This year, 79 remodeling and design companies were honored as winners of the 2013 Chrysalis Awards for Remodeling Excellence. The winning projects were selected from over 300 entries judged on overall design, the creative use of space and materials, and the degree to which the project enhanced the original structure.

The first certified DOE Challenge Home—the Wilson Residence in Winter Park, Fla.—produces more energy than it uses with construction costs one-third less than originally proposed. Completed in May 2012, this 4,305-square-foot custom home scores a HERS 57 without solar, which is well below the HERS 100 for a standard home built to code.

To achieve a measure of differentiation that really works, how you do what you do is equally important, and in many cases more so, than the actual deliverable it produces. I know that sounds absurd on the face of it, but think about it.

By extending homeowner relationships, you can introduce a recurring revenue model, building future equity in your company. A client-for-life business model builds company equity.

Now is the time to start planning for next year. Start your brainstorming, your creative ideas, and your staffing plans so you can have your plan in place with a budget starting Jan. 1.

Your biggest competition today is your prospect making the right decisions and choices. They have been sitting on the sideline so long that the level of pent-up demand is very high. Meanwhile, the proliferation of products and choices has many homeowners paralyzed.

In its 2012 Sustainability Report, released Tuesday, Owens Corning announced that it has met all seven of its original 10-year environmental footprint goals, while improving safety for the 11th consecutive year. The report also revealed measurable progress toward the company’s 2020 sustainability goals.

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality is warning homeowners victimized by recent tornadoes to be wary of companies claiming to be “roof shingle recyclers.”

Our PRIME advisory panel includes some of the remodeling industry’s top professionals. This month we asked, “If you had only three metrics to manage your company, what would they be and why?”

Manufacturers see a trend toward high-performance, low-maintenance decks with added features.