After record remodeling levels for the last few years, 2007 and 2008 are predicted to be flat or slightly down. Competition is getting stiffer in a lot of places. Every market, even a down one, has its opportunities, though. Here are five ways remodelers can take advantage of a down market.

Putting an addition on a San Francisco home often imposes immediate challenges, given the elevations and rises that are characteristic of the terrain. Other challenges made this project particularly unique: its historic registry listing (the home was built in 1895); a fragile sandstone veneer that could not be duplicated yet had to be echoed in the addition's cladding and towers.

A bad 1950s remodel and a duplex conversion had robbed the home built in 1913 of its original charm. The remodel included an addition which housed a family room on the first floor and combined two of the smaller bedrooms into a luxurious master suite.

VB Homes purchased this Virginia Beach home with an eye toward displaying its remodeling skills. The transition from simple ranch to beautiful waterfront retreat provided a powerful marketing tool by showing other homeowners what they could accomplish.

With many remodeling jobs coming through the pipeline, who's in control, and how do they manage the backlog?

The best thing about focusing on culture is that you get to decide what type of remodeling company you develop and/or work for.

Information about adding good employees; building customer loyalty; and keeping the lines of communication open.

There is an old saying, "numbers don't lie." This is true, but they can also be very confusing when it comes to your remodeling business' profit and loss statement. Why is that? Most financial programs are set up to accommodate IRS standards. What you and I need is a program that helps us run a more effective and efficient business — a business that pays us well and produces a double-digi...

This month's cover story makes me feel old. It's one thing to look in the mirror and see the wrinkles creeping across your face like cracks in an old plaster ceiling. It's another matter to discover that American business thought leaders are beginning to pay less and less attention to my generation — baby boomers — in favor of a younger, wealthier one — Generation X.