News Growth and Change at Lindal Cedar Homes
Founded in 1945, Seattle-based Lindal Cedar Homes is a family-owned business specializing in the creation and distribution of high-end prefabricated homes. Over the past 75 years, the company has developed a network of independent dealers throughout the U.S., Canada, and a dozen overseas markets. Traditionally, Lindal is known for building cabin and chalet home styles in waterfront and mountain settings as retirement homes and vacation retreats. These houses are characterized by high pitched, A-frame style roofs, open floor plans and a front “wall of glass” made possible by Lindal’s post-and-beam construction methods.
While the traditional market still accounts for approximately half of Lindal’s volume, the past decade has seen a shift in customer tastes as clients look to build in suburban and urban infill locations while favoring more modern home designs. In reaction to this trend, Lindal branched out, introducing new modern home lines including Turkel Design for Lindal, Lindal Elements, and Lindal Architects Collaborative; featuring exclusive designs from some of the top architectural firms in the U.S. and Canada. The new lines proved extremely popular and have been featured in Dwell magazine, The Seattle Times, and in Time magazine’s special issue on green home design. The clients for these homes tend to be younger and more affluent than Lindal’s traditional retiree customer base.
Lindal also has shifted its marketing efforts from a predominantly print-based model to one split between print and online campaigns. Today’s clients are reached through an engaging website, print and online advertising, modern housing blogs, and social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Houzz.
The recession of 2008 impacted the entire housing industry, and Lindal was forced to retrench and regroup, becoming a leaner and more streamlined operation. As the housing industry continues its slow recovery, Lindal is working to expand its business through the recruitment of new builder dealers. While Lindal handles the marketing, design, engineering, materials sourcing, manufacturing and delivery of its building materials package, regional builder dealers are ideally positioned to manage sales, customer relations, site work, general contracting and construction, thus providing a turn-key solution for clients.
Why has the Lindal brand and product endured for over 70 years? The appeal of high quality building materials – such as Lindal’s signature western red cedar and other quality materials and posts and beam design – is a significant draw, as is the comfort of a precision, part-numbered, pre-cut building system supported by engineer-stamped construction drawings and an emphasis on customer service. And Lindal continues to over-deliver on its promise of endurance by offering a Lifetime Structural Warranty on all its homes.
Lindal’s international network of independent dealers and builders ensure that every client receives personal, local customer service through each stage of the home design and build process.
Despite changes in consumer tastes, Lindal continues to attract generation after generation of new clients. While trends in home styles change, Lindal’s business model of a strong corporate division supporting a network of experienced regional dealers and builders, coupled with its non-negotiable commitment to premium materials, design and engineering, will never go out of style.