Issue Contents

September 2009

Column

Current estimates show that sales prices of nearly one in 10 new-home sales are "adjusted" prior to closing because appraisals are falling short of contracted sale prices. While problems with appraisals are nothing new to our industry,...

First-Time Frenzy

With all the incentives going to first-time home buyers, it's no wonder that on the eve of incentives' expiration there's a feeding frenzy of prospects looking to cash in.

Will Increased Savings Rates Hurt Home Building?

Editorial Director Paul Deffenbaugh suggests that American consumers who are now saving at a greater rate will be looking for very different housing when the home builder recovery comes.

Feature

100 Best New Products 2009

We're pleased to call your attention to Professional Builder’s annual “100 Best New Products” feature, which showcases the very best new home building products available nationwide. Products that have won our award represent either a...

All Products: 100 Best New Products 2009

Our list of 100 Best New Products run the gamut of those used for the home building and home remodeling industries.

Exteriors: 100 Best New Products 2009

Exterior products for home building and remodeling from Azek, CertainTeed, TimberTech, StoneCraft and Tru-Brix among others are featured.

Hot Markets for Green Homes

Here are 5 Hot Green Markets and 2 Up-And-Comers from Professional Builder's Green Issue

How A K. Hovnanian High Performance Home Educates the Masses

K. Hovnanian's Landover Group's High Performance Home in Virginia educates the masses on the value of energy-efficient standards.

Interiors: 100 Best New Products 2009

Interior home building and remodeling products from Kichler, KitchenAid, ThyssenKrupp, Toto, Everpure, GE and others are included in this list.

Mechanical & Electrical: 100 Best New Products 2009

Mechanical and electrical products for home building and remodeling from Siemens, Wayne-Dalton, Rheem, Saniswift and others are featured.

National Markets On the Rise

The Green Home Builders of the Triangle (which refers to the counties of Durham, Orange and Chatham in North Carolina) has a certification recognized by the NAHB as an "affiliated program" that has adopted a green rating system equivalent...

Paints, Caulks & Sealants: 100 Best New Products 2009

New paint, caulk and sealant products for home building and remodeling from Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Kilz, DAP and Quickrete among others are featured.

Structural, Insulation & Housewrap: 100 Best New Products 2009

Structural, insulation and housewrap products from iLevel, Laticrete, Simpson Strong-Tie, Icynene and BASF are featured.

Sustainable Landscaping: the Next Step in Green Building

Home builders are getting up to speed on sustainable landscaping practices such as bioswales, rain gardens and the use of native plant materials. Appeared as "Love the Land" in Professional Builder.

Tools & Software: 100 Best New Products 2009

Tool and software products for the home building industries from Lenox, Knaack, Chief Architect and HomeFront among others are featured.

Windows & Doors: 100 Best New Products 2009

Window and door products for home building and remodeling from Overhead Door, Clopay, Marvin and Weather Shield are featured.

Product Review

A Bridge for Sales

Custom and replacement contractors should check out MI Windows' Bridgewood offering

A.E.R.T. LifeCycle Composite Fencing

ACP Decorative Wall Panels

ACP's new line of decorative wall panels

Alno Starline Cabinetry

The new Alno Starline features a continuous case channel in the same color as the door and drawer fronts, giving the illusion of a cleaner, more minimalist kitchen. The company debuted high-gloss lacquers and interesting wood grain patterns for...

Alside's Revolution Composite Siding

Amtico Tropical Woods Flooring

Tigerwood offering shown

Anvil 1750

Anvil 1750 High Performance Water Borne Grip-Tite Bonding Primer

Armstrong's Calibra Cabinets

Armstrong's Calibra Cabinets feature a contemporary slab door style in solid Plantation Hardwood

Artisan Precast ChiselCrete Precast Concrete

Artisan Precast uses recycled cementitious material to reduce the amount of cement used and is colored to eliminate the release of VOCs at the job site.

