Table of Contents September 2008

Features

• 

  Sal Ferro Wins the Fred Case Remodeling Entrepreneur of the Year Award

  This boy from the Bronx runs a $50 million company and has a heart of gold. He is unparalleled, say those who know him well, in leading by example and inspiring others to be their best.

   
• 

  Stuck in Place

  A signed contract sits on a remodeling company owner’s desk. Several jobs come in at once and there aren’t enough carpenters. Sales promises a client a start date that can’t be met. Materials haven’t arrived. Any of these events can create a bottleneck, restricting the workflow or decision-making...

   
• 

  3 to Watch: Transitional Roles

  Glen Knight spent almost a decade working in corporate jobs in California and Tennessee before reaching a crossroads in his career that had him contemplating his long-term goals.

   

View Point

• 

  Figure This

  The Senate vote passing a landmark housing bill that will offer $300 billion in loans to troubled homeowners.

   
• 

  Midwest Floods Teach Sobering Lessons

  Last June’s flooding in the Midwest was the worst since 1993, inundating parts of seven states. On June 10, government stream gauges showed 38 locations with major flooding and 77 locations with moderate flooding, spanning a huge chunk of the nation’s heartland.

   
• 

  Refigured LIRA Predicts Further Decline

  The second-quarter 2008 release of the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity points to an accelerated downturn in home improvement spending. Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) publishes the leading indicator quarterly, and on July 17 predicted that spending will continue to...

   
• 

  Online Advantage

  We’ve just redesigned the Web site and included lots of Web-exclusive articles, videos, and slide shows, plus new interactive features.

   

Commentary

Linda Case

• 

  The Permanent Learning Curve

  Bill Keenan was in a bind. His gut was telling him that the way he was spending his time was going to kill his beloved company, W.J. Keenan Building Contractor, in Piscataway, N.J.

   

Mark Richardson

• 

  Survival of the Fittest

  The remodeling environment is tougher now than it has been at any time during the last 15 years. With home prices slipping, new-housing starts down, the war in Iraq, an uncertain political climate, a poor stock market, and sinking consumer confidence, your clients are comfortable in “do nothing”...

   

Shawn McCadden

• 

  Spec Sale or Custom?

  Since selling my remodeling business in 2004, I’ve been asked by many remodelers for insights into how they might sell their own companies. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Each business is unique and each prospective buyer is looking for unique characteristics.

   

Your Business

• 

  SketchPad

  One of the most popular remodeling projects is the creation of a separate living suite within or attached to the main house.

   
• 

  Ask the Expert: Brian Roberts

  What qualities or attributes should we look for when hiring a production manager/coordinator to manage six lead carpenters?

   
• 

  Small Leaps

  Taking baby steps to improve your company is tough when the economy is headed south and what you want is help now. But making small changes or continuous improvements — known in Japanese as kaizen — can help businesses, particularly those that have a collaborative culture, to reorganize and get...

   

Ways + Means

• Managing Change

  Jeff Rainey, president of Home Equity Builders, in Great Falls, Va., is a technology nut. He strongly believes that the correct use of technology can help a company dramatically improve its processes and systems, and he’s constantly on the lookout for new software and hardware that can ratchet up...

   
• 

  ISO: Skilled Labor

  What if you could find a steady source for skilled labor and give back to your community? That’s what David Foster has been able to do through the Foundation for Applied Technical Education (FATE) program in Fairfax County, Va.

   

Bottom Line

• Tax Code Section 179

  Section 179 of the IRS tax code allows businesses to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment purchased or financed during the tax year.

   
• 

  Financing Boom

  When Sunshine Home Pros, in Deerfield Beach, Fla., began offering financing two years ago, owner Alex Oliveira didn’t know it would have such a strong impact on his business.

   

Sales + Marketing

• Sales School 101: No Sale Tonight

  Older prospects, in particular, often say: “I’m not signing anything tonight.” I then review the value of what I’m selling and the added features, and I try to close again, but the response is the same. Any suggestions?

   
• 

  Good Work, Well Chosen

  Community service can be a vital marketing tool, but be selective in how you invest your time and dollars.

   
• 

  Web Wranglers

  Cost-effective marketing tools, blogs are in many ways ideal for remodelers: informal, friendly, and constantly changing. They can stimulate interaction, build trust, and provide a unique window into the values and personalities of the people that clients will be working with.

   

• Operation Phone Call

  For generating strong leads, few methods of canvassing are as effective as simply getting on the phone with past clients.

   

Field Notes

• 

  Little Dust, No Fuss

  The entirely dust-free jobsite may turn out to be the holy grail of remodeling projects, but being virtually dust-free is “what we’re known for in Atlanta,” says David Sturm (photo center, with his NARI-certified lead carpenters).

   
• 

  Bilingual Training

  New construction training materials can help bridge the gap between Spanish-speaking workers and the basic training that construction trades require to be done safely and well.

   
• 

  Keeping Subs Above Par

  It’s tempting to hold onto subpar trade partners when money is tight and their prices are good. You might also feel that you’re too busy to find replacements.

   

Tech@Work

• 

  SoftPlan Raises the Bar

  Back when I was selling my own remodeling jobs, my computer-generated presentation packages would often allow me to lock out the competition. Sometimes, they’d never even get to present their bids.

