Table of Contents July 2008

FEATURES

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  Work-Life Balance

  Remodelers discuss taking time out of their business to focus of family and the other things that really matter.

   
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  Technology Lets Remodeling Companies Communicate Effectively In-House and on Site

  The workplace has come a long way thanks to technology — or perhaps in spite of it. Cell phones, e-mail, and software help people stay connected, with immediacy, but is it all it's cracked up to be?

   

Reader Panel

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  Survey on work-life balance

  Perhaps unsurprisingly, the results of this month’s Reader Panel survey on maintaining a healthy work-life balance suggest that for many remodelers, "balance" doesn’t seem to enter into the equation at all.

   

VIEW POINT

FIRST WORD

• Providing the Level of Service Your Clients Expect

  A few years ago, my wife, Elaine, and I visited Italy on our first and only vacation abroad to date. We stayed a week in Florence, a city with more art per square foot than anywhere on the planet.

   

IN PERSON

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  2008 Remodeling Show

  In today’s slowing market, remodelers are faced with complex questions about their business. From surviving the downturn to differentiating your company from the competition to increasing gross profits even as material costs continue to rise, the 2008 Remodeling Show offers answers to the toughest...

   

News + Notes

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  State of the Nation's Housing Report

  State of the Nation’s Houusing paints bleak short-term picture.

   

MARKET WATCH

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  HIRI Consumer Sentiment Tracking Study

  The “Consumer Sentiment Tracking Study,” published quarterly by the Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI), surveys homeowners on a variety of remodeling-related topics.

   

COMMENTARY

GUEST COLUMNIST

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  The Value of Professional Photography

  Is it necessary to hire a photographer to document your remodeling projects? The short answer: No. The smart response: Often. The best answer: Yes, when the project is unique.

   

LINDA CASE

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  Successful Selling in a Tough Economy

  We will look back on the last few years as the golden years for remodeling — a time when many remodelers thrived as mere order takers. But tough times like those we have now mean a return to true selling.

   

MARK RICHARDSON

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  Making It Happen for Your Business in a Slow Economy

  Several months ago I ran into an old friend who is a successful executive in the technology industry. When he asked me about how we were handling the soft housing market, I told him about some new products and services we were introducing and the new offices we were opening.

   

SHAWN MCCADDEN

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  Defining Your Niche to Help Ensure Consistent Profitability

  What’s your niche? When I ask remodelers this question, most name an ideal type of project, such as kitchens, historic renovations, or windows.

   

YOUR BUSINESS

Sales and Marketing

• Getting Serious About Marketing

  For the first 10 years, referrals came effortlessly to Villa Builders, in Arnold, Md. The turning point was the “very bad year” of 2006, says co-owner Joanne Hall. “What happens when you’re not marketing and you come into a major dry spell?”

   
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  Positive Publicity

  Positive publicity about green remodeling has helped Meadowlark Builders “enjoy huge success … in a down market in a really down state,” says co-owner Doug Selby, of Ann Arbor, Mich. But the green part isn’t lip service, and the publicity part goes far beyond getting on reporters’ radar screens.

   

• Tips for Holding a Successful Open House

  In April, Villa Builders held its first open house. The event was precipitated by a difficult 2006 for the 10-year-old company - and the stark realization that its owners, Jeff and Joanne Hall, of Arnold, Md., had to market continuously to keep their business afloat in the wake of the building boom.

   

BOTTOM LINE

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  Safeguarding Your Company's Financial Records

  The Internal Revenue Service encourages taxpayers and businesses to safeguard their financial and tax records in case of disaster, and offers these tips.

   

• Generating Sales Leads in a Tough Market

  If — as is currently the case for remodelers in most areas of the country — you’re finding business slower than usual, you may be asking: What can I, as the owner of my company, do about it?

   

BY DESIGN

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  Paying Attention to the Front of the House

  The front of the house is where extra attention is well-deserved.

   

FIELD NOTES

• Web Extra: Unclassified Advertising

  Here's the text used in Bennett Contracting's long-running online help-wanted ad aimed at attracting skilled carpenters who are burned-out from working for themselves.

   

• Hiring for Keeps

  A little psychology plays into the long-running success of Bennett Contracting’s ad for lead carpenters.

