It’s the biggest week in home building – and it’s over. But don’t worry if you missed the record-setting International Builders’ Show, we’ve got you covered with our show highlights from our writers and editors.
Tri Pointe Vegas Luxury
I started my show a day early by visiting a Tri Pointe Homes development on Monday on a small lake just outside town. The homes aren’t cheap, hitting the higher end of luxury at around $4 million. It's rich for my blood, but you can see the appeal. Staggering open concept views that open to the outside, choice materials, a sense of space that needs more space than this to capture. The real takeaway? Tri Pointe isn’t worried about finding buyers in this segment—as BUILDER previously reported, the luxury market is doing just fine, thank you very much.
Steve Ladurantaye
The Show’s Most Interesting Man
George Bandy Jr. is the recently named vice president and chief sustainability officer for Andersen Windows and Doors. Dressed to the nines, he’s going through the how-to talk about how the manufacturer intends to do things differently. “We want to focus on waste inside the operations, look at energy operations, and learn to highlight what we are already doing well.” BUILDER writers will profile the former head of circular economy at Amazon in the coming weeks.
Steve Ladurantaye
Smart Tech Meets Spa-Like Bathroom
Sometimes, small innovations can enhance functionality in a big way, like with the new bathroom vanities from James Martin Vanities in collaboration with FreePower and Cosentino. The furniture-style vanities feature Silestone countertops, with a wireless charger integrated smoothly into the surface. With a futuristic charging halo that looks like accent decor, this charger is in the right place at the right time to offer convenience to homeowners in their daily routine, considering the bathroom is where most people begin and end their days. Depending on the size of the surface, the halo can accommodate one or two devices and features a wide charging berth (no need to line up exactly, a common problem with some surface chargers). It’s a clever feature that will make life easier and save steps and time for homeowners as they rush through their morning routine or wind down at the end of the day.
Heather Wright
Culture and Data
My 2025 edition of IBS started with a strong education session led by Bobby Mink of Choice Consulting and Management. Among the featured topics from his session “8 Essentials for Company Growth, Increased Profitability & Company Performance,” the takeaways related to people and data stuck with me the most. After highlighting how culture is more important than anything in the current landscape, Mink spoke about leaders empowering employees by asking questions rather than telling employees what to do. The role of leaders, Mink told attendees, is to create and maintain an environment where people accomplish goals efficiently and effectively. On data, Mink shared the importance of prioritizing a company's seven to 15 most important metrics, telling attendees, “You can only improve what you can measure.” He repeated a two-pronged message on documentation and accountability throughout the session: “It’s not real if it’s not written” and “You cannot manage conversations.”
Vince Salandro
Color Trend Watch
I met with the team at Sherwin-Williams to learn more about the process and inspiration behind the Capsules that are part of its Colormix Forecast 2025. The Colormix Forecast aims to identify color trend lines in residential and commercial colors for the next 18 to 24 months. Each of the four Capsules carries a name to promote a unique storyline. They spotlight different aspects of color, aesthetically and emotionally, but the common thread is a “source of truth” as a starting point for the inspiration, according to Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams. The first Capsule, named Chrysalis, offers a palette of subtle, sanctuary-inspired neutrals. The next Capsule, Paradox, is playful and taps into nostalgic comfort with bright hues. Wellspring has a roster of rich, biophilic-inspired colors meant to be grounding and authentic. Finally, Kindred has a lively and creatively inclined palette, a good tool in the maximalism trend. As a bonus, nail polish tinted with Grounded, one of the colors from its Color Capsule of the Year for 2025 and the Chrysalis Capsule, is booth swag.
Heather Wright
Captured Carbon
ZS2 Technology gave me a carbon captured poker chip. It's a marketing gimmick, to be sure, but it is a good example of what the company can manufacture with its carbon capture technology. The Canadian company sucks up the carbon from oil sands projects and works it into magnesium cement that can be used in a range of precast building materials. It’s fire resilient, stands up well to hurricanes, and works well in seismic zones. The company plans to open a manufacturing facility in Alabama to get around possible tariffs—thanks, President Trump?