   

Big50

Close Up

• 

  Jon Vogel

  During its first 24 years in business, New Outlooks Construction (NOC), in Robbinsville, N.J., never did much in the way of marketing, relying almost entirely on the strength of its reputation to generate leads.

   

Second Look

• 

  SecondLook: Stephen Gidley

  By building on the same business model he had when named Big50 in 1994, the owner of Stephen C. Gidley Inc., in Darien, Conn., doubled his sales volume from $1.6 million in 1994 to $3 million today.

   

Solutions

• Q+A: 2009 Budget Planning

  Which expenses do you expect to change most from 2008, and how will you offset them?

   

Remodeling Show Supplement

• 

  Discover the Charm

  Baltimore embraces its eccentric side — the quirky architecture, character, and style made famous by John Waters’ movies such as Hairspray and Cry-Baby — which serves as a unifying source of pride to the city’s 631,000 residents.

   

K+B

Management

• 

  Fast Bath

  Terranova Construction is reaching out to a new market with an Internet-based packaged bath system.

   

Spec Book

• 

  Showers & Tubs

  New Showers and Tubs for the Remodeling Industry

   

Sustainability

Green Speak

• 

  Energy Upgrades

  A demonstration renovation in Pittsburgh offers building professionals, scientists, and the public a place to view energy-saving upgrades to an older home.

   

• Revealing Fog

  To improve energy performance of its projects, Byggmeister Associates, in Newton, Mass., conducts a blower-door test to determine airtightness.

   

Products

• 

  Fireplaces

  Fireplaces for the Remodeling Market

   

Trends

• Wall of Sound

  True home audio enthusiasts aren’t going to load up their living room walls with woofers and tweeters like the back seat of a bass-pumping Cadillac. In fact, high-quality speakers are coming in more compact packages than ever, and are easily hidden.

   

• Pretty in Sink

  Turns out popular vessel sinks aren’t just for hand washing — they’re art. Several manufacturers are combining fabric, stone, and metal with glass to create colorful vessels that become the focal point of any bathroom.

   

In Focus

• 

  Moisture Barriers & Mold Prevention

  Used in conjunction with the maker’s fiber-cement siding, HardieWrap provides a building envelope that maximizes protection against the elements. The 11 mil material offers increased tear-resistance. The non-woven fabric’s air resistance also helps reduce energy loss from the home, the maker says.

   
• 

  Home Theater & Electronics

  For the ultimate home gym, Fit for Sound is a rack-mountable music player that features an iPod dock and professional-grade sound delivery, the maker says.

   

First Look

• 

  September 2008 First Look

  New products from Designer Doors, SJ2, Azek, Rev-A-Shelf, Kleer, Cord-Pro, ORG, and GE

   

Other Articles

• 

  Green Products

  New Energy-Efficient Green Products

   

Other Articles

• Reviews Are In

  Measuring performance strengthens individuals and the company.

   

• 10 Commandments of Successful Remodelers

  Alan Hanbury, Jr., of the House of Hanbury Builders in Newington, Conn., shares how he went from practicing to professional in his 32 years of remodeling.

   

• All On Board

  Why wait six months to find out whether a new hire is going to work out?

   

• Opening the Books, Fortifying the Bottom Line

  Don’t be afraid of open-book management, says one remodeler whose profits, productivity, and staff cohesiveness are stronger as a result of showing his employees the numbers – right down to his own compensation.

   

• New Products from The Remodeling Show 2008

  Check out new products straight from the floor of The Remodeling Show, including winners of the Best New Products awards.

   

• Defining Green Building

  Remodeler Michael Anschel offers some perspective on seeing "green" as a whole-house effort.

   

• Personal Investment Strategies

  Whether it's for personal or business reasons, when you're looking for a financial planner you should interview candidates and get an idea of who you can work with because trust and communication are so important.

   

• Finding Employees’ Hidden Costs

  Industry consultant Leslie Shiner shares tips on how to add labor burden into your employees' hourly rates.

   

• Color and Patterns

  Remodelers that know the basis of good design can better serve their clients.

   

• Top Remodeling Entrepreneurs Lead the Way

  At a high-energy gathering Thursday morning at the Remodeling Show in Baltimore, hundreds of remodelers honored the owners of four remodeling companies with revenues stretching from $2 million to $50 million.

   

• Over the (Counter)Top

  Certified Master Kitchen & Bath Designer Carol Lamkins shares tips on what drives consumers’ countertop selections, and demystifies materials options.

   

• Special Challenges Face Specialty Contractors

  Many design/build or general contractors attending this year's Remodeling Show in Baltimore have seen business fall off as word of mouth referrals dry up. But home improvement companies specializing in one, two or a handful of products lines—windows, siding, roofing, sunrooms—face a different set...

   

• Organizing and Running an Effective Meeting

  Chuck Botwright of Remodelers Advantage in Laurel, Md., lays out how to plan and execute a successful, productive meeting.

   

• The Well-Oiled Jobsite

  Systems and signatures keep projects running smoothly for this design-build remodeling company.

   
• 

  Dependable Dashboard

  I know, you know, he knows, she knows, we know, they know: The market is tough! The remodeling industry has been flying high for quite a few years, but according to most economic forecasters, the current “dip” could last for a couple more years.