Table of Contents July 2010

Features

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  Steal This Idea: Best Practices In/Out List

  A tough economy, a changed industry ... Remodelers are adjusting their business practices to adapt.

   
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  The Specialist

  These remodelers identified a need in their markets and branched out, garnering more leads and helping to sustain their businesses.

   
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  A Foot on the Brake

  The new remodeling HR is slow and cautious to hire. And remodelers have surprised themselves with how efficient they can be with smaller but stronger teams.

   
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  The Producers

  Remodelers whose businesses are doing well are establishing strong, mutually supportive relationships with their trade contractors.

   
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  Tough Times, Flexible Tactics

  Leads are fewer and jobs smaller. You need to go farther and work harder to sell a job. To get that signed contract. Here's how to adjust your sales process to the current economy.

   
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  It’s Who You Know

  Blast mailings alone won't cut it. Today's marketing needs to be personal. Many remodelers are exploring new ways of marketing to further build brand.

   
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  Small Jobs Done Efficiently

  Keep in mind: Complexity, not size, is the determining factor when it comes to "small jobs."

   
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  Streamlining Design

  Remodelers are streamlining their design processes and implementing new technologies to boost efficiency.

   
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  Pitching In

  Remodeling company owners adjust their administrative staff, retool job descriptions, and scrutinize spending to meet the economic challenges.

   
• 

  Back to Sales: Q&A With Phil Rea

  Why is it that selling is not most full-service remodelers' strong suit?

   

Viewpoint

First Word

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  Flatter Me

  Remodelers are finding creative new ways of working, and you can learn from them.

   

Market Watch

• Economic Spillover

  Shore communities feel the first wave of impact from the oil spill.

   

Figure This

• July 2010 Figure This: Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

  Facts and figures about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and Atlantic hurricanes.

   

Commentary

Linda Case

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  Five for the Road

  A checklist of behaviors that have helped Remodelers Advantage clients keep their businesses healthy and on track in the economic storm.

   

Mark Richardson

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  Half-Full or Half-Empty?

  Take a more optimistic view and you'll be more creative in identifying opportunities and more proactive in taking advantage of them.

   

Shawn McCadden

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  Re-Leading the Way

  One of the best ways to reduce costs and increase efficiency is the lead carpenter system.

   

Your Business

• About Face(book)

  Facebook is surprisingly small-business friendly — but don't shoehorn your business into a personal profile.

   
• 

  Q&A: How long do you keep job files?

  REMODELING asked remodelers around the country how long they keep their job records.

   
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  Regular Checkup

  Ask yourself these seven key questions when you review your monthly income statement and balance sheet.

   
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  At a Glance

  You don’t need a novel-length business plan to guide your team. Short is sweet.

   

Other Articles

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  Death by Discount

  The amount of additional work that needs to be sold to recover discount losses varies depending on target margin.

   

Your Clients

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  Scope of Work

  A remodeler's visit to subs and vendors leads to $130,000 worth of work.

   

• Service With a Smile

  With homeowners still wielding the bulk of negotiating power, remodelers must be able to plant their feet diplomatically.

   
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  Buzz Factor

  Low-key efforts put faces to remodelers’ names and distinguish them from the marketing barrage that consumers face on a daily basis.

   

Your Team

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  Rehiring and Retirement

  Considerations for reinstating the retirement plans and benefits of returning employees.

   
• 

  Major Overhaul: Address Weaknesses in Your Business

  Sometimes it takes a natural disaster to force you to make changes in your business.

   

• A Filter for Hires

  California remodeler's two-step hiring process includes 242-task self-assessment form.

   
• 

  Labor Gap

  Temporary labor agencies that specialize in construction can help remodelers adjust staffing needs during the recession.

   
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  To the Bonus, Driver

  Every remodeling company aspires to general goals involving business performance, but too few distill those goals to a critical number.

   

Your Projects

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  Integrating Design

  An interior designer offers her perspective on what makes a successful partnership with a remodeler.

   
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  Party Planners

  A remodeling company's staff helps clients plan and host a post-project party, providing an enjoyable night for the client and a subtle means of lead generation for the remodeler.

   
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  Tripping Out

  Checkout lines may be shorter, but trips to the building materials store are still time wasted and money lost.

   
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  Product Bonanza

  Working with online retailer Bellacor, remodelers and design professionals can create a Virtual Selection Center on their website and better control the selections process.

   
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  Room With a View

  Your clients' budget might not stretch to home-theater proportions, but a thoughtfully designed media room can still provide enhanced viewing and listening.

   

Home Performance

• Home Work

  Energy audits alone may not be enough to maintain profitability, but some remodelers are finding the right mix of audit, retrofit, and remodeling work.

   

Sustainability

Green Speak

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  Kilowatt Counting

  Energy monitors help homeowners understand the impact of their lifestyle on their energy use.

   

Green Spec

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  YKK Precedence Vinyl Replacement and StyleView New Construction Windows

  Two of the maker's window lines have received Green Approved Certification for NAHB's National Green Building Standard.