Steve Ladurantaye
Frame-iliar Surroundings
For my break from the crowds, I returned to familiar ground and participated in a roof framing seminar at the Huber booth. The added value to this was that it was presented by Tim Uhler from Awesome Framers, who has contributed to JLC countless times over the past few years, and Aron Jones from Big Dog Construction. If you are interested in how framing a house should be done, check out their YouTube channels and see for yourself. It also reminded me why I became a finish carpenter, not a framer.
Marc Forget
Sustainability, CertainTeed
From a building products point of view, the show's emerging themes are sustainability, innovation, and resilience. Regarding sustainability, manufacturers aim to minimize environmental impact and improve energy efficiency. CertainTeed’s Landmark Solaris shingles incorporate advanced solar reflective technology that reduces home cooling costs by reflecting solar energy, enhancing energy efficiency and comfort. What does that mean? These energy-efficient shingles feature solar reflective technology that can reflect a portion of the sun's rays, reducing the amount of heat transferred into a building and lowering the cooling requirements and energy costs during hot weather. A bonus: The durable shingles meet the Cool Roof Rating Council standards and offer aesthetic flexibility, potentially qualifying homeowners for energy conservation incentives.
Paul Makovsky
Stuff Your Pants in the Walls, Stay Warm
Speaking of sustainability, Henry Co. is turning heads with its Ultratouch Recycled Denim wall insulation. The Pennsylvania-based company specializes in insulating wrap and is nominated for a Best of IBS Award for its sealing product, which is impressive and helps builders meet energy expectations from buyers. But the real eye-catcher in the booth is the large pile of fluffy blue material, the remnants of jeans from the past that have been upcycled into insulation. The company estimates it diverts 20 million pounds of jeans from landfills each year. That’s enough to clothe my skateboarding teenage son for at least one summer.
Steve Ladurantaye
Fire Resiliency
With all the news about the California fires and the intensity of extreme weather events, resilience is becoming a crucial aspect of building design. We’re seeing BPMs offering products that do a better job withstanding hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. For example, Arclin’s Firepoint offers superior fire resistance for building materials, enhancing safety by slowing the spread of fire and providing more time for evacuation. This super-treated plywood is formulated with cutting-edge fire retardant chemicals so it slows down the spread of flames, providing up to 53% more fire resistance than code. The panels don’t need exterior gypsum, which means less material is used, so it’s lighter, and you can use less labor to move the product. The company states that the product is demonstrated to withstand fire for up to 90 minutes on 60-minute wall assemblies. It’s worth a closer look.
Paul Makovsky
Design Goes to the Dogs
When you think of a pet door, you might picture a utilitarian, guillotine-style opening in a door that isn’t particularly stylish, secure or smart. Pawport’s smart pet door, created in partnership with Kolbe, turns that idea on its ear with smart tech that is intuitive, combined with an extremely sleek design. It works with a unique collar tag, with instructions that apply only to the pet wearing it, with the option to input up to 17 different pets (if you happen to have many), right from an app on your smartphone. The pet door recognizes each pet individually via the smart tag and can be programmed to accommodate preferences around time of day, duration outside, and even weather. This door knows when it is raining, and, if you’d rather Fido didn’t track his muddy paws inside, you can opt to keep the door shut in inclement weather. The pet door can be purchased integrated into Kolbe windows and doors or can be retrofitted. The style is designer-grade, with rounded edges that make this piece look like intentional decor. Colored lights (you can choose this too from your phone) add an extra decorative touch. It’s safe and withstands the impact of several tools thieves might use to break in.
Heather Wright
The Good, the Bad, and the Uncertain of the New Administration
During both the single-family and multifamily outlook sessions, much of the conversation was shaped by stated goals and expectations of the Trump administration. The administration’s stated goal of lowering the cost of housing, largely by addressing the high costs of regulations for builders and developers, is seen as a significant positive tailwind by both the single-family and multifamily sectors. However, the possibility for an increasing government deficit, inflationary concerns, and the cost impacts of tariffs have the potential to outweigh regulatory cost improvements. Additionally, the administration’s approach to immigration could have significant supply-side (construction labor) and demand-side (rental demand) impacts across the single-family and multifamily sectors.