   
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  Pre-employment Evaluation Systems

  How can you be sure you’re putting qualified people in the field? Without industrywide hiring tests, many remodelers develop their own pre-employment evaluation systems. Use these tips to build yours.

   

• bonus by whimsy as a tool for motivating employees

  When a cash bonus is off the table because the company isn’t meeting its numbers, a “bonus by whimsy” can be a powerful tool for motivating and cheering field staff.

   

GOOD FORM

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  Lost Job Survey

  According to Gary Stebnitz, owner of Kustom Kitchen Designs, in Delavan, Wis., sometimes the best time to show a potential client how much you care about your customers is after you’ve lost their business.

   

Tech at Work

• Electronic Data Backup Solutions

  You wouldn’t leave a roof uncovered with a thunderstorm in the forecast, so why aren’t you backing up your computer data?

   
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  Web-Based Project Management Tool

  Earlier this year, CompuTool announced that its business management software would become entirely Web-based, enhancing not only its project management capabilities but its usability as well.

   

Ways + Means

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  Ask the Expert: Pre-employment Tests

  A remodeler asks: Are there any pre-employment tests out there to qualify an applicant for a project manager or field employee position?

   
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  A Neighborly Policy

  Showing consideration toward the neighbors may not be at the top of a project to-do list, but when one job might last six to eight months, it’s imperative.

   
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  Retaining Younger Employees

  It’s no secret that the remodeling industry is greying fast and that good employees for office and field are hard to come by. Getting members of the next generation involved in the industry — and retaining them — is on everyone’s mind.

   
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  Making Job Sharing Work

  Vita and Jerry Burdi, co-owners of DJs Home Improvements, on Long Island, N.Y., realized how dependent they were on their executive assistant when she had a troubled pregnancy and didn’t return after her maternity leave.

   

BIG50

CLOSE UP

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  Big50 Profile: Debbie and Dan Mackey

  When the Mackeys (Big50 2007) were looking for space outside of their cramped San Jose, Calif., office to display products, they gazed across the street at their outdated 1964 house and realized that they could remodel it to highlight not just products but the company’s craftsmanship and green...

   

SECOND LOOK

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  Big50 SecondLook: Bill Medina

  After Bill Medina was named Big50 in 1994, his company experienced record growth, nearly tripling in size after acquiring roofing, framing, hardwood flooring, and distribution companies.

   

SOLUTIONS

• Rising Construction Costs; Thrifty Consumers. How Is This Affecting Your Business?

  Some of the Big50 discuss how rising costs are affecting their customers and their business.

   

KITCHEN AND BATH

DESIGN CLINIC

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  Kitchen Island Soffit Design

  This design solution provides a creative way to span a change in ceiling height that suits the client's modern style.

   

• Designing Lighting Schemes for Kitchens and Baths

  Designing lighting schemes for kitchens and baths.

   

SPEC BOOK

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  New Cabinetry Products

  A few cabinet options for the kitchen and storage.

   

SUSTAINABILITY

GREEN SPEAK

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  Green Reading List

  A variety of reading materials for a green focus.

   

GREEN SPEC

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  Green Building Products

  Green products for more energy-efficient remodeling.

   

PRODUCTS

FIRST LOOK

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  New Products for the Remodeling Market

  A sampling of new products for the remodeling market.

   

IN FOCUS

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  Tool Storage Bags and Boxes

  See products for storing and organizing your tools.

   
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  Lighting Products

  Different lighting fixtures for the home.

   
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  Products for the Decking Market

  Low maintenance is key to today’s Energizer Bunny lifestyles, and manufacturers of composite decking have capitalized on this.

   

TRENDS

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  Waste Management in the Home

  With consumers focused on products that promise savings in energy, money, materials, and resources, manufacturers are working to make the mantra “reduce, reuse, recycle,” easier to live by.

   
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  Products for Woodworkers

  Carpenters with a knack for cabinetmaking and other custom wood projects will be interested in a few new products for woodworkers.

   

LAST WORD

Bench Mark

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  Tracking Labor Costs

  Over the years I’ve asked clients and colleagues how they estimate labor costs. The answer is usually the same: They define one number that represents hourly labor costs, including burden, and apply it throughout their estimates, no matter who does the work or what the tasks are.