Summer Reading

Make time for continuing your education with some of the newest books on remodeling management, design and construction.

No more excuses: If you’ve been saying you don’t have time to develop an employee handbook or refine your profit-and-loss statement, a new book will provide easily adaptable samples for you. The Paper Trail: Systems and Forms for a Well-Run Remodeling Company includes more than 250 forms and checklists designed to help remodelers systematize their businesses in every area, from communicating with clients and trades to annual budgeting and goal setting. Written by Bill Asdal, CGR, and Wendy Jordan, a senior contributing editor for Professional Remodeler, and published by Builder Books, the book comes with a CD-ROM of forms provided as Microsoft Word and Excel files.

Offering a natural look similar to stone products and versatility in fabrication found only in manmade materials, concrete has become a popular choice for countertops in kitchens and bathrooms. Concrete Countertops contains everything you need to know to shape, polish, stamp and color to create unique countertop surfaces for your clients. Author and veteran concrete designer Fu-Tung Cheng provides the basics and the details for designing and planning; mixing and pouring; curing, finishing and troubleshooting; and installing concrete counters. Published by the Taunton Press.

Green Building Guidelines, published by the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (www.sbicouncil.org), covers topics such as solar design; energy-efficient water heaters, appliances, lighting and HVAC equipment; water management; indoor air quality; and selecting building materials. The 135-page manual includes basic rules of thumb, case studies, checklists, diagrams and lists of additional resources. The SBIC offers workshops tied to the book; call 202/628-7400 for more information.