Issue Contents

September 2002

Feature

Customer satisfaction is vital for the survival and growth of any business, and nowhere is that more true than in the remodeling industry.

AIA: Design/Build Eases Client Stress

A firm that handles both design and construction can make life easier for its clients.

Books Provide English/Spanish Translations

The pocket-size book English/Spanish for Painters & Contractors provides translations of common terms and phrases, enabling non-Spanish speakers to communicate better with Hispanic contractors.

Butting Out

Through an in-house employee survey, Mark Scott, owner of Mark IV Builders in Cabin John, Md., learned from his employees that he delegated responsibility well.

Central Vacuum Eases Allergies

Using a built-in rather than conventional vacuum improves quality of life for people allergic to house dust, according to new research published in the Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology

Changing homeowner demographics

By 2020, remodelers will be able to draw upon an additional 22.2 million net new homeowners.

COBRA Gives Small Firms a Break

Small remodeling companies that hire people formerly employed by larger firms might do well to look at an unusual way to cut health insurance costs.

Communication, Communication, Communication

Everyone agrees. “Com-munication is the biggest thing,” says Ray Cichocki, a lead carpenter for Great Renovations Inc. in Farmington Hills, Mich.

Control Natural Light With the Turn of a Dial

“Smart window” technology has made its way from commercial to residential use, letting homeowners control the amount of light and heat that enters the home by turning a dial to darken the window.

Display it Again, Sam

With growing interest in green remodeling, contractors, designers and architects might want to read The Resourceful Renovator, A Gallery of Ideas for Reusing Building Materials.

Entrepreneurial Leadership

Whether you’ve started your own remodeling business, inherited one or purchased a franchise, what is required is the entrepreneurial spirit, the continuing pursuit of new opportunity.

Know Your State Laws

'Buyer, beware!' might be advisable for consumers, but 'Remodeler, beware!' is appropriate when it comes to state laws concerning home-improvement contractors.

Mayors Support Historic-Home Tax Credits

The proposed Historic Homeownership Assistance Act received the support of the U.S. Conference of Mayors during its summer meeting in Madison, Wis.

Remodeling Spending Up

After two sluggish quarters, expenditures on remodeling increased in the second quarter of 2002 to an annual rate of 1.9%, according to the Remodeling Activities Index from the Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Results-oriented

Marketing is not about slick magazine advertisements and complicated Web sites but about results.

The The Only Constant Was Change

As annoying as the phrase “Oh, while we’re at it” can be to deadline oriented contractors, change orders can be a lucrative part of any job.

Upgrading the Entry Door

Remodelers trying to help customers find an easy, relatively in-expensive way to im-prove their home’s ap-pearance.

What Consumers Want

Sixteen percent of remodeling clients -- 25% in the West -- cite improving the home's energy efficiency as a reason for remodeling.

Your No. 1 Asset

My parents decided to remodel their powder room. They asked me for help. I have given them the names of local remodelers, explained how design/build works, taken them to showrooms.

Product Review

Amerock

The polished chrome, brushed chrome and satin chrome finishes of Abstractions cabinet hardware are designed to blend with stainless steel kitchen appliances and surfaces.

Bosch Power Tools

The 11318EVS SDS-max is one of three new demolition hammers that remove 350 to 400 pounds of 5,000-pound-per-square-inch concrete per hour

Craftmaster

The Carrara raised-panel interior door now comes in an 8-foot version, along with standard (6-foot, 8-inch) and 7-foot heights.

Doorcraft

The Gold Coast Series of routed MDF doors offers more than 70 interior designs and the option of creating custom designs.

Knauf Fiber Glass

Summit blowing insulation is a virgin white fiber glass that is low-dust, retains its fire-resistant properties for the life of a home, and does not support corrosion or microbial growth, the company says.

Milgard Windows

The Cable Bay window, part of the Replacement Series, has a vinyl frame and is offered with various glass options.

Nuheat

Laid between tile (or stone or marble) and the subfloor by a tile installer and then connected by an electrician, the Nuheat floor-warming system is designed to heat the floor to 85-88 degrees.

Outwater Plastics Industries

Half-round and full-round rope moldings in thicknesses from 3/8 inch to 1 inch are stocked in maple, oak, poplar, cherry and flexible formats in 8-foot lengths and MDF in 6- to 12-foot lengths.

Senco Products

The DS200-AC adds corded power to the company’s DuraSpin collated-feed screwgun.

Unicell Body

The fiberglass Aerocell SRW for the Chevrolet and GMC single-rear-wheel cutaway chassis is designed to provide more space and headroom in a cargo van.

Wayne Water Systems

Composed of a pump, an intelligent system controller and a remote display unit, the SmartPump sump pump system is designed to serve as both a primary and a backup system.

Weather Shield

LifeGuard windows and doors are engineered to meet coastal building codes.

See all videos

Search Our Buyer's Guide

Reference Library

Professional Remodeler's 2013 Market Leaders

Professional Remodeler’s annual Market Leaders list, which identifies the top...

15 design trends for kitchens & baths

With demand for custom design, remodeling, and renovations at its highest level since 2005, ...

Project Spotlight: Kitchen countered

Normandy Remodeling converts confined kitchen into sprawling galley.

5 bathroom design trends for 2013

Each year, the National Kitchen and Bath Association surveys its members to identify the latest...

6 kitchen design trends for 2013

Each year, the National Kitchen and Bath Association surveys its members to identify the latest...

More >

Search