Table of Contents October 2007

FEATURES

• Cathedral Builder Web Extra: John Abrams, In His Own Words

  Experience meets inspiration in the form of John Abrams, of South Mountain Company - a $7.5 million design/build firm in Martha's Vineyard, Mass. - and winner of the inaugural Fred Case Remodeling Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The qualities that won him that accolade are well on display in his...

   
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  A 1950s brick home gets a loftlike overhaul

  Architects who favor a streamlined approach to design in Washington, D.C., have often felt constrained by the city's prevailing preference for traditional styles. But times are changing, just a bit, and local design pros are discovering more clients willing to push the envelope and embrace the...

   
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  A neglected San Francisco row house gets a facelift

  A neglected row house in a historic San Francisco neighborhood gets a facelift and an impressive (and expanded) interior update.

   
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  Small Victories

  The three remodeling business owners profiled here still wear a lot of hats, and still exist -- despite the number of years they have individually given their businesses -- in what remodeling consultant Judith Miller would call "early growth" stages, those businesses with very involved owners. They...

   

• What design/build means

  When a remodeler says his company is "design/build" what exactly does that mean?

   
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  John Abrams believes homes, relationships, communities, and small companies should be built to last

  John Abrams believes that homes, relationships, communities, and small companies should be built to last for generations. Here's why he's the first winner of The Fred Case Remodeling Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and why South Mountain Company, with 15 employee-owners and 17 owners-to-be, will be...

   

Reader Panel

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  Working With Professional Designers

  It's no secret that remodelers and architects have endured a historically adversarial relationship.

   

VIEW POINT

FIRST WORD

• Make the remodeling experience personal and unique

  Take the remodeling experience beyond tolerable and make it personal and unique to each individual.

   

News + Notes

• Energy efficiency gains ground

  Energy-efficient remodeling is definitely where the market is headed.

   

MARKET WATCH

• Figure This

  Remodeling, by the numbers.

   

• Watch the economy outside the housing market

  Curb Appeal Renovations is a residential remodeling company, but co-owner Robin Burrill knows to watch the economy outside the housing market to gauge what to expect for her business.

   
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  Remodeling Market Index fell for the second straight quarter

  The Remodeling Market Index (RMI) fell for the second straight quarter, according to a midyear release from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

   

COMMENTARY

GUEST COLUMNIST

• Know the Business

  Craftsmanship is just one component to being your own boss.

   

LINDA CASE

• Fine Food for Thought

  Valuable lessons for remodelers from another kind of entrepreneur.

   

MARK RICHARDSON

• Tough Times

  Familiar ways of managing and leading may not work in a changing business climate.

   

SHAWN MCCADDEN

• Stop creating what-if solutions for what-if problems

  Ever get that feeling as you lie awake in the middle of the night? Your mind starts racing and you can't fall back asleep. Questions and scenarios fly by as you toss and turn: What has to get done the next day; did that customer get billed; who will be where; does the crew have everything they...

   

YOUR BUSINESS

Sales and Marketing

• Experimenting with team dynamics

  Although team-selling is not a new concept, more remodelers are experimenting with team dynamics, including introducing male-female sales teams.

   
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  Truck as moving billboard

  People take notice when employees of Excel Interior Concepts & Construction drive around town. The company's newest truck is literally a moving billboard for the Lemoyne, Pa., firm.

   
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  Use holiday cards to raise awareness

  The holiday season may not officially kick off until next month, but many remodelers are already looking at marketing strategies to keep business coming in during this traditionally slow time.

   

• Client dossiers speed service

  The ACT contact management system is an asset to your sales

   

BOTTOM LINE

• Working Bonus

  Remodeling company benefits from its first goal-oriented bonus.

   

• Verify employee names and Social Security numbers

  The IRS suggests that small-business owners verify employee names and Social Security numbers. Using the institution's online verification is beneficial for several reasons.

   

BY DESIGN

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  Choosing the right style for a home addition

  Do we want a Frank Gehry on our block? Or do we want another standard Colonial? Or a McMansion? Every situation is unique, but there is one golden rule: Be a good neighbor.

   

FIELD NOTES

• The never-ending, final list of little things

  The never-ending, final list -- the list that drives us all crazy because it's the little things. How do we get carpenters to care?

   

• Extensive pre-planning and ongoing documentation provide great assurance to clients

  Projects often last months at Acorn Design/Build, of Denver, but there's rarely confusion over who agreed to what when, or which products should go where, or when that trade contractor is on the schedule.

   

• Clean jobsites are half the battle

  Clean jobsites are half the battle of keeping homeowners happy. Remodelers' best practices fall into four categories.

   

GOOD FORM

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  Lead sheets to guide the call-taker

  When a potential client calls Kirk Development Co.'s office, there isn't always a salesperson to handle the call. But rather than simply taking a name and number, the Phoenix company created two sales lead sheets to guide the call-taker and give the salesperson much-needed information.

   

Tech at Work

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  Busting myths about the internet

  It's hard to believe, but what we now call the "dot-com boom" began 10 years ago -- an eternity in technology years. Yet remodelers still worry about the dangers of "working online."

