Apr 18 2008 12:32PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |

If your market's been down and you're looking for good news, turn the page. At Tuesday's Remodeling Futures Steering Committee Meeting in Cambridge, Mass., director Kermit Baker said in his Remodeling Trends and Outlook presentation that the national remodeling outlook likely will not see any improvement until 2009.

"Currently, the second half of this year is shaping up to be weaker than the first half," Baker said. Harvard has based its predictions on three major indicators which they use to formulate their Leading Indicator for Remodeling, all of which have negative trends: contractor payrolls, remodelers' future expectations for business, and pending sales of existing homes. Bruce Christensen, General Manager - Home Improvement&nb...Read More

Apr 17 2008 1:28PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |

I just returned from Harvard's Remodeling Futures Steering Committee spring meeting, and most of the news was pretty dismal (check future posts for some details from the presentations). Today wasn't any better, as the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies released its quarterly Leading Indicator for Remodeling Activity (LIRA). The LIRA states that homeowner spending for home improvement activity will decline by an annual rate of 4.8 percent through the end of 2008, a drop of 3.7 percentage points from last quarter's LIRA. The Joint Center points toward falling consumer confidence and a weakening economy as the top two reasons for the decline in remodeling spending.

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Apr 10 2008 1:07PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (2) |

The EPA's long-awaited Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting rule was issued last week, and it will take effect in April 2010. The rule applies to all remodeling projects that disturb more than six square feet of painted surfaces for residential and multifamily structures built prior to 1978 that are inhabited pregnant women and children under age six. The rule requires a cleaning inspection after the work is done and lists prohibited work practices ¯ including open-torch burning and using high-heat guns and high-speed equipment such as grinders and sanders unless equipped with a HEPA filter. The rule also establishes required lead-safe work practices, including posting warning signs, using disposable plastic drop cloths, and clean...Read More

Apr 8 2008 2:56PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |

If you're one of many remodelers who has seen the well of leads drying up due to the real estate market slowdown, take a look at this video clip (click on the white arrow in the video image below). Adjusting your business plan for fewer and smaller projects in 2008 is one way to adjust to these market conditions, but why not use the opportunity to sell the benefits of remodeling over moving, too? Many consumers who were in the market for buying a new or upgraded home are now more open than ever to the idea of remaining in their current home and remodeling.

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Apr 5 2008 12:00AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |

If you're a remodeling contractor who does a lot of kitchens and baths, do your business a favor and attend next week's Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Chicago. This is one of my favorite trade shows of the year because of all the innovative products launched at the show. It's also one of the more visually stimulating shows, with stunning booth displays and a boutique feel that other shows, like the International Builders' Show, can't touch. There are also a lot of great educational sessions at the show, so in between learning about all the great new products being offered for these highly-remodeled rooms, you can also learn how to improve your kitchen and bath remodeling business.

Apr 4 2008 3:12PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |

In preparation for my presentation on The Quest for Green, our 2007 survey of remodelers asking their views on many facets of green, I came upon this item about the architectural and non-architectural elements of green I thought was interesting. If you're familiar with green, the list may not include anything new for you, but if you're still in the process of learning about it, you may find it interesting.

Mar 27 2008 12:00AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |

I sit on the Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies Remodeling Futures Steering Committee, and in a few weeks, we will hold our spring meeting in Cambridge. One of the topics of discussion will be a brainstorm session on “Strategies for Retaining and Improving Data for the Home Improvement Industry,” which is an important issue now that the U.S. Census Bureau announced this week that it will be suspending the quarterly remodeling survey with the release of the Q4 2007 data. If you have any ideas for how we can ensure an adequate data infrastructure for the remodeling industry, please pass them along to michael.morris@reedbusiness.com or click the reply button below.

Mar 26 2008 3:12PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |

I'm heading to Charlotte, N.C., tomorrow to give a presentation to the NARI of Greater Charlotte chapter on "Strategic Marketing for Remodelers," and it'll be nice to see a whole bunch of remodelers in a good mood for a change. Charlotte is one of those housing markets that hasn't been hit by huge house price decreases, as this article points out. How is your market faring so far?

Mar 22 2008 12:00AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |

If you're a green remodeler or builder and are playing catch up (like me) on the latest news on the green landscape, here's an update on the USGBC and NAHB green programs.

Mar 20 2008 3:15PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |

Sounds kinda like the moniker for a WWE wrestler, doesn't it? But if you're a green remodeler and want to keep up on the latest news in the marketplace, make sure to add our new blog by Carl Seville to your RSS feed. Carl, the founder of award-winning design/build firm SawHorse in Atlanta, has joined the Professional Remodeler blog staff. You can link to his blog, The Green Building Curmudgeon, here. Welcome Carl!

Mar 15 2008 12:00AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |

Tonight's Evening of Excellence, hosted by NARI in conjunction with its Spring Board meeting in St. Petersburg, Fla., was highlighted by the announcement of the national winners of its 2007 CotY Awards. The CotY Awards, for those not familiar, are all about design excellence. Judging by the program's 250 percent growth over the past six years, more remodelers and architects than ever are focused on the importance of quality design as an ultra-important element of their businesses' success. It was immediately apparent to me, as I viewed the national winners, that the quality of design has improved tremendously in the industry. Is this the case in your business? If not, why not? Pleasing your customers by making their home the showplace of their dreams shou...Read More

Mar 11 2008 12:51PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (1) |

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Mar 7 2008 9:58AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |

In case you didn't hear the news, the Labor Department today announced that 63,000 people lost their jobs in February, the highest one month total in five years, which puts the unemployment rate at 4.8 percent. It's yet another sign that this country is headed toward a recession and one more reason you should take a very close look at your local unemployment rate (your local economy, after all, may be brighter than the nation's) as well as your sales projections for 2008. If your prospects are out of work, they won't be likely to sign a contract for a remodeling job.

Mar 6 2008 1:12PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |

I am currently looking to move from a rental house to purchasing a home, and am finding that a lot of the homes I'm interested in are fixer-uppers. In fact the first house I looked at was a foreclosure following the owners' divorce. The home was in need of more than $100,000 worth of mold remediation due to a major flood that ruined the basement walls up to about three feet high. The bank owned the property and used a real estate agent to find a contractor to do the mold remediation prior to listing the home. Beyond that, the kitchen needed a lot of repairs, as did many interior and exterior doors, windows and light fixtures. Are you targeting this type of work? If not, why not. And, if so, is it as lucrative as it looks considering the current state of loan defaults, foreclosures and bank-owned homes in need of repairs?

Feb 28 2008 12:13PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |

I want to extend a warm greeting to Lonny Rutherford, president of Legacy Construction in Farmington, N.M., to the position of 2008 Chairman of the NAHB Remodelers. Lonny, one of the most gracious men I've met in my three years at Professional Remodeler, was handed the gavel during the Winter Board meetings at the recent International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Fla. Legacy Construction does remodeling and custom home construction. Throughout his career, Lonny has held many leadership positions with the NAHB at the local, state, and national levels, including serving as the President of the New Mexico Home Builders Association, a State Representative for NAHB and as a member of the NAHB Executive Board since 2001. He was n...Read More