTeed can improve the curb appeal and performance of their home. We look forward to restoring this 75 year-old home to its true beauty.”
The Bird family received the news of winning the contest in person during a surprise visit by CertainTeed on June 10. It was clear the Bird family was truly shocked to have been selected by their astonished reaction, which was captured on video and posted to the CertainTeed Living Spaces Facebook page.
Detroit area contractors with CertainTeed 5-Star, Select Shingle Master and Master Craftsman credentials have been chosen to install the siding, roofing, fence and insulation products including: Indoor-Outdoor Remodeling & Cabinetry of Livonia, Victor’s Roofing of Canton, Kimberly Fence & Supply of Warren and Gypsum Supply Company of Troy. Construction will begin in September, with the extensive transformation captured in dramatic detail through upcoming webisodes starring the Birds and their local contractor team.
The webisodes will be available for viewing on the CertainTeed Living Spaces Facebook page (www.facebook.com/certainteedlivingspaces) and the CTLivingSpaces YouTube® Channel (www.youtube.com/CTLivingSpaces) in late 2015, along with the opportunity for fans and viewers to participate in the makeover process through a series of related contests. Updates will also be posted to Twitter @CTLivingSpaces. View webisodes from previous winners online now.
In addition to the grand prize winner, the top nine finalists will receive $500 Living Spaces prize packages.
CertainTeed offers unsurpassed Freedom of Choice® through its industry-leading portfolio of insulation, roofing, long-lasting polymer, insulated and vinyl siding as well as fence, railing, decking and exterior trim. CertainTeed offers the advantage of using interior and exterior products from a single source that are designed to mix-and-match with each other and feature authentic textures, versatile styles and rich color combinations, for a beautifully coordinated look.
As the result of a strong commitment to environmental responsibility, CertainTeed is the first manufacturer to issue and publish third-party validated Health Product Declarations (HPDs) for fiberglass insulation, Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for blowing wool and Sustainable Insulation® fiberglass batt insulation, and Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) for its vinyl, trim, fence and railing product lines. For more information, visit www.certainteed.com/freedomofchoice.
About CertainTeed
Through the responsible development of innovative and sustainable building products, CertainTeed, headquartered in Valley Forge, Pa., has helped shape the building products industry for more than 110 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company, the firm's slogan "Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed," quickly inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed® is North America’s leading brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, fence, decking, railing, trim, insulation, gypsum and ceilings.
A subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, one of the world’s largest and oldest building products companies, and celebrating its 350th anniversary, CertainTeed and its affiliates have more than 5,700 employees and more than 60 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. For seven consecutive years, the company has received top honors from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its contributions in protecting the environment and was most recently the recipient of the 2015 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award. The group had total sales of approximately $3.3 billion in 2014. www.certainteed.com
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