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Major Kitchen Remodel Project Description: (MIDRANGE) Update an outmoded 200-square-foot kitchen with design and installation of a functional layout of new cabinets, laminate countertops, and standard double-tub stainless steel sink with standard single-lever faucet. Include energy-efficient wall...
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Master Suite Project Description: (MIDRANGE) On a house with two or three bedrooms, add a 24-by-16-foot master bedroom suite over a crawl space. Include walk-in closet/dressing area, whirlpool tub in ceramic tile platform, separate 3-by-4-foot ceramic tile shower, and double-bowl vanity with...
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Basement Remodel Project Description: Finish the lower level of a house to create a 20-by-30-foot entertaining area with wet bar, a 5-by-8-foot full bath, and a 12-by-12-foot auxiliary room. Walls and ceilings are painted drywall throughout; exterior walls are insulated; painted trim throughout...
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Family Room Addition Project Description: In a style and location appropriate to the existing house, add a 16-by-25-foot room on a crawl space foundation with wood siding and fiberglass shingle roof. Include drywall interior with batt insulation, prefinished hardwood floor, and 180 square feet of...
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Window Replacement Project Description: (MIDRANGE) Replace 10 existing 3-by-5-foot double-hung windows with vinyl- or aluminum-clad, double-glazed, wood replacement windows. Wrap existing exterior trim as required to match. Do not disturb existing interior trim. The national average cost of this...
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Bathroom Remodel Project Description: (MIDRANGE) Update an existing bathroom that is at least 25 years old. Replace all fixtures to include standard-sized tub with ceramic tile surround; toilet; solid-surface vanity counter with integral double sink; recessed medicine cabinet; ceramic tile floor;...
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Attic Bedroom Project Description: In a house with two or three bedrooms, convert unfinished space in attic to a 15-by-15-foot bedroom and a 5-by-7-foot bathroom with shower. Add a 15-foot shed dormer and four new windows. Insulate and finish ceiling and walls. Carpet unfinished floor. Extend...
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Bathroom Addition Project Description: (MIDRANGE) Add a full 6-by-8-foot bath to a house with one or one and a half baths. Locate within existing footprint near bedrooms. Include cultured-marble vanity top, molded sink, standard tub/shower with ceramic tile surround, low-profile toilet, general and...
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Siding Replacement Project Description: Replace 1,250 square feet of existing siding with new vinyl siding, including all trim. The national average cost of this project is $7,329. Read on to find out the average cost recouped on this project in your location.
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Deck Addition Project Description: Add a 16-by-20-foot deck using pressure-treated pine joists supported by 4x4 posts set into concrete footings. Install composite deck material in a simple linear pattern. Include a built-in bench and planter of the same decking material. Provide a complete railing...
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How much of the cost of a remodeling project can be recovered at resale? Our annual report samples current conditions in 35 markets.
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Three veteran remodelers offer tips on what to do before you walk through the door.
Planning for the March tour wraps up this month, but preparations occur all year long. The effort is worth it because it brings prospects right to his latest project, a showcase for his work.Based on his success, Metke has decided to avoid home shows.
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Demand special treatment. Publishers save "red folder treatment" for clients left out of the book or for those who have experienced problems.
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Last November, over 85 Kansas City families received a unique invitation in the mail. Each family was then sent off into the woods with a special Schloegel tag to pick a tree from the hundreds of specimens available.
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I suggested that I tell him about the company anyway, so that he (or a neighbor) could consider contacting us if he changed his mind, and then I did a 15-minute presentation.Guy Marzano is a sales rep with Case Handyman Services of Golden Valley, Minn. In his first month of commissioned selling, he...
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Yellow Steel, a Portsmith, N.H., marketing firm, has launched www.wenailit.net, a Web site that offers contractors a chance to create direct mail, doorknob hangers, jobsite signs, and other marketing materials at reasonable cost.
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A 10-page audit from his company covers marketing strategy, organization, system productivity, advertising, price, competition, and other considerations.Wentworth now has a month-by-month marketing plan that includes direct mail, mailings to specific areas around the jobsite, advertising, and Web...
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Taking project photos, especially in tight interiors, is tricky. Good digital equipment makes it easier to shoot in natural light.
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A handful of companies, including the New Hampton Group (www.tnhg.com), pinpoint tools (www.pinpointtools.com), and eGrabber (www.egrabber.com), produce low-cost software designed specifically for ACT! Popular add-ons include tools to extend layout flexibility and automate data entry.
