Remodeling articles from December 2003

Remodeling archives from December 2003

Face off: should I work from my home or set up outside office space?
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-08 By REMODELING Magazine Staff Priceless setting Having a home office cuts down on the commute. Plus, it's easier to feed the chickens. But seriously, my office is,...

Q+A: employees of the year: how did you find your best production employee?
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-08 By REMODELING Magazine Staff Max Isley Hampton Kitchens of Raleigh Raleigh, N.C. Big50 2000 In the past eight years, the two best people I hired came in...

Active duty support.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-01 Small businesses with essential employees called to active duty may still apply for Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. For...

Electronic taxes: a free service from the IRS makes paying taxes more convenient.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-01 The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) is offered for free from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Financial Management Service (FMS). The system moves tax payment...

Tax tips: corporate dilemma.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-01 Some experts believe that being incorporated provides better tax benefits than any other business designation, but they are wrong. Essentially, a corporation is a vehicle to limit...

Q+A: in the house: why did you hire staff designers? Has your company benefited?
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-01 Jon Vogel New Outlooks Construction Group Robinsville, N.J. We hired a kitchen and bath designer with 10 years of experience working in a manufacturer's showroom. We...

Cooking up a great company: there are three main ingredients a truly great company needs.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-01 About six months ago I was having lunch with a leader in the remodeling industry. As we were finishing our meal, he said, "You have a great company." I thanked him for the kind words...

Deck the checkbook: by taking precautions and putting certain systems in place, you can give yourself the best possible gift this holiday season.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-26 It's that time again, and I bet you're scratching your head, wondering what to give those you love and those who work for you. Undoubtedly you'll come up with some neat...

Field cruise: one Northeast construction company sailed away from the winter blues.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-01 We had a problem. It generally struck our workforce at that point when the day's forecast called for "increasing shades of gray, quickly turning to total blackness," with temperatures...

New lingo: immigrant labor will enable remodeling contractors to meet the expanding demand for their services.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-26 In the past 10 to 15 years, use of immigrant labor in home building has skyrocketed. This supply of low-priced, but qualified, labor is the reason home builders have been able to meet...

Before+after: time machine: in a race against the calendar, Utah contractor Merlin Taylor set out to resurrect a Craftsman bungalow.(Calendar)
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-08 Merlin Taylor found out about the house on Valley View Ave. through his wife, Joan, a real estate broker. The owner of the property had recently passed away. The house--a...

Commercial appeal: remodelers need to consider the pros and cons of commercial construction before pursuing the market.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-08 When Dale Crisp decided to add commercial work to his company's repertoire, he didn't leave anything to chance. He realized that in order to create a profit center and count on a...

Reader panel: commercial remodeling: for most of our Reader Panel, commercial remodeling is a supplement to their more favored residential work.n.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-08 By REMODELING Magazine Staff About 86% of respondents remodel commercial projects, with the top three projects being offices, retail, and health care locations. Many offer to do...

Seconds coming: working for the second generation can be a delight. If you treat their parents right, they're the easiest referrals to sell and remodel for.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-08 Baby boomers are set to inherit $10.4 trillion over the next few decades. So says AARP Magazine, in a recent article, "Taking Your Lumps." Interestingly enough, remodelers may...

Cracked up.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-26 Remodeler Kevin Wallace learned an expensive lesson on a project in Pacific Heights. The homeowners wanted to turn a low-ceilinged basement into livable space. Wallace estimates the...

Difficult clients.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-10-26 To paraphrase an old saying, "Clients: Can't live with 'em; can't live without 'em." The key to working with difficult clients is to understand the warning signs and quickly...

Look back to move forward.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-01 For many remodelers, work slows to a near standstill during the last week of December. Clients either head out of town leaving critical decisions hanging or are too preoccupied with...

Access granted.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-08 Over the past few years, Mike Miller has received phone calls about performing small repairs that would make houses accessible for the elderly and disabled. A year ago, he decided to...

