FEATURES

  • The Life of A Remodeler

    No one has ever polled the remodeling industry to find out how happy or fulfilled remodeling company owners are, but it's a safe bet many are living a life somewhat different from David Moore's.Many overstressed remodeling company owners who've found a proper balance between life and work say there...

     

Before and After

  • Before+After: Work Triangle

    Bob DeHaan was the only contractor who responded to a call about a leak. When Traci Polacco bought her Kalamazoo, Mich., house, she was already renting in the neighborhood. Bob DeHaan used Chief Architect, a program he's used for seven years, to create the design on Traci Polacco's house.

     

VIEW POINT

FIRST WORD

  • Success flaws that make prosperous businesses vulnerable

    During the last half of the 1990s, just about everybody in the remodeling industry found out what success tastes like. I was reminded about the dangers of too much easy success while listening to Richard Teerlink's keynote address at the 2002 Remodelers' Show last October in Indianapolis.

     

News + Notes

  • Beta-Testers Wanted

    Calculated Industries, maker of construction calculators, is looking for beta-testers to try its new Pocket PC version of Construction Master Pro.

     

  • Makita Recalls Circular Saws

    Makita USA and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have announced a recall of 180,000 Makita circular saws. For more information on the recall, contact Makita USA at (800) 462-5482 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

     

  • Florida Man Wins $1.8 Million in Asbestos Case

    A Florida jury has found Union Carbide Corporation liable for a former drywall worker's asbestosis. Carbide's Musser says the first phase of the West Virginia trial provided significant grounds for appeal.

     

  • NAHB Opposes New Building Code

    The NAHB has urged its members to oppose a new National Fire Protection Agency model building code, reviving a debate between the two associations over stair tread and riser standards. The NFPA 5000, issued in August 2002, requires a minimum tread depth of 11 inches and a maximum riser height of 7...

     

  • ThermoView consolidates subsidiaries under new national brand, THV

    ThermoView Industries, owner of five exterior replacement and full-service remodeling operations, has announced plans to consolidate its subsidiaries under a new national brand. They include ThermoView of California, Rolox Industries, Leingang Century Siding and Window, Primax Home Center, and...

     

MARKET WATCH

  • Economic Market Changes

    The National Association of Realtors' Housing Affordability Index rose dramatically in the fall. The Consumer Confidence Index dropped sharply in December. The current level of 80.3 is perilously close to October's 79.6, when the index dropped precipitously to its lowest level since November 1993.

     

COMMENTARY

GUEST COLUMNIST

  • Remodeling Packages Favors the Client, Not the Remodeler

    We decided at Case Design/Remodeling that package projects are not the business we're in. We're in one-of-a-kind remodels.For Case to offer package remodels would be like a French restaurant offering value meals. It's not what we're about

     

LINDA CASE

  • Group decision-making process brings desired results

    On those occasions when an individual scores higher than the group, it usually signals that the group leader failed to get everyone's input. Not only that, but -- as survivor games demonstrate -- the group is likely to come up with a better solution.

     

MARK RICHARDSON

  • List of Questions to filter out the right client

    The more you can discriminate between good and bad customers, the healthier your company will be. --Mark Richardson is president of Case Design/Remodeling, in Bethesda, Md. (301) 229-4600; mrichardson@casedesign.com.

     

WALT STOEPPELWERTH

  • Measuring Lead Carpenter's Efficiency

    In the past 10 years, the lead carpenter system has gained acceptance and dramatically changed the way many contractors work in the field. Most people agree the lead carpenter system, with its one-man crew, significantly increases productivity.

     

YOUR BUSINESS

Sales and Marketing

  • "No-Money-Down" approach separates Nova Exteriors from competitors

    Carmen Pretopapa has sold all his jobs -- 1,000 over the past three years -- with no money down. Because his company, NOVA Exteriors, Vienna, Va., reinvests profits back into the business, it doesn't depend on week-to-week receivables. Sales immediately picked up after that policy was implemented...

