CAROLINA HOME EXTERIORS (JOHN LAVINA) STOPS BY 6/5/26

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

All right. Moving the indoor lifestyle outside is much easier with Carolina Home Exteriors. And joining us right now is uh John Lavina. Did I say it right?

SPEAKER_02 0:12

You did say it right. I know. It's so unusual.

SPEAKER_00 0:15

Lavina. Um, is that Italian?

SPEAKER_02 0:17

It is Italian.

SPEAKER_00 0:18

Okay, there you go. Uh of Carolina Home Exteriors. And you have uh moved through this company in different roles.

SPEAKER_02 0:26

I have.

SPEAKER_00 0:27

I had originally met you uh when you this is way before we had a sponsorship relationship with the company. And when I was looking for the company, I said, All right, I know this is a sketchy contractor like you know community. Industry, industry-wide.

SPEAKER_02 0:44

It's it's it can be very sketchy.

SPEAKER_00 0:46

It is really troublesome. Uh you hear all these nightmare stories, and I said, I have to do my research and I have to make sure I use the right company. And um, even though people recommended other companies to me in my neighborhood, I didn't like what theirs looked like.

SPEAKER_01 1:00

So I said We couldn't hear you in the back.

SPEAKER_00 1:03

I didn't like the way theirs looked because they had like these these um securing straps on them. I don't know. Do you know what I'm talking about?

SPEAKER_02 1:11

I do, they're called cable ties.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

Okay. And I'm not saying you guys don't use them because I don't know. We do. You do use them. But I didn't want mine to look like that. So if I had an opportunity for mine not to look like that.

SPEAKER_02 1:22

We we try to design it around your um what you're what you like and what you don't like.

SPEAKER_00 1:27

And so um what I I I saw the great reviews, I gave you a call, and I to me it was a no-brainer. I cannot remember the gentleman's name that came to measure. Um not sure. Yeah, I can't remember, but he was a wonderful man.

SPEAKER_01 1:42

He was the measuring guy.

SPEAKER_00 1:43

He was the measuring guy, but he's a he was a wonderful man, worked for the company, so knowledgeable. He has since passed away, but he was just a really Mike Kenzie.

SPEAKER_02 1:51

That's okay, yeah. That's his name.

SPEAKER_00 1:53

He's such a great guy. And uh he was really so informative, and that's the part that I love is that the measuring part, because you really don't know what's possible, and as a as a homeowner, that's the part I appreciated. I said this is how I want to use the room, and he came up with the solution. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_02 2:14

And that's what we do. I mean we're design consultants and we we help with the design part of your enclosure. So that's that's a part of being um the informative part that we try to get out there. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_00 2:26

Yeah, because you don't know what you don't know.

SPEAKER_02 2:28

Right.

SPEAKER_00 2:28

You only know what your neighbors have. Um and you could do screen rooms, you can do pool enclosures, you can do three seasons room, four seasons room, you can turn your screen room into a two seasons room with easy breeze windows. You know, maybe you want to do a luxury shed, maybe you need just motorized screens on your Lenai, or you want a motorized pergola. I mean, these are the basics. But the showroom is where it all I I recommend people go to the showroom.

SPEAKER_02 2:55

Yeah, and we actually just updated it. So we're we've got all the Timo products that are going to be um, you know, displayed quite nicely. And I apologize. Um I am uh we are uh uh trying to bring it so that it's more uh where you can walk in, experience egg exactly what you're looking for, uh depending on you know how many rows of glass you want or um the type of glass you want, whether it's single pane or double pane. We're trying to give you all those options. Plus we got you know pergol set up inside the office. Um, you know, it's just one of those things where we we try to give you every option that you could possibly get and then inform you on you know the benefits of each.

SPEAKER_00 3:37

And there's different types of screens you can put. There's a pet screen, there's a noceum screen, there's a regular screen. So tell us a little bit about um the quality of the product and why some need cable ties and then some don't.

SPEAKER_02 3:51

Well, cable ties are typically for a pool enclosure, uh otherwise known as bird cages. A lot of people like to say bird cages. They're designed to keep the structure from swaying back and forth in a hurricane. Uh because of the fact, you know, I've experienced a few hurricanes myself, so you see all the difference um the all the way it shifts back and forth on on the winds and and so those those cable tires are designed to keep that sway from happening.

SPEAKER_00 4:20

And that makes sense on a pool enclosure because it's not supported by an actual structure. I mean it's attached to your house, but it's not it's nearly freestanding.

SPEAKER_02 4:27

Yes, right. On the outside. So you want to make sure that that sway doesn't happen. And uh that's what I think.

SPEAKER_00 4:32

And I do have a bit of an extension from my Lenai.

SPEAKER_02 4:35

Yeah, but you're you're pretty small. I mean, it's for for a screen room, it has a roof, but it's not like it's not sticking out 30 feet, 40 feet from the house. So it it doesn't have it doesn't need those cable ties to really keep you in place.

