As the founder and owner of E&E Siding for almost three decades, John Esh forged his company on the cornerstones of honesty, integrity and high-level customer service.

Now that his two oldest sons, Michael and Matthew, have succeeded him, they have sought to put their own stamp on the family business. But those core principles they learned from their father at a young age continue to be the backbone of every project they take on.

 “We are tremendously grateful for the foundation that Dad laid for the company,” Matthew Esh says. “We’re trying to take what he built and move it to the next level. He put in all the blood, sweat and tears and got the company to where it is now with the character and values that he has. Now we’re making it our own while keeping it a family-operated business.”

Michael and Matthew, who are a year apart, were in their late teens and fresh out of school when they first joined E&E as full-time employees. They looked up to John as a mentor, and continue to seek their father’s guidance when pondering important decisions.

At the same time, they have made significant changes to the business, none bigger than changing its name to E&E General Contracting and extending the company’s influence.

 “We’ve taken it from just a siding company to an exterior renovation company,” Matthew says. “We’re going to continue to make a push into general contracting and things other than just siding, such as additions, roofing, windows, doors and masonry.

“We have really enjoyed the transition. It’s rewarding to go into a customer’s home and redo everything on the outside from start to finish. We get there and the house looks one way, and we completely transform the outside of their home. Last year we were able to do a number of complete remodeling projects, which is what we really love to do, so it’s been exciting.”

Although siding is no longer in the name, however, it remains one of the company’s specialties, and the brothers are thrilled to be helping usher in a proven product to this area. LP SmartSide siding has been popular in the Midwest for many years and is finally starting to catch on here in the Northeast.

An engineered product, LP SmartSide is made of wood strands that are coated in wax and a special solution to protect the siding from severe weather, general rotting, termites and woodpeckers.

 “It has the beauty of wood without all of the problems associated with wood,” Matthew says. “We also prefer it over fiber cement siding, which we have seen fail in several different areas. That made us look to other things and we came across this product, and ever since we started using this, we haven’t looked back.”

E&E General Contracting also partners with Diamond Kote for the pre-finishing of the SmartSide, and they offer a 30-year, nofade warranty. “To keep your wood siding looking good, you should be painting or staining it every five to seven years, on average. With LP SmartSide and Diamond Kote, you don’t have to worry about that,” Matthew says.

Customers are pleased with the attractive look of LP SmartSide, which comes in a wide range of styles and colors. Other benefits are that it is impervious to water and will not dent like fiber cement siding—a major bonus for homeowners who live along a golf course or have active children.

LP SmartSide is also easier to install since it cuts more easily than fiber cement and creates less silica dust.

 “It’s affordable as well. If you’re already going to upgrade to a premium siding and you’re looking at fiber cement, it’s a similar price point,” Matthew says. “Overall, this product has a lot of advantages and we believe it will take off in this market.”

Whether a customer is looking to install LP SmartSide, change the windows or have an addition built, E&E General Contracting brings the same mentality to each job. The company is committed to not only providing excellent craftsmanship, but listening to the homeowner’s wants and needs throughout the process.

 “A lot of people we come into contact with have had terrible experiences with contractors,” Matthew says. “They received subpar work that wasn’t worth the high price they paid.

 “The feedback that we’re looking for, and the feedback we have received, is that after we leave the customer can say they had a fantastic experience with the whole team. That extends from the sales process to the ordering process to the project manager to the completion of the project. A lot of people see it as a negative when they have to remodel their home. We try to take that and turn it into a great experience.”

E&E General Contracting
3435 Compass Road | Gap, Pa.
(717) 442-4814 | EEContractingLLC.com

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 20, Issue 8 (February 2020). 
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