Table of Contents January 2006

Features

• 

  Woman's Work

  Many company owners are becoming increasingly aware that creating an atmosphere in which women thrive helps everyone in the company.

   

• Tract Teachers

  To even the playing field, remodelers should look at the things new-home builders do well. Here are four areas where they have something to teach:

   

• Know Thy Market

  It's not something you have to take on by yourself. You can get a local consultant to help you with it, at a minimum cost of around $2,000, though the price tag can climb significantly higher depending on how extensively you decide to redo your marketing materials. But if you're short on monetary...

   

• Deconstructing Generation X

  Gen Xers are entering their peak earning years with a sufficiently different set of experiences and expectations that could rewrite the rules of remodeling relationships. Time to log on, open up, and take the time to explain things.

   

Before + After

• 

  Before+After: Leading the Way

  Remodelers are in the business of making dreams happen, not dashing hopes. But to move on a project, you have to help clients figure out what is important to them, which often means redirecting their expectations.

   

Reader Panel

• 

  Reader Panel: Women in Remodeling

  Many remodelers find that women, especially those in sales positions, more quickly and effectively establish a firm level of trust with clients. Some male employees still question women's place in physically demanding field positions. Clients, however, have been overwhelmingly positive — a sign...

   

Other Articles

• 

  Woman's Work

  Many company owners are becoming increasingly aware that creating an atmosphere in which women thrive helps everyone in the company.

   

• Marketing Makeover

   

• Tract Teachers

  To even the playing field, remodelers should look at the things new-home builders do well. Here are four areas where they have something to teach:

   

• Know Thy Market

  It's not something you have to take on by yourself. You can get a local consultant to help you with it, at a minimum cost of around $2,000, though the price tag can climb significantly higher depending on how extensively you decide to redo your marketing materials. But if you're short on monetary...

   

• Deconstructing Generation X

  Gen Xers are entering their peak earning years with a sufficiently different set of experiences and expectations that could rewrite the rules of remodeling relationships. Time to log on, open up, and take the time to explain things.

   

View Point

• Local Forecast: Industry Pulse

  Like many remodelers, Bill Gozzo spends a fair amount of time on the phone with his suppliers — every other day, by his estimate — making orders, checking on prices, and scheduling deliveries. But the owner of Gozzo Building & Renovation in East Granby, Conn., uses those conversations to gauge the...

   

• Figure This

   
• 

  Economy Rebounds

  Economists trying to predict the future of the housing market were thrown a curveball with the late-November announcement that new-home sales hit a record high in October.

   

• Lead Research

  The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is looking for remodelers to participate in a research project being conducted to study levels of exposure to lead-based paint during renovation and remodeling activities.

   

• Breaking It Down

  The Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) recently invoked a change in the way it lists reports about member organizations.

   
• 

  Energy Efficiency Pays

  If your New Year's resolutions included a pledge to be more environmentally conscious, then you're in luck. Starting January 1, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 went into effect. The bill, signed by President Bush on August 8, established tax credits for being energy efficient.

   

• Out in Front

  Few people attain first-name notoriety. In sports, Michael, Ali, and Tiger come instantly to mind. In remodeling, it's Walt.

   

Commentary

Linda Case

• Slowdown Strategies

  I'm not much of a prognosticator, but I've heard a number of rumblings that make me wonder just how robust 2006 will be for remodelers.

   

Mark Richardson

• Language Matters

  I think we all agree that some sales presentations are more effective than others. Many factors account for this difference, but one that is easily overlooked is the language used. Words that have similar meanings or that are often used interchangeably can have very different effects on the...

   

Shawn McCadden

• 

  Frog Soup

  For many small-business owners, the start of a new year means making resolutions about getting better organized, becoming more efficient, being more productive. Unfortunately, statistics show that more than 75% of those who make resolutions fail to see them through. The new year is still an ideal...

   

Guest Columnist

• 

  Price Points

  Potential clients who think they're being careful stewards of their resources can, in my experience, be enlightened, and even converted into good clients. Here are a few ideas to make that happen.

   

Your Business

Ways + Means

• People + Skills: Delegate Effectively

  Think about a time that you were delegated to poorly. In some cases, a project was given to you without the information you needed to successfully complete the task. In others, the project was one that no one wanted, and “delegating” was simply the term used to dump it on someone else. At other...

