Remodeling Magazine

FEATURES

Remodeling Entrepreneur Sal Ferro Leads $50 Million Company by Example

This boy from the Bronx runs a $50 million company and has a heart of gold. He is unparalleled, say those who know him well, in leading by example and inspiring others to be their best.
Getting Bottlenecks Out of the Pipeline

A signed contract sits on a remodeling company owner’s desk. Several jobs come in at once and there aren’t enough carpenters. Sales promises a client a start date that can’t be met. Materials haven’t arrived. Any of these events can create a bottleneck, restricting the workflow or decision-making...
3 to Watch: Young Remodelers on the Rise

Glen Knight spent almost a decade working in corporate jobs in California and Tennessee before reaching a crossroads in his career that had him contemplating his long-term goals.

VIEW POINT

FIRST WORD

Online Advantage

We’ve just redesigned the Web site and included lots of Web-exclusive articles, videos, and slide shows, plus new interactive features.

News + Notes

Midwest Floods Teach Sobering Lessons

Last June’s flooding in the Midwest was the worst since 1993, inundating parts of seven states. On June 10, government stream gauges showed 38 locations with major flooding and 77 locations with moderate flooding, spanning a huge chunk of the nation’s heartland.

MARKET WATCH

Figure This

The Senate vote passing a landmark housing bill that will offer $300 billion in loans to troubled homeowners.
Refigured Indicator of Remodeling Activity Predicts Further Decline

The second-quarter 2008 release of the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity points to an accelerated downturn in home improvement spending. Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) publishes the leading indicator quarterly, and on July 17 predicted that spending will continue to...

COMMENTARY

LINDA CASE

Helping Small Businesses Prepare for Growth

Bill Keenan was in a bind. His gut was telling him that the way he was spending his time was going to kill his beloved company, W.J. Keenan Building Contractor, in Piscataway, N.J.

MARK RICHARDSON

Adapting to a Changing Market

The remodeling environment is tougher now than it has been at any time during the last 15 years. With home prices slipping, new-housing starts down, the war in Iraq, an uncertain political climate, a poor stock market, and sinking consumer confidence, your clients are comfortable in “do nothing”...

SHAWN MCCADDEN

Preparing a Remodeling Company for Sale

Since selling my remodeling business in 2004, I’ve been asked by many remodelers for insights into how they might sell their own companies. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Each business is unique and each prospective buyer is looking for unique characteristics.

YOUR BUSINESS

SketchPad: Suites

One of the most popular remodeling projects is the creation of a separate living suite within or attached to the main house.
Ask the Expert: Hiring a Production Manager

What qualities or attributes should we look for when hiring a production manager/coordinator to manage six lead carpenters?
Making Incremental Changes to Your Business That Have Lasting Effects

Taking baby steps to improve your company is tough when the economy is headed south and what you want is help now. But making small changes or continuous improvements — known in Japanese as kaizen — can help businesses, particularly those that have a collaborative culture, to reorganize and get...

Sales and Marketing

Building Trust With Older and Multicultural Homeowners

Older prospects, in particular, often say: “I’m not signing anything tonight.” I then review the value of what I’m selling and the added features, and I try to close again, but the response is the same. Any suggestions?
Making the Most of Remodelers' Community Service

Community service can be a vital marketing tool, but be selective in how you invest your time and dollars.
Blogging Helps Philadelphia Remodeling Firm Entertain and Engage

Cost-effective marketing tools, blogs are in many ways ideal for remodelers: informal, friendly, and constantly changing. They can stimulate interaction, build trust, and provide a unique window into the values and personalities of the people that clients will be working with.
To Generate Strong Leads, Get on the Phone

For generating strong leads, few methods of canvassing are as effective as simply getting on the phone with past clients.

BOTTOM LINE

IRS Tax Code Section 179

Section 179 of the IRS tax code allows businesses to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment purchased or financed during the tax year.
Offering Financing

When Sunshine Home Pros, in Deerfield Beach, Fla., began offering financing two years ago, owner Alex Oliveira didn’t know it would have such a strong impact on his business.

FIELD NOTES

Minimizing Remodeling Dust

The entirely dust-free jobsite may turn out to be the holy grail of remodeling projects, but being virtually dust-free is “what we’re known for in Atlanta,” says David Sturm (photo center, with his NARI-certified lead carpenters).
Spanish-Language Construction Training

New construction training materials can help bridge the gap between Spanish-speaking workers and the basic training that construction trades require to be done safely and well.
Measuring the Performance of Remodeling Subcontractors

It’s tempting to hold onto subpar trade partners when money is tight and their prices are good. You might also feel that you’re too busy to find replacements.