   
• 

  A.O. Smith Next Hybrid High-Efficiency Gas Water Heater

  Raising the level of thermal efficiency to 90%, the Next Hybrid high-efficiency gas water heater combines a tankless design with a small buffer tank to maximize the benefits of both technologies.

   
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  Foremost All-in-One 1-Gallon High Efficiency Toilet

  Using just one gallon of water, the All in One 1-gallon high efficiency toilet (HET) can flush twice the average amount of solid waste.

   
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  Monier LifeTile StrongSeal Underlayment

  Eligible for LEED points, StrongSeal roofing underlayment is made from recycled tire rubber.

   

Products

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  Nora Lighting Radiant Reds Collection

  The Radiant Reds collection of art glass pendants lends a pop of color to sophisticated interiors.

   
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  NuVo Technologies Renovia Whole Home Audio System

  By employing Power Line Carrier technology, the Renovia Whole Home Audio System gives custom installers a new way to offer home audio to the retrofit and remodeling markets.

   
• 

  Meneghetti Fulgor Milano Cooking Appliances

  The Italian manufacturer is now designing cooktops and wall ovens specifically for the American market.

   
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  BR-111 Brazilian Pecan Exotic Hardwood Flooring

  The exotic look of tortoise shell is reimagined in macchiato pecan and cabernet pecan exotic hardwood flooring.

   

In Focus

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  Azek HIDfast Hidden Deck Fastener System

  In an exclusive partnership, the HIDfast hidden deck fastener system will be sold only through the Azek channel.

   
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  PureWood Porch Flooring

  New PureWood Porch Flooring features a classic tongue-and-groove design ideal for outdoor living spaces, urban renewal homes, and Arts and Crafts-style homes.

   
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  AERT MoistureShield Vantage Collection Composite Decking

  MoistureShield Vantage Collection composite decking balances performance and cost, while offering recycled content.

   
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  TimberTech Gate Kits

  A new Gate Kit is available to match RadianceRail, Ornamental Rail, and BuilderRail railing kits.

   
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  CertainTeed WeatherBoards Fiber Cement Individual Shake Siding

  The maker's cedar-alternative product offering expands with WeatherBoards Fiber Cement Individual Shake Siding.

   
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  Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint Advanced Machine Finish

  SuperPaint Advanced Machine Finish is available to the building trades from siding prefinishers.

   
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  Tapco Foundry Stone Siding

  Available in four colors, new Foundry stone siding offers the look fo stone in a simple vinyl siding system.

   
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  Style Crest Cedar Cove 8-Foot Roughsawn Siding

  Manufactured using injection molding, Cedar Cove 8-foot roughsawn siding offers more detail than thermoformed panels, the maker says.

   
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  Simpson Strong Tie Strong Frame Moment Frames

  An expanded collection of Strong Frame ordinary moment frames includes a 16-foot-tall column, and 14-, 18-, and 20-foot-wide beams.

   
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  Ainsworth PointSix OSB Flooring

  Engineered to accommodate the effects of swelling due to moisture expansion, pointSix OSB Flooring features a patented tapered-edge technology.

   
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  LP FlameBlock Fire-Resistant OSB Sheathing

  Three rounds of fire testing before inspectors helped FlameBlock Fire-Reistant OSB Sheathing earn a Class A flame spread rating from UL.

   
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  iLevel Shear Brace

  Unlike steel prefabricated shear panels, iLevel Shear Brace can be field-trimmed allowing builders to customize the material to fit, despite uneven foundations and varying wall heights.

   

Home Performance

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  Tremco Barrier Solutions Enviro-Dri Weather Resistant Barrier

  The Enviro-Dri Weather Resistant Barrier (WRB) system is a fully and permanently adhered liquid membrane applied directly to a home's sheathing.

   
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  Flir High Definition Infrared Cameras with Extech Wireless Compatibility

  The Extech Instruments Pinless Moisture Psychrometer + IR Thermometer uses Bluetooth and MeterLink technologies to wirelessly transmit data to Flir high-definition infrared cameras.

   
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  Recurve Software Suite

  The Recurve Software suite is designed to help home performance contractors more accurately manage home energy auditing and retrofit projects.

   

LastWord

Good Form

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  A Bluff-Proof Hiring Tool

  D&J Kitchens & Baths uses a detailed self-assessment form to help screen job applicants.

   

Other Articles

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  TileSizer Tile Cutting Tool

  Created as a safer alternative to electric tile saws, the TileSizer provides a safe distance between the tile saw blade and the user's fingers.

   
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  Charles Luck Stone Interior Surface Collection

  For homeowners interested in natural stone accents for their interior projects, the Interior Surfaces cocllection offers tiles with a mix of honed acid wash or hand-chiseled finishes.

   
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  Heath Ceramics Dual-Glazed Tile Collection

  A new retro look is available from this legacy company. The Dual-Glazed tile collection uses overlapping glazes to create hand-crafted linear patterns.

   
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  Mediterranea Sandal Wood Glazed Porcelain Tiles

  The warmth of wood combines with the cool touch of porcelain in the Sandal Wood collection of glazed porcelain tiles.

   
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  Pendant Drop

  Pendant lights offer an alternative to sconces and can be an elegant fixture to include in your layered lighting plan.