Table of Contents July 2007

FEATURES

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  Products for a clean site

  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. After all, his job was tearing down, breaking up, and building anew with dust-generating power tools and materials that had to be shaved, cut, and...

   
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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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  Stick with a plan and change business habits

  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

FIRST WORD

• True professionals accomodate their clients

  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.

   

IN PERSON

• Remodeling show returns

  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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  Remodelers honored for 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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  Annual remodeling leadership conference

  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...

   

News + Notes

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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.

   
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  Keeping the permitting process painless

  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.

   

MARKET WATCH

• Figure This

  Remodeling by the numbers.

   

• Market benefits from natural gas leasing

  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.

   
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  Remodeling activity fell in the first quarter of 2007

  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).

   

COMMENTARY

GUEST COLUMNIST

• Top 10 things I've learned in remodeling

  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:

   

LINDA CASE

• Fostering accountability with details and metrics

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

   

MARK RICHARDSON

• Three common denominators of remodeling leaders

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

   

SHAWN MCCADDEN

• Customers' assumptions about completion dates

  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.

   

YOUR BUSINESS

Sales and Marketing

• Photo sharing widens client view

  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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  Realtor referrals boost business

  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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  Supporting cause boosts company's image

  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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  Mobile kitchens a hit with clients

  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...

   

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.

   

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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  Nurturing skilled trade contractors

  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.

   

• An effective bonus system

  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...

   

GOOD FORM

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  Evaluating employees' key accountabilities

  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.

   

Tech at Work

• FreeAgentGo external USB hard drive

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

   
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  Online meeting program from Citrix

  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.

   

Ways + Means

• Making the annual performance review an effective tool

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

   

• 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.

   

• Getting employees back to work

  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.”

   

BIG50

CLOSE UP

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  A tribute to Gary Wheatley

  A tribute to Gary Wheatley.

   

SECOND LOOK

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  Field supervisor turns to filmmaking

  A second look at Chuck Green

   

KITCHEN AND BATH

DESIGN CLINIC

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  A remodel with cutting-edge detail

  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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  New cabinetry products

  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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  Composite decking gains market share

  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

FIRST LOOK

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  Products: First Look

  The latest products for the REMODELING market.

   

IN FOCUS

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  New lighting products

  The latest in lighting.

   
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  New tool storage products

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

   
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  Innovative engineering in the siding industry

  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.

   

TRENDS

• Exterior radiant heat clears driveway

  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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  Keeping building supports secure and protected

  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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  Few take advantage of energy tax credits

  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...

   

LAST WORD

Bench Mark

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  Overlooked costs of employees cause profit leaks

  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...