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 agreement obligates the Company to lease 55,047 square feet of office space through June 30, 2019. As of September 30, 2015, the Company has executed subleases for 49,756 square feet of the leased space and is currently marketing the remaining portion of the space to find suitable tenants. The Company estimates that the present value of the estimated future sublease receipts, net of transaction costs, will be less than the remaining minimum lease payment obligations under its lease and has recorded a liability for the expected shortfall. During the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, the Company recorded charges of $0.2 million and $1.0 million, respectively, to selling, general and administrative expenses due to changes in its estimate of future sublease receipts.

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, 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 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, 2015, minimum payments remaining under the Company’s lease relating to its reconsidered corporate relocation over the years ending December 31, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 are $0.5 million, $1.9 million, $1.9 million, $2.0 million and $1.0 million, respectively. Net minimum receipts remaining under the Company’s existing subleases over the years ending December 31, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 are $0.0 million, $1.1 million, $1.2 million, $1.3 million and $0.7 million, respectively.

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


	2015			2014
Beginning balance, January 1	$	3,033		$	1,787
Net rental payments		(903	)		(281	)
Accretion of discount		173			125
Increase in net estimated contract termination costs		206			1,018

Ending balance, September 30	$	2,509		$	2,649

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.

The Company continues to receive and settle surface flaking claims related to material produced at its Nevada facility prior to 2007 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.

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 (collectively, elements). Estimates for these elements are quantified using a range of assumptions derived from 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. 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. Typically, a majority of surface flaking claims received in a year are received during the summer outdoor season, which spans the second and third quarters. It has been the Company’s practice to utilize the actuarial techniques discussed above during the third quarter, after a significant portion of all claims has been received for the fiscal year and variances to annual claims expectations are more meaningful. The number of surface flaking claims received continues to decline each year and amounts paid to settle such claims during 2015 are significantly lower than during 2014. However, through the third quarter of 2015, both the number of claims received and the average cost per claim were slightly higher than expectations. As a result and after actuarial review, the Company revised its estimate and recorded an increase to the warranty reserve of $5.4 million during the third quarter. The Company believes that its reserve at September 30, 2015 is sufficient to cover future surface flaking obligations.

The Company’s analysis is based on currently known facts and a number of assumptions, as discussed above. 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 flows. The Company estimates that the annual number of claims received will continue to decline over time and that the average cost per claim will increase slightly, primarily due to inflation. If the level of claims received or average cost per claim differs materially from expectations, it could result in additional increases or decreases to the warranty reserve and a decrease or increase in 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 $3.2 million change in the surface flaking warranty reserve.

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


	2015			2014
Beginning balance, January 1	$	31,419		$	40,312
Changes in estimates related to pre-existing warranties		5,426			—
Settlements made during the period		(5,286	)		(6,647	)

Ending balance, September 30	$	31,559		$	33,665

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

Legal Matters

The Company has 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 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.