The 30-year business partnership of Terry Streich and Gary Welton at Silver Bullet Design & Build has outlasted many marriages. It's experienced as many ups and downs as well, from the highs of the extended canoeing trips the two enjoyed before family and other obligations took over, to the lows of...
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Unraveling embezzlement can be as complicated as an episode of Law & Order. Remodeler Joe Christ says the trade background of most remodelers leaves them at a disadvantage.
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When Doug Walter says, “I channel dead architects to try to figure out their original intent,” it gives the listener a clear picture of how the former restoration architect might approach the design of an addition. On the other hand, architect Mark McInturff says his additions fit “by contrast...
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Remodeling is a highly technical art. It requires a grasp of the principles and practice of electricity, plumbing, engineering, geometry, and architecture. It requires a high level of craftsmanship as well as an ability to manage homeowners' expectations during a very emotional process. All of this...
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Like a lot of other remodelers, Strong Construction in Fremont, Calif., can't afford to waste time with clients who want to push $50,000 where $100,000 should go, or who get fixated on some magic number for a project's cost. But co-owners Steve and Sandy Strong also can't afford to turn away good...
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The 30-year business partnership of Terry Streich and Gary Welton at Silver Bullet Design & Build has outlasted many marriages. It's experienced as many ups and downs as well, from the highs of the extended canoeing trips the two enjoyed before family and other obligations took over, to the lows of...
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Unraveling embezzlement can be as complicated as an episode of Law & Order. Remodeler Joe Christ says the trade background of most remodelers leaves them at a disadvantage.
-
When Doug Walter says, “I channel dead architects to try to figure out their original intent,” it gives the listener a clear picture of how the former restoration architect might approach the design of an addition. On the other hand, architect Mark McInturff says his additions fit “by contrast...
-
Remodeling is a highly technical art. It requires a grasp of the principles and practice of electricity, plumbing, engineering, geometry, and architecture. It requires a high level of craftsmanship as well as an ability to manage homeowners' expectations during a very emotional process. All of this...
-
Like a lot of other remodelers, Strong Construction in Fremont, Calif., can't afford to waste time with clients who want to push $50,000 where $100,000 should go, or who get fixated on some magic number for a project's cost. But co-owners Steve and Sandy Strong also can't afford to turn away good...
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Ben Thompson, assistant vice president at Thompson Remodeling, says his Grand Rapids, Mich., market is in an extended down period. As a result, he's had to come up with more creative ways to keep the company in good financial shape.
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Growth in the industry leveled off during the first quarter of 2006, according to the latest Remodeling Activity Indicator (RAI), released in April by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. Homeowners spent an estimated $155.4 billion on remodeling over the past four quarters...
Recently, Jeff Rainey noticed that the price of the 20-yard containers his company uses for construction debris had risen again, this time to about $425 per drop-off and pull.
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In 2006 the Remodeling Show heads to the Lakeside Center, McCormick Place, Chicago. This year's Show, owned and operated by our publisher Hanley Wood, LLC, is expected to attract more than 10,000 remodelers and home improvement professionals from around the country.
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The energy crisis, as we called it back then, spurred a flurry of energy conservation. The northern New England company I worked for in 1976 was an early adopter of 2x6 framing and later of foam sheathing to boost insulation levels. Double-pane windows, which were not well known at the time, soon...
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After having tried many incentive programs over the years, Bob Fleming, president of Classic Remodeling & Construction, Charleston, S.C., says his company's new program “is the first one that is designed to address problem areas and distribute the bonus money fairly.”
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My spouse does my business' bookkeeping but isn't involved in the business' daily operations or overall direction. This causes her to second-guess many of my decisions, which creates friction at work and at home. How can we alleviate this?
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Twice a year Todd Jackson does what he calls a “paperwork session.” He has all 26 employees gather for half a day, and the company provides lunch.
Jonathan Mills, owner of Mills Builders in Sacramento, Calif., says, “We tear down homes that have nothing wrong with them all the time out here.” Mills didn't feel right about dumping the materials. From his company's inception in 1999 he began donating them to the local Habitat for Humanity.
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Craftspeople by nature and salespeople by necessity, many remodelers believe that their company's good work will speak for itself, convincing smart prospects to work with them.
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Even as many homeowners decide to postpone big remodeling jobs, minority and immigrant home buyers “still want to buy, but for totally different reasons,” says Michael Lee, a marketing consultant with EthnoConnect.
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The sales professionals of Weidmann Remodeling look for five potential red flags when they first visit a prospect at home. If they observe two or more, the client is likely to be difficult and the job should be politely declined, says Bill Weidmann, chair and vice president of the Roswell, Ga....
Like Phillips-head and flat-head screwdrivers, both postcards and letters are useful tools, says marketing consultant David Alpert. “It's just that you use them differently.” To choose the right mailing tool, evaluate your objectives and your relationship with the recipients.