   

• By Law: Use a Contract Not a Proposal

  Many contractor documents contain language indicating that the job being presented to the consumer — and its pricing — is only an “estimate” or a “proposal.” These agreements usually go on to state that if the consumer signs the agreement, it is up to the contractor to “accept” the proposal...

   

• Halo Effect

  A church isn't necessarily the first place you'd think to hold a trade show, but Steve Klitsch had faith that his idea would work. He was right. In April 2005 he established the Maintenance and Repair Conference (MARC) to bring pastors and trustees of the 74-member West District of the...

   

• Site Views

  To prepare a realistic bid so that clients are not surprised by additional costs after the project begins, Bill Keilty invites his subcontractors to a diagnostic conference or a “bid party.” “It has cut down 80% to 90% of unforeseen change orders,” says the owner of Keilty Construction in Boise...

   

• Excellent Adventure

  When Mark Scott of Mark IV builders, Bethesda, Md., wanted to improve his nearly $5 million design/build remodeling business, he decided to take a road trip.

   

Bottom Line

• 

  Account Ability

  There is always more than one road to get you to your destination, but one of those roads is usually better than the others. It's the same with accounting. All three main methods — cash, accrual, percent complete — will get you to the same cumulative gross profit, but according to Judith Miller, an...

   

Sales + Marketing

• Targeting Marketing

  Considering hiring a marketing person? Don't waste your time advertising. “The days of business owners sorting through 200 resumes, not knowing what they're looking for, are over,” marketing consultant Adrienne Zoble says.

   
• 

  Sales School 101: Getting Comfortable With Money

  You're uncomfortable asking customers for what a project should cost. When the client says, “Boy, that's a lot of money,” you go back and cut your price. You settle for less than you could have made, and the client gets a smaller piece of their dream.

   

• Hors d'Oeuvres, Not Hard Hats

  How expensive? How messy? How disruptive? Such are the questions that rattle the minds of remodeling prospects. HartmanBaldwin, a high-end design/build company in Claremont, Calif., answers them all with its “Home Remodeling In-Progress Workshops,” free, 90-minute programs held monthly in homes...

   
• 

  Cooking up New Clients

  A remodeled kitchen, a local chef, and several bottles of wine, that's Anne and Matt Goodwin's latest recipe for goodwill and good marketing.

   

Field Notes

• Client Communications

  The success of any remodeling project may hinge on how well the field crew communicates with clients. To minimize misunderstandings, make these practices and methods of communicating part of your routine.

   

• Staying Indoors

  Carpenters take a beating in their work, and 30 years of pounding nails, climbing on roofs, and working in foul weather was starting to make retirement look pretty good to Tom Stine, a 55-year-old lead carpenter at Vogan Associates, Silver Spring, Md.

   

By Design

• 

  Second Story

  Although the two-story volume-ceiling family room in this 16-year-old home with 9-foot first-floor ceilings was attractive, remodeler Wayne Booze says, the acoustics were bad, with sound traveling throughout the house. But more than that, he adds, the clients wanted an additional bedroom with a...

   

Tech@Work

• Welcome to the Blogosphere

  Blogs are the ultimate word-of-mouth advertising. Always play fair and take care of your customers, subs, and suppliers, and even if you get a negative blog post from time to time, there will be an even greater number of happy bloggers coming to your rescue.

   

Good Form

• 

  Good Form: Finding a Good Fit

  Have you ever hired someone who turned out to be a bad fit for their position? Wait, don't answer that — of course you have. Everyone has. This self-rating form is a way that one company solves this common problem when hiring field personnel.

   

Big50

Close Up

• 

  Profile: Halsey Platt

  To keep up with change orders and to address client issues, Halsey Platt asked his project managers to meet with clients every two weeks. These meetings address the bigger picture, beyond the day-to-day details covered in weekly meetings.

   

Second Look

• 

  Second Look: Anne Tegeler

  Since Anne Tegeler of Tegeler Design and Remodeling, Hiawatha, Iowa, was awarded Big50 just three years ago, the company has seen substantial growth.

   

Live + Learn

• Looking In

  Why is a home inspector good for your customers? For one thing, our professions have a lot in common. Our customer base is virtually the same: people whose homes are not to their liking, need a lot of work, or both. We both evaluate and report on components that have been in the home for a long...

   

Other Articles

• Face Off

  Do you allow your field staff to accept gifts from clients?

   

K+B

Design Clinic

• 

  Design Ideas: Bathrooms

  The excerpt at left is from Design Ideas for Bathrooms by Susan Boyle Hillstrom, published by Creative Homeowner.

