Table of Contents May 2006

FEATURES

• Creating a Career Path for Field Personnel

  Whether you call it a career track or a framework, whether you spell it out in a handbook or tell people during job interviews, you must have a path for field personnel to follow if you want them to grow and take on more responsibility. Remodelers who have carved out this path have shaped it to...

   

• Getting to the Next Level of Growth in Your Small Business

  For 12 years, Ann Arbor, Mich., remodeler Gary Rochman expertly steered his company along on an even keel. Trained in both architecture and carpentry, he loved the flexibility and control of being able to execute every aspect of a job. A self-described anti-growth advocate, he was selling $400,000...

   

Before and After

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  Remodel of a farm-style house in Chicago

  They could have felt like Sisyphus if they'd let themselves. “There were times when things were very tense,” says Michael Menn, architect and principal of Design Construction Concepts, Northbrook, Ill. “The subs were [annoyed], we were being strung out on payments, things were being built and...

   

VIEW POINT

FIRST WORD

• Explanation of the Three Qualities of a Big50

  As often as we write in these pages about the importance of creating and following a mission statement, some of you may wonder if we in the editorial department practice what we preach. We do. Here at REMODELING, our mission is “to inform, lead, and sustain the advance of full-service remodeling...

   

News + Notes

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  Immigration Issue Heats Up

  The story starts in 2001, when President Bush announced his support for the creation of a guest worker program. The terrorist attacks of September 11 put the issue on the back burner, and it wasn't until December 2005 that the House of Representatives got the ball rolling, passing a measure that...

   

MARKET WATCH

• The Future of Investing in the Housing Market

  The U.S. housing market has an estimated $20 trillion in assets. The combined value of all the companies traded on the New York Stock Exchange was $13.9 trillion as of January 2006. Last month's launch of a housing futures market, therefore, is probably long overdue.

   

COMMENTARY

GUEST COLUMNIST

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  Steps to Achieving Your Business Goals

  Do you dream of leaving your company to a family member or a trusted employee? Possibly you're interested in selling your company outright, or perhaps you want to establish a company that can run without your everyday attention. If one of these is your goal, then the question is: What risks are you...

   

LINDA CASE

• Timing is Key Growing a Remodeling Company

  Many years ago, an industry insider told me that no remodeling company would ever grow to more than a million dollars in volume. So much for predictions.

   

MARK RICHARDSON

• Ten Most Common Sales Mistakes

  Learning takes place in many ways. Most often, we introduce something new or we learn by imitating a best practice, step-by-step. Sometimes, however, we can make the most progress just by learning to avoid mistakes. That's especially true when it comes to sales performance.

   

SHAWN MCCADDEN

• Making daily debriefing common practice

  Every mistake is also a learning opportunity. That's why I stress the importance of a daily debriefing for business owners. Whether you spot a huge mistake or it's just business as usual, every day presents an opportunity to find ways to improve the systems you have in place so that you can...

   

YOUR BUSINESS

Sales and Marketing

• Keeping prospects from reeling over the cost

  The Challenge: How to keep prospects from reeling with shock over the probable cost of their project.

   

• Offering Rewards for Referrals

  Past clients and referrals give Terry Bennett Builders & Remodelers (TBBR) about half its projects, and “we take nothing for granted,” says Mary Bennett, vice president. Here's how the Westlake, Ohio, company keeps its word-of-mouth network strong:

   

• Workshopping the Room

  When The Home Depot came to town more than a decade ago, Hampton Kitchens struggled briefly before asking the question that revived its business to this day.

   

• Marketing Green Remodeling

  Former remodeler David Johnston anticipated homeowner interest in green remodeling more than a decade ago when he sold his company and began to write and consult about green-building practices.

   

BOTTOM LINE

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  Comparing volume between large and small companies

  Bill Weidmann of Weidmann & Associates in Alpharetta, Ga., found it hard to compare his company to other companies in his networking group. The group had large and small companies, and comparisons using owner salaries only told part of the story.

   

• Revamping your profit sharing plan

  Menno S. Martin Contractor Ltd. in St. Jacobs, Ontario, had a profit-sharing plan for years. In 2004, when president Laverne Brubacher went into semi-retirement, he came up with a formula to scale back his salary and distribute more profits among his 17 staff members. The plan paid off for the...

   

BY DESIGN

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  Narrowing down lighting selections for clients

  Selecting lighting can be one of the most difficult aspects of a remodeling project, from the overwhelming number of products available to the difficulties of getting working clients to take the time to go from store to store.

   

FIELD NOTES

• Benefits of a four day work week

  Summer is a good excuse for contemplating the four-day workweek. Crews will work 10 hours instead of 8, but they'll still have some natural light when they get home. And with school kids on break and vacations in swing, “it's a nice morale booster for everyone,” says Donald Keney from Castle...

