Windows and doors ride a remodeling wave.

The drive to remodel continues to push Windows and Doors

By Andy Carlo

Residential window and door shipments increased in 2021 despite supply chain issues and labor shortages.

The Window & Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) reported that residential unit shipments, including windows, patio, and entry doors, were up 3.8% or 2.5 million units last year compared to 2020.

While remodeling is expected to grow in 2022 and 2023, the forecast calls for a slower pace. The WDMA has pinpointed growth at 1% to 2% in the coming years. Yet, increased home values should be solid drivers for large-scale remodeling projects, the WDMA adds.The Home Improvement Research Institute said it expects overall consumer market sales to increase by 2.8% in 2023 to $382.5 billion. But inflation and reduced disposable income could hold spending back more than expected in 2022.

Manufacturers remain optimistic while introducing new products that meet the needs of the market.

For example, Jeld-Wen has launched its Auraline composite windows and patio doors.

“Auraline by JELD-WEN fills a critical gap in the product offering for dealers, home builders, and homeowners across the country,” said Daniel Castillo, executive vice president and president, North America at JELD-WEN. “We estimate that about 40% of dealers today do not have composite windows in their product lineups, yet demand for contemporary, sustainable, and durable windows and patio doors is high.”

The Masonite Performance Door System features the manufacturer’s 4-Point Performance Seal, which includes Premium Square Edge Fiberglass Doors, Endura Products’ Z- Articulating Cap Sill, PE650 Weatherstripping, Simple Solution Corner Pads, and FrameSaver rot-proof door frame. Optional upgrades include Endura’s award-winning PanoLock or Trilenniummultipoint locks and FusionFrame. The System is offered with all Masonite exterior fiberglass doors, which are available in a variety of styles, colors, and finishes, including multiple glass options. Masonite.com

The Marvin Awaken Skylight was built to harness light and air in new ways and is now available in select markets. This smart skylight window is the first to offer built-in, tunable lighting that mimics the ideal color temperature of natural light to provide the right light at the right time. The skylights open on all four sides for faster and more efficient air circulation and include a hidden perimeter screen that keeps insects and debris out without obscuring the view. Other features include dimmable LED lights, integrated room darkening or light filtering shades, and integrated sensors that close the skylight when rain is detected. Awaken is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings. Marvin.com

Earlier this year, Simpson Door expanded its Redi-Prime painted interior door collection to include Clipped Corner Doors for unique spaces.

“Given the heightened emphasis on home improvement, it’s no surprise that customers are more carefully considering the finishing touches of every room throughout the house,” said Brad Loveless, marketing and product development manager for Simpson Door Company. “Our latest addition to the Redi-Prime lineup of interior painted doors makes it easy to bring a high-end, finished look to any living space—no matter the shape or size of the doorway.”

Here’s a roundup of some of the latest products in the windows-and-doors category:

Jeld-Wen has launched its new line of Auraline composite windows and patio doors. Designed to meet a key gap in the market for home building products, the launch of Auraline is an important component of meeting Jeld-Wen’s stated growth goals, the company said. Addressing the rapidly growing demand for more design-focused, sustainable building material options, Auraline provides an innovative solution for an expanding market. Auraline windows and patio doors blend a structural fiber, such as wood fiber, with synthetic polymers and a co-extruded color layer to create a highly durable and energy-efficient composite material that has the beauty of luxury wood windows and patio doors in a durable, sustainable package. Jeld-Wen.com

Kolbe Windows & Doors offers Entrance Door Systems that are historical, traditional, or modern. Kolbe offers one-of-a-kind doors for both residential and commercial projects with various configurations, functionality, and options, including wood species, divided lites, glass, hardware, finishes, and more. Kolbe’s offering of custom inswing and outswing doors also includes pivot doors within the Ultra Series and VistaLuxe Collection. Koble says today’s homeowners are more in tune with their living space than ever before, they want it to reflect their personality. Selecting an entry door that is mostly glass, a bold color or intricate wood detail helps express their individual style and sets the tone for the rest of the home. Kolbewindows.com

Andersen Windows has expanded its legacy 400 Series casement to include a contemporary profile option, offering clean, simple profiles to accommodate the latest in modern design trends and providing customers with even more customization options. The casement has been improved over time with continual innovation, the new contemporary stop being Andersen’s latest design improvement. Created from wood with customizable sizes, hardware, finishes, and grille patterns, 400 Series windows blend performance and style. The new contemporary stop option features an updated contemporary stop, grille profile and hardware design. Andersenwindows.com

