Table of Contents Fall 2006

FEATURES

• Selling Green

  The diligent remodeler launches into the vast world of green building.

   
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  Small Company, Big Projects

  When Gary Rochman was a younger man and working as a designer in an architect's office, he would sneak away evenings and weekends to see the designs he had drawn being built. “It's a wonderful thing,” he says, “to see your designs come to life.” Not satisfied with just visiting the jobsite, Rochman...

   

• The Main Event

  Event-based marketing is paying off for remodelers everywhere. But which event is right for your company?

   
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  Natural Beauty

  The palette of materials — granite, wood, slate, and glass — used in this light and airy bathroom remodel is fitting for the home's woodland site and views of nearby treetops.

   

• Working with Consultants

  Most remodelers are not skilled in every aspect of the business world — and they don't need to be. Part of learning how to thrive and grow in a competitive market means seeking outside help, and there are consultants who can help you become more effective in just about every business area. Many...

   
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  Artfully Crafted

  Efficiency and pleasing aesthetics blend seamlessly in a kitchen that marries contemporary elements with traditional roots.

   

FINAL TOUCH

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  Doors and More

  Since 1977 Jerry and Tim DeSantis have been drawing on their backgrounds in art to fashion one-of-a-kind pieces for residential and corporate clients through their company DeSantis Designs, located in Herndon, Va. Jerry has a BA, MA, and MFA in studio art. Tim has a BA and an MA in sculpture.

   

INSIGHT

• Artful Structure

  The structural components of a building, if left exposed on the inside or outside of the home, can be artful expressions in their own right.

   
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  Is Architecture/Build the Firm of the Future?

  Architects and builders have been jockeying for control (and respect) ever since Thomas Jefferson called his architect a stubborn jackass — and then promptly punched himself in the nose.

   
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  Change as Progress

  When I was a child, there was an expression I'd hear my parents utter from time to time: “Things aren't what they used to be.”

   

INTERVIEW

Ten Minutes With...

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  Janie Curtis, managing director of Frank About Women

  Frank About Women (www.frankaboutwomen.com) specializes in marketing to women. It provides clients with gender-savvy insights, business strategies, and marketing communications programs designed to drive sales and profit growth among female customers and prospects.

   

PEOPLE

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  Family Matters

  Tips on balancing business and personal relationships in a family-owned company.

   

• Roll Out the Red Carpet

  Provide the extra service that high-end clients expect by giving them the “white glove” treatment.

   

• Parlez-Vous Body Language?

  You're talking to the client sitting before you when you notice his head is down and he has angled his chest away from you. The client's body language is saying he's “closed.” He can no longer hear what you're saying, so you may as well stop talking.

   

• Keeping Tabs on the Competition

  Upscale remodelers must not only keep pace with competitors but find ways to differentiate themselves.

   

PROCESS

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  Fit to Print

  Upscale clients respond to sophisticated, high-quality printed marketing materials.

   

• Security Strategies

  Take preventive measures to secure jobsites so materials and equipment stay safe.

   

• IT: In-House or Outsource?

  Your designer may be a computer guru, but does that mean he or she should also be running your company's networks and data security infrastructure? Or answering the call when someone's monitor freezes? Or troubleshooting when the high-speed Internet connection goes on the blink?

   

PRODUCTS

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  Product Trends: Looking Solid

   

New + Notable

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  New + Notable: TV Mirror, Lighting, Elevator, and more

   

PROFITS

• Keeping Pace With Pricing

  Setting fees is relatively straightforward. Knowing how and when to raise them, however, can be a bit tricky. Costs such as labor, insurance, and equipment tend to rise steadily with occasional sudden spikes; materials are more volatile. If your fees don't account for that fluctuation, your profits...

   

• Reinvesting Profits

  Small service-oriented businesses do it. Large product manufacturers do it. And upscale remodeling companies should be doing it, too. It's a strategy known as “reinvesting profits,” and it's something all growing companies should be thinking about — or risk stunting their own growth.

   
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  Professional Photographs Show

  The market is flooded with digital cameras and salespeople extolling the quality of computer-printed photos. So who needs a professional photographer to record their remodeling work? An expensive digital camera will do the trick, right? Wrong.