     

  • Tips for nurturing new salespeople

    Remodelers Jeff Talmadge of Talmadge Construction, Aptos, Calif., and Andrew Shore of Sea Pointe Construction, Irvine, Calif., offer the following tips.

     

  • A Marketing Formula For Growth

    How do you determine what to spend on marketing when you need to boost sales efforts for growth?Joaquin Erazo Jr., marketing vice president at Case Design/Remodeling, Bethesda, Md., uses a formula that relies on history as an indicator of future performance. "The goal is to make sure you are not...

     

BOTTOM LINE

  • Use a Business Credit Line as a Safety Net

    Steve Halt, CPA and president of accounting firm Halt, Thrasher & Buzas, Alexandria, Va., warns that credit lines are potentially dangerous tools for those who lack business savvy. Undercharging, poor job cost accounting, or overdue receivables are not good reasons to tap into a credit line.

     

  • Track Change Order Revenue

    Every company ought to track change order revenue as a percentage of total job cost. Below-average revenue may signal change orders that are not being processed, and that can cost you.If change orders average 10% of total revenue, a company with $500,000 in total sales is handling $50,000 in...

     

BY DESIGN

  • Website That Offers Research On Design and Human Behavior

    The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the University of Minnesota have launched a Web site that covers a range of research on design and human behavior. To that end, informedesign.com also features online discussion topics, a monthly newsletter, and a calendar of research-related...

     

  • Designs for Seniors

    A new demonstration house features design techniques and products that facilitate aging in place. The senior-friendly LifeWise house was built by the NAHB Research Center, a subsidiary of the NAHB.

     

  • Essentials of Design

    A new book breaks down timeless design into 10 essential tenets. Identify the elements that make houses comfortable, beautiful, and dynamic

     

FIELD NOTES

  • Informative Lunch-time seminars on business matters

    Chris Avant of Canyon Construction feels strongly about educating his workers. He pays for one hour of work time and crew members volunteer one hour of their time.

     

  • English/Spanish For Painters & Contractors

    A new pocket-sized book, English/Spanish For Painters & Contractors, offers translations of commonly used construction terminology, such as the names of tools and materials and words used to give directions and instructions at the jobsite. The book covers safety terms, too, and common office...

     

  • Setting benchmark goals for lead carpenter production

    Many remodelers are curious about the benchmark for how much dollar volume a lead carpenter can produce in one year. Trying to complete $1 million by doing 20 small projects is next to impossible.

     

Tech at Work

Ways + Means

  • Site Protection Makes the Client Feel Comfortable

    Seattle contractor Rich Gaspar spares no expense when it comes to protecting the jobsite. On big jobs, Gaspar Construction crews lay bubble wrap covered with Masonite on wood floors and install plastic walls.

     

  • Arbitration Clauses

    Apart from the time and expense involved in a trial, Texas attorney Stephen Bell, of law firm Coats, Rose in Houston, suggests remodelers usually fare better before an arbitrator. "With an arbitrator, a businessperson, the chances of getting a non-emotional result are better," he says.Mike Carden...

     

  • Pre-Bid Walkthrough to Avoid Future Problems

    Mike Weiss, owner of Weiss & Co., Carmel, Ind., regularly assembles trade contractors for an on-site conference prior to bidding on -- or designing, if it's a design/build job -- complex projects. In addition to the walkthrough, Weiss & Co. prepares a site information sheet for large jobs.

     

BIG50

FACE OFF

SOLUTIONS

  • Level of detail that should be included in an estimate

    If it's a contracted price, we don't show any detail except for allowances for items to be selected, like light fixtures or floor coverings. If we're doing a cost-plus job, we give them detailed estimates of all the costs from a list of 24 categories.

     

REPLACEMENT

DECKS

LAST WORD

Bench Mark

  • Small-volume jobs and their risk factors

    By relating owner compensation to total revenue, the Risk Quotient (see Benchmark, January 2003) helps a remodeling company owner balance risk with reward. Making a bad situation worse, a single major change order can easily add 20%, 30%, or more to the original cost.