Double the Pleasure

The owners of this suburban home had made a firm decision: They wanted to stay on their coveted riverfront property without tearing down and starting from scratch. Empty nesters with an elderly parent in residence, the owners sought both to update their home and to create an environment that would meet their needs long after retirement.

New Entry Creates A New Beginning

Like a shy child, this 1926 bungalow peeked out from behind a fence and overgrown landscaping. Even the front door was hidden from view, located at a perpendicular angle to the street. A low roof and shaded front porch further obscured the front elevation. The objective was to create a more inviting entry to the home, making it more appealing and visible.

Contract Basics

Find and Use a Good Lawyer "In today's climate, it is extremely important to have relationships with professionals in place before you need their services," says Paul Winans, CR, president of Winans Construction Inc. in Oakland, Calif. "You don't want to have a problem with a client that forces you to meet a lawyer for the first time.

Keeping It in the Family

Mentoring Salespeople

Of all the people who help form the public's opinion of a remodeling company, perhaps the single most important is the salesperson. The salesperson creates the agreement under which everyone — the bricklayer, the plumber, the installer, the office manager, the production manager — performs.

Higher Education

One of the ongoing issues affecting remodeling firms of all shapes and sizes is how and where to find qualified employees for everything from carpentry to sales. Whether you're in growth mode or simply looking for suitable replacements because of natural turnover, odds are that this is affecting your business as we speak.

Redefining Your Comfort Zone

Do you remember when you first learned how to ride a bike? Did it take you out of your comfort zone? You bet it did. It was something new, exciting and scary. You probably wondered, like I did, if you would ever figure this out. I remember my dad running behind me, holding the back of the bike seat, saying, "You can do it!" Then he let go.

Walking Away from a Customer

Repeat and referral business is the lifeblood of many remodeling companies. These prospects are the most predisposed to understand and like your firm, and the sales are often easier to close. Even so, these leads have to be screened just like any other. And sometimes they're even worth turning down. Jud Motsenbocker asks remodelers Kevin Franklin and Dave Tibbetts how to balance sales and sensi...

Luxury Finds

Now more than ever, your home is literally your castle. Spas and fitness centers, imported fixtures and customized, hand-made interior finishes have become the territory of Everyman, not the stuff of fairy tales. With the country's aggregate home equity reaching $9.6 trillion in 2004, it's clear that consumers are sinking more of their resources into housing.

Building Equity

After pouring years of hard work into remodeling and restoration, Jonathan Wallick had a startling realization about a decade ago. "I was dramatically improving my clients' net worth by drastically increasing the value of their property," he says, while he garnered nothing but remodeling fees. That's when Wallick decided to become the client himself.