For most of us at the 2025 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, it was fairly obvious that it was the place to be the last week of February. Booths and aisles were crowded, sessions were standing room only and the air was buzzing with product and technology discoveries. In fact, the NAHB reported the Builders’ Show clocked 81,000 attendees—the most in 17 years. Combined with the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show next door, Design & Construction Week saw a total of 124,000 visitors.
AI, Resilience and the Housing Economy Dominate Builder Conversations
Some of the common themes throughout this year’s Builders’ Show education sessions, networking events and exhibit floor included AI (especially how to use it practically), how to deal with rising fire and extreme weather dangers, and what lies ahead for the housing economy.
“[A] level of uncertainty—almost paralyzing in its scope—was thick in the air at IBS 2025,” reported John McManus, Editor of The Builders Daily. “Behind the trade show booths, the demos and the networking events, a persistent undercurrent of worry ran through the hallways. ‘What’s happening out there?’ ‘What are you hearing?’ ‘What are you seeing in your markets?’”
But it’s important to note that McManus gave his coverage a headline of “Presence: The Most Powerful Sign of Resilience at IBS 2025.” He said: “More than 81,000 homebuilding and real estate professionals gathered in Las Vegas this past week. And if nothing else, their sheer presence was a message. In a moment where no one has the answers, where the market is a tangle of contradictions, they showed up.”
In an economic education session, NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz said that single-family housing production should register a slight uptick in 2025, Woodworking Network reported. “He said that builders are contending with conflicting market conditions—policy moves expected to aid the business climate in the areas of regulatory reform and extension of the 2017 tax cuts coupled with tariff and immigration actions that could have an adverse impact on housing costs and supply,” wrote Larry Adams.
“Home builders and remodelers are dealing with positive and negative risks in the months ahead,” Dietz said during the session. “With shelter inflation still rising at a 4.4% annual clip and a housing shortage of roughly 1.5 million units, the best way to bend the rising housing cost curve is for the Trump administration and Congress to enact policies that will allow builders to construct more attainable, affordable housing.”
Emerging Home Design Trends From the 2025 Builders’ Show
IBS always offers a glimpse at where buyers’ tastes are and where they’re heading. In its post-IBS report, Realtor.com noted a move from crisp, clean lines to softer, more organic curves, growing demand for green homes and European-inspired designs that emphasize minimalism and elegance.
“The key takeaway is that homebuyers are placing greater importance on design features that emphasize wellness, sustainability and community,” Realtor said. “Builders need to stay ahead of these trends by incorporating biophilic design, flexible layouts and outdoor living spaces into their projects. For real estate agents, understanding these evolving buyer preferences will enable them to market homes more effectively and facilitate quicker sales.
Our team noticed recurring trends toward wood-stained looks for both exterior porches (perfect timing for our Grove Collection
of rich, wood-look trim) and in bathrooms, along with biophilia, low-maintenance and, of course, outdoor living.
The NAHB’s annual Best of American Living Awards, given out during the Builders’ Show, brought forth a host of common themes, including rooftop entertaining spaces, dark/black exteriors, vertical elements and divided garages.
Finally, be sure to check out Pro Builder’s coverage of the New American Home. This year’s 9,047-square-foot luxury home is a great place to spot up-and-coming features you might start seeing on customers’ wish lists.
Top Product Launches From the Builders’ Show Exhibit Floor.
As always, one of the most popular aspects of every Builders’ Show is the launch of exciting, fun and innovative new products for inside and outside the home, in the toolbox and at the yard.
This year’s Best of IBS Awards showcased outstanding building products in nine categories. Westlake Royal Building Products was honored to have two products make the finals for “Most Innovative Building Material”—Grove Collection trim and Unified Steel® Stone Coated Steel Roofing. Check out all of the finalists here.
Journalists were on hand to see what was new. Catch new-product roundups from LBM Journal, Builder magazine and Hardware+Building Supply Dealer.
New Products From Westlake Royal Building Products at IBS 2025
At the Westlake Royal Building Products booth, visitors browsed a host of new options across nearly every division. Some of the highlights include:
• Grove Collection Line Extension: The award-winning Grove Collection, which combines the timeless charm and rich look of stained wood with the performance benefits of cellular PVC, is now available in column wraps with caps and bases, a 6” nickel gap profile and flat trim.
• Celect® Cellular Composite Siding V-Groove Profile: This new V-Groove profile adds effortless elegance with a clean, modern look, ideal for both horizontal and vertical applications. Its distinctive 12-foot length makes it perfect for vertical installations in homes with high ceilings and contemporary designs.
• Kleer® Reversible Nickel Gap/V-Groove Profile: Suitable for both modern and traditional design styles, both the Nickel Gap and V-Groove sides offer crisp, clean lines for charming and timeless detail. It’s perfect for creating an elegant, durable interior accent wall, including in high-traffic or moisture-prone areas, as well as for exterior soffits and porch ceilings.
• Cedar Renditions Colors: The sleek, modern siding, which combines the beauty of stained wood without the maintenance issues, is now available in five new solid colors in the U.S.—Aluzinc, Ironstone, Charcoal, Frost and Black Silk—along with a new premium woodgrain color in the U.S. and Canada, Natural Whitewash.
• Royal® and Exterior Portfolio® Board & Batten Profile: These next-generation panels blend the classic look of board & batten siding with improved structural stability. They have an updated design with a taller 5/8″ batten, a gracefully curved face and accentuating batten beads to enhance shadow lines, creating a striking visual appeal.
To see all of the new product introductions from the 2025 Builders’ Show, check out the full list here.
And be sure to check out our IBS 2025 highlight Reel on Instagram.
Be the first to hear about new product innovations—subscribe to our enewsletter today.
The post 2025 Builders’ Show Recap: Trends, Product Launches, and Industry Highlights appeared first on Westlake Royal Pros Blog.