Tech at Work

SoftPlan 14 CAD Software

Back when I was selling my own remodeling jobs, my computer-generated presentation packages would often allow me to lock out the competition. Sometimes, they’d never even get to present their bids.

Ways + Means

Managing Change

Jeff Rainey, president of Home Equity Builders, in Great Falls, Va., is a technology nut. He strongly believes that the correct use of technology can help a company dramatically improve its processes and systems, and he’s constantly on the lookout for new software and hardware that can ratchet up...
High Schools Offer Best Hope for Future Remodeling Workforce

What if you could find a steady source for skilled labor and give back to your community? That’s what David Foster has been able to do through the Foundation for Applied Technical Education (FATE) program in Fairfax County, Va.

BIG50

CLOSE UP

Big50 CloseUp: Jon Vogel

During its first 24 years in business, New Outlooks Construction (NOC), in Robbinsville, N.J., never did much in the way of marketing, relying almost entirely on the strength of its reputation to generate leads.

SECOND LOOK

SecondLook: Stephen Gidley

By building on the same business model he had when named Big50 in 1994, the owner of Stephen C. Gidley Inc., in Darien, Conn., doubled his sales volume from $1.6 million in 1994 to $3 million today.

SOLUTIONS

Top Remodelers Reveal Their Year-Ahead Budget Changes

Which expenses do you expect to change most from 2008, and how will you offset them?

KITCHEN AND BATH

SPEC BOOK

New Showers and Tubs for the Remodeling Industry

New Showers and Tubs for the Remodeling Industry

Management

Internet-Based Packaged Bath System

Terranova Construction is reaching out to a new market with an Internet-based packaged bath system.

SUSTAINABILITY

GREEN SPEAK

Show House Brings Life to Nonprofit's Energy-Efficiency Goals

A demonstration renovation in Pittsburgh offers building professionals, scientists, and the public a place to view energy-saving upgrades to an older home.
Detecting Air Leaks During a Blower-Door Test

To improve energy performance of its projects, Byggmeister Associates, in Newton, Mass., conducts a blower-door test to determine airtightness.

PRODUCTS

Fireplaces for the Remodeling Market

Fireplaces for the Remodeling Market

GREEN SPEC

New Energy-Efficient Green Products

New Energy-Efficient Green Products

FIRST LOOK

New Products From Kleer, Azek, Cord-Pro, GE, and More

New products from Designer Doors, SJ2, Azek, Rev-A-Shelf, Kleer, Cord-Pro, ORG, and GE

IN FOCUS

New Moisture Barrier and Housewrap Products

Used in conjunction with the maker’s fiber-cement siding, HardieWrap provides a building envelope that maximizes protection against the elements. The 11 mil material offers increased tear-resistance. The non-woven fabric’s air resistance also helps reduce energy loss from the home, the maker says.
Home Theater and Electronics Products for the Remodeling Market

For the ultimate home gym, Fit for Sound is a rack-mountable music player that features an iPod dock and professional-grade sound delivery, the maker says.

TRENDS

Design Flexibility Plus High-Quality Audio

True home audio enthusiasts aren’t going to load up their living room walls with woofers and tweeters like the back seat of a bass-pumping Cadillac. In fact, high-quality speakers are coming in more compact packages than ever, and are easily hidden.
Vessel Sinks Become Focal Points for the Bath

Turns out popular vessel sinks aren’t just for hand washing — they’re art. Several manufacturers are combining fabric, stone, and metal with glass to create colorful vessels that become the focal point of any bathroom.

LAST WORD

Simple Benchmarks in a Tight Market

I know, you know, he knows, she knows, we know, they know: The market is tough! The remodeling industry has been flying high for quite a few years, but according to most economic forecasters, the current “dip” could last for a couple more years.

Table of Contents September 2008

FEATURES

VIEW POINT

FIRST WORD

News + Notes

MARKET WATCH

COMMENTARY

LINDA CASE

MARK RICHARDSON

SHAWN MCCADDEN

YOUR BUSINESS

Sales and Marketing

BOTTOM LINE

FIELD NOTES

Tech at Work

Ways + Means

BIG50

CLOSE UP

SECOND LOOK

SOLUTIONS

KITCHEN AND BATH

SPEC BOOK

Management

SUSTAINABILITY

GREEN SPEAK

PRODUCTS

GREEN SPEC

FIRST LOOK

IN FOCUS

TRENDS

LAST WORD

OTHER ARTICLES