As homebuilding demand increases, windows and doors must arrive in top condition

The home buying season, generally regarded as the warmer months of the year, is off to a somewhat slow start in 2017. According to the National Association of Realtors, lack of affordable inventory is a key obstacle holding many homebuyers back.

Too few homes hold prospective buyers back

Existing-home sales completed in April fell 2.3 percent from March levels. Additionally, pending sales in April decreased 1.3 percent.

"Prospective buyers are feeling the double whammy this spring of inventory that's down [9] percent from a year ago and price appreciation that's much faster than any rise they've likely seen in their income," said Lawrence Yun, chief economist at NAR, in a press release.

The lack of inventory is a problem that homebuilders are beginning to focus on. According to the National Association of Home Builders, builder confidence increased in May to a level of 70, the second-highest reading since the Great Recession.

"The HMI measure of future sales conditions reached its highest level since June 2005, a sign of growing consumer confidence in the new home market," explained Robert Dietz, chief economist at NAHB. "Especially as existing home inventory remains tight, we can expect increased demand for new construction moving forward."

New construction must be completed quickly but competently

To cater to the large number of prospective homebuyers who are house hunting this summer, contractors must focus on building affordable yet attractive homes.

New construction is a huge project to take on, not to mention it's also a huge investment. There are numerous details to consider throughout the process, but there is one detail that shouldn't be overlooked; protecting critical building components from rejections caused by scratching, marring, dirt or other damage.

Two such critical components seen in every residential construction are the windows and doors. These building components can be made out of one or multiple surface types, all of which typically require protective materials to ensure their integrity from time of being manufactured all the way through final installation.

The front door will be the buyer's first impression of the home. An excellent front door can be welcoming, with a window of tempered, stained or rain glass that lets sunlight come through into the home's entrance. To ensure this first impression is maintained through installation at a new home, the door "skin", frame and glass surfaces are all masked with protective films by the manufacturer and is left on the surface through delivery all the way up through installation. This level of protection ensures the door and glass surfaces are not scratched or dulled before the homeowner moves in.

Windows are a prominent and decorative addition to any new home as well. These components can be made of various material types in the frames with a large area of glass, all of which need to be thoroughly protected. Window manufacturers go to great lengths to protect the various frame surfaces as well as the tempered and coated glass contained to ensure nothing is scratched, soiled or damaged during manufacturing, shipping and through actual job site installation.

SG PolyMask by Pregis manufactures a full line of protective films that can be applied to entry door skins, garage doors, window frames and glass for short- or long-term use. These temporary surface protection films keep the surfaces of windows and doors safe, from factory to final installation.

Protective films like Pregis PolyMask™ are easily adhered to and removed from these surfaces, giving manufacturers and contractors both peace of mind that items being delivered will arrive in perfect condition.