12.

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Contract Termination Costs

In anticipation of relocating its corporate headquarters, the Company entered into a lease agreement in 2005. The Company reconsidered and decided not to move its headquarters. The lease obligates the Company to lease 55,047 square feet of office space through June 30, 2019. As of September 30, 2014, the Company has executed subleases for 41,701 square feet of the leased space, 16,969 of which expires on December 31, 2014, and is currently marketing the remaining portion of the space to find a suitable tenant. The Company estimates that the present value of the estimated future sublease receipts, net of transaction costs, will be less than the Company’s remaining minimum lease payment obligations under its lease and has recorded a liability for the expected shortfall. During the nine months ended September 30, 2014, due to revisions to its estimate of future sublease receipts, the Company recorded a charge of $1.0 million to selling, general and administrative expenses.

To estimate future sublease receipts, the Company has assumed that existing subleases will be renewed or new subleases will be executed at rates consistent with rental rates in the current subleases or estimated market rates and that existing vacancies will be filled within one year. However, management cannot be certain that the timing of future subleases or the rental rates contained in future subleases will not differ from current estimates. Factors such as the availability of commercial office space, poor market conditions and subtenant preferences will influence the terms achieved in future subleases. The inability to sublet the office space in the future or unfavorable changes to key management assumptions used in the estimate of the future sublease receipts may result in material charges to selling, general and administrative expenses in future periods.

As of September 30, 2014, the minimum payments remaining under the Company’s lease relating to its reconsidered corporate relocation over the years ending December 31, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 are $0.4 million, $1.7 million, $1.8 million, $1.8 million and $1.8 million, respectively, and $0.9 million in 2019. The minimum receipts remaining under the Company’s existing subleases over the years ending December 31, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 are $0.3 million, $0.8 million, $0.7 million, $0.7 million and $0.7 million, respectively, and $0.4 million in 2019.

The following table provides information about the Company’s liability related to the lease (in thousands):


	2014			2013
Beginning balance, January 1	$	1,787		$	1,103
Net rental receipts (payments)		(281	)		(410	)
Accretion of discount		125			61
Increase in net estimated contract termination costs		1,018			1,144

Ending balance, September 30	$	2,649		$	1,898

Product Warranty

The Company warrants that its products will be free from material defects in workmanship and materials. This warranty generally extends for a period of 25 years for residential use and 10 years for commercial use. (With respect to TrexTrim™ and Trex Reveal^® Railing, the warranty period is 25 years for both residential and commercial use.) With respect to the Company’s Transcend^®, Enhance^®, Select^® and Universal Fascia product, the Company further warrants that the product will not fade in color more than a certain amount and will be resistant to permanent staining from food substances or mold (provided the stain is cleaned within seven days of appearance). This warranty extends for a period of 25 years for residential use and 10 years for commercial use. If there is a breach of such warranties, the Company has an obligation either to replace the defective product or refund the purchase price.

Historically, the Company has not had material numbers of claims submitted or settled under the provisions of its product warranties, with the exception of claims related to material produced at its Nevada facility prior to 2007 that exhibits surface flaking. The Company continues to receive and settle surface flaking claims and maintains a warranty reserve to provide for the settlement of these claims. Estimating the warranty reserve for surface flaking claims requires management to estimate (1) the number of claims to be settled with payment and (2) the average cost to settle each claim, both of which are subject to variables that are difficult to estimate.

To estimate the number of claims to be settled with payment, the Company utilizes actuarial techniques to quantify both the expected number of claims to be received and the percentage of those claims that will ultimately require payment. Estimates for both of these elements (number and percentage of claims that will ultimately require payment) are quantified using a range of assumptions derived from the recent claim count history and the identification of factors influencing the claim counts, including the downward trend in received claims due to the passage of time since production of the suspect material. For each of the various parameters used in the analysis, the assumed values in the actuarial valuation produce results that represent the Company’s best estimate for the ultimate number of claims to be settled with payment. The cost per claim varies due to a number of factors, including the size of affected decks, the type of replacement material used, the cost of production of replacement material and the method of claim settlement.

The Company monitors surface flaking claims activity each quarter for indications that its estimates require revision. Due to extensive use of decks during the summer outdoor season, variances to annual claims expectations are typically more meaningful during the latter part of the fiscal year. Through the third quarter of 2014, the number of claims received was lower than the Company’s expectations, while the average cost per claim was higher than the Company’s expectations for 2014. Based on claims activity experienced during the current year, the Company revised its assumed future number of claims and average cost per claim. The revised assumptions did not result in a change to the Company’s warranty reserve, which as of September 30, 2014, the Company believes is sufficient to cover future surface flaking obligations.

The Company’s analysis is based on currently known facts and a number of assumptions. Projecting future events such as the number of claims to be received, the number of claims that will require payment and the average cost of claims could cause the actual warranty liabilities to be higher or lower than those projected which could materially affect the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flow. The Company estimates that the number of claims received will continue to decline over time and that the average cost per claim will remain relatively stable. If the level of claims received or average cost per claim differs materially from expectations, it could result in additional increases to the warranty reserve and reduced earnings and cash flows in future periods. The Company estimates that a 10% change in the expected number of remaining claims to be settled with payment or the expected cost to settle claims may result in approximately a $3.4 million change in the surface flaking warranty reserve.

The following is a reconciliation of the Company’s surface flaking warranty reserve (in thousands):


	2014			2013
Beginning balance, January 1	$	40,312		$	28,487
Changes in estimates related to pre-existing warranties		—			20,000
Settlements made during the period		(6,647	)		(5,947	)

Ending balance, September 30	$	33,665		$	42,540

The remainder of the Company’s warranty reserve represents amounts accrued for non-surface flaking claims.

Legal Matters

On December 16, 2013, the United States District Court, Northern District of California Court granted final approval of the settlement with the law firm of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, relating to the previously reported class action lawsuit brought on behalf of Dean Mahan, and other named and similarly situated plaintiffs generally which alleged certain defects in the Company’s products relating to mold growth, color fading and color variation. As of the date of this report, the Company has distributed substantially all cash payments and rebate certificates under the settlement. Claimants who were denied relief could appeal Trex’s decision, and the deadline for appeals has now passed. The Company believes that payments to consumers for all relief under the settlement, even after determination of all appeals, will not exceed approximately $1.0 million. In addition to such amount, the Company previously paid $1.8 million related to this litigation, representing payment of attorneys’ fees to class counsel and named plaintiff awards in the nationwide settlement and the settlement of corollary cases brought in Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey and Michigan, all as previously disclosed.

The Company has other lawsuits, as well as other claims, pending against it which are ordinary routine litigation and claims incidental to the business. Management has evaluated the merits of these other lawsuits and claims, and believes that their ultimate resolution will not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial condition, results of operations, liquidity or competitive position.