Professional Builder (1993) articles from October 2005

Professional Builder (1993) archives from October 2005

Wow with a Button.(create taste as customer prefered)
October 1, 2005... By Paul Cardis, NRS Corp How the little, out-of-the-ordinary things matter in customer satisfaction. I often talk about the importance of developing your own "wow factor" -- the one thing that you excel at better than any other...

Back to School.(recruit the employee from college campus )
October 1, 2005... By Bob Piper, The Talon Group Tips for building a solid college recruitment program. You've heard the old saying, "you can control the sail, not the wind." I have two words for you that can help ease your stormy recruitment woes......

Lessons Not Learned.(Column)
October 1, 2005... By Scott Sedam Preventing the company Katrina. Last September, I attended Professional Builder's annual Benchmark Conference in New Orleans while Hurricane Ivan bore down upon the city. The newspapers predicted that a direct hit would...

How Well Do You Know Your Competitor?(opinion of industry people)
October 1, 2005... By John Rymer Interviews with America's best new home sales professionals. Does knowing about your competitors really make you a better sales person? Can we rely on the Internet to gather data for our competitive market analysis? Is...

Evaluating HVAC and the Building Envelope.(Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment)
October 1, 2005... By Stan Gatland, Manager, Building Science Tips for designing and evaluating your HVAC and building envelope systems. In this article, we will look at how to design HVAC and building envelope systems for their optimum use. We'll also...

Kudos!(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... Staff Something to Talk About I have never written to a magazine or called a radio station to express my opinion; however, after reading Scott Sedam's August 2005 article about advertising, I thought I needed to send kudos to Scott. I...

Land Acquisition and Development Part III.
October 1, 2005... By Rich Guerard, Principal, Wyndham Deerpoint Homes Tips and strategies for developing and financing a parcel of land once you have found it. In last month's article, we discussed the process of finding land to develop as well as how...

Thermal Mass Walls.
October 1, 2005... By Asa Foss, The PATH Partners Layers of durability and energy efficiency make these walls worth their weight in gold. An increasing number of homes are built with concrete walls every year -- up from 3 percent to more than 16 percent...

A Beach House in the Forest.(The Drake Group's luxury cottages)
October 1, 2005... By Bob Sperber, Senior Editor The living is grand for a diminutive plan when a luxury vacation cottage flips its lid to expose the skies above Michigan's Harbor Country. Carving a new niche in a new market with a new type of housing...

Creating Affordable Luxury Product.(SilverStar Communities builds for Montreux Development Group )
October 1, 2005... By Laura Butalla, Senior Editor SilverStar Communities is the only production builder offered the opportunity to build within the exclusive master plan community MontrE[logical not]ux. Located in Reno, Nev., looking out at Mt. Rose,...

The Fidelity Companies, Inc.(Schlage Locksets)(Hanson Roof Tile)(Quorum Ceiling Fans)(DuPont Corian)(Moen Faucets and Accessories)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... David C. Hunihan Steward, President Venice, Fla. www.schlage.com Schlage Locksets David C. Hunihan Steward Providing both security and aesthetics, the Schlage Maximum Security Deadbolts exceed ANSI Grade 2 standards and...

Product Review.(Silestone Leather Texture)(Benissimo granite tiles)(Vitra Tiles)(Samsung countertop)(Domco's Eloquence)(Avonite Cozumel)(Crossville Savoy)(Craft-Art countertops)(PGT WinGuard window and door line)(Simonton's StormBreaker Plus)(Atlas Roofing's StormMaster ST and StormMaster LM)(Caesarstone's Embellish)(Mannington Mills' Gatehouse Maple and Providence Oak)(LG Viatera)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... By Rhonda Jackson Silestone Rhonda Jackson Silestone's Leather Texture is combined with its microban technology to create a surface that is not only pleasing to look at, but sanitary as well. The microban technology hinders...

Shelter from the Storm.(Giant Mercedes Homes)
October 1, 2005... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor If you built houses no hurricane could knock down, and the technology only added $3000 to the price, would they sell? Florida-based Giant Mercedes Homes is betting the farm that home buyers are willing to...

Condo King Rising.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)(Column)
October 1, 2005... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor CEO Spotlight: Michael Lerner Michael Lerner, 53, still looks the part of the football player he was in his youth. For that matter, he could still pass for the burly carpenter or job superintendent of his...

An Influx of Infill.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)(Column)
October 1, 2005... By Felicia Oliver Large builders are following a shifting population into the urban core in search of new markets and high margins With the cost of land climbing and resistance to suburban sprawl mounting in some areas, GIANTS are...

MBK Homes.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)(Column)
October 1, 2005... Tim Kane, MBK Homes, President, Southern California, Irvine, CA Therma-Tru Entry Doors Tim Kane www.thermatru.com Therma-Tru's Classic-Craft Mahogany Collection brings elegant design and innovative technology to any...

Potential Overbuilding Reversed by Katrina.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... By John Burns, John Burns Real Estate Consulting Focus turns to Texas as southern U.S. tries to rebuild. Featured Major Market: Houston Houston has steadily risen from a relatively small housing market in 1987 to the third largest...

Best Practices for Quality Framing.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
October 1, 2005... By Michael Dickens, BuildIQ To ensure delivery of a quality home, your construction teams should implement a process-driven approach at every stage of construction, including the framing stage. A house's frame is its skeleton. The...

The Great Gender Debate.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)(Column)
October 1, 2005... By Rick Heaston, Contributing Editor Even though she slipped quietly into the room, every person stopped what she was doing to look. Her sales people wouldn't admit it, they were awe-struck by her presence. Sales meetings were fast paced,...

Stocks Sag on Skyrocketing Oil.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
October 1, 2005... By Margot Crabtree, Trade Trends Building stocks and the major markets took a hit this month as oil prices jumped to record highs. Hurricane Katrina devastated petroleum refineries and the uncertainty of the storm's effects forced markets...