By any reckoning, a home is expected to last many years and serve several successive generations. But what about the individual components that comprise the house? How many years of service can a home owner reasonably expect from a roof or a door, a window or a whirlpool tub?
A new study sponsored by Bank of America Home Equity and conducted by the National Association of Home Builders takes some of the mystery out of the subject with the caveat that numerous factors, including use, maintenance, climate, advances in technology and simple consumer preferences can have a dramatic effect on product longevity.
The National Association of Home Builders/Bank of America Home Equity Study of the Life Expectancies of Home Components was conducted in the summer of 2006 said Gopal Ahluwalia, Staff Vice President for Research and Surveys in NAHB's Economics Group.
"By polling experts in a wide range of fields, we learned that many home components are expected to last for the life of the house," he said. "Among them are toilets, wood floors, all types of insulation, and fiberglass, steel and wood exterior doors. On the other hand, some components have a much shorter life expectancy. Wood decks should last about 20 years, depending on climate, and kitchen faucets should last about 15 years. Linoleum floors have a life expectancy of about 25 years, and furnaces can be expected to last 15 to 20 years," he added.
According to the study, exterior fiberglass, steel and wood doors will last as long as a house exists, while vinyl and screen doors have a life expectancy of 20 and 40 years, respectively. Closet dooors are expected to last a lifetime, and French doors have an average life of 30 to 50 years.
For windows and skylights, aluminum windows are expected to last between 15 and 20 years while wooden windows should last upwards of 30 years, the study says. In addition, the study says that window glazing can be expected to last approximately 10 years. "It's important to remember that the life expectancies for materials included in this study are averages," said Ahluwalia. Usage, weather and a number of other factors can influence life expectancy. Moreover, home owners often replace items long before the end of their expected life span due to personal preferences and changing trends."For example," he added, "the practical life expectancy of kitchen cabinets is about 50 years. However, many people buying a 15- or 20-year-old house would make installing new, updated kitchen cabinets a priority. Likewise, some home owners paint their homes every year or two, even though interior paint has a practical life expectancy of about 15 years."
The full study is available at http://www.nahb.org/components [1]
Links:
[1] http://www.nahb.org/components
