By REMODELING Magazine Staff. Quick ChangeRemodeler: Chris Paquette;
Company: C H Paquette Design/Build, Abington, Pa.;
Product: 3D Home Architect 4.0, Broderbund.
www.broderbund.com.
A small kitchen and bath designer, Chris Paquette says 3D Home Architect offers him a simple, inexpensive home design software program that still delivers quality designs. "Within minutes of installing it on my computer I was drawing floor plans," says Paquette. "I can go out to a prospect's house and within 30 minutes I can show the homeowner a very professional looking 3-D view of a proposed kitchen or bath layout." While the software does have some limitations, Paquette says its low cost -- about $40 -- and ease of use make it a sound purchase.
Out of the GutterRemodeler: Andy Fusia, CR;
Company: Aurora Construction, Cumming, Ga.;
Product: Leafilter gutter guard.
www.leaffilter.com.
Photo: Courtesy Leafilter |
Of all the gutter guards Andy Fusia has installed, Leafilter outperforms its competitors. "It doesn't allow any debris into the gutter at all," Fusia says. "Nothing gets through except water." The product, which comes in easy-to-install 5-foot sections, features Xela filtration, a mesh technology that allows water to be pulled through but keeps out and sheds debris of almost any size.
Haul AllRemodeler: Bob Bell, CGR;
Company: Bell's Remodeling, Duluth, Minn.;
Product: Dump trailer, U-Dump Trailers.
www.udumptrailers.com.
Photo: Courtesy U-Dump Trailers |
On a small jobsite where garbage cans are too small but a Dumpster is too invasive, hauling trash can become a costly, time-consuming issue, says Bob Bell. Finally, Bell invested in a 6-by-10-foot dump trailer. Now, rather than making several trips to the landfill and handling waste multiple times, workers can load trash into the cart over several days and projects. Once the cart is full, "It has a hydraulic lift. You can take it to the dump and just dump it," says Bell. "You don't have to hand unload it." The trailers are available in a range of capacities and colors.