While all builders are trying to become leaner, more innovative and customer focused to impact the bottom line, we should not forget about reaching out to our trades. Our partners are crucial and remember they are the experts in their specific area of the business.
While the builder may be suggesting improvements and asking trades for ideas, those experts should also be proactively approaching the builder! Yes, create improvement teams and have representatives from your trade...
Measure twice and cut once. I think that is probably the first thing I ever learnt in construction and I learnt it as a kid listening to my Dad and Uncle while they reviewed plans in the evening and worked on site each day. You can’t get a more fundamental quality management concept than that and it’s a phrase we use so often in the industry. The concept of course applies to all aspects of design and construction. We can consider it when drafting a home plan, estimating, material storage,...
In the wake of Steve Jobs retirement announcement as CEO, Apple shares fell by 5%. For most people Apple is Steve Jobs, so that’s not a surprise. He is staying on in a leadership role, can you imagine the fall if he had stepped away entirely? Jobs created, then saved and kept Apple as one of the world’s most valuable and innovative organizations. But it wasn’t just vision and inspiration. He created new and must have products during a recession! But more importantly over his career he...
The New York Times today has more information on what the Obama administration is considering to stimulate the housing industry (and hence the economy.)
Consider me underwhelmed. Unfortunately, it's more of the same: mortgage assistance and encouraging rental programs. After all, it's worked so well before.
The problem is the banks don't want to refinance these...
Todd Hallett and I are working with a fantastic smaller builder in California this week. They really “get it” and are very open to input from all of their suppliers and trades. They build very good looking homes at affordable prices and are highly sensitive to anything that would “dumb down the house” or hurt the visual appeal in any way.
The notion that Lean process and methods can be detrimental to home quality is nonsense, but fueled by the approach taken by some of the country’s...
As I sit on a plane bound for Fresno I am procrastinating. I know I have to put together this week’s blog but there are a few things to handle first. I need to thoroughly read my Newspaper (front to back even the boring stuff). Of course I cannot get started until the snack portion of the trip is over. I must garner some energy from Delta ’s bizarre oblong ginger cookie thing. Most sinful of all? A quick game of computer solitaire before I begin. We all do it from time to time right?...
From Cargill to Caterpillar, from Motorola and Boeing to Ritz Carlton they all use the Baldrige Criteria to successfully drive performance excellence at a world class level. They are not alone, healthcare, education, non-profits and small business organizations also use the criteria all over the world. The National Housing Quality Award is based on the Baldrige criteria and our industry has also found the criteria a powerful way to drive improvement and increase profits. NHQA has been used...
We all know the job market continues to be lousy more than two years after the recession officially ended. There's a variety of reasons for this.
The problem has been exacerbated by the low mobility rate -- that is, the number of people who are moving every year. Housing certainly plays a role in that, as selling a home has become increasingly difficult. It's logical to assume that this makes it more difficult to move for a new job, as well. Whether sitting on an underwater mortgage or...
The Washington Post is reporting this morning that President Obama's jobs program will include amongst its many proposals more relief for struggling homeowners.
The president will lay out the particulars of the proposals after Labor Day. Details are lacking at this point on housing, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
After...
Photo: Ply Gem Windows’ Builder Series Pocket Door can span up to 12 feet and is just $400 for the base model.
If you missed the results of our annual 101 Best New Products report, I encourage you to check out our landing page for the 2011 winners, www.HousingZone.com/101BestNewProducts/2011.
Each year, the ...
