January 15, 2021
2020 was certainly no ordinary year. The COVID-19 shock reverberated across industries, producing lasting impacts on how companies conduct business. March and April proved to be extremely challenging in the building products market. Pandemic-related labor issues were further complicated by resin shortages resulting from extreme weather events in the Gulf region. The slowdown was only short-term, buoyed by a strengthening housing market, with demand accelerating since June.
Public companies in the window and door industry reported strong performance in the third quarter of 2020. Fortune Brands Home & Security, parent company of Therma-Tru, Larson and Fypon, among others, highlighted 13 percent growth in total sales and double-digit growth across all of its segments. Organic sales for PGT Innovations increased 7 percent in the quarter. PGTI CEO Jeffrey Jackson highlighted growing order flow and a more than doubling of total backlog from the prior year. Masonite In
New Updates on The Edge
HUD s Office of Policy Development and Research Website
PD&R’s online magazine,
The Edge, provides you with a snapshot view of our newly released research, periodicals, publications, news, and commentaries on housing and urban development issues. Stay informed on current topics and check back frequently, as our content is routinely updated.
In the leadership message, general deputy assistant secretary for PD&R Todd M. Richardson reviews the office’s accomplishments in 2020 and discusses plans for 2021. In the retrospective, Richardson discusses significant anniversaries of legislation that were observed in 2020. In his discussion of plans for the coming year, Richardson reviews new funding allocations, research projects, and the addition of a new Office of the Chief Data Officer to PD&R’s organizational structure.
The 10 Most Popular Home Improvements Amid COVID-19
Stuck at home, homeowners have been fluffing their nests.
Halfpoint / Shutterstock.com
Spending on home improvements grew in 2020, driven both by higher costs for labor and materials and by homeowners’ shifting priorities amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The report is based on a poll of 5,000 Americans. It finds that homeowners are funding improvements in part with money once spent on travel, restaurant dining, entertainment and commuting.
The following home improvements are the most popular of 2020, HomeAdvisor says.
10. Deck or porch
Households that did this type of project in 2020: 14%
Adding a deck is among the home upgrades that offer the most bang for your buck, as we reported in “11 Home Upgrades With the Best Payback in 2020.”
The importance of housing stability in improving health outcomes is well understood, but the pandemic increased the visibility of the connection. The looming crisis is so urgent that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) took the unprecedented step of issuing an order temporarily halting residential evictions for nonpayment of rent until January 1, 2021, as a measure to help stem the spread of COVID-19.
In these extraordinary times, two California San Jose and Stockton are working to help renters, owners, and people without permanent shelter deal with the pandemic’s outcomes.
“We generally adhere to the typical ‘Ps’ of housing production, preservation, prevention, and protection,” said Max Vargas, senior policy advisor to former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs. “But during the pandemic, protection became our top order.”