Recently added articles from Custom Home:
You're it.(Editor's Page)
Jul 01, 2006; Ensor, Leslie ... In case you didn't get to the 2006 International Builders' Show in Orlando in January or were otherwise occupied during this year's Kitchen/Bath Industry Show in Chicago in April, you might not appreciate the fact that there's a race to serve your slice of the business. Manufacturers are ...
Sticker shock: coping with commodity price volatility.(On Your Mind)
Jul 01, 2006; Snider, Bruce D. ... We think of custom building as a productive endeavor, and while that is true enough, production represents only half of the story. Custom building companies are also voracious consumers. Concrete, wood, copper, mechanical equipment, lighting fixtures, appliances, labor, every thing that ...
Buyer beware: hiring a low-ball builder can be a costly mistake.(From the Trenches)
Jul 01, 2006; Dixon, Dennis A. ... Playing by the roles--carrying insurance, getting licensed, paying taxes--is an expense reputable custom home builders bear. When low-cost, unlicensed, and uninsured competitors take work away from us, we experience frustration at the very least. But the consequences for homeowners who ...
Survey time: some lesson come straight from the client.(Customer Service)
Jul 01, 2006; Smith, Carol ... J.D. Power and Associates' recent survey of home builders' customer service quality has shaken the industry to its foundations--no pun intended. Participating builders in 30 of the largest U.S. home building markets who had previously taken customers for granted have been ...
Spec-ulation: what not to do in a downturn.(Case Study)
Jul 01, 2006; Trellis, Al ... Scenario: Charlie C. builds six custom homes a year, priced from $600,000 to $1 million. He also builds two spec homes a year. While business is still good, Charlie has noticed a recent softening of demand. Buyers seem to be more price conscious, and there are fewer prospects knocking on ...
Team work: set benchmarks for employee success.(Strictly Business)
Jul 01, 2006; Maltzman, Steve ... To attract new hires it's important to offer a healthy salary and benefits package, but when it comes to retaining current employees, a well-thought-out bonus program can give you the most bang for your buck. Bonus programs that contain both team and individual incentives ...
Bring it home: personalize your sales presentation.(The Top Line)
Jul 01, 2006; Montelongo, Paul ... You know your product. You know your market. You understand how to sell your new home but do you know your client? In the custom home building business, the sales presentation is the time when knowing your audience is as important as knowing your product because what works to close the ...
Deep sleep.(Trends Lines/Custom Touches)
Jul 01, 2006; Hutchins, Shelley D. ... A bed is a microcosm of the house, a shelter within a shelter, says architect Mark Simon, who frequently designs built-in beds as part of a home's architecture. A built-in bed saves space when it includes compact, convenient storage, and it can free the room to focus on other things like a ...
Kitchen connections.(K+B Studio)
Jul 01, 2006; Hutchins, Shelley D. ... The owner of this retreat in Washington State's San Juan Islands is a "major cook," according to architect Geoff Prentiss. Since the homeowner is also his cousin, Prentiss knows his client's cooking habits well and designed his side-by-side indoor/outdoor kitchens accordingly. "He does ...
Peaceful separation.(K+B studio)
Jul 01, 2006; Hutchins, Shelley D. ... The bath in this San Juan Islands vacation compound is designed to be a room apart from other aspects of daily life, including the toilet, which is located separately. Walking 100 yards through the woods from the main house to the sleeping cabin bathing room gives the homeowners time to ...
Under wraps: a New York condo's integrated electronic command center.(The Digital Home)
Jul 01, 2006; Day, Rebecca ... What do you get when you convert adjacent condominiums in Manhattan's Trump Tower into a single 3,500-square-foot space? You get stunning wraparound views of the east, south, and west sides of the Big Apple from 49 floors in the sky. You also get a large, concrete structural support in the ...
Beverly Garine: Caletti Construction, Mill Valley, Calif.: gear that helps 21st-century custom builders get ahead.(Trend Lines/Gearhead)
Jul 01, 2006; Miller, Stephani L. ... As a service to clients, Caletti Construction provides remote viewing access to their active jobsites so clients can view still photos taken daily and, by entering a password, view streaming video of their home's progress. But Beverly Garine, Caletti's marketing manager, also uses the ...
Mark your calendar: important upcoming events.(Trend Lines/Events)(Calendar)
Jul 01, 2006 ... * Oct. 18-21, Remodeling Show 2006, Chicago. For information visit www.theremodelingshow.com. * Oct. 27-29, Custom Builder Symposium, Las Vegas. For information call 800.368.5242, ext. 8338, or visit www.nahb.org. * Nov. 8-11, StonExpo, Las Vegas. For information call 866.550.6808 or visit ...
Sound decision: living--and working--on a Connecticut waterfront.(On Site)(Cover story)
Jul 01, 2006; Drueding, Meghan ... Along the shores of Long Island Sound, marsh grasses sway gently in the breeze as sailboats drift in the distance. Sunlight glints off the water, and fish trace patterns beneath its surface. Egrets swoop back and forth from their seaside nests. It's the kind of place you don't want to ...
Color clarity.(New Products for Custom Homes)
Jul 01, 2006; Miller, Stephani L. ... Produced by fusing lead-free pigments directly into the glass, colors in the UltraLites line of architectural glass panels are permanent and can be made in nearly any degree of translucency. UltraLites panels ...
Perfect rest.(New Products for Custom Homes)
Jul 01, 2006; Miller, Stephani L. ... The NeoRest bath collection includes a programmable airbath with three waterfall fillers controlled by a deck mounted color LCD touchpanel unit that confirms commands with ...
Flirty Faucet.(New Products for Custom Homes)
Jul 01, 2006; Miller, Stephani L. ... The K4 kitchen suite includes dual-spray pullout faucets for main and prep sinks, a cold-water pillar tap, and a pot filler. The maker's SilkMove system ...
Well-dressed details.(Interior Products)
Jul 01, 2006; Miller, Stephani L. ... Designed to wrap structural beams or install as faux beams, Box Beams are constructed of character-grade Douglas fir or other hardwoods to match a home's woodwork. The beams feature period construction ...
Receding light.(Interior Products)
Jul 01, 2006; Miller, Stephani L. ... For wall-washing, accent, spot, or perimeter lighting applications, Precision Modules' multiple recessed spotlights can be interchanged with the precise number and types ...
Darkness falls.(Interior Products)
Jul 01, 2006; Miller, Stephani L. ... Designed by Philippe Starck, the Darkside collection of lighting includes the cut black crystal Zenith chandelier and ...
