Market trends favor wood windows & doors

A LTHOUGH manmade marerilLals such as vinvl and [iberglass continue to make inroads into the door and window business, wood will remain the market leader for the foreseeable future, thanks to several emerging trends.

According to a new Freedonia Group study, overall U.S. demand for windows and doors is forecast to rise just 2.8Vo annually to $40 bilfion in 2O12, with advances driven by the increasing popularity of plastic products.

Primary reasons for the switch to plastics are their low cost compared to wood and metal windows and doors. as well as the increasing recognition of their excellent per- formance properties. They are also highly durable, resist rotting and corrosion, and offer enhanced protection against heat loss and other factors that reduce the energy efficiency of a home.

Yet Freedonia expects demand for wood, which totaled 427o of the overall window and door market in 2007 , to remain on top through 2012, despite below-average growth attributable to their higher cost.

Among the trends in wood's favor:

. Green is in vogue and to many buyers. natural wood is greener than manmade materials.

SALES, tNC, WHOLESALE ONLY. M|LL DTRECT & LCL

Anfinson Lumber is the clear choice for Quality Redwood and Western Red Cedar Dimension, Boards, Patterns and Timbers

GAtt SATES AT (800) 400-8383 . (951) 681-4202

Rick Anfinson

Ray MacDonald

Steve Lawrence

0utside Sales

Darin Curran (949) 412-1894

Eddie Howdershett (909) gg3-2701 visir our webs[e: UUVUW.anf inson.GOm

Fontana, CA office and Mill: 13041 UnionAvenue, Fontana, CA 92337

Fax: (951) 681-3566 E-mail: sales@anfinson.com

The custom and luxLrrv markets appcar bettcr insulated l'ttlrll the construction clownturn. antl wood products arc incleasingll' viewcd as hi-lhcnd products. Woocl'ul'indows ancl doors arc predonrinantly uscd in rcsiclcntial construction alrplications. cspecially amortg midcllc-inconlc ancl nrolc afTluent hotncowncrs.

Wood is ol'ten cotisidcrccl morc acsthetically plcasing. and looks mattcr morc in rcsidential applicatitllls. which accountccl fbr J4(/c <tf total U.S. u,indovu' and tloot'dcrttand in 2(X)7.

Wood clotlrs arc Inol'e ctlstollllzable than thcir plastic and mc(al ctlutrterparts. "Hotneou'tters \\'llllt d()()rs that truly rcllreseltt'hontc."' saicl a rep lirr Sinrpson Door Co. "So r.nany door styles over thc I'ears havc bcen eithcl cookic-cuttcr desigrts or lcl.lcct trcnds that cttme and go qLrickly. We arc devcloping ncw clcsigns Irom architectural stylcs that have rcnlained popular o\ cr man\',gencrations. -f hese styles, combinccl with the Ilatural bcauty o1'n'oocl. have made all of our ncw dools very' 1topular."

Aclvances in security ancl ctrergy cl'ficicncl' havc helpcd to lcvel thc playing f ield bctweett woclcl ancl its compctitors. in tcrms ol'pricc and pcrf ormance. Incrcasingll'' popLrlar products now fcalure intcriol rcitlforccrnents. claclclin-g. intcrnal insulatitln, and other fcatules.

In lrret. eselrlutittF enelr) plicet and homcttrvners' subsccltlent qtlcst for inrprovcd enersy etficicncf is clrivin-g the cnlirc wood and dottr market. Thc averagc homc lttses up to 30%' of its encrgy thror-rgh inel'l'icient rvindows ancl doors. Accorcling to the U.S. Departrner.rt of Energy. installing energy efficicnt windows and cloors ciln save homcowners itn average ot $ 125 to 5.1-50 a ycar on utility bills.

Rclr I wtlrltl enlries ineteltsc lt home's e trrh lrplleul- lt neuc.tit) itt tryine to l'irtd rr buycl in rttt or cl' eron tletl res:.tlc ttturkcl.

. Metal windows and doors' t<tp marketnon-r'esidcntial ctlnstruction-suffered less sevcte clccreases this yetrr than residential. but is expcctcd to suffer lar-Qet' drops ncxt year. Aluminurn is wcll suitcd to Irollrescsidential due to its cost. durability and mininral maintenancc requlrcments.