Atlantis Outdoor Kitchen Bamboo Cabinets

AZEK Edge PVC Trim

BASF Enertite Open-Cell Spray Foam

Enertite water-blown open-cell spray foam

Belgard Old World Pavers

Benjamin Moore's Natura Paint

Remember: just because the paint has zero VOCs doesn't mean the colorant is as eco-friendly

Benjamin Obdyke's Hydrofilament Housewrap

Benjamin Obdyke's Hydrofilament Drainable Housewrap creates a path for moisture trapped behind the cladding for faster draining and drying

Blanco's MicroEdge Sinks

Boost Your SEER

The Performance Boost 80 Gas Furnace by Carrier has a unique circulation system that takes cool air directly from the air-conditioning unit to enhance efficiency

Bosch Nexxt

Quiet and ultra-efficient washer/dryer

Bosch PS30 Driver

C.H. Hanson Precision Ball Level

C.H. Hanson's Precision Ball Level has a 360-degree rotating aviation ball compass that allows users to easily read if a surface is level or plumb

C.H.I. Overhead Doors' 5000/5100

Pretty-up those featureless white spaces in front of the garage. C.H.I. Overhead Doors' new 5000/5100 Series Pan-Overlay Carriage House door features environmentally friendly accent battens over a wood grain embossed steel base section, creating an...

Capital Safety's Rollgliss Rescue Ladder

Century Architectural Specialties

Century Architectural Specialties recently added 35 new crown and cornice molding additions to its versatile line

CertainTeed's Landmark Solaris Shingles

Boost curb appeal and green points with CertainTeed's new Landmark Solaris shingles. The roofing material features granules that reflect solar energy and radiate heat far better than traditional asphalt roofing material. During the summer months,...

Chief Architect Interiors Software

Chief Architect Interiors 2- and 3-D automated building and design tools

Clopay's Ultra-Grain Garage Door

Want the realism of wood without the maintenance issues?

Dacor Epicure Refrigerators

Dacor's new Energy-Star-qualified Epicure and Integrated Freestanding French Door Cabinet-Depth Refrigerators

DAP 3.0 Caulk

Need a good all-purpose caulk line that dries fast? Check out DAP's new 3.0 line

DaVinci Bellaforte Roofing Tiles

Bellaforté roofing tiles use a third less material than traditional synthetic and natural slate shingles

Decra ShakeXD Roofing

DeWalt XRP Line Drills/Drivers

DeWalt's XRP line of tools use a patented three-speed transmission and new high-power, high-efficiency frameless motor

Dornbracht's Supernova Faucets

There are an impressive 60 configurations in Dornbracht's Supernova line

Duo Fast DF350S Framing Nailer

DF350S 20 degree Round Head Framing Nailer

Eaton Arc Fault Circuit Breaker

Eaton's Plug-On Neutral Loadcenter and Circuit Breaker

Edging Out the Competition

Quadra-Fire's EDGE 60 is specifically designed for supplemental home heating

Everpure's ViruPure

The single-canister system has a generous 500-gallon capacity of filtration

Exceeding Green

CraftMaster Green Doors are made with a sustainable-sourced solid core that contains a minimum of 65-percent-by-weight, pre-consumer recycled content. Hollow-core CraftMaster Green Doors contain a minimum of 50-percent-by-weight, pre-consumer...

Fagor Induction Cooktops

GAF-Elk TruSlate Roofing

GAF-Elk TruSlate roofing

GE Profile Wall Oven

Introducing the industry's first single/double oven that can cook two dishes at two temperatures at the same time

Generac Power Generators

Five New Liquid-Cooled Standby Generators

General Moisture Meters

General's Moisture Meters provide an efficient method for detecting hidden leaks and excess moisture

Gerber Wicker Park Toilets

The Wicker Park Collection from Gerber includes high-efficiency toilets that use only 1.28 gallons of water per flush

Green Glue's Green Glue

Green Glue is a viscoelastic compound used between layers of standard drywall to ensure best-in-class soundproofing

Guardian's ClimaGuard 63/31 Windows

Throw open the sash with Guardian's ClimaGuard 63/31 high-performance windows. The line delivers a U-value of 0.24, a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of .31 and 63 percent visible light transmission. The windows have a heat-treatable mate for...

HomeFront Complete Alliance

HomeFront and Builder 1440 created the HomeFront Complete alliance for home builders that use Sage Timberline Office or Sage Master Builder

Honeywell Wind Turbine by EarthTronics

Harness the wind! The Honeywell Wind Turbine by EarthTronics generates energy from its gearless Blade Tip Power System, which eliminates mechanical resistance and drag. This technology allows the turbine to generate power in wind speeds as low as 2...

