PR April 2004

As a professional remodeling contractor, how would you solve the following situation? Your clients own a historic, 19th-century home with a coffered-ceiling dining room, four-piece crown moldings throughout the rest of the house, and lath and plaster walls as smooth as butter. They are sick and tired of living with noisy, hissing radiators and want them replaced with something "new, efficient a...

Three firms offer solutions for maximizing employees' time and improving job productivity

With 160 employees and annual averages of 300 remodeling projects and more than $50 million in revenue, Airoom Architects & Builders in Lincolnwood, Ill., operates on a grander scale than most remodelers. But Airoom's strategic approach to improving performance management can act as a template for any company.

Going down to the studs allows rewiring for lighting, sound and security systems

For repeat clients, especially friends, Mike McCutcheon of McCutcheon Construction in Berkeley, Calif., makes an extra effort to accommodate their needs. When psychologist Luli Emmons and landscaper Frank Graetch came to him in 2003 with ideas for a kitchen remodel that cost more than they wanted to spend, McCutcheon proposed a solution: time-and-materials pricing.

Maybe you live or work in a neighborhood like mine. Fifty-year-old homes of no more than 2,000 square feet get sold for $400,000 and torn down. They’re replaced with million-dollar houses occupying every inch of the lot and extending upward at least th...

Using time-and-materials pricing can save repeat clients money.

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.

For Bob Kocis, performance management comes down to scheduling crews and ordering materials efficiently, ensuring regular cash flow and managing profit slippage.

If your clients want a kitchen that's functional as well as flashy, refer them to the revised edition of Donald E. Silvers'Kitchen Design With Cooking in Mind (NMI Publishers, softcover, 87 pages). Silvers challenges the concept of the kitchen triangle and encourages readers to think in terms of flow.