Want new windows or doors with today’s efficiency—yet long for an older look? Window and door maker Jeld-Wen hopes so, as the company announced a line of reclaimed Douglas fir products at last week's International Builders’ Show in Orlando.

The various show homes constructed for the Builders' Show are an opportunity to see the latest products, techniques, and design trends in action. One such example, the Builder Concept Home 2012, imagines a neighborhood where baby boomers, Gen Xers and millennials can all live side-by-side, an inventive alternative to a more segregated world of starter homes and retirement communities.

The annual International Builders' Show always reflects the housing industry as a whole, and so the quiet, scaled-down scene this year was no surprise. Back in 2006, more than 100,000 builders, manufacturers, architects, financial experts, and other housing professionals crowded multiple halls of the convention center in Orlando. This year, about half as many attendees huddled in a single hall, where big names like Whirlpool, GE, and Home Depot were conspicuously absent. As dramatic as it sounds, the 50 percent-decline in attendance was nothing compared to the drop-off in housing starts, which will be well below 500,000 in 2012 compared to 2 million at the height of the boom.

Traditional water heaters supply hot water when you want it but don’t typically represent the latest in energy efficiency. Tankless water heaters are more efficient, but readers we’ve polled have complained about inconsistent temperatures—particularly the so-called “cold-water sandwich” served when cold water lingers in the pipes.

Up to now, if you wanted to dim CFL or LED bulbs, you would have to buy the right dimmer for that type of bulb—or live with flickering and other issues. Leviton’s Universal Dimmer, on display at the International Builders’ Show, is the first that’s claimed to work with practically any dimmable compact fluorescent, LED, or incandescent bulb and even with halogen-fluorescent hybrid bulbs.

CertainTeed’s Apollo Photovoltaic Solar Roofing is aimed at homeowners who want solar power without the bulk. These panels are less than an inch thick yet promise to slash 40 to 70 percent off electricity bills in a typical installation. Better known for shingles, CertainTeed, which featured the solar panels at the International Bulders’ Show, designed them to integrate with asphalt roofing and install directly on new or existing roofs.

If you can lock and unlock your car without a key, why not your home? That’s part of the appeal of SimpliciKey’s remote-control deadbolt door lock, which was on display at the International Builders’ Show. Owned by Electronic Warfare Associates, a Department of Defense contractor, SimpliciKey draws on its parent company’s high-security background.

Sears has its Craftsman tools, Home Depot has Ridgid—and now Lowe’s has its Kobalt brand of cordless tools sold only at Lowe’s. But these new tools are more than just a new name: They can all share the same batteries, whether they’re lithium-ion or NiCads. We’ll see how this new name in cordless tools handles our tough tests—and whether the Kobalt impact driver is any quieter than others.

Standby generators have certainly drawn the attention of Baby Boomers, considering that 80 percent of sales go to homeowners age 50 or older. At the very least, standby generators—which start up automatically when needed—can protect not only your home but also your life.

Home automation isn’t just lights, locks and security systems. Pella’s Designer Series windows and patio doors also let you raise—or lower—their built-in shades with a remote and soon by using a laptop or smart phone from wherever you happen to be. Called SmartSync technology, the windows and doors are on display at the International Builders’ Show.

Owens Corning announced three varieties of its TruDefinition Duration roofing-shingle line at the 2012 International Builders’ Show, including an especially impact-resistant series intended for homes in the nation’s so-called hail belt.

Marvin Windows made a number of additions to its existing lines at the 2012 International Builders’ Show, but one in particular came to address what too often has been missing in residential windows: a child-safety latch.

The Patriots didn't win the Super Bowl, but Bostonians can take comfort in the fact that they've got one of the most vital residential housing markets in the country, according to new data released today at the International Builders' Show. Dallas, Seattle and Washington D.C. joined Boston at the top of the list, which was developed by Jonathan Smoke, executive director of research at Hanley Wood.

Apps and online tools for picking paint colors are a dime a dozen, but Chip It, the latest offering from Sherwin-Williams, offers a clever twist. Being launched at the Builders' Show, the free, web-based tool lets you select any image on the internet—say from your favorite design site or a downloaded picture you snapped on vacation—and instantly identify the colors contained within it.

The humble bathroom fan is getting a decent amount of buzz at the Builders' Show, thanks to several interesting innovations. If your bathrooms lack this critical fixture, or the fans you have are old, noisy, and ineffective at eliminating moisture, these new products are worth a look.