Simpson Redi-Prime has extended its product line to include Clipped Corner Doors for unique spaces within a home. As many continue to make renovations to accommodate the ever-evolving functions of a home, the top corner of a Redi-Prime Clipped Corner Door ships pre-cut at an angle for a custom fit. Redi-Prime doors pair the Simpson wood door method of construction with MDF veneers on classic stile and rail surfaces. Combined with solid MDF panels and a premium priming process, the final product is an architecturally beautiful, long-lasting interior painted door. By cutting off the top of the interior door to accommodate uniquely shaped spaces, the style will maintain design consistency with other interior doors in the home without sacrificing a precise fit. Redi-Prime Clipped Corner Doors are available in virtually any width or height to meet any interior door design need. The clipped corner can be customized to accommodate exact project specifications. Simpson-door.com

Top Women Profile Series

LP’S ROBIN EVERHART TALKS CORPORATE TRANSFORMATION, DIVERSITY, AND EQUITY.

By Andy Carlo

Robin Everhart joined LP Building Solutions (Louisiana-Pacific Corporation) in 2019 when the company was undergoing a transformation from a traditional building products company to a technology-driven building solutions provider.

In her role as LP’s senior vice president, chief human resources and transformation officer, Everhart has been responsible for leading LP’s global people strategy while driving organizational effectiveness and transformational change to create a high-performance business culture. The senior vice president also leads leadership development, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), employee education, corporate communications, and benefits among other roles at the building solutions provider.

“DEI has become a ‘buzz’ term for so many companies, but it’s truly our belief that improving those areas of our business will be a cornerstone of LP’s future success and growth,” Everhart told HBSDealer.

Prior to joining LP, Everhart served in leadership roles at Cintas, Winn-Dixie Stores and The Home Depot. Today, she says she is most proud of creating better connective tissue between people and performance at LP.

“The business transformation strategy was in place, but any strategy requires employee buy-in for it to be effective,” Everhart explains. “People need to feel like they have a stake in the business to drive performance.”

To do this, LP created a performance framework — Think and Act Like Owners— as a driving motivator to improve productivity, hold employees accountable, and instill confidence and pride in the company. "Empowering our team with ownership encourages all of us to stay curious, show up authentically and have a bias for action,” she said.

As co-executive sponsor of LP’s DEI Task Force, Everhart worked alongside LP’s Chair and CEO Brad Southern and the task force members to create LP’s DEI Pledge for Action and associated action plans. The Nasvhville, Tenn.-based company wanted to ensure that every voice was heard while creating a happy, working environment.

“With our pledge and plans complete, we’re now partnering across the organization to lead the execution of DEI plans,” Everheart says. “An inclusive environment where all employees are welcome, want to work, want to stay, and want to recommend as a good place to work is critical to success, especially in today’s labor market.”

Transformation at LP has not been without hurdles. In addition to competition for labor, the company works to ensure that there is an increase in talent pools and representation, to keep up with market demands, and to move forward when it comes to innovation.

“As an individual, I’ve certainly faced challenges and bouts of impostor syndrome while often being one, if not the only, female in leadership,” Everhart notes. “If anyone tells you they haven’t experienced this, they are lying. The best advice I can give is to remember that you’re the best version of yourself out there. You have a better chance of being truly successful when you embrace your own authentic qualities and strengths versus emulating someone else’s.”

Everhart is also passionate about cultivating future generations of leaders and community development. She assists area nonprofits with pro bono mentoring and support on HR challenges and DEI initiatives, along with serving with the Executive Strategic Alliance Advisory and the Land Trust for Tennessee Board of Directors. She also volunteers at the local chapters of Habitat for Humanity and Urban League.

Looking ahead at LP, she says she wants the company’s approach to DEI to continue evolving while creating an environment of inclusivity where every employee feels like they are a valued member of the team and company’s success. “Everyone deserves good role models,” she says. “And I’d like to establish a workforce where every employee has that person they can look up to.”

“The business transformation strategy was in place, but any strategy requires employee buy-in for it to be effective. People need to feel like they have a stake in the business to drive performance.”

—Robin Everhart,

Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources and Transformation Officer, LP Building Solutions