Vinyl windows are the most common type in new homes overall, particularly in starter and move-up homes. Larger builders—those constructing 50 homes a year or more—are three times as likely to install vinyl windows than smaller builders.
Wood windows are the top choice of smaller builders and builders of luxury homes.
Recent data shows the average new single-family luxury home has about 28.8 windows, while the average starter home has only 11.3. The number of windows installed in a new single-family detached home went up from 17.8 to 19.5, on average, after declining in each of the previous 5 years. This increase reflects the strength of the move-up and luxury home markets in 2021, where rising home prices sidelined buyers at the lower end of the price range.
Over the past decade, sliding patio doors have gained share from about 40 percent to 60 percent of new single-family home installations, while swinging patio doors have declined by the same percentage.
Moving glass walls are being used in place of traditional patio doors more than ever—now included in about 8 percent of all new single-family homes. Moving glass walls are particularly popular in the South and West.
