Other stories by Kathy Price-Robinson

  • Trusted Handoff

    The day that Jim Fisher met and hired Pete Valentino — the man who would ultimately buy his remodeling business — came about as a result of two factors: analysis and enterprise. The analysis was done by Fisher in the mid-1990s after he observed the manner in which most contractors retired: by...

  • Sustainable Cabinets

    Designers and homeowners have a range of green cabinet options to choose from.

  • A payoff for green practices

    Green building principles are not just a feel-good happenstance at Allen Associates in Santa Barbara, Calif. Rather, a quantifiable number of green elements are required for each project, and green efforts beyond the minimum can raise an associate's quarterly bonus.

  • Curved composite deck shows creativity

    Julia and Dave Bodell must have good karma. How else to explain their great luck in being asked to build one of the most remarkable decks in their careers, a $250,000 multi-toned, multilevel Trex deck and arbor at the Los Angeles Arboretum?

  • Key accountabilities set firm's bonus schedule

    There's no mystery about bonuses for associates at Allen Associates in Santa Barbara, Calif., which does an annual volume of $21 million in upscale remodeling and new construction.

  • Lakeside house remodeled skyward

    Scott and Jennifer Ericson remodeled their home in Lake Oswego, Ore., two years ago, but the family's remodeling challenges originated in 1957, when their low-slung bungalow was built in the midst of a lakeside building boom. Back then, half a century ago, zoning laws at the lake were pale or...

  • Steps toward carbon neutrality

    While politicians in Washington, D.C., debate whether or not the U.S. should try to address global warming, architects and contractors are taking steps to do just that.

  • Three to Watch

    Deep in the minds of many remodelers, one big question looms: What happens to my company when I retire?

  • Sheltered courtyard additions create quiet, safe play spaces

    When Austin, Texas, contractor Shiloh Hartman was asked to remodel an architect's personal home, he was apprehensive. “Often there is this thing between architects and builders,” Hartman says. “It would be a challenge for me working on an architect's house. That's their dream. It would be even more...

  • How to transition projects successfully from design to construction

    In a sloppy or rushed handoff, details worked out by the designer and expected by the client can get lost like sand through the boards of a deck. Although a flawless handoff is key to a successful project, the foundations for it are laid long before the pre-construction meeting when the actual...