Table of Contents October 2008

Remodeling Design Awards

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  2008 Remodeling Design Awards

  Our team of judges pored over 340 entries in the 2008 Remodeling Design awards to select 21 winners that represent the highest standards of design and excellence.

   

Additions

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  Merit Award: Brilliant Bridge

  An addition to a 1950s home connects to the existing structure via a glass-enclosed bridge.

   
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  Grand Award: Roots Music

  This organically inspired addition and renovation of a wedge-shaped, brick-faced 1970s home melds with its environment.

   

Bathroom Remodeling

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  Merit Award: Farmhouse Style

  A charming bathroom remodel on a budget.

   
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  Merit Award: All in Order

  With minimal disruption to the main living areas, this careful remodel of a bathroom in an old home creates a serene space.

   

Commercial Remodeling

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  Merit Award: Elegant Institution

  A university building gets some much needed care, restoring it to its former elegance.

   
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  Merit Award: Dynamic Warehouse

  This remodel transforms a generic warehouse into a dynamic headquarters for a residential remodeler/custom home builder.

   

Design/Build

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  Merit Award: Basement Makeover

  Creative design elements go a long way toward transforming this low-ceilinged basement into an inviting living space.

   
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  Merit Award: Lightening Up

  With new windows and a more open floor plan, a 1960s ranch house lets in the light.

   
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  Merit Award: Treetop Whimsy

  A poorly built deck is transformed into a timber-screened treetop room able to accommodate up to 20 guests.

   

Green Remodeling

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  Grand Award: It’s Fundamental

  A traditional ranch-style home goes green with energy-efficient and sustainable building products.

   
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  Merit Award: Eclectic Kitchen

  Green principles guide the remodel of a cramped kitchen.

   

Kitchen Remodeling

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  Merit Award: Lakeside Lovely

  By creating "zones" and using varied finishes to define spaces, the designers dramatically changed the look and flow of this L-shaped kitchen.

   
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  Grand Award: Designed for Living

  The kitchen in this 1980s-era split-level home became the project's central component, adding bright style and improved functionality.

   
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  Merit Award: Family Function

  An outdated kitchen gets a stylish makeover, making it functional for entertaining and family life.

   
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  Grand Award: Floating Function

  Not only does this remodel integrate a light-flooded, modern kitchen into a historically significant home without disrupting the integrity of the exterior elevations, it's also green.

   

Old-House Renovation

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  Merit Award: Artful Overhaul

  Attention to historical detail and the seamless incorporation of modern amenities transform this 1892 Queen Anne into an inviting, functional home.

   
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  Grand Award: Squarely Historic

  A classic foursquare undergoes a dramatic restoration and expansion that is consistent from room to room throughout the house.

   
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  Grand Award: New Victorian

  Central to the gut remodel of a stick-style Carpenter Gothic Victorian home is the overhaul of the kitchen to create a bold-colored space with work zones for multiple cooks.

   

Whole-House Remodeling

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  Grand Award: Old-New Conversation

  The renovation of a neglected Queen Anne Victorian listed on the National Register of Historic Places uses materials and massing elements to relate the new house to the old.

   
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  Best of the Year: Modern Engagement

  This award-winning project brings residential modern design to otherwise conservative Washington, D.C., throwing in some interesting design elements along the way.

   
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  Grand Award: Triumphant Underdog

  This charming remodel involved improving the circulation and both rearranging and adding space to extend the home's useful life.

   

View Point

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  Moves Toward Legislating Mandatory Paid Leave Gain a Foothold

  For small businesses, the threat of legislation making paid leave mandatory is gaining ground.

   
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  Tapping Into Home Performance

  Energy codes are getting tougher, but their focus to-date has been new construction. The real potential is in upgrading existing housing stock.

   

• Figure This: October 2008

  Extra amount buyers are willing to pay for an energy-efficient home.

   

• Hidden Heroes

  Use the tough economy to help you focus on the fundamentals: Who is really important to your business?

   

• Architects Give Hints as to State of Market

  For this remodeling company, a primary economic indicator is the backlog and workload of local architects and concrete contractors.

   

Commentary

Linda Case

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  Widespread Myth and Destruction

  Linda Case on the truth about loving your work, marking up costs, and hiring right.

   

Mark Richardson

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  Selling Urgency

  When the economy is shaky, customers are more reluctant to commit to remodeling projects. Mark Richardson discusses sales strategies to overcome this reluctance.