Get the power.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-08 In his quest to offer the most professional presentation possible, Thompson Price has turned to PowerPoint and a large screen to show his customers their kitchen designs. "When...

EIFS contractors take matters into own hands.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-08 The insurance crisis facing the construction industry has been well-documented and shows no signs of slowing down. Many companies are dealing with the reality of extremely high rates...

Fingers walking to remodeling purchases.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-01 You may or may not want the leads you get from the Yellow Pages, but like it or not, you're getting 'em. According to the Yellow Pages Integrated Media Association (YPIMA),...

Online program falls short.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-01 The customer who knows "just enough to be dangerous" now has a new weapon in his arsenal. In late September, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), with funding...

Feeling flushed: new technology makes for a more efficient flush.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-09 After two years of studying fluid dynamics, talking with consumers about what they want in a toilet, and extensive development and testing, American Standard introduced its new...

New Ridgid tools are durable, comfortable.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-08 Ridgid has introduced its first-ever line of 35 handheld corded, cordless, benchtop, and stationary power tools for contractors and other professionals. "Ridgid was looking to create...

Products: reader's choice.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-22 Dust Door Prize Trying to keep areas adjacent to work areas clean, Ed Castle Jr. found that rigging plastic sheets across doorways was ineffective and made using the entryways...

Tool storage.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-08 By REMODELING Magazine Staff The Lehigh Group. The Crawford Portable Pegboard tool and parts organizers all mount to a Peg-Board but can also be moved to the jobsite easily....

Trucks and accessories.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-08 By REMODELING Magazine Staff Rostra Precision Controls. A Quick Install Kit reduces installation time for the Rear Obstacle Sensing System, which senses obstacles up to 12 feet...

Ventilation control systems.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-09 By REMODELING Magazine Staff State Water Heaters. The Premier line of self-cleaning residential gas water heaters includes three models: Select, Select High Efficiency, and...

Holiday cheer.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-01 Last November, over 85 Kansas City families received a unique invitation in the mail. Schloegel Contracting Co. was hosting a Christmas Tree Giveaway at a local tree farm to say...

Prepping for a sales call: three veteran remodelers offer tips on what to do before you walk through the door.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-01 We asked Bob Baker of Robert W. Baker Builder, Princeton, N.J., Lisa Schliff of On the Beam Remodeling, Oakland, Calif., and Bruce Bentley of Bentley Design & Remodeling, Hanford,...

Tour de force.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-01 Disappointed with poor leads at home shows, Jeff Metke now allots half of his $20,000 marketing budget for Portland's Tour of Remodeled Homes, which this year netted him jobs worth...

Yellow pages secrets.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-01 The phone rings. It's the local Yellow Pages rep. You wonder if it's worth the time or cost. If you say "Yes," be sure to follow these tips. Watch out for a "continuation...

Getting your ACT! Together.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-08 Like most popular business software, ACT! wasn't designed with the remodeling industry in mind. But the customer relationship management software is built for maximum flexibility....

Pre-sale and post-sale.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-11-01 Last month we distinguished between pre-sale estimating and post-sale estimating. It's an important distinction, but there are estimating products, developed specifically for...

Guiding light: Gary Porter surveys his present condition to chart his company's future.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-01 I like to make informed choices," says Gary Porter, president of G.A. Porter Construction in Dayton, Ohio. "If I don't know what's going on, I don't have the ability to make them."...

More than a feeling.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-01 A high IQ certainly won't hurt you as the owner of a remodeling company. But how often does your business require you to complete number sequences or figure out which word doesn't fit...

Stop wasting time.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-01 Tom Menold, owner of Menold Construction, in Morton, Ill., a $6.5 million company with 45 employees, believes time management skills make employees far more efficient. He became a...

What lies ahead.
December 1, 2003... Source: REMODELING Magazine Publication date: 2003-12-01 Scott Mosby's company, Mosby Building Arts, St. Louis, generated $4 million in sales last year. This year, Mosby expects to do $5 million. That 20% jump raised questions about the...