Professional Builder (1993) articles from April 2006

Professional Builder (1993) archives from April 2006

More Vacancies Ahead?(The Talon Group)
April 1, 2006... By Bob Piper, The Talon Group I'm not referring to rental properties or homes, but people. Most builders will tell you that people -- or lack there of -- are their greatest challenge to growth. The need for qualified people at all levels...

Your Choice in Cost Control.
April 1, 2006... By Scott Sedam, TrueNorth Development The 7-11 or Bank of America? Here is a scenario to challenge your staff and in the process, discover some profound insights on home building strategy, especially in view of the recent slowdowns...

Cancelled Customers.(Annual sales)
April 1, 2006... By John Rymer, New Home Knowledge John Rymer: Nationally about 1 in 5 customers will cancel their home sale before closing. While that's not an enjoyable situation for either the customer or the new home sales professional, what...

Florida reBuilds helps involve Katrina victims in the process.(New construction training program)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Felicia Oliver, Senior Editor New construction training program aims to bring fresh blood into the industry. Florida reBuilds is a new training initiative aimed at alleviating the shortage of construction workers in the state. ...

New tax credits for 2006.(Specifically for home builders)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... By Laura Butalla, Senior Editor As the 2005 tax season wraps up, keep in mind next year's new tax credit for new homes qualifying as energy efficient. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT), signed by President Bush in August 2005,...

On-Track Mind.(quality and customer perceptions of the home building industry)
April 1, 2006... By Bob Sperber, Senior Editor Purchasing chief Ellen Knorring is in single-minded pursuit to contain costs, variances and schedules as Stanley Martin Companies turns 352 homes into 1,000 a year. Talk about dedication. Ellen Knorring...

Builder SWAT Team.(customer relationship management)
April 1, 2006... By Paul Cardis, NRS Corp. Building a SWAT team is your best defense against hostile customers. Sooner or later, every business encounters customers that are dissatisfied, even when they've received the best service and products...

To Repair or not to Repair?(Notice of Opportunity to Repair)
April 1, 2006... Rhonda Jackson, Staff Editor Notice and Opportunity to Repair Laws Attached housing has long been the target of construction defect lawsuits. But detached housing communities nationwide have become increasingly embattled by...

Investors' Retreat Clouds Housing's Future.(local housing market)
April 1, 2006... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor, Business Overheated markets are slowing fast as investors flee, but underlying strength of the national economy hints buyers may not stay away long. In many red-hot housing markets, home sales began to...

2006 Giant 400.(home builders)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Staff [TABLE OMITTED] Methodology Staff Our selection of the Giant 400 is a two-step process. First, we identify the 400 largest builders based on the number of housing units closed in the previous year....

Topping Out? Or Just a Pause?(Housing's Giants)
April 1, 2006... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor, Business After 13 years of unrestrained growth, the fun may be ending for Giant builders... Then again, maybe not. Professional Builder 's 39th Annual Report of Housing's Giants is, as always, a snapshot...

Publics Diversify Products.(homes in suburban subdivisions)
April 1, 2006... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor, Business Wall Street's push, splintering housing demand fuel movement. It's hard to turn an aircraft carrier. You can see evidence of that challenge in the graphs on this and the following page. While all...

High-Rise Fraught with Risk.(housing demand)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor, Business Many Giants are now building condo towers, but it's a business filled with danger. Who knows how deep the current downturn in home sales will go? The crystal ball is cloudy for everyone. But one...

Public v. Private.(America's top private home builders)
April 1, 2006... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor, Business Big, publicly-held Giants grab most of the headlines, but the top private builders are growing both top and bottom lines--without dancing to Wall Street's tune. Ask America's top private home...

Publics' Profits at Peak.(federal Securities and Exchange Commission )
April 1, 2006... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor, Business Public builders don't separate land and home building profits, but their 2005 numbers are still impressive. The public home builders' filings with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission...

Even Small Private Builders Can Compete.
April 1, 2006... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor, Business High-profit performers -- and low -- can be found in every Giant category, even though survey results seem to show a direct correlation between size and profitability. Peruse the average cost and...

What Happens Next?(housing markets)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor, Business No one knows if housing markets will snap back, but 2006 is already testing the mettle of production builders large and small: the more leveraged land, the more you sweat. It's been more than 13...

David Weekly Homes.
April 1, 2006... Bill Justus, Vice President, Supply Chain Services, Houston, Texas James Hardie Fiber-Cement Siding Bill Justus www.jameshardie.com James Hardie fiber cement siding provides the low maintenance of vinyl siding, but...

Pipe Dreams.(plumbing system)
April 1, 2006... By Scott T. Shepherd, PATH Partners Upgrade kitchens and baths where it matters most. If you want to build kitchens and baths that are beautiful inside and out, you might want to make some upgrades where they can't be seen -- the...

Appliances.
April 1, 2006... By Rhonda Jackson GE Rhonda Jackson GE's Side-By-Side Refrigerator has several new updates including outside temperature controls, a sealed ExpressChill crisper and a TurboCool function for maintaining a consistent cool...

