Building Matters is a blog that explores news, trends and current events within the building industry. We aim to add a voice to the conversation that is smart, insightful and timely – because matters of the building industry matter to us. We will strive to update this blog frequently, so please check with us often and share your comments or subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks and welcome.
I’ve attended the International Builders’ Show (IBS) every year since 1993, cruising the show floor in search of the most interesting and innovative building products, materials and technologies for new and remodeled houses. Although IBS 2012 was only a fraction of the size it was before the housing market collapsed, there were still plenty of exciting new products on display at the show in Orlando last week.
Based on my attendance at IBS and my nearly 20 years of experience covering the housing industry as chief editor for Building Products and EcoHome magazines, here are my Top 10 product trends for 2012:
1. Ultra Water-Saving Bath Products
Water-saving products are quickly gaining ground because many parts of the U.S. are experiencing water restrictions and because of the growing demand for greener construction. Kohler is one of the leading manufacturers of EPA WaterSense-certified showerheads (2.0 or less gallons per minute), bath faucets (1.5 gpm) and toilets (1.28 or less gallons per flush), which are much more water-efficient than traditional models.
2. Humidity-Sensing Bath Fans
Bath fans aren’t effective unless they’re turned on, and that’s the problem: Lots of folks forget to run them, or they turn them off well before the recommended 20 minutes of run time following a bath or shower. So fans that turn on when they sense the rapid rise in moisture—and that stay on for a prescribed period—are swelling in popularity. Check out this model (pictured right) and others from Broan-NuTone.
3. Energy-monitoring Equipment Products
These nifty little monitors are inexpensive detectives that help homeowners make their houses more energy-efficient, thereby cutting utility costs. The monitors connect into appliances, read the electrical consumption and pop the information up on LCD display screens. Two popular brands are KillA Watt and wattvision.
4. LED Lighting
Major light fixture manufacturers are churning out a plethora of models featuring LED bulbs, which last 5,000 to 10,000 hours and are much more efficient than CFL, halogen and incandescent bulbs. Expect to see many more interior and exterior LED fixtures, including ones from Kichler, because of the federal government’s planned (but currently on hold) phase out of the 100-watt incandescent and stricter green building programs like Energy Star Version 3 and the California Green Building Standards Code (CalGreen).
5. High R-Value Windows
A year ago, the EPA established the discount High Performance Windows Volume Purchase Program to push ultra-efficient R-5 windows into the mainstream. Today, many leading window manufacturers are offering discounts for purchases of 20 or more R-5 windows, which are among the most efficient units—and most pricey—available. You can find a list of participating manufacturers on the program’s site.
6. Low-maintenance Trim
Low-maintenance trim made of composite materials is in demand because homeowners don’t want to paint or replace—or pay contractors to paint or replace—their homes’ trim every few years. CertainTeed, MiraTec and many others offer such products.
7. Exotic Wood-look Composite Decking
Several manufacturers, including Trex, offer composite boards that look like exotic woods, including Brazilian cherry and ipe, which are not only stunning, but also low-maintenance and stain-, rot- and insect-resistant.
 8. Deck Accessories
Deck lights from composite decking makers Azek, TimberTech, Trex and others appear in the boards, railings, stair treads and post caps. Also, Azek offers an in-deck storage unit that can be used as a hideaway storage space or as a beverage cooler (pictured right).
9. Higher-tech Kitchen Appliances
Appliances continue to sport higher-tech functions. For instance, Jenn-Air offers wall ovens with the V2 Vertical Dual-Fan Convection System, so there is no preheating, as well as a 7-inch full-color touch screen with an image-enabled cooking guide.
10. The Look for Less
This trend is prevalent across all product categories because homeowners and contractors alike are seeking to create champagne good looks on beer budgets. Vinyl siding manufacturers, like CertainTeed and Alside, offer lines that look like hand-sawn cedar shingles, while laminate countertop manufacturers like Wilsonart are perfecting the look of granite and stone.
We close one year and gear up for another… and sit back for a moment to reflect. Because so much of our business is tied to the building industry, we’re obviously keen to see continued recovery. And we did see positive signs in 2011: Budgets increased slightly, companies are hiring again, new product introductions are back on track and we hear more optimism about future growth, albeit cautious optimism. So we’re encouraged about 2012. We see an ever-changing industry continuing to cope with its new reality, and we’re pleased to be a part of the dynamism.
