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The Good Housekeeping Institute has handed out its second annual Good Housekeeping Home Renovation Awards, recognizing top brands in decking, railings and more.
Over a rigorous, four-month testing period, experts put every submission through its paces, often with multiple forms of assessment. Hands-on testing started in the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab, running abrasion tests on paints to measure durability, checking the run time on power tool batteries, and more.
Products were also sent into the homes of consumer testers, who evaluated them under real- world conditions.
For items that were too big or complex to call into the lab for testing, for example whole-house heating and cooling equipment, engineers reviewed technical data and any third-party testing provided by manufacturers to verify claims around performance, safety and efficiency. Home design editors, meanwhile, weighed in on style and aesthetics—like assessing the texture of various lines of decking and the color depth of new countertop materials.
Finally, two outside judges were brought in—Houston-based homebuilder Fernando Pagés Ruiz and Boston contractor Marc Savatzky—to install products in an actual build.
Winners were grouped into eight categories, including:
• Exterior Enhancements: Barrette Outdoor Living RDI Elevation Rail, Deckorators Voyage composite decking, AZEK Exteriors TimberTech Cladding, Trex Transcend Lineage composite decking, Zuri decking, CertainTeed CERTAplank Single 7’ Reinforced Siding, James Hardie Architectural Collection siding, GAF Timberline UHDZ shingles, and Benjamin Moore element Guard exterior paint.
• Peerless Power Tools: Ryobi 18v ONE+ HP Brushless framing nailer, Ridgid 18v Brushless Two-Tool Combo Kit, and Bosch ProFactor 18v reciprocating saw.
• Outdoor Living Essentials: Backyard Discovery Rockport XL steel grill gazebo.
• Tip-Top Windows & Doors: Masonite M-Pwr Smart Doors, Andersen Contemporary A-Series patio doors, and Milgard AX550 moving glass walls.
