Remodeling articles from July 2003

Remodeling archives from July 2003

Get out of the way. (First Word).
July 1, 2003... A lot of remodeling company owners talk a good game about delegation and accountability, but their actions make it clear they still believe they're indispensable. That attitude may have been essential when your company was just getting off the...

Training time. (.comment).
July 1, 2003... The education program for the 2003 Remodelers' Show is currently available online, This year's conference is being held Oct. 22-25 at the Baltimore Convention Center, located just a few blocks from the waterfront in the revitalized Inner Harbor...

Compensation conversation. (Call back: the sound and the fury ...).
July 1, 2003... What Halsey Platt puts forth as a compensation form (Good Form, April 2003, page 60) is actually a company cost breakdown for an employee. The new-hire is only going to see $16 per hour in his paycheck, period. Also, his chart is geared...

Corrections.
July 1, 2003... * Boral Bricks' Liberty Classic Stone molded-stone product was incorrectly classified as a paver in the May 2003 issue (First Look, page 172). In fact, it is a wall veneer, suitable for interior or exterior applications. We apologize for the...

At what price? (Call back: the sound and the fury ...).
July 1, 2003... Although I appreciate the well-written and objective Before + After feature "The Old and the New," by John Caulfield (May 2003, page 65), I'm afraid I was appalled by the description of the creation of the project, and by the (albeit beautiful)...

A bug in the tub. (News+Notes).
July 1, 2003... In today's society, the hot tub is a popular symbol of relaxation. The steaming water soothes aching muscles, clears congestion, and provides a perfect place to enjoy a drink on a cool autumn evening. But recent reports also suggest that...

New warranty for resale homes. (News+Notes).
July 1, 2003... It's no wonder new-home buyers purchase structural warranties. According to Criterium Engineers, a nationwide home inspection firm based in Portland, Maine, structural defects occur in 10% to 20% of the 25,000 homes they inspect each year....

Get real! (News+Notes).
July 1, 2003... You won't see Linda Case eating raw cow intestines. You won't see Walt Stoeppelwerth living in a chateau in France, choosing his bride from a bevy of beautiful 20-somethings. You won't see the editors of this magazine voting each other off of a...

Lumber dispute nears end. (News+Notes).
July 1, 2003... The World Trade Organization (WTO) has preliminarily ruled that duties on imports of Canadian softwood lumber imposed by the U.S. Commerce Department are flawed and should be rescinded. The decision would overturn a countervailing duty of...

Residential CCA use restricted. (News+Notes).
July 1, 2003... Beginning in 2004, virtually all residential uses of products treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) will be banned. Responding to a worldwide market that is demanding alternatives, the four registrants of CCA products--Osmose,...

Housing affordability hits 30-year high. (News+Notes).
July 1, 2003... While the remodeling industry as a whole is thriving, business in certain parts of the country has slowed somewhat in the past year or two. The good news, however, is that although national trends are somewhat difficult to predict, all signs...

Springing ahead. (Market Watch).
July 1, 2003... REMODELING AND REPAIR Recently released data from the Department of Commerce confirms the strength of the industry. A strong fourth quarter brought remodeling and repair to a level of $173.3 billion in 2002. That's an increase of...

Don't turn them away: there are plenty of services you can sell to that past kitchen, bath, or addition client. (Commentary).
July 1, 2003... In most American industries, the way to be successful is to develop a product or service that can be sold to customers repeatedly, over time. More than 60% of the top 500 companies in the United States consider themselves service-oriented...

Get the buzz going: defining your vision makes the difference between a great company and a merely good one. (Commentary).
July 1, 2003... Vision. Mission. Culture. Core values. Think they're fuzzy, overlapping, and slightly hard to grasp? OK, you're in good company. You might also question whether they even belong in small entrepreneurial businesses. Or if time spent thinking...