Something I’ve also been pleased about is our firm’s commitment to reaching out to others. For the past 10 years – regardless of the economy and our own revenue situation – we’ve made a healthy donation on behalf of our firm and our clients to support our military troops who have seen combat. Most recently, we’ve been contributing to a small group of volunteer building pros in North Carolina that help severely disabled veterans remodel their homes to accommodate their new challenges (Operation: Coming Home). These are dedicated folks who are doing what they can to help wounded vets, who will be living with their physical challenges long after our overseas conflicts have diminished.
So, Griffin & Company didn’t package up its creative juices into a fun mailing or gizmo to send out to the world. Instead, we took that money and chose to support those who gave to their country and surely will have a greater challenge than us each and every day. It just seems like the right thing to do.
From all of us at Griffin & Company, thank you for making our 2011 so satisfying. We look forward to an exciting 2012!
Welcome back to the “Building Matters” Blog! We are excited to relaunch our blog, and we hope that you stick around for our insights and musings pertaining to the industries we know and love.
If you’ve been following Griffin on Twitter and Facebook, you know that we recently relocated offices. After 17 years at the Jefferson Court Building, we moved (on Halloween!) to nearby Washington Harbour. We are thrilled that we were able to stay in the historic Georgetown neighborhood of D.C., and even more excited about our new office space, which is a renovation project. Over the past several months, we worked with Michele LeTourneur of asym interiors, LLC, who designed a great space for our team, complete with several environmentally friendly features that we are proud of. Included in these sustainable best practices are ENERGY STAR® qualified kitchen appliances, acoustical ceiling tile made of 71 percent recycled fiberglass and low or no VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) paints, coatings, adhesives and sealants. Additionally, all millwork is free of any added urea-formaldehyde resins.
Throughout the design and build process, the Griffin team was able to weigh in on ideas and logistics for our future office. For the four weeks prior to our move-in date, I took photos of the transformation of our space to document the design process from start to finish. The photos below were taken from our lobby, with offices lining the left side and cubicles and common areas on the right. The room at the end is our new conference room. See for yourself how much can change in a month!
 For me, the carpet made the biggest difference – the office didn’t feel “finished” without it. The accent wall on the left runs along our entire office and, personally, is one of my favorite aspects of the design. The lighting in the final photo is fluorescent and exceeds the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards by 15 percent. Additionally, the carpet meets the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Green Label Plus requirements.
As we settle in, we will continue to post about our new space and its environmentally friendly features.
Stay tuned!
The 41st Annual Earth Day is being held April 22 in more than 175 countries. By now, many Americans, environmentally-conscious or not, have ways that they contribute to saving the environment. Whether it is actively recycling or turning off your lights when not in use, everyone can play a part to save the earth.
 Solar Panels on the roof of my Washington, D.C. row-house. There is one way in particular that I am helping the environment. After college graduation, I was lucky enough to find an affordable English basement rental in Washington, D.C., and even luckier that my row-house has solar panels on the roof. I have an environmentally-conscious landlord who lives upstairs to thank for this. Every time we need hot water – for showers, laundry or dishes – we must flip a switch and wait about five minutes for the water to heat up. Sure, our water is a little colder on cloudy days, but paying a gas bill of about $4 every month makes it all worth it. According to my landlord, our water-heating system saves about 2,500 gallons of water each month because we don’t need to run cold water out of the faucet to get to the hot water- it is already there! I am so fortunate to be part of such a green effort, especially as a renter.
There are other ways to go green this spring. Consider installing a residential HVAC system from Mitsubishi Cooling & Heating. It is finally warming up, especially in D.C., which has me thinking about how I am going to stay cool this summer. Mitsubishi Electric’s systems, many of which are ENERGY STAR® qualified, are environmentally – and wallet – friendly!
Earth Day is about going out and making an effort to live sustainably. You can get involved in your workplace, with friends and family, or even on your own to make the environment sustainable for future generations. While I was an undergrad in the College Park Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, I participated in the program’s Annual Service Day. Each year, my classmates and I would travel to a different park in the area and plant trees and clean up. One of the reasons students were eager to get involved was because these areas were in our own community.
Don’t let your green efforts go unnoticed- join the Earth Day Network in pledging towards A Billion Acts of Green®. You can pledge personally or as a group to live sustainably. The goal of this effort is to register one billion pledges before the Earth Summit in 2012. There are tons of Earth Day events across the country- find one in your area and have a great Earth Day!
