Table of Contents June 2007

Features

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  Battle of the Bids

  A few years ago, Tricia Sinn bid on a room addition and master bath project designed by an architect. The president of Sinn Design Build in St. Louis usually does not bid, but made an exception for a strong referral from a previous client. The prospect chose to hire a contractor they had previously...

   

• Small is Smart

  While some use small jobs as a gateway to larger projects, many remodeling companies continue to focus solely on smaller jobs, and still others maintain separate small-job divisions to keep from turning over these jobs - and profits - to other remodelers or handymen.

   

• Remodeling: CSI

  Laid out on the table under the intense rays of the fluorescent lights, the victim was a $100,000 addition that had exceeded your estimate by 10% and missed your scheduled finish date by six weeks. Precisely what went wrong was unclear, but the evidence suggested a multitude of culprits.

   

Reader Panel

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  Balancing Act

  The results of this month's Reader Panel show that for the overwhelming majority of remodelers, competitive bidding is simply a part of business.

   

Other Articles

• 

  Battle of the Bids

  A few years ago, Tricia Sinn bid on a room addition and master bath project designed by an architect. The president of Sinn Design Build in St. Louis usually does not bid, but made an exception for a strong referral from a previous client. The prospect chose to hire a contractor they had previously...

   

• Small is Smart

  While some use small jobs as a gateway to larger projects, many remodeling companies continue to focus solely on smaller jobs, and still others maintain separate small-job divisions to keep from turning over these jobs - and profits - to other remodelers or handymen.

   

• Remodeling: CSI

  Laid out on the table under the intense rays of the fluorescent lights, the victim was a $100,000 addition that had exceeded your estimate by 10% and missed your scheduled finish date by six weeks. Precisely what went wrong was unclear, but the evidence suggested a multitude of culprits.

   

View Point

• Getting to Know the LIRA

  This month, we reported on an exciting new development: The announcement of the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA). The LIRA predicts growth in the remodeling industry out three quarters.

   

• Figure This

  Remodeling by the numbers

   
• 

  Joint Center Unveils New Metric

  The industry gained a forecasting tool with the April introduction of the Leading Indicator for Remodeling Activity (LIRA).

   
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  Changing Gears?

  In order to understand what's currently happening in the supply chain, it's important to understand how we got to this point. Dealers won't admit it, but anecdotal and statistical evidence strongly suggests a conscious decision by the bigger supply houses to focus on the big-production builders, at...

   

• New Standards

  It looks as though the green movement is here to stay, but some remodelers appear to be in denial. The one comment I hear over and over again is that green is too expensive, that customers are interested until they hear how much it's going to cost.

   

Commentary

Linda Case

• Owning Up to Responsibility

  You're unlikely to transform an individual who accepts no responsibility in his or her personal life into a highly accountable hire. At the same time, there's more to the challenge than merely hiring folks who are willing to take responsibility. You must also give them the structure and the culture...

   

Mark Richardson

• Is Growth Important?

  I find that many in the remodeling community tend to look at the importance of the growth of their business differently from other types of businesses. While most small-business owners are constantly striving to grow larger, many remodelers are happy to stay small. In industry seminars and even in...

   

Shawn McCadden

• Owner — Or Operator?

  As a frequent speaker at industry meetings, I see the consequences of cell phone over-reliance. At every scheduled break, between seminars, I witness a sea of contractors and their employees with cell phones glued to their ears.

   

Guest Columnist

• Resolution Solution

  Unfortunately, at some point in your career, you may face an issue with a client, vendor, or trade partner that won't be resolved by rational discussion, and before you know it you'll be looking for your lawyer's phone number. To save yourself a lot of time and money, it's best if your contracts...

   

Your Business

Ways + Means

• A Month of Mondays

  To make weekly meetings more fun - and more memorable - Winans Construction has incorporated a series of rotating activities for each of their Monday company-wide meetings.

   

• People+Skills: Management Boot Camp

  One production manager's experience in the military shaped his way of successfully managing teams.

   

• Work + Life: Get on Track

  Advice on getting your new hires up to speed on your business needs.

   

• Letter Have It

  Unsolicited client testimonials carry a lot of weight. That's why, when Steve Klitsch, owner of Creative Concepts Remodeling, in Germantown, Md., gets one regarding one of his employees he passes it on.

   

• Survey Says ...

  As a business grows, employs more people, and develops a culture, increasing emphasis is placed on job satisfaction, personal growth, and employee understanding of the company vision.

   

Bottom Line

• Job Cost Focus

  Accurate estimates begin with building and remodeling experience, but there are steps remodelers can take during production to stay within the budget.

   

Sales + Marketing

• Remarkable Referrals

  You can ask clients for referrals, or you can give them something to talk about.

   
• 

  Seeing Is Believing

  The more products proliferate, the longer some clients take to select theirs, particularly when their remodeler has neither a big showroom nor endless time to walk them through endless catalogs and retail stores. One New York City firm has developed a pair of tools to effectively help their...

   

• Winning With Words

  The secret to writing successful marketing materials? Your potential clients want to know what's in it for them. Your sales copy must answer this question.

   
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  Keywords at the Crossroads

  Well-chosen words and user-friendly tools are essential on the Web, says John Clements of Clements Marketing Group.

