Trends: New Products

TAMPA BAY BUILDING AND REMODELING PROFESSIONALS KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST TRENDS AND PRODUCTS, OFTEN BY ATTENDING LOCAL WORKSHOPS AND REGIONAL AND NATIONAL TRADE SHOWS AS WELL AS BY PERUSING INDUSTRY PUBLICATIONS. BECAUSE THEY’RE IN THE KNOW ABOUT WHAT’S NEW AND WHAT’S HOT, WE ASKED A GROUP OF TBBA REMODELERS COUNCIL MEMBERS ABOUT WHICH NEW PRODUCTS THEY’VE COME ACROSS LATELY THAT HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY IMPRESSIVE.

“At SEBC I saw elevator companies, a solar-powered attic exhaust fan made in America and permeable paver systems. A good amount of solar companies were there, and booths with highly-efficient windows and tankless water heaters, which take a lot of energy to use but do save water.”
JON GREAVES
GREAVES CONSTRUCTION

“What I see with cabinetry is that suppliers are actively improving styles, features and functions, introducing something new about every six weeks including door styles, finishes and new leg options. The last few years, the selection of woods has been focused on cherry or maple. I started seeing, for a while, an interest in renewable woods like bamboo. Fieldstone Cabinetry recently introduced three new options: bamboo, wenge and rosewood.”
JEFF ULBRICH
DREAM RENOVATIONS

“I’m a huge fan of high-efficiency air conditioning systems and low-e insulated glass windows. I’m an even bigger fan of high R-valued insulation under the roof.”
CATHY BYRD
INNOVATIVE RESTORATIONS

“If you think of solar, you think of a panel on your roof. But now there’s paint that can be applied to the roof and it can conduct energy into the house, eliminating the need for solar panels. There’s also metal roof panels that can be wired into your HVAC system and the energy can feed back into the grid. Those things, to me, are fabulous. It makes the outside layer conduct the energy. It’s not available yet. But it’s what’s coming.”
GUY PEARSON
SAFETY HARBOR CONSTRUCTION

“Accessibility and sustainability. That’s the trends that I personally am seeing. When doing renovations, the home-owners’ first priority now is staying in the home and making it more sustainable. What I’m seeing is parents moving in with their children—multiple families in a larger home that’s being modified with bathroom conversions encompassing such features as barrier-free showers. There’s also a trend toward energy efficiency, and a lot of that is retrofitting air conditioning systems and water systems and, to some degree, photovoltaic (solar) systems.”
WES JENKINS
BLUE DIAMOND BUILDERS