Professional Builder (1993) articles from July 2007

Professional Builder (1993) archives from July 2007

Curb Your Cancellations.(tips for avoiding cancellation of purchase agreements)
July 1, 2007... By Paul Cardis, Avid Ratings Co. Reduce your rising number of cancelled purchase agreements with these 5 tips. Cancellations not only wreak havoc on a home builder's cash flow, they also distort the overall health of the housing...

HR Hazards to Avoid.(tips for employee recruitment by human resource experts)
July 1, 2007... By Rodney Hall, The Talon Group Advice on how to steer clear of two big HR risks This month we surveyed hiring managers and HR experts on what they do to minimize risk in the human resources arena. My group of usual suspects included...

The Risk of a Lie.
July 1, 2007... By John Rymer, New Home Knowledge Sales agents who misrepresent your product put you at risk. Misrepresentations by sales associates are the bane of poor customer satisfaction, potential liability and risk management issues for home...

Reason and Passion.(Professional Builder Benchmark Conference)(Conference news)(Editorial)
July 1, 2007... By Paul Deffenbaugh On the inside of my wife's wedding ring, I had inscribed the phrase, "With Reason and Passion." That intimate revelation is necessary to explain how fundamental I believe these two attributes are to our lives. We can't...

10 Techniques to Reduce Land Risk.
July 1, 2007... By Chuck Shinn, The Shinn Group of Companies Soften your market reentry with these steps. Land and its affiliated debt has always been a home builder's Achilles heel, causing many builders to fail. As the market stabilizes this...

ProBuilder Product Report: Home Technology.
July 1, 2007... By Nick Bajzek Vantage/Legrand Nick Bajzek Designed with full system integration in mind, the Vantage Controls Axium 450 series multi-room amplifier is designed to work with keypad controllers or the company's InFusion automation...

LeylandAlliance.
July 1, 2007... Monica Quigley, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Tuxedo, N.Y. HB&G Monica Quigley The latest PermaWrap cellular PVC columns from HB&G are available in square plain, recessed panel, raised panel and fluted options. It is...

Winds of Change.(residential buildings construction with disaster protection)
July 1, 2007... By Scott T. Shepherd, for PATH PARTNERS Put storm-resistant technologies to work. How do you make your home buyers feel safe? For some customers, it might mean a good neighborhood or fire-retardant materials and smoke detectors....

Your Carriage Has Arrived.(garage doors)
July 1, 2007... By Nick Bajzek, Products Editor A new garage door can add a massive amount of curb appeal. Door goes up, door goes down - that's all there was to the Plain Jane wood or steel garage door models of old. But today's doors - often made of...

ProBuilder Product Report: Business Solutions.(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... By Nick Bajzek Chief Architect Nick Bajzek In May, the company announced Chief Architect's X1, the latest version of the architectural design and drafting software. The system now features the 3D Roof Designer and 3D Wall Designer...

Thanks.(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... Staff I appreciate the article you have written pertaining to the building divide (March 2007), although there is some truth, especially from Jay Shackford of the NAHB. I have been in the home building business for over 25 years. I...

ProBuilder Product Report: New Products.(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... By Nick Bajzek Briggs Industries Nick Bajzek The Stylo collection from Briggs Industries adds flair to traditional wash basins with 13 geometric and organic styles, such as the wide-walled and shallow-bottom Castelli and the...

From Brownfields to Brick and Mortar.(housing develpmnt in Murray)
July 1, 2007... By Susan Bady, Senior Editor, Design A former industrial site in Utah becomes an attractive residential neighborhood close to urban amenities. In Murray, Utah, where smokestacks once dotted the horizon, a new residential community has...

Risk Management How to Deal with Difficult Customers.
July 1, 2007... By Ann Matesi, Senior Contributing Editor Communication is the key to settling differences when builders and buyers face off. Every home builder has stories about clients who make the home building process much more complicated with...

Liability Insurance.
July 1, 2007... By Jeffrey D. Masters, Contributor Home Builders Learn to Play by New Rules. Five years ago, home builders confronted a liability insurance crisis. A worldwide hard insurance market and massive construction defect losses forced many...

Risk Aversion.(Ron Swecker employee of Grayson Homes Inc.)(Todd Booze employee of Ideal Homes Inc.)(Denis Leonard employee of Veridian Homes)
July 1, 2007... By Serge Ogranovitch, Contributor 5 NHQ Award winners talk about how they handle risk. Imagine you've been working for hours on the description of an important new project and someone down the street hits a power pole. All the...

Overzealous Claims Lead to Liability Woes.
July 1, 2007... By Don Neff, Contributor Home builders should carefully consider their promises to clients and make sure they can deliver. Home builders have learned much over the 15-year-plus evolution of construction defect litigation - primarily...

Your Construction Manager: Your First Line of Defense.
July 1, 2007... By Stan Luhr, Contributor Builders scramble to catch up with other industries by adopting quality- and risk-management techniques. As energy efficiency obligations force home building to become more complex, home builders are quickly...

Methods and Materials.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(housconstruction materials and methods for houses located near coastal areas)(Editorial)
July 1, 2007... By Susan Bady, Senior Editor, Design Custom builders, manufacturers and researchers share construction techniques and materials that stand up to the hazards of coastal living. Wind. Rain. Lightning. Salt water. Humidity. They're the...

Perfect Pitch.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(design concepts for roofs)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... By Jennifer Block Martin, Contributing Editor Hit the roof with these 6 design concepts. Gables upon gables, misplaced dormers and disproportional pitches are only some of the design flaws marring American homes today. The homes below...