   
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  Software that integrates all elements of design/build

  ImproveBuild Remodeler's Business Solution is an all-in-one contact management, estimating, job tracking, and job analysis system that centralizes all project info in an easy-to-manage, customizable format.

   

Ways + Means

• Making subcontractors or employees work for your business

  A few years ago, Rob Mathews, president of Curb Appeal Remodeling in Dallas, had an awakening moment — he realized he couldn't meet payroll.

   

• Do the right thing

  Sometimes you already have the tools on hand to set yourself apart: It wasn't until a client nominated Schloegel Design Remodel for an ethics award that Jake Schloegel seriously looked at formalizing the practices that his then-25-year-old company had made routine. “We declined the nomination...

   

• Protect your business with standard operating procedures

  So often people keep information in their heads; only they know how to do a particular task. A business, though, must be prepared for "what if so-and-so got hit by a bus?" scenarios. In other words, who will be able to do the office manager's tasks, for example, if he or she leaves their job...

   

• User a planner to manage business

  Using the Franklin Planner for good business management.

   

BIG50

CLOSE UP

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  Bonding with the trades

  Strong relationships with subcontractors are a vital part of the success of Hopkins & Porter, and the Potomac, Md., company uses both formal and informal methods to bond with its trade contractors.

   

SECOND LOOK

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  Robert Chew: a leading player in a sophisticated industry

  Thirty years after he got into the solar business, Bob Chew (Big50 1987) is happy to be back where he started. Only instead of being an early adopter of a technology that relied on federal support, he's a leading player in a sophisticated industry whose future seems assured.

   

SOLUTIONS

• How to qualify prospective clients

  How do you qualify prospective clients?

   

KITCHEN AND BATH

DESIGN CLINIC

• A search engine built specifically to serve the kitchen and bath industry

  A new Web site (www.kitchenandbathsearch.com) delivers relevant kitchen and bath results from the Internet to industry professionals

   
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  Open shelves in the bathroom

  In the bathroom, you don't have to stow all your stuff behind closed doors. In fact, it's convenient to have some items, such as towels and soaps, up for grabs when you need them. That's where open shelves come in handy.

   
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  A plain ranch kitchen receives a stylish update

  A plain and boxy ranch kitchen receives a stylish update.

   

SPEC BOOK

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  Shower and tub products

  For a contemporary shower design, try Preceria shower doors. The curved glass doors add a new dimension to traditional shower enclosures, and create a contemporary bathroom focal point.

   

SUSTAINABILITY

GREEN SPEAK

• Green Home Tour Sets an Example

  The Green Built Parade of Homes features seven new houses with green elements that meet the guidelines established by Green Built North Texas.

   

• Company becomes known for green building

  One of the first green projects done by Jackson Remodeling was driven by a client, who not only specified the products but also researched purchasing and installation and suggested trade contractors. That was in 2000. Now, the Seattle company is known for its green projects.

   

GREEN SPEC

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  Green kitchen products

  Products that save energy and protect the environment

   

PRODUCTS

FIRST LOOK

• Products: First Look

  The newest products for the remodeling market

   

IN FOCUS

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  Moisture barriers and mold prevention products

  The latest in moisture barriers and mold prevention.

   
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  The latest in fireplace products

  The latest in fireplaces.

   

• Home Theater & Electronics

  Multiroom components deliver entertainment throughout the house.

   

TRENDS

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  Fabric hurricane panels

   

• Stair Masters

  Stair parts offer new design options.

   
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  Choosing between whirlpools and air baths

  Help clients choose between whirlpools and air baths for just the right bathing experience.

   

LAST WORD

Bench Mark

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  Slippage, if consistent, will kill your year

  Any amount of slippage, if consistent, will quietly and effectively kill your year. Some slippage is just bad luck, but here are eight causes that you can control.

   

OTHER ARTICLES

• In Remodeling "Town Hall," Remodelers Share Challenges

  How do you control costs in a down market, or when job costs run over budget? What's the hardest part about growing your company? How do you motivate production staff? What's your opinion of cost-plus pricing? In a "town hall meeting" for remodelers, the owners of three successful but very...

   

• The Remodeler's Two Roles

  The difference between you and your clients is smaller than you might think.

   

• Selling Value, Not Price

  It's no secret that the remodeling process is not a pretty one. It's invasive; it's time consuming; it's stressful; and it's expensive. But the remodeler who is able to take that same process and make it feel like something different entirely -- something exciting, easy, even enjoyable -- is the...

   

• Blueprint for Kitchen Design

  During the seminar "Blueprint for the Custom Crafted Kitchen," speaker Carol Lamkins covered the 9 centers that designers and remodelers should address in a kitchen design.

   

• Employees: Your Other Customers

  There are two kinds of customers in remodeling: "external" and "internal" clients. External clients are the ones you traditionally think of when you think of your customers -- homeowners who contact your company to replace their windows, or remodel their bathroom, or put an addition on their house...

   
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  Green Kitchen Products

  The latest in Green products for kitchens.

   

• News From the 2007 Remodeling Show