On with the show: ten reasons why you can't afford to miss the Remodelers' Show. (Commentary).
July 1, 2003... The Remodelers' Show is still three months off, but now is the time to start planning. If you think you won't have time or are worried about who'll take care of the company while you're gone, then you need to attend more than most remodelers....

Track those costs! Diligent job-cost tracking builds efficiency into your pricing and production. (Commentary).
July 1, 2003... One of my summer jobs in college was working for an environmental remediation company. I tracked costs for a cleanup project at an automotive manufacturing facility. My boss, the project manager, wanted to know those costs every day. So I...

In escrow we trust. (Ways+Means).
July 1, 2003... Many remodelers might regard payment by a financial institution as restrictive, another layer of red tape. Not so Bartelt/Filo, a design/build contractor in Menomonee Falls, Wis. Co-owner Rick Bartelt says that as the company's average project...

Source it. (Ways+Means).
July 1, 2003... Wally Orfield recently signed a contract for the largest job his Minneapolis-based company's ever had. Orfield's projects, usually in six figures, often involve additions coupled with renovations of existing space, frequently a bathroom or a...

Calculating a lead's management hours. (Ways + Means).
July 1, 2003... The biggest reason leads feel demoralized on a job is they're not being given enough time for stuff that isn't carpentry," says Steve Larson, of Architectural Building Arts in Madison, Wis. To help solve the problem, Larson and his team...

Pricing labor-only jobs. (Bottom Line).
July 1, 2003... There's a growing market for "labor-only" jobs. Examples include big-box stores, like The Home Depot, where your company would be responsible for installing materials sold to the customer. Companies accustomed to marking up materials and...

Counting the miles. (Tax Tips).
July 1, 2003... As many of you probably know, your business driving--to and from job-sites and supply houses, for example, or to attend workshops--is tax-deductible. The question is whether to use actual costs or standard mileage as the way to calculate the...

"Town" squares with clients. (Sales+Marketing).
July 1, 2003... Disney's Main Street USA concept has always intrigued remodeler Tim Thompson. So when he recently moved his insurance restoration firm, tripling his office and warehouse space to 16,000 square feet, he built his dream: a nifty "town," set in...

Giving customers five years of care. (Sales+Marketing).
July 1, 2003... A 30-year-old company servicing 5,000 customer follow-up programs in the real estate and mortgage industries is working with remodelers to boost repeat business. For $37.50 per customer and a one-time, $450 to $950 setup fee, Continuity...

Tune in to emotion to sell. (Sales+Marketing).
July 1, 2003... Like it or not, your prospective clients get bids. They get bids because they want the perceived "best deal." Remodelers mistakenly think bidding is really comparative analysis. But it's not. It's a search for someone who best satisfies the...

Mail call. (Field Notes).
July 1, 2003... There's e-mail. There's snail mail. And then there's "Sawmail." That's what Atlanta remodeler SawHorse calls its use of an old-fashioned black RFD mailbox on site to exchange information with clients during a project. "When you're tearing...

Sign of the time. (Field Notes).
July 1, 2003... Gayler Construction has a new spin on that old standby, the jobsite sign. The Danville, Calif.-based remodeler boldly puts the start date out there, along with the usual company information. The company prides itself on completing jobs...

Back to school.
July 1, 2003... In life, as in construction, education is an ongoing process. Why do we need to continue learning? The industry is developing new tools and techniques every day. Manufacturers are introducing products that solve past construction problems or...

Double duty. (By Design).
July 1, 2003... Remodeled during phase one of a whole-house project, this first-floor bathroom was designed to serve, during phase two, as the primary bath for guests and the owners' two young children. The owners, who like to entertain, wanted the space to...

Community ambassador. (By Design).
July 1, 2003... Ed Lane, owner of Lane Homes and Remodeling in Richmond, Va., has his own community "ambassador" on staff. "We knew there was tons of business out there that was going to other people," Lane says, "and much of this was because not enough...