   

• Strategically timed phone calls keep subcontractors on schedule

  Subcontractors are an integral part of the Mark IV team, and their buy-in is essential to our success.

   

GOOD FORM

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  Example of a Design Project Summary

  For years, Thomas Buckborough had been looking for ways to add structure to his company's in-house design process. His quest finally bore fruit in the form of this “design project summary” sheet, first shown to him by a member of his peer group and then adapted to fit his company's culture and...

   

Tech at Work

• Web standards for your business

  Recently I looked for Web site templates for remodelers that I could recommend. I did find a few sources, but they mostly missed the mark. Instead, this month I'm going to tell you what

   
• 

  Easy time-tracking ideas for contractors

  Frustrated that his field staff weren't always thorough —or honest — in recording their hours, David Adams invested in the Jobclock Time and Attendance System by Exaktime.

   

Ways + Means

• Try a Staffing Company

  When it came time to hire an office manager, Trish Schroeder, co-owner of Schroeder Design/Build, Fairfax, Va., was dismayed. After being part owner of a successful remodeling company for years, she knew that the process of hiring a management-level employee was extensive and that the time needed...

   

• Lien Leverage

  Often, those in the construction industry must perform first before they will be paid. In essence, many jobs are done “on credit” with the hope that payment will be received when some or all of the work is completed.

   

• Quality Controlling the Business

  If you assume that it's OK to put a heat register under a window, inevitably your client will say, ‘I want to put a big plant right there,'” jokes Chris Withers about the hundreds of moments in a remodeling project when decisions must be made. And they're best made upfront.

   

• Outsourcing your resources

  When payroll started to become yet another full-time job for Jeanne Duval, co-owner and controller of River Crest Design Build, Annapolis, Md., she decided to outsource the function.

   

BIG50

Big50 Introduction

• REMODELING Big50

  The Big50 is about the best of the best: Remodelers who distinguish themselves by their exceptional business acumen, first-rate customer service, and high-quality work. Respected by their peers, recommended by their clients, they stand as models for the industry. Join us as we shine the spotlight...

   

KITCHEN AND BATH

DESIGN CLINIC

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  New toilet technology that reduces water usage

  The product of intensive, computer-driven engineering, today's low-flow toilet is a far cry from its much-reviled predecessors. Both market and regulatory forces have urged manufacturers forward, with consumers demanding performance and municipalities pushing efficiency standards ever lower in the...

   

SPEC BOOK

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  The latest sink products

  From fireclay and ceramic to cast acrylic and stainless, today's basins range from traditional to trendy. Read on to get “in sink” with the latest products.

   

Management

• 

  Planit Fusion: Creating Stacked Moldings

  One of the hottest trends in kitchen design is the addition of stacked trim to wall cabinets. You can use Planit Fusion software to automatically add this graphic to your designs in a simplified procedure in two layers of the program, and then use the drawings you create to help sell your value as...

   

REPLACEMENT

DECKS

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  Finding Deck Materials That Survive Outdoor Conditions

  When the paint begins to fail on a wood balustrade, suddenly the price of polyurethane no longer seems so high.

   

ROOFING

• 

  Callbacks are commonplace in roofing profession

  Don't let dark clouds hang over problems. Treat them instead as golden opportunities.

   

PRODUCTS

IN FOCUS

• Spray Foam Insulation

  Derived from American soy oil, BioBased 501 spray foam insulation is installed in liquid form and, the maker says, expands to 100 times its original size in seconds.

   
• 

  Garage Door Styles and Products for the Home

  Garage door styles and products for the home.

   
• 

  High-tech tool products for the field

  Remodeling magazine staff picks the best new high-tech tools products for the field.

   

TRENDS

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  Two types of manufactured stone

  Manufactured stone is becoming an increasingly popular choice among building pros for exterior and interior applications. “You'd be hard-pressed to find a residential development that doesn't have some sort of stone veneer on it someplace,” says Dave Barrett, president of United Stone Veneer...

   
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  The latest trucks offer increased fuel efficiency through hybrid engines

  Because big trucks are among the worst gas-guzzlers, remodelers are feeling the pinch. Fortunately, the latest pickups offer increased fuel efficiency through alternate-fuel or “hybrid” gas/electric engines.

   
• 

  Dodge Sprinter heads the class of functional work vans

  There's a lot to be said for work vehicles that really work for you. A recent entrant to the work van market is the Dodge Sprinter (far right), which rolled out in 2005. Sprinter's three available wheelbases (118, 140, or 158 inches) and up to 473 cubic feet of cargo space offer flexibility.

   

LAST WORD

Bench Mark

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  Big50 Data for 2005 Gathered by Five-year Averages