October 2009
Column
A friend of mine recently said, "Just applying for the National Housing Quality Awards was the best thing I've done for my company. It forced me to answer questions I hadn't even thought about yet." This month, we celebrate the...
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Rodney Hall of The Talon Group discusses the connection between sales and happy, thriving employees -- possible even in the midst of a difficult housing industry.
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Paul Cardis of Avid Ratings discusses why too much 'survey influence' from home builders can hurt their customer satisfaction scores
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Feature
2010 National Housing Quality Awards Gold winner Simonini Builders shows what solid communication and company culture can do for a home builder in a downturn.
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Wayne Homes' solid processes and focus on satisfied employees and customers earns it a Silver in the 2010 National Housing Quality Awards.
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Home builders can expect lumber prices to remain fairly stable for 2009, and they're now at levels about one-third lower than they were at the height of the housing boom, according to reports from Random Lengths.
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Sales training expert John Rymer outlines how and why you should revitalize your home building sales team.
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Home builders and designers who want to be successful in the entry-level market must understand the lifestyles, attitudes and priorities of Generations X and Y.
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Owners of multi-room audio/video systems assign high value to their home entertainment experience, according to a new study from the Consumer Electronics Association). The study, "Trends in Multi-room Audio Video Usage," found that 82...
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News
The fail rate for first-year home builder trade councils is about 60%. Follow this advice to make sure yours succeeds.
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Product Review
Don't Get Scorched [11]
Fire, meet your match. Plastpro's new Fire-Rated Fiberglass doors feature stiles as well as top and bottom rails in each door that are designed to meet fire-rating code regulations. Each fire-rated entry product features Plastpro's Hydroshield...
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The sliding patio and sliding French doors from Marvin now have an ADA-compliant option: the new Low Profile Sill. It stands just ¾-inch off the base flooring to help you build an easy transition between inside and out. It features a DP-40...
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HandCrafted Elegance [13]
The company's artisans handcraft every door. They even take it a step further to ensure that they produce the door to your exact specifications; CAD drawings of every product and samples of the company's stains and distressing options are provided.
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Kleer-ly Cool [14]
Check out these extruded free-foam cellular PVC building products from Kleer Lumber. Made for both interior and exterior applications, the new line features 16 different styles and thicknesses, including base cap, bed, brick, cove, crown, drip cap,...
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Pick Up the Post [15]
Hafele America recently introduced large-scale, 24-inch-long corbels and a line of large-scale posts. Both use design elements found on the traditional, Arts & Crafts and Americana (Rope) collections. These corbels and posts are great decorative...
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Ride the River [16]
A little touch of elegance goes a long way. Elegant Additions from White River is a compact molding collection of fine grain overlay contoured to PacTrim (primed MDF) to produce high-relief moldings. The line is priced 30 to 50 percent below the...
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Span the Distance [17]
Expanding and embracing the essence of modern living, Kolbe's TerraSpan doors can incorporate up to 10 panels per unit with a 12-foot maximum panel height. Each panel is 2¼ inches thick, so it requires minimum space when open. Builders can...
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That's a Plus [18]
You'll get a premium grade, wooden core harvested from managed, renewable forests fused with a durable, ultra-smooth latex bonding (PVA/Calcium Carbonate) that can be painted without priming.
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QA
Joe Duckworth, Professional Builder's 1992 Builder of the Year, is now a successful developer of walkable neighborhoods that outsell conventional projects.
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