Last Word: Benchmark

  • A good estimator is methodical but creative

    Sound estimating is the backbone of any remodeling business, whether you bid competitively or negotiate a design/build contract. We spend a lot of time benchmarking financial standards and processes; estimating deserves equal attention.

     
  • Index of all the Remodeling Benchmarks

    It's been three years since we published an index of Benchmarks. This updated version is organized by topic and includes dates for any Benchmark column that discusses the topic.

     
  • Charge For Design Services

    Charging for design and other preconstruction services is growing more common among remodeling companies, but the design/build concept is rarely executed the same way twice. Design expertise is valuable. Get paid for it.

     
  • High-Priced High Tech

    Just 10 years ago, computerizing your remodeling company was optional; today, it's essential. In 1995, a state-of-the-art desktop computer cost about $2,500. The average remodeler bought just one and used it for five years before upgrading. Today, a desktop system that's 100 times more powerful can...

     
  • Don't Ignore Job Costing

    Most estimators assume that eight hours on the jobsite are eight productive hours. With no job costing, you'll never discover how misguided that assumption is.

     
  • Statistics on the 2004 Class of Big50

    Every year, our search for the Big50 uncovers some of the best-performing remodeling companies in the country. Nearly half of this year's Big50 Companies show revenues of between $1 million and $2 million.

     
  • Pay Yourself What You're Worth

    How much money can a company owner expect to earn from a remodeling business? And how many hours should an owner have to work to earn that amount of money?

     
  • Benchmark: Basic Measures

    There are five baseline measurements that all company owners need to know.

     
  • Accurately measuring labor productivity

    Figure out how to get accurate labor estimates and your company will have a real leg up on the competition.Most remodelers will agree that if they had better control over labor costs, they would be more profitable. The typical remodeling company starts the job with a suspect labor price, and the...

     
  • Questionnaire about various areas of business

    This questionnaire is designed to collect information from the past two years about many of the areas most important to Benchmark readers. It will take more than a few minutes of digging into your records to complete this form, but the payoff will be the ability to see from the results we publish...