Undercover camera. (Tech@Work).
July 1, 2003... Blindly routing wires behind walls and through ceilings can be a tricky task. Electrician Henry Sanchez of Ercole Electric, Gaithersburg, Md., uses a digital camera to extend his vision behind walls and into the joist spaces where he's working....

Setting up an e-mail newsletter. (Tech@Work).
July 1, 2003... It's a good bet that by now most of your customers have e-mail accounts and Internet access. So why not use an e-mail newsletter to reach them all at once? Unlike spam, electronic newsletters allow customers to "opt in" by contacting you...

Job journal. (Good Form).
July 1, 2003... Mike Weiss, CGR, came to residential remodeling from the commercial sector, where the projects are huge and the job logs are proportionate in size. Weiss liked the idea of a form but found that a full page devoted to each day was too much, with...

Profile: Gary Marrokal. (Big50 Close Up).
July 1, 2003... Why would a remodeler take on the burden of spending an extra $100,000? For Gary Marrokal (Big50 1992), the answer is simple: to raise the level of the design services he offers. Marrokal, president of Marrokal Construction in Lakeside, Calif.,...

Second look: Gene Peterson. (Big50 Close Up).
July 1, 2003... Gene Peterson was named Big50 in 1988, but he received much heavier news in 1997, when doctors discovered he had cancer. Unless he were to have a radical procedure, he was told, he'd have just years to live. Peterson had the procedure, then...

Should my company be involved in insurance restoration work? (Big50 Face Off).
July 1, 2003... "Insurance work provides us with year-round jobs. One results is we've never had to lay off an employee for lack of work."--Sharon Bellamy STEADY AND STABLE General remodeling generates about 60% of our business. The remaining 40%...

Training tactics: how much do you spend on training, and what methods are most effective? (Q+A).
July 1, 2003... MICHAEL GRIGGS, CR Disaster Restoration Westminster, Colo. Big50 1995 Because we're a specialty contractor, there are many disciplines with which our employees must be familiar. As a result, we do quite a bit of training--we...

Reading list: three Big50 remodelers recommend their favorite business books. (Big50 Live+Learn).
July 1, 2003... Allan R Lutes Alpha Remodeling Ann Arbor, Mich. Big50 1999 The E-Myth Revisited, by Michael Gerber, reinforced and clarified for me the systems approach to building a business. I also like Professional Remodeling Management,...

Hard knocks: roofing the wrong house hurts, but it guarantees a fail-safe system the next time--and every time thereafter. (Big50 Live+Learn).
July 1, 2003... It was a surreal day, because part of it was really funny," says Jimmy Waller, of Waller Construction in Lakeland, Fla. "I didn't even think something like this could happen." But in a subdivision of 2,400 homes, on a street with north and...

It takes two: two Big50 remodelers learn a few lessons when they team up to tackle a major vacation-home renovation. (Remodeling: before+after).
July 1, 2003... Finley Perry had worked for this Massachusetts couple often over the past 15 years, designing such straightforward projects as a basement, a kitchen, an office addition, and bathrooms. This time, though, when they asked Perry to consult on...

Calling in your SWOT team: analyzing your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats can lead to improved systems and dynamic marketing. Here's how to get an edge.
July 1, 2003... When Bruce Butterfield came on as CEO of Ambassador Home Improvements, he immediately did a SWOT analysis. Now, he relies on his department heads to help assess strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats at the Harrisburg, Pa., firm. ...

Weighing the competition: who's your competition? The new-home builder? The SUV dealer? The remodeling company on the other side of town? All of the above.
July 1, 2003... Vacation in Italy, or updated bathroom? Master suite, or second home? Recreational vehicle, or new kitchen with granite counters, stainless steel appliances, and cork flooring? Remodeling contractors may believe they compete strictly...

To market, to market: successfully entering a new market takes research, planning, and seed money.
July 1, 2003... Two years ago, Derek Reijnen, CEO of the 22-year-old Reijnen Co., took a close look at his $5-million-a-year design/build market and thought he could see the horizon. It was faint, but there it was, signaling an eventual limit to his client...