Hunter Concert Breeze Fan

Cool off and kick back underneath Hunter's new Concert Breeze fans

Icynene's LD-R-50 Insulation

Icynene LD-R-50 renewable-based foam insulation and air barrier

iLevel Garage Portal System

iLevel by Weyerhaeuser's Garage Portal System incorporates the iLevel Shear Brace, TimberStrand LSL beam and a proprietary portal connection to achieve a 10 to 20 percent increase in allowable lateral resistance

It's Pumped

An innovative new fan helps control cooling and humidity consistency in Trane's new XL20i model

Jenn-Air Duct-Free Downdraft Cooktop

Kichler Lighting

The new Design Pro LED Rail Lights by Kichler incorporate tiny LED chips that use 75 percent less electricity than typical incandescent lighting. The fixtures, which easily mount into existing wall or ceiling outlet boxes, offer the warm white light...

Kichler's Design Pro LED Under Counter Light

KILZ Clean Start Primer

Zero VOCs and little odor are traits of Kilz's new interior/exterior, water-based Clean Start primer

Kirei Coco Tiles

Eco-friendly Kirei Coco Tiles

KitchenAid 72-inch Refrigerators

72-inch counter-depth French door refrigerator

Knaack PowerCrew

PowerCrew from Knaack with four GFCI protected electrical outlets providing 15 amps of power for operating tools or charging batteries

Kohler Flipside

Kohler's new Flipside crams four independent streams into one head

Kuva GPS Tracking System

For tracking and protecting expensive assets using GPS/GSM system technology

Lasertron's Illuminated Stainless Steel Cabinets

Laticrete 170 Sound & Crack Isolation Mat

LeakBarrier SS400 Ice and Water Armor

Lightweight self-adhesive, modified bituminous roofing underlayment

Lenox Diamond Hole Cutting Attachment

The Lenox Diamond hole uses a unique brazed diamond edge that reduces the grab that can occur when cutting hard materials

LiteSteel Beam by LiteSteel Technologies America

The LiteSteel Beam is a cold-formed, lightweight steel structural beam

Louisiana-Pacific TechShield Radiant Barrier Panels

TechShield panels install just like normal sheathing and sport a 20-year limited warranty

Mapei's Ultraflex LFT

Setting large-format tile and stone has never been easier, thanks to Mapeil's latest mortar

Marvin's Ultimate Lift and Slide Door

Stacked or pocket? Either configuration is fine with Marvin's Ultimate Lift and Slide

Mastic Home Exteriors Siding

Available in a double 4½-inch dutchlap panel; double 4- and 5-inch traditional panels; and a Triple 3-inch traditional panel

Milwaukee Hackzall M12

M12 features a 12-volt lithium-ion battery with enough juice to cut more than 80 pieces of 1½-inch PVC on a single charge

Moen IoDigital Controls

Electronic Water Temperature Control

NanaWall VSW65 Single Track Slider

VSW65 Single Track Slider wood frame, individual panel sliding door system

Overhead Door 370 Series

The 370 Series Courtyard Collection from Overhead Door was developed to bring the curb appeal of the custom carriage house garage door to more homeowners. It includes polyurethane insulation to keep those pesky elements out. It also features a great...

OWLink's DLI Fiber optic cable

OWLink's transparent DLI Fiber optic cable for HD installation for digital home networking

Parex Stucco Level Coat

Embeds mesh into the level coat to reduce cracking

Pass and Seymour Sensors

Occupancy and Vacancy Sensors from Pass and Seymour

Porter-Cable 18-volt Line

Porter-Cable's new LX (PC18BLX) and EX (PC18BLEX) 18-volt, lithium-ion battery line

Protecto Wrap Peel & Heat

The kit includes pre-wired heating panels to easily connect electrically to a wall-mounted thermostat

Quadra Fire Edge 60

Quadra-Fire's Edge 60

Quikrete Green Concrete Mix

Rheem SolPak

For Solar Hot Water Installations

Ryobi 4-Volt Line

The 4-volt lithium-ion battery provides a number of features such a long run time and long-shelf life so your batteries will always be ready for action.

Saniflo Saniswift

Saniswift Graywater Pump

Serious Materials EcoRock Drywall

Serious Materials' EcoRock green drywall uses 80 percent less energy in its production than most other drywall

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Reference Library

Professional Remodeler's 2013 Market Leaders

Professional Remodeler’s annual Market Leaders list, which identifies the top...

15 design trends for kitchens & baths

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Normandy Remodeling converts confined kitchen into sprawling galley.

5 bathroom design trends for 2013

Each year, the National Kitchen and Bath Association surveys its members to identify the latest...

6 kitchen design trends for 2013

Each year, the National Kitchen and Bath Association surveys its members to identify the latest...

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