Buying a home has always been central to the American Dream, and there has rarely been a better time than now to get your piece of that Dream. Today’s near record low mortgage rates and high household incomes have combined to create one of the most favorable buying environments ever. Accordingto the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 2011 will be the third best year on record for housing affordability.
After searching for our dream home for over a year, my husband and I finally decided to buy a new home. There are a number of reasons why we decided on a new home. 1. Enhancing our lifestyle: the most appealing factor was the ability to customize our home to fit our busy lifestyle. With two kids, our life is pretty hectic. We wanted the chance to personalize our new home with newer home design trends focused more on simplicity, technology, practicality and comfort.
2. Skipping the maintenance: with both of us working, we do not want to worry about the time-consuming and often expensive maintenance projects that can plague an old house. We want to spend as much quality time with our family and friends.
3. Energy-efficiency: knowing that our home would be 20 to 30 percent more energy efficient than homes built 10 years ago was another compelling factor. A recent survey by the National Association of Home Builders found that nine out of 10 home buyers would pay an extra three percent on the home price in order to buy an energy efficient home.
One of the home design trends that attracted us the most was the choice of the exterior siding that would serve two primary purposes vital to the building of our new  home: low-maintenance and curb appeal. We choose James Hardie siding which offered a variety of colors and seems to have the best value. Of course,choosing a builder was the most challenging part. Luckily, with so many resources available in our area, we were able to find the right builder. Here are the types of builders we considered:
Production builders build a limited number of standard designs in their own new home communities. Buyers choose from a menu of options. Semi-custom builders also start with a number of standard floor plans, but allow substantial structural modifications. They build either on their own lots or on the buyer’s lot. Buyers choose from a long list of options, but can also go off menu. Custom builders and their buyers start with a blank sheet of paper. The buyer can choose every aspect of the house design and selections. Custom builders typically build on the buyer’s lot.Once we had decided on the list of potential builders, we vetted them with our local Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau and local Home Builders Association. We ended up choosing a semi-custom builder who has a terrific reputation in our community and who uses well-known brand-name building materials that are more likely to focus on quality construction. The delivery of our new home is due this Summer. It has been an overwhelming and exciting experience choosing every aspect of the house interior and exterior design . . . . but a very fun one! We can hardly wait!
Spring is around the corner…which means…spring cleaning! I’m motivated this year to make some improvements around the house. I’ve got some great quick ideas in mind that I wanted to share to help get organized inside so you can enjoy the spring weather outs ide.
I don’t know about you, but one of the hardest things for me to do is stay organized. When it’s time for me to do my spring cleaning I start in the bathroom, making sure to throw out old medications and cosmetics. Why have I kept that empty tube of mascara for so long anyway? I don’t have a medicine cabinet, and I’m always a little self-conscious about my guests seeing the items I keep in my bathroom. I’d love to get a cabinet where I can organize all my bathroom supplies and keep them out of plain view. I’ve been looking at some storage solutions from NuTone that can help me get this space organized and conceal things I don’t need people seeing. Some of them also come with a locking option, which I love. That way I can be sure that items like my medications and bathroom cleaning products don’t fall into the wrong hands. Safety first this spring!
A huge benefit of warm er weather is that we get to see more daylight, but sometimes letting that into your home can be tough to customize and compromises your privacy and safety. I have a cat, and even though I’ve spent a lot of money on cat toys, nothing makes her happier than playing with hair ties and computer cords I’ve dropped on the floor. Blinds and shades make me nervous – I don’t want her getting tangled up in the cords and hurting herself. According to a recent Consumer Reports article, blinds and shades rank among some of the most recalled items because of the choking hazards of hanging cords. There are some great add-on shades and blinds from ODL that can solve this problem completely. They have a control system, called “LightTouch” that eliminates the cord entirely, meaning I’ll never have to worry about my cat getting caught in a cord again. It’s the perfect DIY project for a spring afternoon – installation takes only about an hour. Plus, since the blinds and shades are enclosed, that eliminates cleaning entirely. Who wants to spend a nice spring day cleaning the dust of your blinds?
Honestly, what I’m looking forward to the most is getting outside and enjoying nicer weather. Once I get my house into shape, I will not feel so guilty spending some much deserved time outdoors!