Cutting to the core on values: does a company's culture, or core values, affect business? Do strong owner beliefs guarantee better profits? Not always, readers say. (Reader Panel).
July 1, 2003... Many companies include questions in their job interviews about how an employee will fit into their culture, and nearly everyone communicates their guiding principles to employees. Half of our readers have fired employees for violating company...

Water wall: installing wall-mounted faucets requires planning and precision plumbing. (Design Clinic).
July 1, 2003... Seventy years ago, wall-mounted kitchen faucets were the norm in farmhouses and Victorian houses across America. Homeowners and renovators slowly moved toward today's deck-mounted designs. But now, wall-mounted faucets are experiencing a...

Behind the walls. (Design Clinic).
July 1, 2003... Since wall-mounted faucets take more abuse than deck-mounted faucets, consultant Julius Ballanco recommends using a drop-ear elbow behind the wall that you can screw to a stud. "It lends support to the faucet," he says. He says some faucet...

Stop gap. (Design Clinic).
July 1, 2003... Karl Dropping had a client who didn't realize that the vessel sink, wall-mounted faucet combination he installed lacked a stopper. "It was in a bathroom that kids used. He wasn't pleased when he couldn't stop the water," Dropping says. He says...

Kitchen on wheels. (Design Clinic).
July 1, 2003... This remodeler has found a convenient way to make sure his clients don't lose the use of their kitchen during a remodel--he just wheels a portable one into their house. Wayne Minde, president of Tri-Lite Builders, and his crew built two rolling...

Cabinetry. (Spec Book).
July 1, 2003... New cabinetry styles for the kitchen and bath go "Euro" with sleeker, simpler, cleaner lines for a contemporary flair. Colors and finishes run the gamut from chocolatey glazes and dark paints and stains to pale, natural woods. Options...

Let 'er rip? When to cover over shingles or pull them off depends on several factors. (Roofing).
July 1, 2003... Tearing off the old shingles can add anywhere from a few hours to a day to a roofing job. It can also raise the cost of the job from 25% to 50%. And then there's the problem of disposal. On Nantucket Island, Mass., for instance, shingles cost...

Warranty = relationship. (Decks).
July 1, 2003... Deck builders abound. Which is why contractors who offer warranties appeal to homeowners looking to avoid the problems that can come with badly designed and poorly built decks. Warranties are a valuable selling tool, providing contractors with...

Slow learners, fast forgetters.
July 1, 2003... Q: How often should salespeople be retrained? A: Sometimes I ask sales managers or company owners when they last went out on an appointment with someone on their sales staff. What's amazing is that many don't know or can't remember. If you...

Porch fever: front porches make a comeback. (Trends).
July 1, 2003... Few things reflect easy, relaxed living as well as a front porch. Many homeowners have memories of spending summer days and evenings on the front porches of their childhood homes. To bring back feelings of well-being, community, and...

Safe at home: interest in storm rooms and safe rooms is increasing across the country. (Trends).
July 1, 2003... More than 1,000 tornadoes touch down in the United States each year, according to the Weather Channel, ripping through communities with wind speeds of up to 318 mph. Many homeowners in tornadoprone areas of the country are seeking protection by...

Quality control. (Trends).
July 1, 2003... Republic Windows & Doors, a manufacturer of custom vinyl windows and doors, now requires all regular installers of their windows to take the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) Installation Masters course, a nationwide...

Hail the Chief. (Reader's Choice).
July 1, 2003... Dennis Gehman uses Chief Architect design and drafting software to show his clients detailed drawings of their project plans. "It has become a valuable tool for us in the bid process," he says. "The capability of being able to show the...

It's a natural. (Reader's Choice).
July 1, 2003... Although Cape Cod doesn't do a booming business in vinyl siding, Tom Capizzi uses CertainTeed's Monogram vinyl siding exclusively in his projects because of the natural appearance of its rough, cedarlike texture. "We've had great success with...

