Today, a company can tell you, in real time, how many visitors its Web site is getting, how long visitors are staying, and how many pages they’ve clicked through. Unnerving, perhaps, but monitoring such metrics also means we can find out what you're interested in. Thanks to Builder's reader service bureau, Inquiry Management Systems in Toronto, for example, we have a very accurate picture of what products piqued your curiosity over the course of 2008.
And compiling lists such as the Favorite 50 reveals a lot about where the industry’s collective head is at. For example, last year, the popularity of tankless water heaters and in-floor radiant heat reflected the growing interest in energy efficiency, while folding patio doors spoke to the indoor/outdoor living movement. This year, energy efficiency and sustainability are still hot, but take a good look at the rest of the list and other trends will emerge.
1. Progress Lighting: lighting
2. JMX International Corp.: bamboo flooring
3. L.E. Johnson Hardware: sliding-door hardware
4. Bonsal American: concrete resurfacer
4. Teragren: bamboo flooring
6. Heat Transfer Products: evacuated- tube collector
7. Georgia-Pacific: precut wood joist
7. Heat Transfer Products: solar water heater
9. ShowHouse by Moen: pot-filler faucet
10. California Faucets: shower drain
10. Wellmade Floor Coverings: bamboo flooring
12. ECO-heater Inc.: wall-mounted heater
12. Kidde: low-profile smoke alarm
12. White River Hardwoods: cabinet molding
15. Fypon: cove molding
16. Windsor Mill: molding
17. Georgia-Pacific/Quiet Solutions: sound proof/moisture-resistant drywall
17. Rinnai: tankless water heater
19. Eaton Corp.: backup generator
19. Sloan Valve Co.: pressure-assist flush valve
21. Arlington Industries: t.v. box
21. Fomo Products: foam air seal
23. Cummins Power Generation: backup generator
24. 360 Electrical: rotating outlet
25. Bay Tree Technologies: thermally modified lumber
25. Icynene: foam insulation
27. Generac Corp.: backup generator
27. Guttersupply.com: copper downspout
27. LiteSteel Technologies America: steel beam
27. Trane: whole-house air filtration
31. Benissimo Systems: modular granite countertops
31. Kohler Power Systems: backup generator
33. Grand Hall: tank/tankless hybrid water heater
34. James Hardie Building Products: fiber- cement siding
35. Kichler Lighting: LED under-cabinet lighting
36. BioBased Systems: soybean foam insulation
37. Briggs & Stratton: backup generator
37. Kohler: bath vanity
39. Central Floors: bamboo flooring
39. Crown Column & Millwork: column
41. Brondell: dual-flush toilet converter
41. Fagor America: slim refrigerator
41. L.E. Johnson Hardware: pocket-door hardware
41. Yekalon Industry: laminate flooring
45. CertainTeed: foam insulation
45. Sugatsune America: door hardware
47. MTI Whirlpools: concealed-drain shower base
47. Nana Wall Systems: aluminum-clad folding doors
47. Terra Acqua: stone sink
50. SLK Development Group: four-in-one level