   

• Double Duty

  A design center in Dayton, Ohio, welcomes both remodeling and new construction clients to choose products in a single showroom location.

   
• 

  Lighting for Mirrors

  Design Ideas for Bathrooms presents ideas and solutions for creating an up-to-date bathroom. It includes coverage of the latest master baths, family baths, powder rooms, accessible designs, fixtures, and spa amenities. It will help homeowners make design decisions and product choices based on...

   

• A Light Within

  Lighting is also a critical part of pantry design.

   
• 

  Prime Storage

  When remodeler Dave Tyson thinks of pantries, he thinks of three things, storage, storage, and storage. Most clients of David Tyson & Associates, Charlotte, N.C., think of a pantry as a closet near the kitchen. However, today's cabinet manufacturers offer accessories to maximize storage within a...

   

Spec Book

• 

  Countertops

  Inspired by the concrete aesthetic, the company's six subtle new colors evoke feelings of calm and tranquility. Concrete, fawn, serene sage, suede, tranquil, and whisper range from gray and taupe to warm brown and pale aqua.

   

Replacement

Roofing

• 

  Profitable As Sold

  Sometimes reps promise more than they should; more than the company can profitably deliver. Sometimes they give work away, just to get a contract signed.

   

• Imitation Slate Woes

  During the last decade, hundreds of composite roofing materials that mimic natural slate have been introduced to the market. Most of these have been fiber-reinforced cement, fiber-reinforced recycled plastics, or recycled rubber molded to look like slate, wood shakes, or clay tile. But although the...

   

Windows

• Window Warranties

  So much about selecting a good window comes down to the warranty,” says Chris Mathis, of MC Squared, a building-science consulting company based in Asheville, N.C. Mathis focuses on windows, doors, and skylights, serves on the ASHRAE and ASTM code committees as well as the International Energy...

   

Products

Trends

• 

  Laundry Deluxe

  The latest generation of laundry appliances is reaching new heights both in terms of clothing care and design style. According to KitchenAid brand manager Brian Maynard, “appliances are becoming fashion statements across the board, and the laundry is the next logical step.”

   
• 

  Leveling the Field

  Manual leveling gave way to self-leveling, dots led to lines, single beams split into multiple beams, and functionality increased at the same time that lasers became easier to use. So goes the trend that is evident in today's laser levels. But it doesn't stop there. The tools are becoming smaller...

   
• 

  The Plot Thickens

  No one knows solid surfacing more intimately than fabricators — they're the ones who form it into gorgeous and durable countertops and other surfaces that delight homeowners. So it's no surprise that two fabricators have come up with a new way to do solid surface.

   

Reader's Choice

• 

  Reader's Choice: Gutter Cover

  In the roofing business for more than 10 years, Stephanie and Frank Zehna know that clogged gutters mean call-backs. That's why they install the Hallett Gutter Cover, a flat cover with a small curve at the bottom that lets water flow through while keeping out debris. “The thing we like most is its...

   
• 

  Reader's Choice

  A devoted customer of Huntwood Custom Cabinets for 10 years, Terry Henderson has watched the company grow from a one-shift plant with 35 employees to a 540,000-square-foot manufacturing facility with more than 700 staff. Despite this growth, Huntwood still operates like a small business, and that's...

   

On the Job

• 

  Troubleshooting Flat Roof Leaks

  Just as poor flashing details are much more likely to be the cause of a leak than the roofing itself, many leaks are caused by the use of insufficient or inadequate fasteners for sheathing, flashing, or roofing, and by the attempt to substitute caulk or roofing cement for flashing.

   

In Focus

• 

  Software

  Developed by industry professionals, ProPink ES 5.0 is an integrated software program for insulation contractors.

   
• 

  Windows

  With the Energy Star label and tested ability to withstand wind loads in excess of 170 mph, PlyGem Lifestyles windows have a lot to offer.

   
• 

  Interior Trim

  Though most beauty shots of interior trim are designed to show off richly carved historic pieces with flowery curves, even the simplest crown molding or understated medallion can benefit a more contemporary room.

   

Other Articles

• Just the Facts

  Owners and employees often operate from a different or an incomplete set of facts. For example, if a company didn't pay profit-sharing bonuses this year, employees might think that the owner was being stingy. They were busy all year so they assume that the company made money. The “missing facts”...