Researchers see demand opening for windows and doors

After falling 4% annually since 2004, demand for windows and doors is forecast to rise 6.6% per year to $31.2 billion in 2014, according to a study from The Freedonia Group.

Although housing completions will remain below the level reached at their cyclical peak in 2006, the recovery in new home construction will fuel above-average gains in the residential market for windows and doors through 2014," according to a Cleveland-based Freedonia Group statement promoting its "Windows & Doors" study.

Plastic windows and doors -- including vinyl, fiberglass or wood-plastic composites -- will see the most rapid growth, increasing more than 10% per year, according to Freedonia. One reason is that improvements in processing techniques have enabled manufacturers to make less-costly, more-efficient fiberglass doors that look more and more like real wood.

Meanwhile, demand for wood windows and doors is forecast to rise 7.2% per year to $10.9 billion in 2014.

Here is the breakdown by category of annual growth through 2014:

Metal, 4.3% Wood, 7.2% Plastic,  10.2% Total, 6.6%