Table of Contents July 2007

Features

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  Clean Sweep

  There was a time when a broom-swept jobsite and a few drop cloths snaking from entry to addition were about all that was expected of a remodeler.

   
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  Picture This

  The expression "a picture is worth a thousand words" is not quite right for the remodeling industry. It's more like, "a picture can be used a thousand ways."

   
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  Back from the Brink

  With statistics such as the Small Business Administration's oft-cited prediction that nearly 95% of all businesses will close or fail within five years of their opening, it's a wonder that anyone starts his own company. But such is the nature of the entrepreneur. And when a business owner finds...

   

Other Articles

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  Clean Sweep

  There was a time when a broom-swept jobsite and a few drop cloths snaking from entry to addition were about all that was expected of a remodeler.

   
• 

  Picture This

  The expression "a picture is worth a thousand words" is not quite right for the remodeling industry. It's more like, "a picture can be used a thousand ways."

   
• 

  Back from the Brink

  With statistics such as the Small Business Administration's oft-cited prediction that nearly 95% of all businesses will close or fail within five years of their opening, it's a wonder that anyone starts his own company. But such is the nature of the entrepreneur. And when a business owner finds...

   

View Point

• What's on Offer at the Remodeling Show

  This year's Remodeling Show in Las Vegas promises to deliver once again, featuring new elements along with the kind of top-notch programming for which the Show has become known. Many old favorites return this year revamped to suit a quickly changing marketplace.

   
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  Higher-Tech Permitting

  Shouldn't the building department bear some responsibility for keeping everything running smoothly?It's starting to happen. Trends both inside and outside the industry - along with the overall rate of technological advancement - suggest that permitting will become increasingly easier.

   

• Local Forecast: “Found Money” Strengthens Marketplace

  Hull Watson Homes' longevity helps make it a fixture in the market, but the company is taking steps to further distinguish itself from the increased competition. A new branding and marketing campaign will feature, among other things, a new logo and a redesigned company Web site.

   

• Figure This

  Remodeling by the numbers.

   
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  Remodeling Activity Slips Back

  After a somewhat promising end to 2006, remodeling activity fell in the first quarter of 2007, according to the latest release of the Remodeling Market Index (RMI).

   
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  Taking the Pain Out of Permitting

  Most remodelers, however, are stuck - at least for the time being - in a world where permitting is an imperfect process. The good news, however, is that there are steps you can take to keep the permitting process as painless as possible.

   
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  Remodelers Honored for Industry Achievement

  The annual Big50 gala dinner at the Remodeling Leadership Conference is always a special event. This year's was even more special, however, as it marked the introduction of a new honor in the industry: The Fred Case Remodeling Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

   
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  Leading at the Ritz

  The Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City, in Arlington, Va., served as a think tank of remodeling-related ideas, issues, and solutions May 17–19 during the 2007 Remodeling Leadership Conference, the annual salute to Big50 remodelers. The theme of accountability — in business and life, and as it relates to...

   

• Open Wide

  My dentist's office is closed Fridays. Many medical professionals take a day off in the middle of the week, usually Wednesday, as the joke goes, because golf courses are less crowded midweek. My dentist doesn't golf (he rides motorcycles and scuba dives), so Friday is as good as any other day.

   

Commentary

Linda Case

• Accounting for the Individual

  Personal accountability is integral to remodeling success, but most remodelers want to create a pervasive organizational culture of accountability as well.

   

Mark Richardson

• Leading Keys

  Three common denominators in many business leaders outside the remodeling industry are common to leaders in the industry.

   

Shawn McCadden

• The Perfect Storm

  It's as clear as the eye can see: the sea of disgruntled customers after a remodeling project. Like television meteorologists, we as remodelers should forecast the remodeling process in terms that customers can understand.

   

Guest Columnist

• Words to Work By

  After 25 years of trial and error, guest columnist Tracey Bail ranks the top 10 things he's learned in the remodeling business as follows:

   

Your Business

Ways + Means

• People + Skills: Reviewing Performance Reviews

  Having a plan for a face-to-face encounter benefits the whole team.

   

• ByLaw: Make the Most of Internet Leads

  As leads become more expensive and our industry deals with increasingly restrictive telemarketing processes, more and more contractors have been turning to Internet-based lead generation.

   

• Workers' Whomp

  In April 2002, a laborer who had been with Dover Home Remodelers, North Olmsted, Ohio, for five months injured his rotator cuff. He went through rehabilitation and eventually had surgery, after which his physician said he showed “medical maximum improvement.”

   

Sales + Marketing

• Web Photos Made Easy

  For every remodeler with a dazzling Web site, there are probably another dozen who lack the time, resources, and/or know-how to develop a site and populate it with up-to-date project photos. Thankfully for them, there's photo sharing.