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Want to track your customers' kids' birthdays or take credit card orders but can't find a place in ACT! You can add fields for any information you need to capture and custom design screen layouts with different fields for individuals in your company who perform different jobs.
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Selection Master, a recently developed Web-based application, is designed to organize, track, and share product information. Essentially an online file cabinet, Selection Master provides a central location for storing all the loose bits of information about the products you're installing on a...
Last month we distinguished between pre-sale estimating and post-sale estimating. It's an important distinction, but there are estimating products, developed specifically for remodelers, that handle both.
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Tom Menold, owner of Menold Construction, in Morton, Ill., a $6.5 million company with 45 employees, believes time management skills make employees far more efficient. Menold was sent a free copy by the American Management Association when he joined.
Scott Mosby's company, Mosby Building Arts, St. Louis, generated $4 million in sales last year. "If the business is going to be $10 million," Mosby says, "the implied question is, What does your staff look like when it reaches that point?"
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There are ways to measure EQ, but the most important thing, according to Sparks, is to be aware that it does exist.
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Gary Porter surveys his present condition to chart his company's future. Porter has been using one version or another of this report for more than two decades, so within 10 or 15 minutes, he's able to determine which bills he needs to pay that week and when he'll need to sign a contract for another...
When the management team at Kendale Inc., Jacksonville, Fla., wants to know exactly what's happening in the company, they take a look at the company's comprehensive Flash Report. Each area of the business works toward specific goals, so this report also provides an indication of how well the...
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When Annette Greco noticed that her projects were going over schedule, she knew she had to take action. "I was hearing excuses like, 'The salesman didn't catch something,'" says the co-owner of Greco Remodelers Manassas, Va. "We wanted to create more accountability on the part of our production...
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As the owner of a remodeling company, you're constantly harvesting relationships. But your relationships with the people you work with every day -- manufacturers, suppliers, subcontractors -- are just as important.
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Mike DiFabion likes to keep customers' expectations low and their satisfaction high.
The Premier line of self-cleaning residential gas water heaters includes three models: Select, Select High Efficiency, and Select High Output. The SoftSound 1400R split-system air conditioner delivers an efficiency of 14 SEER and uses environmentally friendly R410A refrigerant, which does not emit...
A Quick Install Kit reduces installation time for the Rear Obstacle Sensing System, which senses obstacles up to 12 feet away. H&H Sales Co. Designed to fit Ford's E-Series utility vans, Knapheide KUV Series service bodies feature accessible outside storage compartments and adjustable interior...
The Crawford Portable Pegboard tool and parts organizers all mount to a Peg-Board but can also be moved to the jobsite easily. Several organizers are available, including the Multi-Bin Parts Organizer, the Parts Bin, the Wrench Holder, and the Tool & Parts Tray.
Sheetrock Humitek gypsum wallboard panels resist moisture and mold, the maker says. Designed for use in interior applications, the panels measure 5/8 inch thick and come in 8-, 10-, and 12-foot lengths.
Stud plate ties can be used as plate-to-stud and top plate-to-stud connections, providing increased flexibility, the maker says. The double stud plate design (Model DSP) can be installed on either or both sides of the wall.
The 12524-03 24-volt Cordless In-Line Hammer Drill is designed for use in light concrete, wood, and masonry applications and features a dual-mode selector with drill-only and hammer drill operations. The 6917DWDE 12V 3/8-inch Drive Cordless Impact Wrench features a compact design -- measuring 65/8...
After two years of studying fluid dynamics, talking with consumers about what they want in a toilet, and extensive development and testing, American Standard introduced its new flushing technology, the America's Best Flushing System, at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show this year.
Ridgid has introduced its first-ever line of 35 handheld corded, cordless, benchtop, and stationary power tools for contractors and other professionals. "Ridgid was looking to create a best-in-class brand of contractor-grade tools that contractors would want to use on the jobsite," says Bryan...
Richard Lowrey of Coastal Landscaping Service, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., a landscaping and lighting design and installation firm, encourages his clients to incorporate outdoor lighting into their landscaping undertakings.
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These standards require skylights to undergo test procedures that are slightly different from those required for other fenestrations, and which are also different from Miami-Dade's procedures.
Cultured marble is a less expensive alternative, and many homeowners find it just as attractive as natural marble.Roadrunner Custom Remodeling specializes in bathroom remodels and prefers using cultured marble because it is easier to install than natural stone or tiles.