Creative Cabinet Solutions.(secret storage space for valuables)
April 1, 2006... By Felicia Oliver, Senior Editor Tech rooms, accessory cubbies, and secret storage space for valuables gives homeowners options for concealing their belongings Cabinets -- they're not just for kitchens and bathrooms anymore. And the...

Attached private living.(townhouses)(Irvine Company)
April 1, 2006... By Laura Butalla, Senior Editor William Lyon Homes offers townhouse units in Irvine, Calif. that live like single-family homes by providing private outdoor spaces. Garland Park, a William Lyon Homes neighborhood in the master planned...

Relaxing environment.(bathroom design)
April 1, 2006... By Laura Butalla, Senior Editor Bathroom design trends and products offer new home buyers spa-like comfort and special features with unique details Today's bathrooms feature four main elements: luxury, spa, comfort and detail....

A Slice of Suburbia on Chicago's Northwest Side.(C. A. Development)
April 1, 2006... By Felicia Oliver, Senior Editor The Residences of Old Irving Park is the right fit for those seeking to blend the comforts of the suburbs with the conveniences of the city. Paul Bertsche and Wendy Andrews decided to get into the...

Debate Rages over Fire Sprinklers.(The National Fire Protection Association)
April 1, 2006... Martha Russis, Contributing Editor A milestone in fire protection laws is emerging on two fronts as fire sprinkler advocates push for requirements to install them in all new residences. However, whether they are the ultimate protection...

Long distance operators.(Steve Hilton and John Landon of Meritage Homes Corp.)
April 1, 2006... By Bob Sperber, Senior Editor CEO Spotlight: Co-Chairman and CEOs Steve Hilton and John Landon They work 1,000 miles apart but couldn't be closer. They don't get buried in long teleconferences, but frequently make joint decisions in...

Jockeying for position.(rankings of construction industries)
April 1, 2006... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor, Business You have to run fast just to hold a spot among the top 25 in our revenue rankings. Moving up is even tougher. If you want to reach the front, you'd better have a big horse. Take a close look at...

Change is in the Wind.(acquisitions of home buildings companies)
April 1, 2006... By Michael P.Kahn, Michael P. Kahn and Associates Several years from now when we look back at late 2005, it will be interesting to see whether the transition that began in November in housing markets -- and the value of home building...

The comeback trail.(construction industry market in Salt Lake and Austin)
April 1, 2006... By John Burns, John Burns Real Estate Consulting This month, we feature two markets that have strong job growth and excellent affordability: Austin and Salt Lake. Both markets are experiencing job growth in almost every sector of the...

Privacy Please!(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
April 1, 2006... Bill Lurz, Senior Editor, Business Every now and then, I run into a private builder with an interest in going public who asks my opinion on the state of the market, and whether the window for an initial public offering may be opening. I've...

Building Better Homes with Building Science.(usage of building science)
April 1, 2006... By Michael Dickens, BuildIQ Giants are using building science to differentiate themselves from regional competitors, increase market share for their divisions and to protect and increase their bottom line. Giants face serious challenges --...

Back to Basics.(sales management of construction industry)
April 1, 2006... By Rick Heaston, Rick A. Heaston and Company Wow. Another trip to Orlando, another builder show; most of all, it was another chance to see old friends, check out new products and get a feel for what was happening in the industry. Everything...

Indices finish quarter in the black.(Builders' and Building Product Manufacturer's indices)
April 1, 2006... By Margot Crabtree, Trade Trends Despite rising oil prices and a drop in consumer spending and income, indices closed in positive terrain for the month ending March 31, 2006. The Builders' Index added 12.32 points, or 0.98 percent, to end...

Dedicating Proper Space for Cooks.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
April 1, 2006... By Laura Butalla, Senior Editor Whether customizing a kitchen for a real chef or creating functional workspace for a customer that enjoys cooking, providing the right balance makes a difference. Dedicated cooks know what they want in...

Sweetening Suite Design.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
April 1, 2006... By Jennifer Block Martin, Contributing Editor Industry experts weighs in on luxury master suite trends. Once a modestly sized bedroom with an attached bath and his-and-her walk-in closet, the last two decades have seen master suites...

Great Escape.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Scott Lowell builds a new house at lake geneva )
April 1, 2006... By Ann Matesi, Contributing Editor Bright ideas make this vacation cottage a welcome family addition. Builder Scott Lowell brought a bit of his New England roots to the rolling hills of Southern Wisconsin's lake country with this bright...

Tidy Treasure.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(construction of mudroom)
April 1, 2006... By Ann Matesi, Contributing Editor A custom-designed mudroom so upscale even the mud takes its shoes off. While the mudroom may often be overlooked in the hierarchy of a home's key living areas, that certainly was not the case when it...

The Heart of the Home.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(kitchens)
April 1, 2006... By Paul Deffenbaugh, Editorial director There have been a lot of changes in the housing industry over the last couple of decades. We've seen the rise of active-adult housing and New Urbanism. Bigger houses. Smaller lots. New products such...

Products.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(kitchens)
April 1, 2006... Staff Kitchen: Fairy Tale Sinks Staff Lancelot, Moen's new undermount sink, is suitable for gourmet kitchen designs. This line of sinks is constructed from 16-gauge stainless steel and features a 10-inch bowl with SoundShield, a...