FEATURES

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    After the Fall

    Familiarity breeds confidence, sometimes to a fault, and it was 40 years and tens of thousands of incident-free cuts, into his career that one of Tim Sweeney's most seasoned, carpenters ran his thumb through a table saw.

     
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    Remodel for Change

    Flexible design comes from the understanding that homes outlast lifestyles. Family configurations change. Technology changes. “Things that suit our lifestyle today may not suit it 15 years or 150 years from now,” says Fernando Pagés Ruiz, owner of Brighton Construction in Lincoln, Neb., who...

     

Reader Panel

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    Survey on jobsite safety

    With all the challenges remodelers face running their businesses, it’s easy to take for granted those parts of the business that seem to take care of themselves. Jobsite safety is one such issue that is commonly overlooked — especially when your field crews are experienced and trusted members of...

     

SPECIAL SECTION

Financing

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    A low credit score need not disqualify your customers

    As property values fall nationwide and lenders put more scrutiny on borrowers, more of your customers may get turned down for financing from first-tier lenders such as Wells Fargo or Bank of America. But that doesn't have to put them out of the game. Second-tier, or “subprime,” lenders specialize...

     
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    Deferred interest promotions are a great way to increase sales

    Retailers such as The Home Depot and Best Buy have found deferred-interest “same-as-cash” credit promotions an effective way to increase sales. The store lets the customer walk away with the purchase for no money down, and agrees to not charge interest if they pay in full before an agreed-on...

     
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    In financing, no one size fits all

    Most contractors find that people who finance home improvements tend to spend more than those who pay cash. Contractors who understand the various types of credit products and know how to present them will be more likely to lead the customer to make the decision to finance.

     
  • Home Improvement Financing

    Special Section on offering financing: Offering financing might be just the thing to give you the edge over all of the other companies competing for homeowners' business.

     

VIEW POINT

FIRST WORD

  • Mixed Message

    This year marks the 20th anniversary of REMODELING's Cost vs. Value Report. It began as a way to help our readers answer two important questions on the minds of most remodeling customers: How much will my project cost, and will I get most of my money back if I have to sell?

     

News + Notes

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    Dissecting the Market

    The third-quarter release of a key indicator reveals that remodeling activity was down by 1.4% over the most recent four-quarter period.

     

MARKET WATCH

  • Rate cut not cure for the flagging housing market

    The September 18 cut of a key interest rate should keep the trouble in the subprime lending market from dragging the economy into recession, but experts caution that it is not the cure for the flagging housing market.

     

COMMENTARY

GUEST COLUMNIST

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    Consider outsourcing bookkeeper

    As your business grows, you may find you need a full-time bookkeeper. But before you prepare to hire someone to take on the job, consider outsourcing this business function.

     

LINDA CASE

  • Time to review your business practices

    With the start of every new year, your P&L goes back to zero. January 1 is always a clean slate, but 2008 looms as a particularly powerful incentive for reviewing your business practices, rethinking your assumptions, and evaluating your personnel. Here's how some remodelers I know plan to confront...

     

MARK RICHARDSON

  • Women in the trades are notable exceptions

    In remodeling, the stereotype of the male carpenter or tradesman persists. Women in the trades are notable exceptions, so much so that some remodeling companies draw attention to the fact that they have female crew members to demonstrate how progressive the company is.

     

SHAWN MCCADDEN

  • Employees might surprise you with their solutions

    Fans of the old TV show M*A*S*H will remember Radar O'Reilly, the affable young corporal with an almost otherworldly ability to anticipate needs and provide answers before anyone even got around to asking.

     

YOUR BUSINESS

Sales and Marketing

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    Open House as Marketing Tool

    After completing a whole-house renovation in an affluent area of north Arlington, Va., Sagatov Associates hosted an open house to share the beauty of the project and meet other potential clients in the area.

     
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    Researching Women's Purchasing Habits

    Earlier this year, Kleber and Associates Marketing and Communications, in collaboration with StandPoint Marketing Research, conducted research on the economic power women have acquired in recent years.

     
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    Marketing rules to conduct business by

    Although it has been in business since 1966, Kerzner Remodeling and Construction still faces stiff competition in the active Oconomowoc, Wis., remodeling market.

     

BOTTOM LINE

  • Be sure that your price meets the client's idea of value

    Potential clients are always looking for the highest cost-versus-value ratio on their remodeling projects. You need to be sure that your price meets their idea of value. Include questions on your lead sheet that will help you evaluate a potential client's definition of value.

     
  • A remodeler reaches out for training grants

    Owner Richard Doyle and his staff of six at Bryce & Doyle, in Rochester, N.Y., have been learning how to improve the company — for free. Doyle found out about a state grant that provides businesses with training funding. “The idea is that if they help a business grow, that business will hire more...

     

BY DESIGN

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    An ode to brick

    My favorite building material may be brick, but like many builders, I don't often have a chance to use it in a way that highlights its inherent qualities and potential. I need to work on that.