SPEAKER_00 4:49

What I really loved about working with Carolina Home Exteriors is the fact that you guys handled the drawings I needed, the information I needed to submit to the HOA. It made it so simple. It was like I sent it and then it was instantly improved. Like to me, that just tells me you guys know what you're doing.

SPEAKER_02 5:07

Yeah, and that that starts right from the beginning, right from the design call consultation, uh going all the way up to the uh CAD drawings. We get that out as quick as we possibly can so that you can get your approval so that we can get that process done. That's why we have timelines. We have a 10-step process that helps with the homeowner understanding how to get it done and and the uh efficiency that it happens with.

SPEAKER_00 5:30

And and as a homeowner, having that protocol listed out on a piece of paper, I knew where I was in the process the whole time. Yeah. And I never had a guess what was going on next, and I never had a call up and follow up. It just all happened along the timeline. And I was doing it post-COVID in the directly in the aftermath of COVID.

SPEAKER_02 5:52

COVID changed the world, didn't it?

SPEAKER_00 5:54

We we didn't know how long the steel, you know, how long it was gonna get take to get there, and we didn't know all those things, and timelines were longer. Yeah. But you guys kept me in the loop the whole entire time.

SPEAKER_02 6:04

Yeah, it's all about you know, communication, communication, communication.

SPEAKER_00 6:08

That was huge. And then I said I needed extension on this.

SPEAKER_02 6:12

Yes. And that's where I came in. That's where you came in for the design. You know, being an installer for as many years as I have, uh, one of the very few things that I've ever done was a catio. And I got to do that on your home.

SPEAKER_00 6:24

Yes. I needed a space for the cats to roam and not be like in our space all the time. But you know what, Nick? John was installing my my screen room with the enclosure because it it goes five feet past. But he is the one who solved my flying squirrel problem.

SPEAKER_01 6:42

I used to make fun of her in the flying squirrel thing. Flying squirrel.

SPEAKER_00 6:45

I don't know if you remember that. He don't rem he doesn't remember, but remember they had those columns.

SPEAKER_02 6:51

I do.

SPEAKER_00 6:52

And the the flying squirrel squirrels were hanging out in the columns.

SPEAKER_02 6:56

Yes, and they were leaving lots of dirty marks on your walls and gutters, and yes, I think. And my lanai.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

And I said, and you said, I could box it out like this. Do you like it the way? And he was literally making it by hand as we spoke.

SPEAKER_02 7:12

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

And talk about custom design. We didn't even talk about it in the design, but you knew I needed a solution for that.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

I want to thank you for that because then she finally shut up about the flying squirrels.

SPEAKER_00 7:24

It was scaring us.

SPEAKER_01 7:25

We did a deep dive one day on flying squirrels.

SPEAKER_02 7:27

You know, it's all about you know going uh uh above and beyond for your customers.

SPEAKER_00 7:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:32

You know, it really is. And and to solve a problem like that, that's that's what we do. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

And the gutter issue. So um so what ends up happening is when you get these things, you still have to redirect water. And you take care of all of that. That's all part of the finished product.

SPEAKER_02 7:45

Yeah, we have to make sure that the water gets away from the house, you know, comes down, make sure it comes off the house correctly, and then it also um has to be able to shed away from the home, you know, in a proper way.

SPEAKER_00 7:58

Yeah, because that is really key to all of it. Um the other thing is when we built the catio, we were building it where there was no roof structure.

SPEAKER_02 8:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:08

So you can do the screen room with a roof, you could do it with a screen. Yeah, you can do it with a covered roof, you can we did it with one side enclosed because we needed some like a wall. Um and uh you put this the um the gutters there, redirected the water away. I mean, does anybody have any questions about what is possible? You can text us on the Budget Blinds text line. We're speaking with Carolina Home Exteriors. John Levina is like the design person, but he has a lot of knowledge about what's possible, how to build these things, and the number is 843-798-talk-798-8255. So tell us um a little bit more about the materials you use, these uh American-made strong materials.

SPEAKER_02 8:47

So that would be the Timo products. So the Timo products have uh a vast line of uh single pane glass, double pane glass, uh, vinyl rooms, screen rooms, you name it, they have uh a pretty vast line. And they have the uh acrylic coating on the aluminum itself. So it'll never fade, it'll never chip, it'll always be protected. The aluminum behind that acrylic coating will always be protected. It's all American-made, which is a huge part of our business to make sure that we keep everything either local or American-made.

SPEAKER_00 9:22

And what about the harsh sea air? I'm only half a mile from the ocean. Yeah, so we're dealing with that a lot. It has held up amazingly.

SPEAKER_02 9:30

Yeah, which is why we have to use that acrylic coating, because if you use a powder coating, it it it tends to break down over years. So to go with an acrylic coating, that's that's exactly what you need to do to protect against that salt air and the rain and all the different elements, the sun, the cold, it's so many different factors that go into the I mean we said some 20 degree days. And we've had some pretty cold winters that the last couple of years.

