Table of Contents May 2002

Features

Before + After

• B + A: Sidebars

  The first project Tom Owens designed in Oregon looked simple enough. Welcome to the West coast.Before coming to Oregon, Owens owned a remodeling company in Wisconsin that specialized in high-end remodels.

   

• B + A: Ship Shape

  The house, built in 1939 of poured concrete and located on the Washington shore of the Columbia River, featured portholes on its lower levels, the sort of step-across doorways you'd find on a submarine, and ships' doors to cover them.

   

View Point

• Confidence Soars

  One sign that the economic recession may be over comes from The Conference Board, whose Consumer Confidence Index for March jumped to 110.2 (from 95.0 in February). Housing prices moderated in February but were still 8.2% above those of a year ago.

   
• 

  "Handyman" Sentenced

  Larry Henderson, a Northern Virginia handyman, was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to bank fraud in federal court, the Washington Post reported. In Henderson's case, the elderly victims suffered from "diminished mental capacity," according to the Post, so Henderson was able...

   

• CCA To Be Phased Out

  The treated wood industry has agreed to voluntarily phase out lumber preserved with chromated copper arsenate (CCA), a compound containing the carcinogen arsenic, for "virtually all residential uses," EPA Administrator Christine Whitman announced in February. A flier produced by the Healthy...

   

• Sheetrock Scandal

  The Dallas Police Department fought quite a campaign in the war on drugs last year, seizing a fair share of cocaine, methamphetamine, and, of course, pulverized wallboard.Two officers involved in the arrests have been suspended with pay, and a Dallas Police Department investigation is ongoing.

   
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  NARI, Stanford Examine Industry

  NARI and the Stanford Graduate School of Business have completed the first phase of a three-part research project designed to help the association better meet the needs of its members and help all parts of the industry -- from manufacturers to contractors to consumers -- work together more...

   

• Connecticut Runs Sting House

  The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection arrested 21 "contractors" last year for violating the state's Home Improvement Act with the help of a multi-agency operation known as "Sting House 2001." All arrests led to convictions, and in several cases, the plea agreements secured restitution...

   
• 

  Joining the Club

  This month, as has been the case each spring since 1986, REMODELING is proud to invite another outstanding group of remodelers to join the ranks of the Big 50.

   

Commentary

Linda Case

• 

  Glowing Reviews

  Supervisors and supervised often dread performance reviews. Make sure your feedback is not only about results but attitude -- that is, the employee's acceptance of core company values.

   

Walt Stoeppelwerth

• 

  Remodel Now, Pay Later

  One of the great opportunities in the remodeling and home improvement market that's ignored by most companies, large and small, is financing. I guarantee you: If auto companies and home builders got out of financing, the negative impact on their sales would be dramatic.

   

Guest Columnist

• 

  Find Your Right Size

  Like many in the remodeling industry, I started as a one-man operation.Because we maintained separate operations on different islands in Hawaii, we were cross-allocating money and people. I was also flying between the islands four to six times a week, with barely any time to eat and sleep, and no...

   

Your Business

Ways + Means

• Pleasing and Practical Options Upsell Lighting

  When electrical subcontractors come onto a job, they usually have two questions for the homeowner: What do you want and where do you want it? Phil Blosser, owner of Blosser Electrical, an electrical company in Blooming Glen, Pa., has many more questions than that.

   

• Turn Your Lead Carpenters into Salespeople

  Want to turn your lead carpenters into salespeople and add easy money to already sold projects? Ask Tom Capizzi Jr., president of Capizzi Home Improvement in Cotuit, Mass., how it's done.

   

• Investing In Your Team Pays Off

  Shawmut Design and Construction, a $300 million dollar commercial remodeling company in Boston, estimates that they earn double the net profit of that of their closest competitors. The people we hire must fit our core values, such as being client focused, having long-term views of the future...

   

Bottom Line

• Insuring Your Spouse

  If you hire your spouse, even part time, you can deduct the cost of health insurance offered as a benefit. --Howard Scott is a business writer and small business tax preparer in Pembroke, Mass.

   

• How Much Does an Employee Cost?

  Even if you accurately estimate the hours required to complete a project, you may be losing money if you're not charging enough for labor.

   

Sales + Marketing

• Think Positive

  In a turbulent economic environment, there are plenty of opportunities to get discouraged, depressed, and despondent over low sales. Here's how sales pros fight back against tought times.

   
• 

  Kitchen Rescue Nets Remodeler "Buzz"

  Scott Watson of Taylor Watson Construction in St. Louis recently participated in a 12-week television show segment dubbed "Rescue My Kitchen," where viewers voted on nine key homeowner selections via the Internet. Watson had done work for a sales rep at the NBC affiliate, KSDK, who produces the...

   

• Jingle All the Way

  A suburban Kansas City remodeler has found that a radio and television campaign featuring a jingle has increased the number and quality of leads he gets.After learning Home Depot was coming to Lawrence, Kan., Marc Ridenour of Natural Breeze Remodeling decided to do something so his firm's name...

