Management
Management
· How to Train for and Run Effective Design-Build Meetings
On this episode of Women at WIRC, Morgan Thomas of LEFF Design Build shares how to maximize your time by creating a culture around effective, collaborative meetings
Products
Pro's Picks: A Real-Time Project Communication and Management Tool
This remodeler says this product allows for easy, quick, real-time communication with team members in the field and in the office
Business
How to Create a World-Class Remodeling Team
Great remodeling companies position themselves for the future with the right players
Management
Everyone Should Have a Number: KPIs for Your Design Build Team
Measuring key performance indicators guides your team to success while creating accountability and ownership
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38 Great Ways Ergonomics Can Save Time and Money
Supporting a world-class work force requires a world-class work environment — one that is safe, healthy, comfortable and productive. Adapting the workplace to meet these criteria and create working conditions that suit the worker is what the study of ergonomics is all about. Using ergonomic tools, equipment, work layouts and methods can cut remodeling firms' long-term costs by reducing in...
Selling the Interior Design Difference
In each new episode of HGTV's "Designers' Challenge," three designers picked by the producers present their concepts for the same remodeling project to the homeowners. Though the scenario resembles the three-bid sales process that many remodelers prefer to avoid, Construction Concepts Corp., a full-service remodeling firm in Stamford, Conn.
In Alignment
Reaching full growth potential as a company requires having more than one person — especially if that person is the owner — who can sell jobs. At Blackdog Design/Build/Remodel in Salem, N.H., president David Bryan has a whole team of design consultants who double as salespeople and triple as estimators.
The Road to Referrals
Superior customer service is the number one way remodelers can (and should) differentiate themselves from inferior competition. In the ongoing battle for customers' trust and — ultimately — referrals, remodelers must distinguish themselves in everything from quality of materials and workmanship to the professionalism of sales personnel and work crews.
Specializing in small projects
How many remodelers does it take to change a light bulb? At David and Ellyn Robbins's Highland Park, Ill., house it takes one — a multi-skilled carpenter, namely Bob Stone, CLC, who has 32 years of remodeling experience. Why? For one thing, the ceiling in the Robbins's entry is 20 feet high, and climbing a stepladder to change the bulb up there is beyond what the Robbinses are comfortable...
Built to Last
Brick: It exudes warmth, character, staying power. Brick often commands a higher resale value and naturally provides thermal mass, which offers some insulation. Under normal weather conditions, it could see a century or more of use, according to Brick Industry Association estimates. But for all its durability, brick is vulnerable to external factors that can decrease the lifespan of a brick hom...
An efficient escape from the poor house
There once was a time when you thought that if you built the best room addition, remodeled the best bathroom, installed the best windows you would be guaranteed success. But little by little, job by job, you began to realize that it's difficult to get your clients to pay the kind of money you need to have for the quality of work that you do.
Performance rules
Low-maintenance decking, quick-install replacement windows, sound-absorbent ceilings, indoor/outdoor masonry veneer, moisture-resistant sill pans — manufacturers keep seeking ways to make your jobs and your clients' lives easier.
Design on screen, not on paper
The value of a computer-aided design (CAD) program depends entirely on what kind of jobs you do, how much design work they regularly involve and the expectations of your client base.
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.