   

Shawn McCadden

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  Macho Estimating

  Replace the “we’ll see what happens” philosophy with a more aggressive and planned approach to estimating. Don’t let your pride, or haste, get in the way of your profit goals.

   

Your Business

Ways + Means

• ByLaw: Protecting Your Rights to Get Paid

  Understand lien laws and be proactive about protecting your rights to get paid.

   
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  Change Is Good

  Seattle's Jackson Remodeling changes its business to follow green practices only.

   
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  Q+A with Laura Harris

  Laura Harris, author of "Surrender to Win," talks about winning in the current economy.

   
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  People + Skills: Delegate to Grow

  It isn't always easy, but to grow your business, you need to delegate responsibility. Follow these six steps to delegate effectively.

   

Bottom Line

• Renewed Dedication

  Getting back to basics — doing many of the things in your business that you did when you were just starting out — could help you survive in today’s tough market.

   
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  Special Delivery

  One California remodeler forges relationships with materials vendors to deliver materials to the jobsite when needed, reducing employee downtime and trips to the lumberyard.

   

Sales + Marketing

• Rethinking Sales Compensation

  In a less-than-robust market, remodelers could benefit from different sales-compensation plans.

   
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  That Friend of a Friend

  More remodelers are developing referral programs for the first time, including successful rewards programs that are affordable to operate.

   

Field Notes

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  Cool Classroom

  Weekly jobsite meetings minimize surprises and snafus for this Pennsylvania remodeling firm.

   

• The Weekly Touchpoint

  Staff field trips provide a way to stimulate employees' creativity and appreciation of the remodeling and design process.

   
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  Sure Thing

  In a slow economy, it can be challenging to balance your available workforce with homeowners' demands for your services.

   

By Design

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  The Light Choice

  Natural light can enhance a home and lift the spirits of its inhabitants. Architect Michael Klement discusses some factors to consider when designing with natural light.

   

Tech@Work

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  E-Newsletters

  Spread the word about your company with e-newsletters, which provide a reliable, affordable way to reach potential clients.

   

Good Form

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  Open Dialogue

  Remodeler Bob Fleming uses this employee review form to establish an honest dialogue between employees and management.

   

Big50

Solutions

• Customer Checkup

  We ask the Remodeling Big50: Do you run background checks on your clients?

   

Special Section

Green Remodeling

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  The Economics of Deconstruction

  Deconstruction prevents waste from being sent to landfills, and clients receive tax credits that may off-set the cost.

   
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  Improving Performance

  Energy audits educate clients about upgrades they can make during a remodel or just to improve performance and comfort.

   
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  Waste NOT

  This Tucson, Ariz., kitchen design shows that paying attention to basic principles of green design -- reusing, recycling, and repurposing -- can have beautiful results.

   

K+B

Management

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  Web Site Essentials

  Use your Web site to attract new customers and provide a resource for existing clients.

   
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  Tracking Products

  Having a system in place to track all products for a kitchen project helps avoid wasted time.

   

Spec Book

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  New Bath, Kitchen, and Drinking Water Faucets

  Clean up with these new faucets for the bathroom, kitchen, and special models for purified drinking water systems.

   

Replacement

Roofing

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  Hot Time, Summer in the City

  Roofing materials with high solar reflectance help to mitigate the urban heat island effect.

   

Products

Trends

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  Getting Warmer

  Towel warmers are more versatile than you might imagine.

   

• Freeze Frame

  Find out what to look for when surveying new framing nailers on the market.

   

In Focus

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  Engineered Lumber

  New engineered lumber products from Georgia Pacific, Roseburg Forest Products, LP and Weyerhaeuser.

   
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  New Tile Products for the Remodeling Industry

  Add texture, pattern, and depth to tile installations with these new designs.

   
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  Paints & Stains

  Freshen up any interior or exterior space with these paint products.

   

First Look

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  First Look at Products for the Remodeling Market

  The newest products for the remodeling market.

   

Other Articles

• Hiring and Firing Best Practices

  What you need to know before making the decisions that change the face of your company.

   
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  Budget for Profit

  Don’t wait for profit to happen — start planning for it now.

   

• REMODELING Names the Year's Top Remodeling Projects

  From a modern kitchen that appears to have been surgically inserted into a Carpenter Gothic Victorian home in San Diego to a whimsical and sophisticated enclosed porch veranda on a home in North Carolina, 21 residential and light commercial remodeling projects have been honored as winners of the...