Beauty at the Beach.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(owners of the Sullivan's Island, South Carolina build ocean facing resident)
July 1, 2007... By Susan Bady, Senior Editor, Design Capped by a lighthouse-like cupola, this South Carolina home has ocean views from every room. The oceanfront site was very narrow and lacked natural protection from the elements. Sensitive to...

Coast Guard.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(construction materials for houses located near coastal areas)(Editorial)
July 1, 2007... By Susan Bady, Senior Editor, Design As the hurricanes of the past three years taught us all too well, living on the coast isn't always paradise. Besides the threat of hurricanes, tropical storms, tidal surges and flooding, coastal homes...

Peace in the Family Business.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
July 1, 2007... By Felicia Oliver Senior Editor Working with family can bring incredible joy - and pain - if not managed properly. There's a saying, treat your business like business and your family like family. But what do you do when business is...

Venture Homes.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(briefs)
July 1, 2007... Linda Bridges, Vice President, Sales and Marketing Atlanta ClosetMaid The Mastersuite master bedroom closet system from ClosetMaid has shelves that can be either floor- or wall-mounted. The system includes shoe cubbies and jewelry...

The Water's Edge.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
July 1, 2007... By Matthew Power, Senior Contributing Editor What makes one coastal property timeless and desirable, while another disappoints? The secret, according to some of the industry's best coastal architects, lies right under your nose. ...

Bath.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Staff Dignite Delivered Part of the company's Estime collection is the Dignite walk-in tub. The bath measures 51 by 30 by 36 inches to allow users to seat themselves on the built-in 15 A1/4-inch contoured high seat. It is composed of...

Storage.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(storage cabinet from Durham Manufacturing Co.)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Staff Under Lock and Key Designed to be handy enough to hold a wide range of tool shapes and sizes, Durham Manufacturing Co. 's Jobsite Storage Cabinet is fabricated from 16-guage steel. It measures 5 feet wide, 2 feet deep and 5...

Window Blinds.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Staff Blinded by the Light InterBlinds by Gorell join the company's line of vinyl windows. Blinds are fully integrated inside the window and are controlled by a durable two-way magnetic mechanism. The latest tilt-only option is also...

Faucets.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Staff Water Wise Part of a trio of new faucets are American Standard 's FloWise Showerheads that allow homeowners to choose from a 2A1/2 or 1A1/2 gallon-per-minute flow rate on the top-end model, which also features three spray...

Oh Honey.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Miele's Honeycomb Care Laundry collection)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Staff Billed as "the world's most intuitive fabric care system," is Miele's Honeycomb Care Laundry collection. The Honeycomb drum is, according to the manufacturer, proven to extend the life of clothing by a factor of four. The new models...

Customized Stainless.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Danver stainless steel cabinets )(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Staff Outdoor stainless steel cabinets by Danver replace the company's previous line of composite-constructed cabinets clad with stainless steel. According to Danver, the cabinets can be customized with premium features and extra storage -...

Europe is Heating Up.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Staff Featuring a stainless steel finish with illuminated retractable controls, Fagor's 24-inch European Convection Wall Oven has eight cooking programs and a ventilated steam outlet with a child safety lock on the front door. It cooks by...

Helpful Architect.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Staff Featuring easier-to-grip handles, precision knobs, smoother gliding racks and intuitive controls on a blue LED display, the Architect Series II Built-In Ovens from KitchenAid features include an extra halogen light, a full glass...

Panel Power.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Weyerhaeuser Co.)(TJ-Shear Panels)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Staff The TJ-Shear Panels from Weyerhaeuser provide, according to the company, consistent and predictable panel performance under lateral loads. The panels are constructed with iLevel TrusJoist TimberStrand laminated strand lumber to...

Frame It Right.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Staff The FrameRite Building System connectors from Marino\Ware are fashioned from cold-formed steel and include a three-piece solid blocking joist blocking as an alternative to installing conventional clips and solid web members. The...

Here to Save the Day.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Endura Rubber Flooring)(FrameSaver frames)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Staff The FrameSaver frames by Endura Rubber Flooring comprise wood door frames fingerjointed with the company's wood composite material made of recycled sawdust and plastics. The system is guaranteed to be rot-resistant and...

Sonic Boom.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Kama Corp.)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Staff Kama 's energy-efficient building panels guarantee no sound or thermal bridge. The panels are made from recyclable materials and non-toxic HCFC-free EPS. The company claims the panels can help keep heating and cooling costs down to...

Brace Yourself.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Temple-Inland corp.)(QuietBrace)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Staff Keeping noise out is Temple-Inland 's QuietBrace structural sheathing. The company claims 140-percent better sound dampening qualities over wood structural panels. QuietBrace is available in 4-foot widths and in 8-, 9-, and 10-foot...

Core Green T.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Timber Products Co.)(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Staff Joining the green movement is Timber Products ' Green T hardwood plywood panels. These are made with three of the company's proprietary core materials: 100-percent post-industrial wood fiber and formaldehyde-free Green T Arreis MDF,...

W.H.E.N. to Solve the Problem.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Whole-House Entertainment Network)
July 1, 2007... By Nick Bajzek, Products Editor Audioaccess' Whole-House Entertainment Network aims to resolve custom builders' high-end system installation problems. In the late '80s and early '90s, whole-house audio systems seemed to be yet another...