Wernig, a Myrtle Beach native, had a successful local roofing business from 2001-07. However, as Wernig recalls and everyone in the business at that time knows, “the housing market just stopped. It just stopped.”
Wernig worked with Pella in Maryland and Louisiana for a decade and moved back home four years ago to establish Cove Construction. He started his business offering a variety of services, but when he became the exclusive local dealer for Pella, which hadn’t had an official presence along the Grand Strand since the recession, everything changed.
“Over the four years, we’ve stopped doing anything else but installing Pella windows and doors. Sometimes it’s hard to hold on — we’re in the boom again,” said Wernig.
Wernig’s passion for Pella is rooted in the company’s dedication to service.
“There are several makers of high-end windows and doors out there,” said Wernig.
“The difference is service after the sale. There’s a dedicated service department, and if, 25, 30, or 40 years down the road, you have something wrong with your window, there will be someone who will come to your house and help fix it.”
Wernig acquired a commercial license in December 2019 and is ready to offer his top-of-the-line products, along with stellar service, to an expanded market.
“Our bread and butter will always be residential replacement,” said Wernig, “but Pella has some new products coming out, including impact-resistant sliding glass doors and different window configurations, and we’re looking to take that to the high-rise market in the Grand Strand.”
The impact-resistant doors and windows to which Wernig refers involve specific characteristics that make the product more resistant to hurricane-force winds and related circumstances.
“If your building is multi-family and multi-story, then you have to use hurricane rated windows and doors,” said Wernig. “What makes it hurricane rated is that it has impact-resistant glass, which means it will catch a 2 x 4 going 75 mph through the air and not make a penetration to the home. Along with impact resistance comes upgraded wind and water resistance as well.”
Wernig also mentioned that synthetic products are most popular in the window market.
“Pella offers vinyl or fiberglass products that are incredible. We still do wood-clad windows and doors when people want them, but 90 percent of what we do is vinyl and fiberglass. In a moist climate like ours, wood has the potential to deteriorate 10, 15, or 20 years down the road, and the vinyl will last forever.”
The quality that sets Cove Construction apart, in addition to the superior product, is his company’s approach to business.
“The real thing about Cove Construction is it’s kind of a boutique experience,” said Wernig. “I’m the salesperson who comes out and does the sale, I’m the person that comes out and installs the windows, and I’m the person who comes out and provides service. People love that; they see me at every step of the process.”
The same approach will apply to the high-rise market, as Wernig plans to interact with individual homeowners in high-rise complexes.
As Wernig’s presence along the Grand Strand expands, homeowners in new markets will be pleased to share in the quality and great service from Cove Construction.
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