Notice Anything Different?

There is now space in the front of the magazine for shorter articles, mini-profiles, news, surveys, construction solutions and other quick hits. Our popular Details feature is now part of this section. We're also introducing a new feature, CB Exchange, where leading custom-home builders talk about a topic that's on their minds. Former Custom Home Builders of the Year Paul Magleby and Stephen Hann kick off the first CB Exchange by sharing their views on the housing and finance crises.

The feature well — the center of the magazine — consists of three parts. As before, we'll have a design feature that explores some aspect of residential design that is important to custom builders. The business feature will focus on best practices and techniques for improving your business. The emphasis there will be on people rather than houses.

You will still see regular product coverage in the back of the book, plus product features analyzing what's new in different categories. But there will also be longer articles explaining how to select appropriate products for your design, how to fix installation mistakes, and reviews of luxury products that are unique to the custom-home market.

Returning to the pages of CB is our no-nonsense business columnist, Tom Stephani. We'll also continue to feature a guest column in each issue by the brightest designers and architects practicing today. And Last Impression isn't going away. (I know you enjoy seeing photos of cool details and impressive elevations as much as I enjoy writing about them.)

Our mission is straightforward: We want to showcase innovative designs and best practices that help you operate more efficiently and profitably. We also want CB to be an engaging, fun read that you look forward to at the end of a hectic day. Tell us what you think of the redesign, and by all means, keep us informed about what you're doing.