In the details. (Reader's Choice).
July 1, 2003... Bill Bartlett installs a lot of exterior trim to reproduce the look of old trim in the communities in which he works, but processing yellow pine or Douglas fir boards into fine pieces of trim and cornice work takes a lot of sanding to reduce...

Siding: insulated backing takes vinyl siding to a higher level. (In Focus).
July 1, 2003... A new category has emerged within the siding industry: insulated vinyl siding. Originally available from only one manufacturer, insulated vinyl siding is now offered by five vinyl-siding makers: Crane, RMC, Norandex/Reynolds, Heartland Building...

illbruck Architectural Products. (Wall & Ceiling Finishes).
July 1, 2003... illbruck Architectural Products. Harmoni Ceiling Tiles, made from illbruck's lightweight willtec foam, are suitable for reducing noise in home media rooms, says the maker. The tiles resist mold, are Class-1 fire rated, and are treated to...

Armstrong ceilings. (Wall & Ceiling Finishes).
July 1, 2003... Armstrong Ceilings. Four new wood finishes have been added to the WoodHaven line of prefinished laminate ceiling planks: Wild Cherry (shown), Light Knotty Pine, Warm Knotty Pine, and Cherry Spice. Made of MDF that resists warping, cracking, and...

New England Classic. (Wall & Ceiling Finishes).
July 1, 2003... New England Classic. WallFurnishings is a line of precut, factory-finished wall treatment systems in four styles made of an engineered-wood core and a laminate or wood veneer. Several oak, cherry, and maple finishes and a paintable finish are...

AA Abbingdon. (Wall & Ceiling Finishes).
July 1, 2003... AA Abbingdon. Prestplate metal panels are available in more than 35 traditional, art deco, and contemporary designs in lay-in (2-foot-by-2-foot) and nail-up (2-foot-by-4-foot and 2-foot-by-8-foot) panels. Four new 3/8-inch profiles drop the...

CollinsWood. (Wall & Ceiling Finishes).
July 1, 2003... CollinsWood. Collins VersaWood tongue-and-groove paneling is a two-sided product that provides wall paneling on one side and flooring on the other. Available in black cherry, red oak, red maple, and hard maple, VersaWood can be finished or left...

Moso International. (Wall & Ceiling Finishes).
July 1, 2003... Moso International. New bamboo veneers can be used for wall-covering applications. Available in natural and caramel colors, the veneers come in 4-foot-by-8-foot sheets flexed and backed with 10-mil paper. (800) 617-2324. www.moso.com. Circle...

BHK. (Wall & Ceiling Finishes).
July 1, 2003... BHK. Moderna Logo laminate ceiling planks feature a four-sided tongue-and-groove installation system like that found in the firm's flooring line. The ceiling planks come in Maple Royal, Natural Maple, Beech Siena, Pearl White, and Montblanc...

Sherwin-Williams. (Wall & Ceiling Finishes).
July 1, 2003... Sherwin-Williams. Two new finishes are available in the illusions Faux Finishing program: SoftSuede and SandScapes (shown). Available in 24 earth-tone colors, SandScapes has a granular texture and comes premixed. (800) 474-3794....

Georgia-Pacific. (Wall & Ceiling Finishes).
July 1, 2003... Georgia-Pacific. New Mark-R-Board wall panels can be installed like any other paneling over wallboard to provide a bright-white, easily erasable surface for note-making or children's rooms. Available in 2-foot-by-4-foot panels, Mark-R-Board can...

Revere Copper. (Wall & Ceiling Finishes).
July 1, 2003... Revere Copper. The new Revere Liberty Collection of copper products features a wide array of ridged, hammered, and patterned textures from Rigidized Metals Corp. The copper can be used for walls, kitchen backsplashes, fireplace surrounds,...

