Some Building Products Are Better Than Ever
The quality of many building products has declined during the last50 years. But other products are better today than ever. Among them areheating systems, windows and cabinetry. Here’s why:
* Heating systems
Few things in the home have improved as much as heating systems. Aslate as the 1970s, the typical furnace had a dismal thermal efficiency ofaround 70%--in other words, 30 cents of every energy dollar went to wasteup the chimney flue.
Then came the nationwide energy crisis of 1978. California’sprogressive state government responded with legislation--widely known asTitle 24--that required all new homes and additions to meet a minimalstandard of energy efficiency. Many other states quickly followed suit.Faced with this mandate, the heating industry developed more innovativetechnologies.
Hence, today’s furnaces are available with efficiencies of 90% andbetter, and many burn so efficiently they don’t require a conventionalflue at all. Add to that programmable thermostats and better ductinsulation, and you’ve got a spectacular reduction in the energy it takesto heat your home.
* Windows
Mainly because they were cheap and easy to install, aluminum windowsbecame the standard of the building industry by the late 1950s. But theywere flimsy, drafty and had little insulating value. Energy legislationworked its magic on window manufacturers as well. In a mad scramble tomeet state mandates for energy efficiency, first came double-pane glass,then better weatherstripping, thermal breaks and many other measuresmeant to reduce heat loss.
Window manufacturers have run with the ball on their own since then.They’ve introduced new energy-efficient windows of clad wood, vinyl andfiberglass, not to mention a huge range of design and finish choices. Theresult is that U.S.-made windows can go head to head with any on theworld market.
* Cabinet work
The widespread adoption of factory-made modular cabinets during the1980s finally signaled the arrival of mass production to a trade that’sbeen a longtime bastion of custom craftsmanship. But whereas theproduction line can make for sloppier products, in this case it’s provedbeneficial to consumers, and not just in lowering prices. Modularcabinets can also be mixed and matched, allowing homeowners to designtheir own kitchens and baths.
Mass production has also brought a dramatic improvement in finishquality. Today’s better modular cabinets have more uniform and durablefinishes than many reasonably priced cabinet shops can offer for the sameprice. This is not to minimize the value of custom cabinets, which willalways hold the premium place on the market, but rather to point out thatthe mid-priced lines of modular cabinets now offer many of the benefitsof high-quality custom work.
Distributed by Inman News Features.