We want to take a deep breath before the craziness of IBS sets in to say thank you to our clients, industry friends and members of the press with whom we’ve worked with throughout 2010. We see positive signs of our industry moving forward and adjusting to the new normal — a faster pace in our day-to-day conversations, fewer remarks about the industry tanking and a more long-term view in company sales projections and activities. All good stuff.
It is amazing to witness the resilience in our industry as we continue to focus on positives . . . another IBS . . . another Builder Concept Home . . . another New American Home . . . another Show Village – all annual projects that seek to showcase innovation and forward thinking. And then another year of more industry trade shows, of new product introductions, of lobbying efforts to protect the mortgage interest deduction. And more entrepreneurial efforts by builders, remodelers, contractors and designers to be smarter in their businesses. Again, more good stuff.
So, on behalf of the entire team at Griffin & Company, thank you all for making our 2010 a particularly satisfying year. Our sights are now set on 2011 and how we can best contribute to the continuing momentum in our recovery.
All the best in 2011!
 The U.S. Capitol building in nearly white-out conditions during the February 2010 blizzard. Here in Washington, D.C., snowfall reached levels of over three feet in some areas. Last winter dumped record setting amounts of snow in the U.S. from Texas to Maine, and this winter is expected to be a season of extremes again. Now that winter has arrived, many of us are bracing for higher energy bills and inconvenient power outages resulting from winter weather. Fortunately, there are steps that everyone can take right now to protect our homes and wallets from winter’s chill.
As temperatures fall, utility bills inevitably rise. Fortunately, homeowners have plenty of options to combat higher energy bills, and helpful websites like energysavers.gov offer great tips for any budget. Solutions can be as simple as weather stripping exterior doors and windows, installing a door sweep or reversing ceiling fan direction. Homeowners can also save money by lowering their thermostat a bit or by purchasing a programmable thermostat. Now is also the time to make sure your heating system is working properly. Go ahead and pay for an inspection if you need to – a malfunctioning or outdated system will only waste more money. For those who are able to take additional steps to reduce energy bills, now is a good time to replace old heating systems. Ductless heat pumps are simple to install and some models can function at full capacity even at extremely low temperatures. Plus, you’ll reap the benefits in lower utility costs.
Higher energy bills are a pain, but winter weather can prove to be dangerous. Last year’s blizzards caused wide spread power outages, leaving many without heat in freezing temperatures. Standby generators are a great option to invest in to keep the lights on and the heat running. They turn on automatically when the power goes out, take only a few hours to install, and with advancements in technology they are more affordable than ever. Regardless of whether you decide to purchase a standby generator, every home should have an emergency kit including essentials such as flashlights, blankets, bottled water, canned food and a radio. For additional tips on how to be prepared for a winter weather emergency, click here to check out a winter weather safety checklist from the American Red Cross.
With a little preparation and forethought, I hope we can all go into this busy holiday season relaxed and prepared for whatever Mother Nature has in store for us this winter.
Welcome to the inaugural posting of Building Matters . . . . a quick read on all things building from the folks at Griffin & Company. With our combined experience of some 75 years in the building industry (and counting!), we aim to bring a certain viewpoint on the industry. We’re not builders, remodelers, designers, engineers, bankers, economists or statisticians. Simply, we are communicators and marketers. We own old homes and new homes. We’ve built homes. We’ve done our own remodeling with both design/build firms and independent architects and contractors and most importantly, we’ve worked with many of the leading building product brands. I know that I’ve toured no fewer than 20 different manufacturing plants around the country in the past 20 years and I must have one of the largest collections of used trade show badges on the planet!
So we hope to bring this unique blend of industry involvement to our followers and provide a certain perspective that hasn’t always had a voice.
 Last week I attended Greenbuild for the first time. I figured since Griffin & Company has been a USGBC member since 2007, I should see what the trade show was all about. It was in one of my favorite cities – Chicago – and was full of energy and excitement. Such a nice change from other recent shows in the industry. And I was especially pleased to have been invited to the gala dinner honoring Alex Wilson as recipient of the second annual Hanley Award.  Particularly noteworthy was the prevalence of energy auditing software and devices such as the thermography hand-held units that are now more affordable than ever. Nate Kredich, VP of Residential Market Development for USGBC, told me that some 30,000+ attended Greenbuild this year, up from about 26,000 last year. After I left, I found myself walking a little faster and thinking more optimistically about our industry and its resilience. We will recover and be better for it. And I feel fortunate to be a part of one of the country’s most important industries.
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8. Deck Accessories
