Issue Contents

October 2002

Feature

Twenty-five years after being part of the architectural/design team that wrote the influential A Pattern Language, Max Ja-cobson and Murray Silverstein have collaborated with fellow architect Barbara Winslow to write Patterns of Home: The Ten...

A Faster Kind of Project Management

Using critical-chain project management, the New Zealand chapter of Habitat for Humanity set a world record in 1999 by building a four-bedroom, 1,080-square-foot home in less than four hours with a construction team of 130.

Add Value to Freebies

Have you ever given a customer a product, an upgrade or a service for nothing?

Bubble, Schmubble

Almost all the news I've heard lately is grounded in fear.

Building For Life

Price remains a big factor with many remodeling clients and therefore with remodelers.

Coping With Clients From Hell

Tactics for handling tough customers and 'loser' projects, according to the Remodelors Council of the Building Industry Association of Southeastern Michigan.

Data, Definitions and Discipline

All business leaders want to maximize resources and return on investment.

Differentiating Your Business

The mood was unusually somber among the remodelers attending the NAHB Fall Boards in September.

Gold Awards

TreHus Builders Inc. won this project when a fire destroyed the existing kitchen in a 44-year-old house.

HVAC: 'V' Stands

A properly designed and installed whole-house ventilation system provides fresh air, filters and mixes the air, and then distributes that air around the house, all with minimal maintenance.

Let There Be Light

For clients who prefer natural light in all corners of the home, Solatube International offers small tubular skylights that work well in hallways, closets, bathrooms and other areas without direct roof access, where traditional skylights wouldn't...

Point, Counterpoint

In February, manufacturers entered a voluntary agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw chromated copper arsenate (CCA) as a wood preservative by Dec. 31, 2003.

Residential Elevators Are on The Way Up

Whether as part of a high-end remodel on a second home or as an individual home modification, more customers are asking remodelers to add an elevator to their homes.

Righting the ship

Prareit and Kavita Garg found Sandy McAdams, CGR, CAPS and owner of Sandy's Design & Remodeling, through her local home builders association's annual remodeled homes tour.

Save Clients Money for Free

Although the Simply Insulate Web site (www.simplyinsulate.com), created by the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association...

Silver Awards

Keohane Construction Co. did a 2,500-square-foot addition to a saltbox Colonial house to help its clients break away from their home's traditional floor plan while maintaining its traditional look.

Speeding Up Small Projects

Anticipating the market downtown and resultant project downsizing, Bill Bartlett, president of Atlanta design/build firm Home Rebuilders, wanted to position his company accordingly.

Turn The Bath Into an 'Urban Spa'

Clodagh, an Irish-born designer who lives and works in New York, incorporates the Chinese practice of feng shui into the City Spa bathroom.

Web Site Showcases 65 Projects

Purcell Inc., a design/ build remodeling and custom-home building firm in Stillwater, Minn., restored the 1874 Victorian home pictured and expanded it to more than 7,000 square feet.

What Customers Specified in Additions

Exterior Products

Winners by Design

Professional Remodeler's first Pinnacle Design Awards competition attracted excellent examples of what's right with the remodeling industry today.

Product Review

Azek

Cellular PVC cornerboards have a miter-locked seam that won't open, the company says.

Ballantine & Co.

Four new desktop software products designed for small to midsize businesses include QuickGantt 4.0, an alternative to Microsoft Project.

Consentino U.S.A.

Spanish-made Silestone natural quartz countertop surfaces are available in seven new colors.

Earthstone International

Made from recycled material, QuikSand is designed to be a nontoxic alternative to chemical strippers.

Estimating Systems

Users of Pulsar estimating software now can pull reports that highlight specific information, such as cost of materials only, total cost of labor (with or without materials) or an hourly labor cost breakout.

Fi-Foil

Silver Shield is a multilayer radiant barrier system for attics.

GE Protimeter

Moisture-detection instruments with LCD or LED displays are designed to reveal mold-causing moisture after fire control, storm, water or other damage has occurred.

Hansgrohe

The Pharo Prestige Panel SL, a pre-plumbed, wall-hanging shower panel, has a 55-inch hand-shower hose built into its aluminum body.

Hurd Millwork

Clad double-hung windows come in three new grades.

Kohler

At 80 inches high, Sonata one-piece, high-domed bath/shower enclosures accommodate taller bathers.

Lincoln Windows

With the Replacement Sash Kit, remodelers can increase the efficiency of old double-hung windows without disturbing interior or exterior trim, the company says.

Martin Fireplaces

Sierra Series 36- and 42-inch B-vent fireplaces feature a standard radiant design, permitting noncombustible material such as marble, stone, ceramic tile and brick to be installed around the firebox opening.

Nichiha USA

Sierra Premium Shake now is available stained and primed. Designed for use as exterior accents or on an entire house, the fiber-cement product comes in cedar, mahogany, maple and redwood.

Republic Windows and Doors

Designed and engineered for sound reduction, Sound Barrier Window Systems include double-hung, slider, picture, awning, casement, bow and bay windows, as well as patio doors.

Ridge Tool

The Miter Saw Utility Vehicle is a miter saw support stand that collapses into a cart with 12-inch rubber wheels for mobility over job-site terrain as well as for transport on stairs and into and out of pickup trucks.

Sears Craftsman

The Twin Cutter portable saw cuts metal, wood, plastic, fiberglass or any combination of those materials without changing blades, the company says.

Sherwin-Williams

Exterior Accents latex paint is designed to eliminate concern about colorfastness, even with bright colors.

Suntouch

Heating elements are woven into UnderFloor mats, which install between 16-inch joist spaces to provide electric radiant heat under existing wood subfloors.

Zinsser

WaterTite, a waterproofing paint for basements and masonry, contains a mildewcide that prevents mold and mildew growth on the paint film for at least five years, the company says.

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Reference Library

Professional Remodeler's 2013 Market Leaders

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6 kitchen design trends for 2013

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

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