PR September 2002

Everyone agrees. “Com-munication is the biggest thing,” says Ray Cichocki, a lead carpenter for Great Renovations Inc. in Farmington Hills, Mich.

My parents decided to remodel their powder room. They asked me for help. I have given them the names of local remodelers, explained how design/build works, taken them to showrooms.

As annoying as the phrase “Oh, while we’re at it” can be to deadline oriented contractors, change orders can be a lucrative part of any job.

Whether you’ve started your own remodeling business, inherited one or purchased a franchise, what is required is the entrepreneurial spirit, the continuing pursuit of new opportunity.

Using a built-in rather than conventional vacuum improves quality of life for people allergic to house dust, according to new research published in the Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology

“Smart window” technology has made its way from commercial to residential use, letting homeowners control the amount of light and heat that enters the home by turning a dial to darken the window.

By 2020, remodelers will be able to draw upon an additional 22.2 million net new homeowners.

Through an in-house employee survey, Mark Scott, owner of Mark IV Builders in Cabin John, Md., learned from his employees that he delegated responsibility well.

The pocket-size book English/Spanish for Painters & Contractors provides translations of common terms and phrases, enabling non-Spanish speakers to communicate better with Hispanic contractors.

After two sluggish quarters, expenditures on remodeling increased in the second quarter of 2002 to an annual rate of 1.9%, according to the Remodeling Activities Index from the Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies.