For about 30 years, I was a general contractor/remodeler who had worked through the ranks until I owned my own business. Then in December 2003 I got involved with Habitat for Humanity of Bucks County (Pennsylvania) through my local NARI chapter.
What are the barriers to entering this industry? Not many, but some might say a pickup truck and a dog. Imagine going to a doctor who had a bag full of implements but no education or credentials.
Those of us in remodeling have experienced, at one time or another, clients' anxiety attacks. Our company likes to refer to them as “remodeling fever.”
I call the programming remodeling porn because, like other pornography, it bears no resemblance whatsoever to real life. The projects appear to be completely finished in 22 minutes (between commercials), the “crews” work for free using ridiculously low materials budgets, and the homeowners...
Too often I have found myself in a conversation at the lumberyard with other builders who mention how hard it is out there and how difficult clients can be. I've been in business for six short but rewarding years. I've had both slow and lucrative times. I can understand the frustration of my fellow...
Recently, I talked with a friend and fellow remodeling company owner. He was furious that another, much larger remodeling company had, in his mind, tried to poach one of his longtime employees. I don't know if the employee was approached or that employee approached Big Remodeler Inc. In the scheme...
The Japanese have shown me that American business doesn't have a clue about customer service. If we want continued success, we must step up to the next level and follow their example. Japanese consumers expect an incredibly high level of service, and in this competitive market, business owners sink...
Hurricane Isabel cut a swath through several states in late September 2003, causing millions of dollars in property damage. As a general contractor and a professional in disaster response, I was deployed to southern Maryland as a disaster housing inspector under contract to the Federal Emergency...
My dad, Jim LeFaivre, formally began the exit process in 1999 after he'd owned the J.R. LeFaivre Construction Co. for 23 years. But I believe he had a plan in mind long before he actually set things in motion.
Writing off the sales call because only one party can meet is a common sales practice. But is it a dated one?