   
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  Good Time, Good Cause

  Remodelers generally do well by doing good, and Clemleddy Construction was no exception in June when its participation in a 24-hour "Relay for Life"

   
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  Referred by Realtors

  When Tucson-area Realtors have a client whose newly purchased home needs updating, they often think first of Dakota Builders. Some 86 times in the last few years, real estate agents have referred clients to the 20-year-old company.

   
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  Selling Sanctuary

  Out-of-the-ordinary gestures can help remodelers stand out in a buyer's market. In Bakersfield, Calif., DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen is the only remodeler around that makes available two “mobile kitchens” — understatements, as they're actually recreational vehicles — to clients whose kitchens are...

   

Field Notes

• Australian Remodelers Look to U.S. Model

  Remodelers are coming into their own down under, where the first-ever "National Remodelling Conference" (spelling deliberate) was held July 11-13.

   

• Lead Carpenter Exam Goes Spanish

  In a response to major demographic shifts in the remodeling workforce, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry announced in late May the launch of its Spanish-language examination for the certified lead carpenter (CLC) designation.

   
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  Trading Up on Trades

  From the plumber whose work is always on time and under budget, to the electrician who goes above and beyond the scope of every contract, the ideal trade contractor is a partner worth nurturing.

   

• Simple Bonus Systems

  Carpenters and other field employees tend to think in terms of the quality of their work, and good remodelers wouldn't have it any other way. The downside is that carpenters' quest for excellence sometimes distracts them from the company's bottom-line goals and needs, and their attention to detail...

   

By Design

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  Wine Sellers

  For Joe Sciamarelli, it began 20 years ago when a client asked him to build a wine cellar.

   

Tech@Work

• PC to Go

  Wouldn't it be great if you could have a complete PC you could stick in your pocket?

   
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  Meet Anywhere

  The most valuable technological solutions are not necessarily the most cutting-edge. Often, they are simply the ones that solve a specific problem in the most convenient manner. GoToMeeting (www.gotomeeting.com), an online meeting program from Citrix, is one such product.

   

Good Form

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  Accountability Accounting

  Jay Van Deusen, president of Van Deusen Construction, in Bel Air, Md., says the company has been using this evaluation system for a couple of years now.

   

Big50

Close Up

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  Profile: Gary Wheatley

  A tribute to Gary Wheatley.

   

Second Look

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  Second Look: Chuck Green

  A second look at Chuck Green

   

K+B

Design Clinic

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  Modern Master

  This master suite remodel began with the home-owners' desire to reorient the existing driveway of their split-level house. The couple decided to take the opportunity to add to the house and enhance a 1980s upgrade that only hinted at the modern aesthetic they prefer.

   

Spec Book

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  Spec Book: Cabinetry

  Oak becomes contemporary as the newest species available in the maker's Milan door style. The full-overlay slab door features wood edge-banding on the perimeter to create a soft, eased edge.

   

Replacement

Decks

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  Getting on Board

  Whatever your feelings on composite decking, it's here to stay. The category continues to grow, carving out a larger share of the multibillion-dollar decking market every year. But the pace of that growth has slowed: Where the early years of this decade saw annual market-share gains of 30% (in...

   

Products

Trends

• Big Thaw

  Paying a teenager $30 to shovel your driveway might save you time and build his character, but available snow-melting systems can eliminate the chore altogether. Conceptually, these products resemble radiant heating for baths and kitchens. Using a heavier-duty wire, many systems are available as...

   
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  Good Things Underfoot

  When it comes to below-ground support structures, necessity is clearly the mother of invention. Two unique products were born after their manufacturers saw opportunities to keep support posts for decks, docks, fences, and other structures secure and well protected.

   
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  Ignoring the Tax Man?

  Come mid-April, it turns out that Americans aren't eager to work with Uncle Sam even when he's being helpful. According to a recent survey conducted by Opinion Research for insulation manufacturer Johns Manville, just 23% of American homeowners took advantage of federal tax credits for...

   

In Focus

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  Products: Lighting

  The latest in lighting.

   
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  In Focus: Tool Storage

  The FatMax Cantilever Rolling Workshop helps users easily organize and transport tools on the jobsite.

   
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  Products: It's All Connected

  Innovative engineering in the siding industry has resulted in modular panels and interlocking boards that fit tightly together, and new materials make the panels lighter, thereby decreasing labor.

   

First Look

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  Products: First Look

  The latest products for the REMODELING market.

   

Other Articles

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  Fully Burdened Labor

  When remodelers fall short of planned margins, it's usually caused by labor overages. Some of the problem can be traced to things like having to replace work that wasn't done right the first time, or employees who take 45 minutes for a 30-minute lunch. But underestimating the cost of labor is the...