-
Milestones as goals can be tangible, like moving from being an employee to being self-employed or hiring your first office person or first lead carpenter. But they can also be less tangible, like spending more time with your family, working only 50 hours a week, or taking a two-week vacation...
For almost 40 years, James Krengel has dedicated his life to defining and teaching professionalism in the kitchen and bath industry. He built a successful example with his own company, then set out to help new designers and remodelers reach their goals. For his drive for professionalism and his...
If you're running a successful remodeling company, chances are you've developed a scheduling system that helps you keep your jobs on track. It may be as simple as a Xeroxed calendar or a dry-erase board. So if it's working, why should you consider computer scheduling?
My husband, Bob, and I run a design/build remodeling company in California's Silicon Valley. Many of our customers are engineers, so they expect cabinets to be highly functional and designed to fit their specific needs, in addition to being beautiful. Our in-house designers work closely with local...
-
If it wasn't one before, remodeling is definitely now a service industry. A recent NARI survey shows that a remodeler's trustworthiness and service ranked most important in a homeowner's decision to hire. Quality ranked as only the sixth most important factor.
-
Projects for which the homeowner supplies some or all of the materials — buy-it-yourself, or BIY for short — have traditionally caused headaches for remodelers. They pose all sorts of scheduling and quality control problems, and there are post-completion issues with warranty and repair, as well...
-
Milestones as goals can be tangible, like moving from being an employee to being self-employed or hiring your first office person or first lead carpenter. But they can also be less tangible, like spending more time with your family, working only 50 hours a week, or taking a two-week vacation...
-
For almost 40 years, James Krengel has dedicated his life to defining and teaching professionalism in the kitchen and bath industry. He built a successful example with his own company, then set out to help new designers and remodelers reach their goals. For his drive for professionalism and his...
-
If you're running a successful remodeling company, chances are you've developed a scheduling system that helps you keep your jobs on track. It may be as simple as a Xeroxed calendar or a dry-erase board. So if it's working, why should you consider computer scheduling?
-
My husband, Bob, and I run a design/build remodeling company in California's Silicon Valley. Many of our customers are engineers, so they expect cabinets to be highly functional and designed to fit their specific needs, in addition to being beautiful. Our in-house designers work closely with local...
-
If it wasn't one before, remodeling is definitely now a service industry. A recent NARI survey shows that a remodeler's trustworthiness and service ranked most important in a homeowner's decision to hire. Quality ranked as only the sixth most important factor.
-
Projects for which the homeowner supplies some or all of the materials — buy-it-yourself, or BIY for short — have traditionally caused headaches for remodelers. They pose all sorts of scheduling and quality control problems, and there are post-completion issues with warranty and repair, as well...
With materials prices already at all-time record levels, the late summer spate of disastrous weather that hit Florida raised concerns throughout the building industry that the situation would get even worse.
-
In a move that should increase participation in their Certified Remodeler (CR) program, NARI has launched its first “virtual” study group.
-
Recently released data confirm what many remodelers have no doubt already discovered in conducting their day-to-day business: Big box retailers are well on their way to overtaking local lumberyards as the main suppliers to remodelers.
-
To kick off National Remodeling Month in May, Waller Construction of Lakeland, Fla., held a Vendor Appreciation Day barbeque for its subcontractors, suppliers, and a few close clients.
-
A key employee recently quit, and I was caught off guard. What can I do to avoid this happening again?
-
Condos are difficult to work in because each individual building has its own house rules. Mather was required to meet with Westover's board, present details of the design, show his credentials, references, and that he was bonded, and a plan on how he was going to approach the job and protect the...
-
When a job is finished, everyone is ready to move on. That's why it's so hard to field service calls. But, says Craig Weber, “if you deal with 10 headaches right away, it becomes a routine process.”
Jim Pitcher, president of Castle Rock Construction in Suisun, Calif., doesn't have a lock on his northern California market, but his strategy is to act like he does. Pitcher has five rules.
-
On your first phone call, how do you query potential clients? Here's a list of questions to ask.
-
Big50 remodeler-turned-consultant Mike Gorman says people think in pictures, not words. Create a “movie” in their brain, transferring key moods, feelings, and associations, and you'll make a sale.
Lori and Bruce Bentley of Bentley Design & Remodeling, Hanford, Calif., recently redesigned their job sign. Ruth Lozner, associate professor of design and marketing at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., took a peek.