Industry Indices

May - June 2003

Industry Indices

VALUE OF IMPORTS TO U.S.

Finished Products	Oct. '02	Nov. '02
Plastic Windows, Frames and Thresholds for Doors	11,020,346	9,681,897
Leaded Glass Windows, Multi-cell/Foam Glass Panels, etc.	1,417,674	1,616,535
Stainless Steel Doors, Windows, Thresholds and Frames	2,957,826	1,914,266
Aluminum Windows and their Frames	7,512,509	7,276,172
Iron Windows	1,621,194	1,230,657
Wood Windows, French Windows and Frames Materials	11,260,938	11,205,737
Cast and Rolled Glass	6,019,091	3,331,930
Float Glass	496,057	445,259
Tempered and Laminated Glass	3,196,257	2,492,310
Insulating Glass Units	15,095,140	13,435,272
Wood and Articles of Wood	49,906,426	48,062,459
Wood Frames	35,216,127	44,527,603

VALUE OF EXPORTS TO U.S.

Finished Products	Oct. '02	Nov. ' 02
Plastic Windows, Frames and Thresholds for Doors	2,829,335	2,934,013
Wood Windows, French Doors and their Frames Materials	3,744,523	3,763,414
Cast and Rolled Glass	19,336,887	11,642,556
Float Glass	9,262,757	9,782,122
Laminated Glass	3,622,488	4,926,283
Insulating Glass Units	3,202,742	3,913,361
Articles of Glass	8,905,531	7,714,489
Wood and Articles of Wood	5,942,494	5,749,170
Continuously Shaped Wood	1,015,380	1,700,371
Wooden Frames Source: U.S. Commerce Dept	1,626,383	2,275,409

2002 Cost Versus Value Report

Window Replacement

Mid-Range

Upscale

Market	Job Cost	Resale Value	% Cost Recouped	Job cost	Resale Vale	% Cost Recouped
Atlanta	$8,835	$5,065	57	$14,835	$10,645	72
Chicago	10,690	11,939	112	18,031	17,437	97
Dallas	8,641	2,750	32	14,641	4,750	32
Denver	8,747	4,579	52	14,721	9,333	63
Kansas City	9,268	3,713	40	15,290	7,588	63
Miami	8,427	6,500	77	14,428	11,250	78
New York Metro	9,986	9,718	97	15,986	17,220	108
Portland, Ore.	9,452	6,083	64	15,452	11,750	76
Oakland, Calif.	10,703	12,085	113	16,704	19,667	118
Washington, D.C.	9,018	8,000	8	15,109	14,667	97

A mid-range project is replacing ten existing 3-by-5-foot double-hung windows with a vinyl-clad double-glazed replacement, while not disturbing existing interior or exterior trim.

An upscale project is replacing ten existing 3-by-5-foot double-hung windows with double-glazed divided-light windows with an interior finish of alder or cherry and an exterior finish of copper or aluminum cladding.

Source: November 2002 Remodeling magazine.

New-Home Sales Hit Record High in 2002
Proving that housing was a crucial stabilizing force for the national economy last year and that the industry has plenty of momentum heading into 2003, recently released Commerce Department figures show that more newly built homes were sold in 2002 than in any other year in history, with December posting the strongest sales pace for any month on record.

“We now know that 2002 was the year of hearth and home in America,” said Jerry Howard, executive vice president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), based in Washington, D.C.

“The lowest mortgage rates in years and solid house-price performance highlighted the tremendous investment potential of homeownership and kept demand for new homes very strong amid tough economic times and jitters in other sectors of the economy. As a result, U.S. homeownership reached its highest level yet—68.3 percent—in 2002’s final quarter.”

Total new home sales for 2002 reached 976,000, up 7.5 percent from the previous annual record of 908,000 units set in 2001. For the month of December alone, new-home sales hit a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.08 million units, up 3.5 percent from November. This is the fastest sales rate for any month on record and it marks the fifth consecutive month of sales above the million-unit rate.

Regionally, only the Northeast saw fewer new-home sales in 2002 than in 2001, inching down 3 percent to 64,000. The Midwest posted a 15.2-percent gain in sales from the year before, while the South and West posted 2.3-percent and 14.6-percent gains, respectively. But for December alone, both the Northeast and West posted significant declines of 13 percent and 7.5 percent from the previous month. The Midwest gained more than 28 percent, while the pace of sales in the South did not change between November and December.