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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 least th...
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 remodeling business, visit www.guildquality.com. Atlanta-based GuildQual-ity offers a 17-question survey that clients can take via the Internet.
LIRemodel
For Bob Kocis, performance management comes down to scheduling crews and ordering materials efficiently, ensuring regular cash flow and managing profit slippage.
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 kitchen triangle and encourages readers to think in terms of flow.
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.
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 your profitability and reduce waste.
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.
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 They need a new vision for dark interiors, awkward spaces and outdated features.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 neighborhood," homeowner Skip Sroka says. While association with Murrow gave the house importance, the structure lacked architectural significance.