     

FIELD NOTES

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    Use “man lifts” for any work higher than a step ladder

    According to OSHA, ladders are the No. 1 cause of construction accidents. Having had my own accidents, injuring myself and marring the surfaces of homes, I have put away the ladders in favor of trailer-mounted portable “man lifts” for any work higher than a step ladder.

     
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    A simple bulletin-board system keeps all eyes on the ball

    Mission control at Mark IV Builders is the production board, a visual representation of all current projects, their supervisors, their schedules and status, and their current to-do items.

     

GOOD FORM

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    Preparing in the event of a major storm

    After Hurricane Isabel ripped through the Virginia Peninsula in 2003, employees at R.A. Jones Inc. Building and Remodeling realized that they could do more to be prepared in the event of a major storm.

     

Tech at Work

Ways + Means

  • People + Skills: Meetings Make it Stick

    It used to be that when Ben Morey, president of Morey Construction in Long Beach, Calif., wanted to share information with his staff, he'd do what many of us do: He'd write a memo.

     
  • Limits on telemarketing

    About 140 million phone numbers are listed on the National Do Not Call (DNC) registry, but confusion remains for telemarketers and consumers, particularly regarding cell phones. Here are the facts:

     
  • Keeping clients informed

    Homeowners sometimes complain that their remodeler didn't show up for days at a time and they didn't know why, or that they weren't aware of what they might need to do to facilitate the remodeling process. It all comes down to communication.

     
  • Working from home

    Michael Carey, owner of Carey Contracting Corp. in Iron Mountain, Mich., says, “We believe we're only here to make a living so we can live life. A solid family life is first.”

     
  • Former remodeling business owners make ideal employees

    When Michael Wilkinson owned a small remodeling company, he worked, he says, probably 15 hours a day “doing all the work in the field and in the evenings going out on estimates, seeing people, writing up contracts and bids. Eight years of that.”

     

BIG50

CLOSE UP

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    Patrick Benkowski of Roadrunner Custom Remodeling

    Since trading the chilly winters of Milwaukee for the hot summers of Arizona, Patrick Benkowski has never looked back. The former owner of Custom Design Associates, and a Big50 in 1991, settled in the booming Phoenix market six years ago. “I loved the Midwest, and my family is back there, but I...

     

SECOND LOOK

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    Second Look: Mark Labourdette

    When Mark Labourdette was named Big50 in 2001, his company, GGHR Inc., revolved around him. He thought there must be a better way to be in business, without being the business.

     

SOLUTIONS

KITCHEN AND BATH

DESIGN CLINIC

  • Raising awareness and expanding knowledge of universal design

    The Universal Design Alliance (UDA), in Suwanee, Ga., is a nonprofit group committed to raising awareness and expanding knowledge of universal design.

     
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    Envisioning the kitchen of the future

    The kitchen in Epcot at the Walt Disney World Innoventions pavilion envisions what the future kitchen will be like. The 100,000-square-foot pavilion at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is an interactive environment providing hands-on exhibits.

     

SPEC BOOK

REPLACEMENT

Windows

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    The trouble with historic windows

    Recreating the craftsmanship of the past is always a challenge for remodelers with clients who want to preserve the traditional feel of an older home. Windows are an especially tricky area. The look of historic windows can be critical to the character of an older home, but preserving or replicating...

     

PRODUCTS

FIRST LOOK

IN FOCUS

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    Gypsum, Backerboard, & Underlayments

    Manufactured with the maker's TemShield mold-protection system, ComfortGuard interior gypsum board features a mold- and water-resistant core and facers, independently tested against ASTM mold-resistance standards.

     
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    Holiday Gift Guide: Treats, Toys, Messenger Bag, and more

    As you get ready to close the books on 2007, take the opportunity to thank your staff and clients for another successful year in business. For the crewmembers who went above and beyond, or the homeowners who made you happy to head to the jobsite each day, check out these holiday-season gift...

     
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    Professional fastening tools are essential

    After homeowners choose the finishes and fixtures they want for their updated homes, it's up to remodelers to make the vision a reality. Having a set of professional fastening tools is essential. And, of course, we can't overlook the importance of saws in the construction equation. From slicing to...

     

TRENDS

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    Considering appliance color options

    Avocado green may be out, but homeowners are again considering appliance color options far beyond “biscuit.”

     
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    Urinals provide a water-saving opportunity

    Many men are reclaiming their homes' dens, garages, and basements as “man caves” where testosterone rules. And what fixture is better suited to defining the man cave than the urinal?

     
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    Flexible design keeps homes functional

    Remodeling is a sign that a home isn't meeting its owners' current needs. But, that doesn't mean the design update ends when those particular needs are met.

     

LAST WORD

Bench Mark

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    Protect the Net

    Remodelers around the country are finding the current economic climate difficult at best; most are scrambling to find ways to maintain what they had previously thought was secure — their net profit.