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July 20, 2011
The Environmental Protection Agency’s decision not to expand its lead paint rules in July was welcome news for the industry. The added costs of compliance to the existing Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rules were already having a negative impact on remodeling activity, and additional clearance testing requirements would have inflated those costs further.
The costs and their impact on...
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May 23, 2011
Despite all the objections I’ve heard about the Environmental Protection Renovation, Repair and Paint rules, most in the industry argue that if the laws are on the books, they need to be enforced. Otherwise, the companies that play by the rules—investing in training and following lead safe procedures—will be undercut in the market by those that don’t.
Enforcement started...
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April 14, 2011
We focus on style in this issue, and personally, I think it’s something many people in our industry need to do more often. Don’t get me wrong. There are plenty of great looking products out there, but sometimes I think many of us let ourselves get too caught up in the numbers.
The numbers are important. Whether it’s a certain U-factor or DP rating, if it’s required, it...
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March 15, 2011
In January, President Obama announced support of a new Better Buildings Initiative—targeted at commercial projects—and expressed his support once again for Home Star, the program that would provide homeowners with government rebates for energy efficient home upgrades. Given the change in Congress, I honestly don’t know how much potential there is for such programs. I certainly...
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December 20, 2010
All good things must come to an end. And while I know not everyone out there thought the $1,500 tax credits for energy efficient windows and doors were a good thing, I doubt few would argue that they did stimulate more window and door sales over the past two years. While the economy limped along, some companies reported record sales in 2009 and 2010. The year-end deadline definitely produced a...
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September 22, 2010
There are some unique characters out there to be sure, but the window and door dealers I’ve met over the years usually possess a lively combination of energy, enthusiasm, intelligence and downright friendliness. Those traits typically bubble up to the surface with our Dealers of the Year recognition program.
The stories of the companies and individuals we recognize as Dealers of the Year...
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August 17, 2010
Once again, Window & Door is honored to recognize in this issue significant innovations and achievements in window and door technology, manufacturing, and marketing with the Crystal Achievement Awards. Especially when there’s been so much bad news in the industry over the past few years, I can tell you it is a real pleasure to focus on the positive.
Looking at our winners—and all...
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August 3, 2010
Many of us in the window and door business would consider ourselves part of the home improvement industry. But what about the “home performance” industry? My guess is that a lot of us have probably never even heard that term.
Home performance deserves our attention, however. Home performance contractors are energy efficient retrofitters. They don’t just sell siding or HVAC...
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May 24, 2010
When I first started covering this industry, European profile extruders were still in the midst of their first push into the North American market. Vinyl had a relatively small market share, limited largely to a few replacement products, and the European suppliers saw huge opportunities.
Those opportunities weren’t realized quickly, however. One of the main reasons was the tilt/turn product...
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May 15, 2010
The first several months of 2010 represented somewhat of an industry first. As the Environmental Protection Agency’s new lead renovation, repair and painting rule was set to go in effect, window and door manufacturers and dealers—along with others from the building products and construction industry—went to Washington, D.C., en masse to make their case.
Instead of its typical...
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