Vince Salandro
They Don’t Know What They Don’t Know
The most important element of attracting the next generation to the construction workforce is meeting them where they are. Whether this is in high schools or during a veteran’s transition into civilian life, the home building industry can help solve its labor shortage. During a Two-Story Talk, leaders from home builders, manufacturers, and workforce development organizations shared practical and actionable insights on how companies can take labor challenges into their own hands. The most powerful—and simple—way to do this is by speaking with young individuals. As Bobby Thompson, director of operations for Beazer Homes Maryland, shared with attendees, young people “don’t know what they don’t know.” Many are unaware of the opportunities, growth potential, and path to entrepreneurship offered by a career in the construction industry.
Vince Salandro
Be Wary of AI
The executive insight panel featured leaders representing custom builders, remodelers, public builders, suppliers, and vendors sharing their perspectives on the housing market for the year ahead. During the panel’s discussion of technology and artificial intelligence (AI), Mike Bills, president of AtlasRTX, told attendees to take the hype and promise of AI with a grain of salt. The perspective was particularly interesting because Bills’ company is working to enhance home buying experiences with AI-driven digital solutions. Bills said it is important for builders to guard against investing in technology just to invest. Instead, builders should identify tangible problems and evaluate how—and if—AI can help solve those problems.
Vince Salandro
Saving Ankles, One Ladder at a Time
The Little Giant Ladder company is showing off some new and old offerings. They have never been one to compete on price, but a good tool is one that you should only have to buy once. Falls from ladders are a problem for the construction industry and cost productivity time and money in claims every year. One area that has gotten me more than once in my career is missing that last step. With 20% of ladder accidents coming from stepping off too soon, the company is addressing this with its Ground Cue system. The last step has an audible click and tactile movement on contact that ensures that you know when you have reached the end. Hopefully, a few ankles will be saved on-site.
Marc Forget
Taking the Plunge
Health and wellness at home is trending, and cold plunging is a big part of that. Kohler’s new cold plunge tub, to be released later this year, is a stylish tool that brings healthy habits home. Undeniably sleek and designed to resemble a bespoke piece of furniture, the cold plunge tub is for use inside or outdoors, although smart design suggests that this will become a fixture in indoor wellness-oriented spaces, such as home gyms or recovery areas. When you’re ready, lie back and submerse yourself in the cold water (the recommended time is six minutes, if you can). If it’s too intense, don’t worry, this tub has your back. A gentle “breathing light” appears on the panel that ebbs and flows gently, like the water you are sitting in, to remind you to breathe through it. There are no jets, making the experience gentler. This writer did not witness it, but rumor has it many attendees are trying this tub out IRL on the show floor, seeing if they can take the frigid temps.
Heather Wright
Veneer Is Here
Over at the Eldorado Stone booth, the company was debuting a host of new products. Still, the one that stood out for me is their on-trend Nordic Peak stone veneers, which offer the look of natural stone with easier installation and lower costs, making them an excellent choice for builders and designers. Inspired by the current love of Scandinavian design, the line is refreshing with its bright neutrals that blend seamlessly with white tones and subtle variations of light gray. These manufactured stone veneers are sustainable, requiring fewer natural resources, reducing transportation emissions due to their lightweight nature, and supporting energy-efficient production, contributing to better indoor air quality and potential LEED points. All in all, it’s a great new product.
Paul Makovsky
And Finally …
There are many ways to get people to visit your booth and collect business cards: prizes, drawings, swag. But Home Innovation Research Labs took a more direct approach: Beautiful people handing out $5 bills in exchange for a card. Hand one over, and you get the cash. You don’t even need to talk to them about whatever they do—which I have no idea about because I rushed off before they could take their money back.
Steve Ladurantaye
