Home Innovation Research Labs - Formerly NAHB Research Center
  • Blog
  • News and Events
  • Bookstore
  • Contact Us
  • SERVICES
    Market Research 
    • Market Demand Data
    • Survey Panel of Construction Pros
    • Survey Research
    • Focus Groups & Qualitative
    • Focus Groups at IBS
    • New Product Development & Life Cycle Management
    • Observational & Ethnographic
    • Advertising Research
    • Decision Maker Research
    Building Science 
    • New Technology Assessment
    • Energy Efficiency Optimization
    • Method Development
    • Code Approval
    Product Testing 
    • Structural
    • Material Properties
    • Durability & Weather Resistance
    • Thermal
    • Moisture
    • Custom Product Testing & Certification
    • Consulting Services
    • Inspection Agency
    Certification 
    • Green Homes & Development
    • ENERGY STAR Certification
    • Water Efficiency Certifications
    • Accessibility
    • Engineered Structural Wood
    • Insulation
    • Plumbing
    • Solid Surface Materials
    • Green Certified Products
    • Lab Certified Products
    Standards 
    • Standards Development Procedures
    • American National Standards
    Government 
    • Home Building Innovation
    • Natural Disaster Assistance
    • Condition Assessments
    • Custom Consulting and Services
  • SOLUTIONS
    • Builders & Remodelers
    • Manufacturers
    • Trade and Professional Associations
    • Government
    • Success Stories
    • Our Clients
  • TRENDS & REPORTS
    dropdown-trends Trends

    Leading the way with innovative, fresh ideas for builders and manufacturers.

    Learn More

    dropdown-data Data

    Providing materials insight through custom data and reports.

    Learn More

    dropdown-report Reports

    Setting the standard in the building industry through cutting edge research.

    Learn More

  • ABOUT
    • Message from the President
    • Mission and History
    • News and Events
    • Our Team
    • Blog
    • Careers
    • Bookstore
    • Contact Us
  • OUR LABS
    • Testing Equipment & Capabilities
    • Our ISO Accreditations
    • Certified Products
    • Market Research Facility
    • Meeting and Concierge Services
  • Home
  • Trends and Reports
  • Trends
  • Changing Building Materials Preferences in the Post-COVID Housing Market
Learn How We Can Help (800) 638-8556
Trends

So much has happened in home building over the last year. How will it affect product selection?

  • Print
  • Share
Browse
  • Categories
    • Energy Efficiency (1)
    • Green Building (7)
    • High-Performance Homes (2)
    • Moisture Managment (2)
    • Quality Assurance (2)
  • Tags
    • Affordable Homes, Air Sealing Design, Building Codes, Building Practices, Building Products, Data and Trends, Energy Performance, Green Building, Homebuyer Preferences, Insulation, Marketing, Product Testing, Roofing, Solar Energy, Survey Research
Archive
  • 2023
  • 2022
    • October (1)
  • 2021
    • January (2)
    • February (2)
    • April (3)
    • May (1)
    • June (1)
    • July (1)
    • August (1)
    • September (1)
  • 2020
    • February (1)
    • March (1)
    • July (1)
    • October (2)
    • November (1)
  • 2019
    • March (1)
    • April (2)
    • May (2)
    • June (2)
    • July (3)
    • October (2)
  • 2018
    • January (1)
    • February (3)
    • March (1)
    • April (2)
    • May (2)
    • June (4)
    • August (3)
    • September (2)
    • October (3)
    • November (1)
    • December (2)
  • 2017
    • February (1)
    • April (1)
    • May (2)
    • June (2)
    • July (1)
    • August (2)
  • 2016
    • February (1)
    • May (2)
    • July (1)
    • September (1)
    • November (1)
  • 2015
  • 2014
    • March (2)
    • July (1)
    • September (1)
  • 2013
    • January (1)
    • February (1)
    • March (1)
    • April (1)
    • May (1)
    • June (1)
  • 2012
    • August (1)
    • September (1)
    • October (1)
    • November (1)
    • December (1)
June 28, 2021

Changing Building Materials Preferences in the Post-COVID Housing Market

Earlier this month, Ed Hudson, Home Innovation’s Director of Marketing Research, presented “Changing Preferences for Building Products in a Post-COVID Market” at NAHB’s Leading Suppliers Council Connections meeting. He covered a wide range of findings and trends based on his analysis of long-term building products trend data, and the findings of recent national studies on buying habits of builders and households.