   
• 

  Marketing a Better Business

  With construction complaints usually ranking in the top three grievances at the Better Business Bureau each year, it's nice to hold a BBB award that says your company's tops in customer service.Photo: Ron VanderKolkJoy and Kirk Morris of Morris Builders, with their Better Business Bureau Best in...

   

Field Notes

• 

  Motivating Your Crew

  A complaint of lead carpenters everywhere is that they can't find hard-working employees. --Tim Faller, Field Training Services, www.leadcarpenter.com.

   

• Bonded Employees

  Seven years ago, management at Plath and Co., a large San Francisco remodeling firm, came up with a way to encourage safe practices and in turn cut their workers' comp costs. Over the years, Ballas says, the program has more than paid for itself in reduced workers' comp costs.

   

• Office To Field

  Sutton Siding and Remodeling in Springfield, Ill., uses two meetings and a series of checklists to efficiently transfer information from sales to production. The field staff also receives checklists to track hours, subcontractors, client communication, and change orders.

   

By Design

• Glass Act

  Architect Rebecca Schnier, Oakland, Calif., likes to fit good design into every part of a house, and the top of the stairs is no exception. In this remodel of a California home, she designed a cantilevered shelf of thick, clear glass that shoots out over the redesigned stairway.

   
• 

  Feasibility Studies

  Architects Michael Menn and Andy Poticha of Design + Construction Concepts, Northbrook, Ill., started their remodeling firm in order to do design/build. Michael Menn and Andy Poticha recently instituted an option for clients to pay 2% of project cost to receive a feasibility study.

   

Tech@Work

• Punching Up Your Palm

  Cutting Edge Software's QuickOffice lets you view and edit Microsoft Word and Excel documents on your PDA -- perfect for fill-in-the-blank change orders or preliminary budgets while walking a site.

   

• Open for Inventory

  Kowalski Construction in Phoenix has discovered a way to give clients a value-added service at the close of a job -- via a Web-based home inventory service. Among other benefits, it reminds homeowners of expiring warranties and scheduled maintenance work.

   

Big50

Other Articles

• Big 50: Movers and Shakers

  An incentive bonus program, which divides the money from jobs that come in under bid between the owner, company, estimator, foreman, and production manager, keeps the jobs profitable.

   

K+B

Design Clinic

• New Book Offers Concrete Counter Tips

  A new book on concrete countertops offers step-by-step directions on designing, building molds, mixing, coloring, and pouring these popular surfaces. Book orders can be made through Taunton Press by calling (800) 888-8286.

   

• Making a Small Bath Look Spacious

  John Bick uses visual tricks to make a 5-by-9-foot bathroom appear spacious.

   

Spec Book

• 

  New Faucets Combine Strength, Style

  Materials like composite stone, stainless steel, and solid surfacing give deep, double sinks rugged durability.

   

Replacement

Decks

• 

  Maintenance Men

  If you're like most companies that build decks, the moment the last nail or bolt is attached is the last time you see the product. Tom Jakes, whose Hickery Dickery Decks in Ontario, Canada, has built 4,000 units in the past 15 years, offers maintenance contracts but doesn't encourage them.

   

Roofing

• Warranty Wars: Who Pays?

  Who will pay to replace those defective shingles? Everyone.

   

• Open Book

  When it comes to open and closed book management styles, which one is best?

   

Products

Trends

• 

  Moisture Manager: Home Slicker Rainscreen

  With news of mold circulating from trade magazines to tabloid television, manufacturers are working toward solutions that are helping remodelers and builders cope with the issue. Home Slicker rainscreen comes in 46 1/2-foot rolls that weigh about 7 pounds.

   

• New Deal

  After months of speculation over potential acquisitions, Willamette Industries announced January 28 that it has reached a definitive merger agreement to sell the company to Weyerhaeuser for $55.50 per share.

   
• 

  Shower Towers

  With a new wave of shower systems showing up this spring, the bodyspray-laden sanctuaries are becoming the new luxury must-have in high-end bathrooms. The spa-like feel is similar to what homeowners crave in whirlpool tubs, only in a format that doesn't require a wait.

   

Reader's Choice

• Reader's Choice - Big50 Favorites

  A few product favorites from the Big50 2002.

   

On the Job

• 

  Firm Foundation

  Remodelers aren't called upon to build as many foundations as new home builders, but it's still a skill at which they need to be proficient

   

In Focus

• 

  In Focus: Engineered Lumber

  The company is introducing the RFPI 40 and RFPI 20 I-joists as part of its framing system. The RFPI 40 features a wide 25/16-inch LVL flange with eased edges that provides more nailing surface and adds stability.

   
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  New Window Offerings

  Metal finishes are showing up all over the home, from wall tiles to faucets to molding. The window market is no exception, as several manufacturers have unveiled a range of metal and metal-look finishes for clad windows that complement other metal materials in the home or make a statement on their...

   

Other Articles

• Benchmarking the Big 50

  Membership in REMODELING's Big 50 now numbers more than 1,000 individuals. That's a large enough number to make for some interesting statistics.