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.

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.

Not long ago, you might not have pressed your roofer to assure you about the durability of the material being recommended unless you lived in an area prone to heavy storms. You could even go merely by what looked good and didn’t cost too much. What a difference a couple of years make. In an online survey of 1,005 homeowners conducted by Harris Interactive for polymer-roofing maker DaVinci Roofscapes and discussed at the 2012 International Builders’ Show, durability and longevity mattered significantly more to respondents than other factors.

Weatherizing the attic can slice your heating and cooling bills by as much as 30 percent, according to the Department of Energy. But to maximize the savings, you need to remember to insulate the attic hatch. Even a 1/4-inch gap around its perimeter can leak the same amount of air supplied by a typical heating duct. Here's where Battic Door Attic Stairs Insulator Cover, on display at the International Builders' Show this week, could lead to big energy and money savings.

The Consumer Reports Home team leaves today for the 2012 International Builders' Show, taking place February 8-11 in Orlando, Florida. As in years past, our editors and product-information specialists will be filming, blogging and tweeting live from the floor of the Orange County Convention Center.

Consumer Reports newest Ratings of interior paints include many subpar low- and no-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints along with those that made our winners’ circle. You’ll also find a growing array of green logos, although some of those certifications are self-awarded. A new Asthma & Allergy Friendly certification is among the ones you’ll see when shopping for paint. Here’s a guide to six of the most common green labels.

Look at the packaging for an air purifier, and you’re likely to see one or more certification logos from testing organizations and even the government. But while a star or a golden emblem on a box might suggest high praise or an award, none of the certificates necessarily mean the purifier is right for you. To help you choose, Consumer Reports has decoded the labels.

A three-bedroom, two-story, single-family house with two bathrooms, central air-conditioning, a gas furnace and working fireplace on a 17,590 square-foot lot. Those were the characteristics of the typical new home of the 496,000 built in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. With baby boomers now becoming empty nesters, new homes are shrinking—down to 2,392 square feet from 2,438 in 2009. The average sales price was $272,900, up from $270,900 in 2009 but a steep drop from previous years when new homes sold for $292,600 in 2008 and $313,600 in 2007.

The latest Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA), released this week by Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies, projects a strong 2012 for the industry. “Sales of existing homes have been increasing in recent months, offering more opportunities for home improvement projects,” said program director Kermit Baker, in the news release. “As lending institutions become less fearful of the real estate sector, financing will become more readily available to owners looking to undertake remodeling.”

If you're already skeptical about the truth and accuracy of sales promos you see in newspaper flyers and weekly circulars, a decision released this week by the Better Business Bureau's National Advertising Division (NAD) won’t make a believer out of you. According to the watchdog agency, consumers who bought certain LG appliances from retailer hhgregg did not save $250 to $300 as advertised, since those promised savings were based on inflated suggested retail prices.

In the Chicago area volunteers at a Boys & Girls Club will be “painting for a purpose.” In Austin, Texas volunteers will be removing trash, tires and invasive plants from a local greenbelt. And in Boston, volunteers will be making energy-saving improvements to old homes. The efforts are all part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, which takes place this Monday.

January is National Radon Action month and the Environmental Protection Agency is asking homeowners to “save a life” by testing for radon and fixing any problems they find. Radon is a radioactive gas and exposure to it causes 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year—only smoking causes more. Because you can't see, smell or taste radon, it’s important to periodically test the air in your home. Believing you live in a region not affected by radon is just one of the myths about this deadly gas. Here are the EPA’s top 10.

Four-year-old Dustin Kruse doesn’t want the latest Lego set or Nerf gun for Christmas. And he’s not leaping for a LeapPad tablet or rocking to Let’s Rock Elmo. No, Dustin wants something more substantial—a dual-flush toilet. Fortunately, Dustin’s family lives within driving distance of Kohler, a toilet manufacturer based in Wisconsin. After a trip to their show room and a letter from Mom, Dustin got his wish.

Procrastinators are still holding out hope that they’ll get a good gift at a good price by Sunday. Retailers are slashing prices on everything from clothes to toys to tools including some of the cordless drills recommended in Consumer Reports tests. If that sounds like the perfect present for the handyman or woman on your list, check out our new model pages, which give our testers' take on each drill as well as the highs and lows of every model.