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Interesting new trends emerging in almost every building product category as we analyze data.

Builder Survey Data: It’s What’s on The Inside (& Outside) That Counts

Home Innovation’s 2018 Builder Practices Survey continues to reveal many new trends (and trend reversals). We touched on the interesting changes underway in the housing mix in the last Trends post. Our ongoing dive into the Annual Builder Practices Survey data has pointed to other fascinating market shifts, as well.

For example, the vinyl siding market in 2017 showed signs of rebound after many years of declining popularity—up from 16% to 21% in the past year. This could be either a response to an ever-tightening construction labor market, or the fruits of an industry working to re-invent itself with a more attractive and energy-efficient product.

Source: Home Innovation's Annual Builder Practices Survey

But a house is not built of siding alone. Other interesting findings from this year’s survey include:

• Composite lumber surpassed treated lumber for the first time as the most popular decking material in new homes with a 40% market share. PVC decking rose to 7% of the market this year.

• Fiberglass front-entry door systems saw a big boost in popularity in 2017, now found on more than half (53%) of all new homes. This product can be stained to look like wood, but is more energy-efficient due to its foam core.

• Shares of homes with whole-house ventilation systems with heat or energy recovery continued its market climb from 12% in 2016 to 14% in 2017. Builders are moving to more energy-efficient options for ventilating new homes.

• PEX piping continues to grow market share—now at 71% of hot and cold water distribution piping in new single-family homes. PE-RT, new to the market, came in at less than 1% share. The PEX industry claims a faster installation and a long-lasting product.

We’re still just scratching the surface of our product trend discovery. Look for our next post here in the coming days.

Home Innovation publishes Builder Practices Reports on more than 40 building products categories.

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If you’d like more detailed information on any of our reports or our survey methodology, contact Ed Hudson, our director of market research. He’d be happy to discuss how we can help you keep apprised of building industry trends and opportunities using our Builder Practices Reports.