Exclusive Research: Window & Door Trends

Energy efficiency and quality again were the top considerations for choosing windows, while price edged out manufacturer and brand reputation in this year’s survey as the leading variable for selecting door products.

For both categories, 2015 was a year when many manufacturers ramped up production to launch new v6.0 Energy Star products. In the near future, it will be interesting to see whether builders and architects introduce more door customization into their houses, particularly as the front entrance grows in its role of delivering curb appeal and the back door becomes increasingly integral to outdoor living and bringing the outside in. Door manufacturers have long delivered on the security and weatherproofing attributes of their product, and now they’re playing up the style quotient. Recent entries include metal and fiberglass doors with the appearance and texture of wood three-panel doors, and retro door kits for homebuyers who want a modern door with a look and feel reminiscent of the home they grew up in.

Once again this year, two-thirds of builders and architects indicated that they are specifying the same number of windows per home as they did three years ago, while one-third said they were specifying one to four more windows per home. Almost 40 percent of respondents said they installed 10 to 15 windows per home, followed by about one-quarter who average 16 to 20 windows. More than two-thirds of survey participants indicated that the average size of window units has stayed about the same over the past three years. However, one-third said that they are specifying larger windows for their projects, reflecting a high-end homebuyer preference for large picture windows that admit lots of light and maximize views. More findings about window and door considerations are in the charts that follow.