   

Field Notes

• Preserving the Evidence

  Rotten framing and other unexpected discoveries behind old walls can derail schedules, add to time-and-materials costs, and cause some homeowners to question your credibility. Short of X-ray vision, your best defense against these finds is a digital camera.

   

• Under Control

  To the homeowner, it seems harmless to ask the tile setter to re-caulk the tub. Fine, thinks the tile setter. I'll just bill it to the remodeler.

   
• 

  Inside the Box

  A few days after a fire struck one of his friendly competitors' jobsites, Tom Gilday held an emergency safety meeting for his 24 field personnel. An outcome of the meeting was a brilliantly simple tool for preventing a similar catastrophe from striking his own company.

   

By Design

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  Sketchpad

  Sometimes the inside and outside of a home demand different window proportions; here are some ways to satisfy the requirements of each.

   

Tech@Work

• The Biggest Bang

  Just as clients aim for the greatest possible ROI on their remodeling projects, remodelers looking to improve processes should seek technology solutions that provide the biggest bang for their buck.

   
• 

  Tablet PCs in the Field

  The tablet PC, a hyper-mobile PC that operates using a stylus pen instead of a keyboard and mouse, is becoming an increasingly common way for remodelers to stay connected to the office from the field.

   

Good Form

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  Know Which Way the Wind is Blowing

  Surveying clients after their projects are complete prevents you from making the same mistakes over and over again. That's all well and good, but why not uncover homeowners' complaints when you still have a chance to make good on them?

   

Big50

Close Up

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  Profile: Mason Lord and Dave Seegers

  A profile of Big 50 listee Mason Lord and Dave Seegers of Hudson Valley Preservation.

   

Second Look

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  Second Look: Michael Turner

  Remodeling revisits Big 50 listee Michael Turner of Michael J. Turner Enterprises.

   

Solutions

• Q+A: Is markup included in your allowance prices? Do you mark up any amount that exceeds the original allowance?

  Big 50 listees are queried on allowance prices.

   

Special Section

Outdoor Living

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  Composite Creativity

  Julia and Dave Bodell must have good karma. How else to explain their great luck in being asked to build one of the most remarkable decks in their careers, a $250,000 multi-toned, multilevel Trex deck and arbor at the Los Angeles Arboretum?

   
• 

  Long-Span Patio Doors

  When Jeld-Wen sales manager Brent Adair retrofitted his San Diego home with one of his company's long-span folding door systems last year, he expected it to be an oddball job. The product, which the company introduced a year ago, wasn't conceived with existing homes in mind. But that hasn't stopped...

   
• 

  Sitting Pretty

  Like the children's song about the old lady who swallowed a fly, incorporating an outdoor living area into the garage structure of a remodeled 1909 downtown Orlando bungalow was a progressive process - though this story has a happy ending.

   

• Stepping Out

  Outdoor living is not a new idea, but it's an idea whose time has come.

   

K+B

Design Clinic

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  Vanity With a View

  An octagonal vanity provides a dramatic overlook in this master suite remodel.

   

• Kitchen Use

  The National Kitchen & Bath Association and the Department of Near Environments at Virginia Tech funded the research reported in "Someone's in the Kitchen."

   
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  Real Life

  A learning center helps students and designers study kitchen use.

   

Spec Book

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  Products: Appliances

  The latest in kitchen appliances.

   

Sustainability

Green Speak

• Waste Not

  Cardea Construction recycles 80% of construction waste from its remodeling projects.

   
• 

  Roof Redux

  A few years ago, Ann Marzano's home needed a new roof. Environmentally conscious, she wanted to avoid asphalt or cedar, but her local homeowner's association wouldn't allow metal. After researching alternatives, she came up with synthetic slate, a durable rubber composite made mostly from recycled...

   

Green Spec

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  Products: Walls & Water

  The latest green-friendly products.

   

Products

Trends

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  A Window to the Past

  If you speak with Jeff Williams about windows for historic preservation, prepare for an education in classical architecture. “If you look at window design, you had the Georgian era in the late 1600s, then the Adam style of architecture [in the latter half of the 18th century],” explains the senior...

   
• 

  Uptown Baths

  Minimalist design and the influence of younger, hipper homeowners is making its way into the bathroom. Though full built-in cabinetry is still popular for most of the market, bath furniture manufacturers say stand-alone vanities and accessories now make up 20% to 30% of the market, and growing...

   
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  Screen Play

  You gave your clients an outdoor living space, but summer's setting in and they're hardly using it. “People want to use their patios and open their big sliding glass doors, but then they're miserable because of the bugs,” says Ben Hume, founder of Mirage Screen Systems. Hume says insects and too...

   

In Focus

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  In Focus: Room Enclosures

  The latest in room enclosures.

   
• 

  Products: Skylights

  The latest in skylights.

   
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  Products: Windows

  The latest in windows and window products.

   

First Look

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  First Look: Shingles, Tile, Saws, and more

  Remodeling Magazine staff picks the newest products for the remodeling market. Tamko. Combining the strength of steel with energy-saving technology, MetalWorks Cool Colors shingles offer aesthetics and performance for a wide range of applications. Manufactured to be long-lasting and offer a high...

   

Other Articles

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  Deciding to Delegate

  Most small business owners can't find enough hours in the day to do everything that needs to be done. They know they should assign their tasks to employees, but which ones? To help in those decisions, take a look at the Skill/Value/Time (SVT) matrix.