Issue Contents

April 2004

Column

Benchmarking: Setting standards for the industry

The definition of and synonyms for benchmark include "standard," "point of reference" and "targets." Benchmarks provide direction and suggest a course of action.

Profitability and affordability

Maybe you live or work in a neighborhood like mine. Fifty-year-old homes of no more than 2,000 square feet get sold for $400,000 and torn down. They're replaced with million-dollar houses occupying every inch of the lot and extending upward at...

Feature

A friend indeed

For repeat clients, especially friends, Mike McCutcheon of McCutcheon Construction in Berkeley, Calif., makes an extra effort to accommodate their needs. When psychologist Luli Emmons and landscaper Frank Graetch came to him in 2003 with ideas for a...

A Friend Indeed

Using time-and-materials pricing can save repeat clients money.

Benchmarking: Setting Standards for the Industry

Benchmarks provide direction and suggest a course of action.

Comprehensive Business Education by Long Distance

Consulting company Re-modelers Advantage is launching a comprehensive business education program that doesn’t require participating remodelers to leave home, the truck or the office.

Deck

Outdoor living requires a durable, weather-resistant space.

Design on screen, not on paper

In some markets, in-house CAD capabilities are essential

Going where no HVAC has gone before

As a professional remodeling contractor, how would you solve the following situation? Your clients own a historic, 19th-century home with a coffered-ceiling dining room, four-piece crown moldings throughout the rest of the house, and lath and...

Going Where No HVAC Has Gone Before

Need to cool off an old house? Consider a mini-duct system.

Kitchen Design that Challenges the Work Triangle

If your clients want a kitchen that's functional as well as flashy, refer them to the revised edition of Donald E. Silvers' Kitchen Design With Cooking in Mind (NMI Publishers, softcover, 87 pages).

Lighting Strategy Brightens Home

Here's an example where vaulted ceilings and 'light shelves' help illuminate an interior where a client was seeking more light.

LIRemodel

For Bob Kocis, performance management comes down to scheduling crews and ordering materials efficiently, ensuring regular cash flow and managing profit slippage.

On Site

Pictures from the Community Builders Assocation of New Jersey, NARI's Evening of Excellence event and the NAHB Remodelors Council Chairman's Dinner at the 2004 International Builders' Show.

Paragon General Contractors

Microsoft Project scheduling software helps Paragon General Contractors hold homeowners, designers, and subcontractors to deadlines.

Performance and project management

With 160 employees and annual averages of 300 remodeling projects and more than $50 million in revenue, Airoom Architects & Builders in Lincolnwood, Ill., operates on a grander scale than most remodelers. But Airoom's strategic approach to...

Performance and Project Management

Three firms offer solutions for maximizing employees' time and improving job productivity

Profitability and Affordability

Maybe you live or work in a neighborhood like mine. Fifty-year-old homes of no more than 2,000 square feet get sold for $400,000 and torn down. They’re replaced with million-dollar houses occupying every inch of the lot and extending upward at...

Third-Party Customer Survey Service

While survey firms do big business among big builders, most remodelers keep their customer satisfaction research in-house.

Used and Improved?

The value of materials exchange programs.

Whole House

Going down to the studs allows rewiring for lighting, sound and security systems

News

Comprehensive business education by long distance

Consulting company Remodelers Advantage is launching a comprehensive business education program that doesn't require participating remodelers to leave home, the truck or the office.

Deck: Outdoor living space requires a durable, weather-resistant space

"A deck is the transition between the inside world of the home and the outside environment," says remodel carpenter Erich von Tagen. "A deck should accentuate the details of the home." In this case, while the view of a large valley...

Design on screen, not on paper

The value of a computer-aided design (CAD) program depends entirely on what kind of jobs you do, how much design work they regularly involve and the expectations of your client base.

Kitchen design that challenges the work triangle

If your clients want a kitchen that's functional as well as flashy, refer them to the revised edition of Donald E. Silvers'Kitchen Design With Cooking in Mind (NMI Publishers, softcover, 87 pages). Silvers challenges the concept of the...

Lighting: Vaulted ceilings, 'light shelves' help illuminate an interior

Nothing transforms more than the power of light. The interior of this late 1960s-style split-level was dark and dated with 8-foot ceilings and a cramped kitchen. It presented both a challenge and an opportunity. Here's how this remodeling firm...

Third-party customer survey service

While survey firms do big business among big builders, most remodelers keep their customer satisfaction research in house. One of the main reasons: cost. If you're looking for a free way to find out what customer surveys can reveal about your...

Used and improved?

What do you do with items pulled from your remodeling projects? You can avoid transportation and landfill costs by donating surplus materials to a materials exchange — and receive a tax deduction in return. In fact, you also can increase...

Whole house: Going down to the studs allows rewiring for lighting, sound and security systems

Sometimes older houses need more than just remodeling. They need a new vision for dark interiors, awkward spaces and outdated features. This home, owned by broadcaster Edward R. Murrow from 1946 to 1964, had become the "ugly dog of the...

Product Review

Performance rules

Low-maintenance decking, quick-install replacement windows, sound-absorbent ceilings, indoor/outdoor masonry veneer, moisture-resistant sill pans — manufacturers keep seeking ways to make your jobs and your clients' lives easier.

QA

To lead by example

Bob Bell, owner of Bell's Remodeling in Duluth, Minn., has two employees, both of whom have been with him nine years. The company does about 50 jobs a year for an approximate volume of $440,000. It uses subcontractors for electrical and plumbing...

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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...

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