A while back, I recalled the importance of writing your name at the top or your paper   just like your second-grade teacher always nagged. My thought was, on your website and for that matter all of your communications, you should first of all make clear who you are and what point you’re trying to make. Don’t force your audience figure it out – because they may get instantly cranky and tune your message out. You really can’t blame them. Along the same lines, I lately recalled another instruction from the past: Show your work. Be complete. I wondered if educators still said that. An Internet search revealed some of them indeed do. I found the following at the Math Worksheet Center [with my annotations for remodelers in...

When the weather warms up, people tend to think about building a patio or a deck. If one of your clients is thinking about adding some outdoor space to his or her home, make sure he or she understands what the project entails. The following are a few items I have my clients think about when discussing an outdoor space: 1. Development of an outdoor space is driven by the site. Explain to the homeowner what will need to be done depending on the site, whether it is flat or steeply graded, if there are rocks and gravel, if there is clay soil or fill dirt. 2. How the house sits on the site will also determine the design and placement of a patio or deck. For some homeowners, it makes sense to walk out of the lower level to a patio. Others...

The housing market continues to show no clear signs of rebounding substantially in the near future. As a result, more and more homeowners are looking to renovation projects as ways to add value, save money and enhance the overall comfort of their homes. Frequent themes of improvement include renovating the home’s kitchen, developing outdoor living space, and implementing environmentally friendly and energy-efficient living solutions. Kitchens Kitchens are easily the most popular room to renovate. Partly this is the result of so many facets involved with a kitchen—from flooring to countertops to cabinets, from sinks to islands to appliances—they allow for all kinds of options so that the homeowners can create a room...

Designing or remodeling a space that will be occupied by someone with severe allergies or sensitivity to materials due to a medical condition is serious business. Accordingly, the burden to ensure your remodeled or new space is as safe as possible ultimately lands on the homeowner’s shoulders. As a remodeler, you can take steps to help the homeowner make informed decisions: 1. Plan, plan and plan again. When dealing with severe allergies or sensitivities to materials, your plan should be in a three-ring binder and have a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for every material to be used. 2. Remember, designing and remodeling is a process. Remain organized and diligent during the process. Someone’s health or life may be riding on your...