Sea gull lighting. (Lighting).
July 1, 2003... Sea Gull Lighting. The new Sussex Collection of light fixtures is available in the maker's new brushed-nickel finish, designed to coordinate with other fixtures in the home. The collection's classic design comes in one- and three-light pendant...

Prescolite. (Lighting).
July 1, 2003... Prescolite. Litebox 6- and 8-inch, 45-degree recessed downlights provide direct downlighting and are designed specifically for applications with angled, dormered, or cathedral ceilings from 9 to 45 degrees. IC-rated and non-IC-rated remodel...

Progress lighting. (Lighting).
July 1, 2003... Progress Lighting. The new Belmont Collection of light fixtures features chandeliers in 15-, nine-, eight-, and five-light configurations as well as a two-light wall sconce. The lights are constructed with oval, flat-strap scrollwork arms and...

W.A.C. lighting. (Lighting).
July 1, 2003... W.A.C. Lighting. The new Low Voltage Monorail is a custom-configurable system with a flexible fixture that can be curved and formed into various designs. The fixture is available in 4- and 8-foot lengths and with several mounting options,...

Kichler. (Lighting).
July 1, 2003... Kichler. The new Tiffany Classics line of lighting is inspired by techniques and materials used by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Rather than reproducing exact Tiffany designs, the lights incorporate rippled, pressed, grouted mosaic, and traditional...

Nevamar. (First Look).
July 1, 2003... Nevamar. A new collection of high-pressure laminates for horizontal applications, the Bravissimo line replicates the look of granite in five designs with different granitelike patterns: Atessa, Fabriano, Veronese, Annato, and Avelino. The...

Eurotech appliances. (First Look).
July 1, 2003... Eurotech Appliances. The Arcevia wall-mounted range ventilation hood features a stainless steel body with a glass hood accent. A three-speed, 400-cfm blower moves air and smoke out of the kitchen, and two halogen lights illuminate the work...

FiberTech Polymers. (First Look).
July 1, 2003... FiberTech Polymers. Prescored snapping lines on the new FiberTech SmartShim ensure a clean, easy break, reducing waste and installation time, says the maker. The SmartShim is made of a 100% recycled-wood and plastic composite for leveling and...

CertainTeed. (First Look).
July 1, 2003... CertainTeed. New SoftTouch fiberglass insulation increases installer comfort and eases handling. The product's softer surface is the result of improved manufacturing processes. Versions that are faced with kraft paper have stapling flanges that...

Georgia-Pacific. (First Look).
July 1, 2003... Georgia-Pacific. New GP Radiant Barrier Roof Sheathing reflects up to 97% of the sun's radiant heat, helping reduce attic temperatures by as much as 30 degrees, says the maker. The sheathing is made with a plywood backing and aluminum foil...

Room for improvement. (Bench Mark).
July 1, 2003... To the Editor: I read with interest the benchmarks of this year's Big50 class ("Big50 By the Numbers," May 2003, page 190). Imagine my disappointment to find that slippage among this august group is all above 3.8%. In my seminars, I...

Building the better bath: EXPO helps you give your customers what they want.
July 1, 2003... Second only to kitchens, consumers rate the bathroom as a sale clincher when buying a new home. Bigger, better, bolder baths are now the rule rather than the exception as they become more like spa extensions of the master bedroom. The...

The path to the perfect bath: let EXPO help you create a restful retreat from the world. (Trends).
July 1, 2003... Recent studies show that now, more than ever, people want their baths to be both a sanctuary from daily dysfunction and a showcase for their individuality. A look at their buying habits reveals that consumers are hungry for new materials and...

Big project? No problem: EXPO Trade Services designers have everything covered. (Service).
July 1, 2003... Big design projects often come with big logistical problems. But Jerome DiCaro, project manager for the Museum Tower at Centennial Hill in downtown Atlanta, discovered that working with EXPO Trade Services meant virtually eliminating the...