Architect Sarah Susanka was one of the first to articulate the concept of a smaller house that is tailored to a resident's lifestyle. Her successful book, The Not So Big House, offers language to define the feeling created by a cozy and well-designed house. Susanka says remodelers and designers...
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Homeowners contemplating a remodel and those building second and third homes have virtually the same wish list. From oversized kitchen islands to walk-in showers, the crossover of features from new construction to remodeling is seamless and nearly instantaneous.
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The level of sophistication of clients has absolutely changed," says Steve Kirstein, a principal at BOWA Builders, McLean, Va. "There are no easy projects anymore. Marla Griffin, Metropolitan's marketing director, also says Ikea's affordable prices brought better-designed products to a larger...
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Stephen Howell, owner of Howell Design & Build, North Andover, Mass., remembers what it was like when he founded his company six years ago. "I don't know a bonus system that exists that doesn't have the potential to be interpreted as unfair," says David Bryan, owner of Blackdog Builders, Salem...
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Bosch has announced that it is recalling approximately 2 million battery chargers for its Skil Warrior drills. For more information, contact Robert Bosch Tool Corp. at (800) 661-5398.
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Updated editions of the International Code Council's International Codes are now available. Of the 14 codes, two should prove to be most useful for remodelers: the International Existing Building Code and the International Residential Code.
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Full results of the testing -- in which three Toto units had the lowest indexes -- were posted on the Research Center's Web site in late October 2002. According to an article that appeared in January in the Washington Post, many believed that the Center was pressured to remove the results by toilet...
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The recent hysteria over mold has sent many in the remodeling industry reeling. Experts must be called in, tests must be conducted, results must be analyzed, and then professional remediation often must be completed.Because of the obvious inconvenience of all of this, contractors may be tempted to...
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New home sales in 2002 rose to record levels, along with sales of existing homes. However, Baker adds, "the economy looks healthy over the next decade, and the fundamentals for a sound [remodeling] market look encouraging."
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The shop floor of any manufacturing plant is carefully laid out to maximize efficiency. When John Scroggins went to work for Mark Troyer Remodeling Co., Plain City, Ohio, he asked himself why a remodeling company couldn't be organized the same way.
Larry Parrish, Parrish Construction Company, Boulder, Colo., found a better way to fast track the process. The first step was giving the consultant all the paperwork Parrish could find, much of it collected from remodeler colleagues -- materials including everything from employee handbooks to...
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Anthony James Construction, Westfield, N.J., wants clients to know they're in good hands. They also use quality, 25-year shingles, not builder grade, and a cement backerboard in all tub and shower enclosures that is water resistant and has a lifetime warranty.To pull its promise of quality...
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Two years ago, Strother decided his company, Stroco Building and Remodeling, Denville, N.J., would require clients to vacate the premises until their project was completed. "The hardest part of remodeling," Strother points out, "is working with customers.