SPEAKER_00 9:55

Yeah, snow and ice. Um, and what about uh we talk about like the solar windows and the hurricane resistant windows.

SPEAKER_02 10:03

So give us a little bit of a being on the coast, the the one thing that you have to keep in mind is that him impact glass is one of those products that you have to have. Um especially if you live in a condom uh condominium or anything like that, there are requirements, there's uh nationwide requirements that require you to have that impact glass. We offer it. Timo offers it. So we we we can give you the uh the the protection that you need.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

The peace of mind. Because there's nothing worse than a storm coming through, some projectile, right? And that is dangerous to have that wind inside your home. It could take a lot down and stuff. So you want to make sure you have that. Now, the Four Seasons room is like had having an extension on it. So how do you handle the whole floor situation and all that?

SPEAKER_02 10:50

Well, we don't handle the floor situation. We do concrete. So when we do the concrete part of it, we make sure it's level because when you're putting on a uh a room and you're adding a space to your home, that is the part where you know we want to make sure everything is perfectly level. We want to make sure that the the room has a uh good seal on it so that way you don't have any water intrusion, air intrusion, um, anything that's gonna affect the inside area because it it it truly is, you know, a part of the house.

SPEAKER_00 11:20

It is, you know, so it it definitely is, especially if it's a four seasons room. Yeah. So you coordinate that whole project, um, and then people can add a mini split to it or something like that.

SPEAKER_02 11:31

Yeah. So we have co we have county codes, right? So that we have to abide by it. So when you you do a four-season room, you know, there are certain things that you have to keep in mind. This is part of the education thing, right? So the uh outlets being at a certain uh distance away from each other, the the type of material that you're using, making sure it's all insulated and it has all the R factors that you need.

SPEAKER_00 11:53

I mentioned luxury sheds. Um, those are pretty amazing. Tell us some of the uses people have um, you know, had them installed for.

SPEAKER_02 12:01

So Timo offers this great little package that you can use on the if you didn't want a pool enclosure, right? So and you wanted an extra space for your you know, your family to go out and just hang out in. You can put a uh you can do a little luxury shed that has uh an inside area that's vinyled in, uh, their vinyl windows, and then it has like an uh a little deck that you can put a grill on, but it has a covered roof so you can protect yourself from you know the elements and and uh enjoy that space while you know the the kids or the grandkids are playing in the pool. You got somewhere to go that's cool and and you know has that comfort.

SPEAKER_00 12:38

Yeah, absolutely. Anything else that you wanted to make sure we know about Carolina Home Exteriors?

SPEAKER_02 12:44

Yeah, so we have a few things going on. Um, so we have the 250 for 250 going on right now. What's that? The 250 for 250, obviously, 250 years. We've been uh a country. So we're offering $250 off uh any uh sign contract uh here in the next uh it goes all the way up to uh l uh Memorial Day, so it'll it'll end at that point.

SPEAKER_00 13:07

Memorial wait, you don't mean Memorial Day. Labor Day? Labor Day. I apologize. I was gonna I was gonna mix that. Okay, that's okay.

SPEAKER_02 13:13

Uh so we we want to make sure that you know you you can combine that with uh our 20% off of T-MO products as well. So you can combine the 20% off, the 250 off, and then um we also offer you know discounts on you know our roll-down uh motorized screens, yeah, our uh screen enclosures, yeah, you name it, everything that we have we try to give some kind of discount on because of the fact that and when you look at through those motorized screens, you can see out? Well, it all depends. So there's a it's a huge line of of going from anywhere from a screen system all the way up to a dim out system where it's like completely dark. You can't see through it, nobody can see in.

SPEAKER_00 13:56

So for privacy it's great, for blocking out the sunset when it gets too hot, right?

SPEAKER_02 14:01

And everything in between. So you have different variations of that.

SPEAKER_00 14:04

So what would you like uh to invite people to? I mean, is it a free estimate? No Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 14:11

We are a design consultation. It is free of charge. We do not charge for any kind of you know consultations that we have. Uh we always welcome um the public to come into the office and and to see the showroom. And we are at 11730 Frontage Road in Merrill's Inlet. And you can find us at Carolina Home Exteriors.com as well, 843-651-6514.

SPEAKER_00 14:33

John, it's such a pleasure to work with you as a homeowner, but also as a great sponsor. And I know Ted is also a great patriot. Yep. Uh I came to visit the showroom and he gave me a constitution, and I just love that. And uh, we had a lot of fun with him and you over at the home show. Uh but go check them out on Facebook. But I really recommend you stop by their showroom on Highway 17 in Burrell's Inlet. Go to Carolina Home Exteriors dot com. Thank you so much, John. Say hi to Ted and the rest of the team. Absolutely. Thank you for having me.