JELD-WEN NewsroomTrendsTop Trends for 2007: Number 3 - Welcome Generation Young35-and-under homeowners are looking for stylish features that fit their busy lifestyles

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. February 07, 2007 -- Many stayed in school longer, waited to get married and started families later in life. Some are just now entering the workforce for the first time. But members of the 35-and-under age group (made up of both Generations X and Y) are growing up and hitting the housing market in a big way as they reach their prime nesting years.

35-and-under homeowners are looking for stylish features that fit their busy lifestyles

While exact age definitions of Generations X and Y are debatable, there's no doubt that they are having a major impact on the future of housing. According to a report from Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies, people under 35 are making the greatest gains in homeownership rates in the United States. The youngest of this group of buyers, the children of the baby boomers, are shunning rent payments and taking advantage of low-cost finance options to get into homeownership at increasingly young ages.

By all accounts, 35-and-under homebuyers, or Generation Young, are looking for homes that are sound investments and feature stylish products that fit their busy lives. That's why companies like JELD-WEN, the world's leading manufacturer of reliable windows and doors, are accommodating this next wave of homebuyers with new, low-maintenance, high-quality products designed to last for years to come.

Revitalizing the ranch
Forty-nine percent of the current housing stock was built between 1950 and 1984. This era was best known for "ranch" houses, which were built with little, if any, style or open spaces. While Generation Young is purchasing this type of home due to affordability and family-friendly neighborhoods, they are also finding small rooms, inefficient windows and plain flush, hollow core doors as standard features. As 35-and-under homeowners take over these ranch residences from retiring baby boomers, they bring with them a desire for more spacious floor plans that feature an abundance of natural light and add significant value.

Known to spend more of their disposable income on remodels than their boomer counterparts, Gen Young is reconfiguring living spaces with more windows and higher ceilings as they put their own spin on the modern ranch house. However, allowing more natural light in the home also means increasing the chances for exposure to possible harmful effects of the sun's invisible UVA rays, which can cause fading of furnishings and are also linked to health hazards like skin cancer.

Installing windows with Low-E glass is one way to let the sun shine through while at the same time protect against UVA rays. JELD-WEN® wood windows come standard with Low-E glass and block most UVA rays due to a coating that both absorbs heat and reflects the sun's light back into the outdoors.

Generation Young is also looking for products to go beyond the traditional home structure. For example, today's garages are becoming much more than just a place to park cars and lawnmowers. Young homeowners are utilizing garages to expand their living spaces by incorporating hobby rooms, workout facilities, home theaters and storage areas. According to results of "The Perfect Home" survey, a new study by an independent research firm commissioned by JELD-WEN, 20 percent of young homeowners plan to remodel their garages in the next year.

As garages take more prominent roles in today's homes, these homeowners are looking for ways to highlight, rather than hide, the garage. JELD-WEN® garage doors, the only high-performance wood composite garage doors available on the market, give the appearance of real wood without the expense and upkeep, and resist common problems such as cracking, splitting, shrinking, expanding, rusting and denting.

Attractive window inserts in a variety of shapes and styles are popular add-on features that provide natural light and a sense of spaciousness, especially when a garage is transformed as an extension of a home's living space.

Low maintenance - a priority
Faced with longer commutes to work, job pressures, and family commitments, Generation Young homeowners are hard pressed to find time for home maintenance projects. Young working parents would rather spend time with children and friends on the weekends than paint the house or retile a shower.

As a result, JELD-WEN is seeing a rising demand from young homeowners for low-maintenance products. For example, JELD-WEN® Premium Fiberglass exterior doors are exceptionally strong, practically maintenance-free, and an attractive alternative to genuine wood.

"Fiberglass is extremely long-lasting and stable, making it the perfect choice for regions that experience harsh weather," said John Monfore, a door expert with JELD-WEN. "The doors also resist dents and give homeowners the freedom from worrying about the performance and reliability of their doors."

In the same vein, JELD-WEN® vinyl windows and patio doors require almost no maintenance, rate high on the durability scale and resist fading, chipping and peeling. JELD-WEN® wood windows with metal-clad exteriors are also low maintenance and never need repainting.

Splashing color inside and out
As a generation that has always known color televisions, color printers, and color photos, it's no surprise that young homeowners are incorporating color and vibrancy in their homes as well. Generation Young is foregoing the "Builder Beige" of previous generations and experimenting with style color palettes from around the world.

While red packs a wallop and yellow is warm and welcoming, experts are quick to add that color is a personal matter that can change more than just appearance.

To support this trend toward expanding color palettes, JELD-WEN® Custom Wood windows with colorful exterior cladding give homeowners a choice of 39 unique shades with a lasting finish, such as Hartford Green, Rosewood, Deep Summer and Dark Ivy. For those instances when a distinctive color is required, custom color matching is available for a personalized look.

Generation wired
Unlike previous generations, 35-and-under homeowners grew up in a wired, technology-driven world that is a big part of their work and home life. According to the Consumer Electronics Association, consumer electronics (CE) are now more prevalent than ever, with the average U.S. household owning 26 non-discrete CE products.

But technology does not come without a price. The influx of home electronics and technology has increased interior noise levels and sent residents searching for sound relief. In "The Perfect Home" study, JELD-WEN found that Generation Young homeowners were the largest segment of respondents who think their doors do not do a good job of blocking noise from room to room.

Young homeowners looking for more tranquil living environments now have more options for turning down the noise, including JELD-WEN® interior passage doors upgraded with ProCore The Quiet Door® solid core construction. ProCore doors, which are finding their way into multimedia rooms, kid's rooms, master bedrooms and home offices, are up to 50 percent quieter than hollow core flush interior doors.

Generation Young is a highly tech savvy group and extremely comfortable looking for product information on the Internet. They do their homework and come to the table prepared to tell a builder or remodeler what they want.

Inspired by this Web-friendly group, JELD-WEN has developed an array of online tools to help homeowners research the latest window and door options. Visitors to the new Your Design Center at www.jeld-wen.com can see firsthand how various styles of JELD-WEN® windows and doors look in completed homes, learn tips for planning remodeling or new construction projects, and find the right windows and doors to match common architectural styles.

"Today's homebuyers are different than any previous generation and want instant access to information," said Teri Cline, corporate communications manager at JELD-WEN. "Your Design Center is an easy online resource that provides these buyers the results they want to make informed decisions."

In addition, a new Door Selector feature coming in spring 2007 to the JELD-WEN Web site will allow visitors to compare front entry door styles and options, select a material, (wood, fiberglass or steel), add special touches like transoms and sidelights, then immediately see how their door looks so they can determine if the door is the right style for their house.

Darcie Meihoff
503-274-7006
JELD-WEN@cmdagency.com