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Without a lead-carpenter system -- and lacking a stable of project managers big enough to have one at every jobsite all the time -- Paron-Wildes found there was no one to ensure that the subcontractors were working up to DreamMaker's service specifications.Paron-Wildes calls her system "Job Ready Job Complete" and estimates that it has saved DreamMaker money by reducing slippage by 1% to 2%, because the subs are required to "write up" their counterparts who don't live up to their end of the bargain.
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Back in 1999, the owners of Remodeling Designs in Dayton, Ohio, decided to purchase a handyman franchise. The handyman service, run separately from the company's design/build firm, would help Remodeling Designs through tough times.
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If there's one truth in any industry, it's that good people don't grow on trees. So, Maurice Forde, of Forde Windows & Remodeling in Northbrook, Ill., knew he couldn't let one of his best lead carpenters just walk out the door to go into business on his own.
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Two of the six daylong sessions were devoted to discussing the results of a survey ELI conducted specifically for the seminar. The results of the survey are proprietary and must be kept under wraps, but according to participant David Tyson, of David A. Tyson Inc., a local design/build firm, "they threw some guys for a loop."
In this house, designer David Jameson wanted to combine the client's enthusiasm for modern structures with the traditional houses of the neighborhood. The judges said the result looks like a collage of "toy blocks" that respects the scale of the original 1947 single-story rambler.
The homeowners gave the designers a general wish list that included a family room, entry, and deck, then gave them the freedom to create.The designers produced a plan that relocates the entry to the side of the house to link it to the garage.
To incorporate the owner's collection of Asian furniture, designer Scott Hommas introduced what he calls an "Asian-influenced Craftsman style" to an interior that blends redwood, rich stone, and natural fibers.
Marked by an obsession with grids, architect-homeowner Barry Sugerman's design aesthetic dominates every room. After stripping the drywall, Sugerman removed every second joist and doubled those remaining, then redrywalled the joists to produce both another grid and a seemingly higher ceiling.
Architect Charles Moore's design pulled the front of the house forward 3 feet and added a 6-foot-deep front porch bordered by tapered columns. Extending the house forward allowed Moore to move the living room to the other side of the house and add a foyer and an inglenook in its place.
While fiberglass-batt manufacturers maintain that the levels of formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in their products do not contribute to IAQ problems, some have gone to great lengths to prove it through third-party testing."The EPA has listed poor indoor air quality as [one of the] top five environmental concerns, with indoor air two to five times more contaminated than the outdoor environment," says Mike Lynam, marketing manager for Knauf Fiberglass.
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Many manufacturers of roofing, insulation, windows, doors, and skylights are also Energy Star partners, working to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by manufacturing energy-efficient products. Recently, window and door manufacturer Jeld-Wen was named a 2003 Energy Star Partner of the Year for Excellence in Efficient Products by the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Nifty storage features have long been a staple of high-end kitchen cabinets, but many manufacturers are beginning to blur the lines between custom, semi-custom, and stock. "Features that function well are important to the consumer today, and that's been a growing trend," says Sarah Reep, director of design for KraftMaid Cabinetry.
GreenGuard RainDrop housewrap features woven water-drainage channels that move water to the base of exterior walls. Watertite Mold & Mildew-Proof Waterproofing Paint is designed to resist 10 psi of water pressure, says the maker, and to provide a waterproof seal for basements and masonry.
The KILZ Casual Colors line of paints is available in latex flat, satin, semigloss, and high-gloss finishes for interior and exterior applications. The paints come in 243 "guaranteed one-coat" colors, says the maker, and in 1,050 other colors, including three premixed hues: white, cashmere white, and soft linen.
The latest trends in ceramic tiles are moving the category toward urban simplicity and comfort and away from rustic informality. The biggest movement seems to be in color. As warm, smoky chocolates, muddy grays, and other varied browns and neutrals work their way into manufacturers' collections, they are replacing the bland vanillas and beiges of recent years.