Ed’s presentation showed how changing preferences for building methods and materials are being driven by demographics, the tight labor market, supply chain disruptions, and changing consumer preferences leading up to, and beyond, the COVID-19 pandemic. The presentation also addressed COVID’s impact on the advance of off-site construction and other approaches to speed up construction; lumber conservation methods; steps towards more defined spaces within homes; supply chain disruptions of some products and the advance of some alternatives; and continued advances in improving the energy performance of homes.

Kitchen Cabinet Door Styles in New Homes, 2020

Source: Home Innovation’s Annual Builder Practices Survey; part of “Changing Preferences for Building Products in a Post-COVID Market.”

Some of the findings shared during the presentation included:

  • COVID distancing measures ushered in a new need for privacy at home, resulting in a surge in homeowner interior door purchases to re-compartmentalize their homes. Further, the average number of rooms in a new single-family home increased in 2020 despite average home size declining.
  • Builders accelerated their response to the waning skilled labor supply by putting more effort into attracting new employees by offering better pay and benefits.
  • Wall panelization and roof trusses gained shares in the 2020 home building market.
  • The pandemic spawned a need for homeowners to better organize their homes — the average number of closets in new homes increased in 2020, and DIY installations of closet storage systems for home remodeling grew by more than 60% compared to the previous year.
  • In both new homes and remodeling, flat-panel cabinet designs made advances over raised-panel, and painted cabinets continued to gain ground at the expense of wood finishes.
  • LVT/LVP flooring answered the design trend favoring wood flooring appearance in kitchens and wet areas while fulfilling the need for quick- and easy-to-install products for the booming DIY segment and tight labor market.
  • Expanse of “continuous insulation” on home exteriors, particularly a layer of foam wall sheathing installed either under, or on top of a layer of plywood or OSB structural panel sheathing.
  • Builders also put more effort into air sealing of new homes in 2020 compared to 2019 – exterior air sealing with housewrap and taped wall sheathing seams were the most commonly reported methods. 

Average Size of Outdoor Structures in New Single-Family Homes (Sq Ft)

Source: Home Innovation’s Annual Builder Practices Survey; part of “Changing Preferences for Building Products in a Post-COVID Market.”

This is just a small sample of the findings presented, and those were just a small sample of all the data gathered by Home Innovation’s market research team over the last year. If you’re interested in more detail on any of these topics or others, or if you’d like Ed to present his analysis of data specific to your particular market, get in touch.

The market for building products is still in high gear, and with supply chain issues continuing to cause uncertainty, it’s important for manufacturers and suppliers to continue to monitor the markets for new opportunities and threats. If you are seeking to better understand the dynamics and direction of the markets for your building products and services, reach out today to discuss how Home Innovation’s seasoned team of market research pros can help.

Back to Top

Filed Under:
Tagged:
Data and Trends, Homebuyer Preferences, Building Products, Marketing, Survey Research
RELATED POSTS
On Point: New Builder Practices Survey Confirms Predicted Growth in Off-Site Construction
2020 Hindsight: 2021 Builder Practices Reports Now Available
Where Did We Buy? Purchase Location for Home Remodel Projects
Boom or Bust: What Products Did “The Year of DIY” Favor?
Was 2020 Really the Year of the DIY’er?
OUR CLIENTS
U.S. Department of the Army Forest Products Laboratory Georgia-Pacific Wood Products Homes by Dickserson Huber Engineered Woods
CONNECT WITH US
Follow Us
Twitter YouTube RSS
Sign up for email updates

Home Builders & Contractors

  • Energy Efficiency Optimization
  • Focus Groups and Qualitative Research
  • Green Homes
  • Decision Maker Research
  • Market Research
  • Trends and Reports

Manufacturers

  • Building Science
  • Certification
  • Focus Groups and Qualitative Research
  • Market Research
  • New Technology Assessment
  • New Product Development and Life Cycle Management
  • Product Testing
  • Standards Development

Government

  • Building Science
  • Condition Assessments
  • Custom Consulting and Services
  • Home Building Innovation
  • Market Research
  • Natural Disaster Assistance
  • Standards Development

Home Innovation Research Labs is an independent subsidiary of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

Copyright © 2023 All Right Reserved

  • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap