Every year, we offer our suggestions for 10 products builders should be using (or thinking about using) in their houses.
Our list this year has no particular theme, except to help you and your buyers consider some new ideas. It includes products that are merely about aesthetics and design, some that are practical, and some that will help improve the energy efficiency of your homes.
Just as a refresher, in the past we’ve recommended electric radiant-heated floors, glass tiles, dual-flush toilets, tankless water heaters, water recirculators, and heat-pump water heaters. Low-flow faucets got a nomination one year, as did folding patio doors, humidity-sensing bath fans, crack-isolation floor underlayment, linear drains, ICF foundations, metal roofs, solid core doors, dimmers, and EPA-certified wood stoves.
Obviously, a single builder cannot use all of these recommendations on one house: Some are pricier than standard offerings, and some are not applicable to every climate. But our goal is to show some different ways of doing things and some better products with which to accomplish them.
Here, then, are our 10 products you should consider in 2012.
