flexiblefullpage - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
Currently Reading

Best in Class Winners

Advertisement
billboard -
News

Best in Class Winners

Professional Remodeler's 2006 Best in Class Survey asked top remodelers in the residential and commercial sectors to rate the qualities that attract them and keep them with a manufacturer and their products. Though most of the respondents named products from top manufacturers, our survey showed that the appeal's not all in the name.


By Nick Bajzek, Products Editor October 31, 2006
This article first appeared in the PR November 2006 issue of Pro Remodeler.

Sidebars:
Best in Class Statistics — Professional Remodeler

Professional Remodeler's 2006 Best in Class Survey asked top remodelers in the residential and commercial sectors to rate the qualities that attract them and keep them with a manufacturer and their products.

Though most of the respondents named products from top manufacturers, our survey showed that the appeal's not all in the name. Our survey found quality (43.4 percent) was overwhelmingly named as most important with remodelers when it came to choosing a product. Second on the list: customer service (17 percent). The category includes product support and knowledgeable sales people. Excellent product selections came in a close third, with 15.6 percent of the responses. Rounding out the top five are all related to elements of customer service, such as product availability (14.2 percent) and, at number five, prices (12.5 percent).

Our survey also revealed some interesting regional differences about the remodeling industry. The Northeast, for example, installs slightly more skylights than in the sun-drenched Western states or in the South. However, less than half of the remodelers (44.6 precent) surveyed in the chilly Northeast report installing fireplaces. And the survey showed remodelers in the Midwest are more likely to work on small-scale jobs than any other region in the country.

Remodelers surveyed ran the gamut of company sizes and specialties. We used their responses to compile a list of the products most often mentioned, and out of that list emerged the winners of the 2006 Best in Class Survey.

2006 Best in Class Winners
Exterior Products Winner
Decking Trex
Entry Doors Therma-Tru
Exterior Moulding and Trim Fypon
Garage Doors Overhead
Manufactured Stone Cultured Stone
Patio Doors Andersen
Roofing CertainTeed
Fiber Cement Siding James Hardie
Vinyl Siding CertainTeed
Skylights Velux
Composite Windows Andersen
Vinyl Windows Andersen
Wood Windows Andersen
Waterproofing Thompson
Interior Products Winner
Appliances - Kitchen General Electric
Appliances - Laundry Maytag
Bathroom Faucets Moen
Cabinets KraftMaid
Caulk/Sealants DAP
Countertops Corian
Fireplaces Heatilator
Glass Block PPG
HVAC Systems Trane
Interior Doors Masonite
Kitchen Faucets Moen
Lighting Fixtures Halo
Locksets & Hardware Schlage
Paints/Stains/Finishes Sherwin-Williams
Plumbing Fixtures (sinks, tubs) Kohler
Toilets Kohler
Water Heaters A.O. Smith
Behind The Wall Winner
Housewrap Tyvek
Insulation: Fiberglass Owens Corning
Insulation: Foam Owens Corning
Insulation: Rigid Owens Corning
Nails Paslode
OSB Georgia-Pacific
Plywood Georgia-Pacific
Radiant Floor Heating Wirsbo
Gypsum Wallboard U.S. Gypsum
Wet Area Wallboard U.S. Gypsum
Wiring Devices Leviton/Decora
Miscellaneous Winner
Hand Tools Stanley
Power Tools DeWalt
Trucks Ford
Vans Ford
National Lending Firm Wells Fargo


 

Fireplace installation is much lower in the Northeast compared to other regions, as just 44.6 percent of remodelers in this area of the country claim to use them.

 

Best in Class Statistics — Professional Remodeler

We asked remodelers to rate the qualities that make manufacturers Best overall. Here's how they ranked the top 20 attributes:

Rank Quality % Response
1. Quality Products 43.4%
2. Customer Service 17.0%
3. Wide/Great Selection/Product Line 15.6%
4. Product Availability 14.2%
5. Great/Good Prices 12.5%
6. Great Product Support 8.7%
7. Good Advertising 7.3%
8. Excellent Warranty Service 7.3%
9. Good Service 6.2%
10. No Problems 5.9%
11. Consistency 5.9%
12. Dependable/Reliable 4.9%
13. Name Recognition 4.9%
14. Well Built Products 4.5%
15. Timely Shipping/Delivery 4.5%
16. Appearance 4.2%
17. Good Literature 3.8%
18. Durable/Long Lasting 3.5%
19. Great Follow-Up 3.1%
20. Easy To Install Products 3.1%


Firms install vinyl windows more often in the Northeast (71.1 percent) than any other region of the country, followed by the West (67.1 percent), South (58.1 percent) and Midwest (54.5 percent).


Remodelers sell decking more often in the Northeast than any other region (74.7 percent), followed by the Midwest (67 percent), West (65.8 percent) and South (57.4 percent).


Skylights are most popular in the Northeast, with 72.3 percent of firms installing them regularly compared with 69.7 percent in the West, 64.3 percent in the Midwest and just 49.6 percent in the South.


Remodeling firms in the Midwest claimed the smallest job sizes on average. Only 16 percent of Midwest remodelers' projects checked in at more than $100,000. Firms in the South led the nation with 35.7 percent of their jobs over $100,000.


Manufactured stone products have caught on more quickly in the West (53.9 percent) than any other region. The South has been slowest to accept this product category; just 34.1 percent of firms use these products.


More remodelers install vinyl siding in the Northeast (60.2 percent) and Midwest (58.9 percent) than in the South (41.1 percent) and West (30.0 percent).


Twenty-five percent of remodeling firms with annual revenue of more than $5 million said they do only commercial work. Nearly 60 percent of firms who do less than $1 million annually focus solely on residential jobs.

Professional Remodeler's Best in Class Winners Say Quality is No. 1

Tags


Add new comment

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
leaderboard2 - default

Related Stories

Contractor Facing Lawsuit in ‘Major Case’ by Ohio Attorney General

An Ohio custom builder and remodeler faces a lawsuit after alleged losses exceeding $1 million

Learn from the Best in Home Improvement and Remodeling

This year’s Pinnacle Experience aims to help remodelers stay ahead of their competitors by featuring captivating keynote speakers and subject matter experts, collaborative roundtable discussions, and networking with proven players from across the country.

Registration Open for The Pinnacle Experience 2024

Register today for The Pinnacle Experience 2024 in Baltimore from June 26-28. Join the best and brightest in home improvement and remodeling for insight, advice, and relationship-building that will help you take your business to new heights.

Marvin Releases Switchable Privacy Glass Window

The privacy glass windows can be purchased from Marvin's Direct Glaze windows

Gas Ban in New Construction Considered by Chicago

The mayor-backed ordinance would impact all new construction

Working Toward Affordable, Resilient Homes

A new natural disaster protection act from NAHB aims to support hazard mitigation projects

The Remodeling Market Could Turn in Q4, Says Harvard

Repair and remodeling spending could see an uptick at the end of the year

Seattle Contractor Finds Grenade During Remodel

Polar Bear Construction Owner Vadim Kharkhavyy and the owner were equally shocked

New Independent Contractor Rule Faces Lawsuit

The Department of Labor submitted new criterion to judge when classifying workers

New Insulation Innovation Reshapes Our Thinking of Refrigeration

Whirlpool Corporation's latest innovation allows refrigerators to do more and be more

Advertisement
boombox2 -
Advertisement
halfpage2 -
Advertisement
native1 -

More in Category




Advertisement
native2 -
Advertisement
halfpage1 -
Advertisement
leaderboard1 -