Try a new installation technique or style with these great new products from around the lighting industry. More
Baltimore embraces its eccentric side ó the quirky architecture, character, and style made famous by John Watersí movies such as Hairspray and Cry-Baby ó which serves as a unifying source of pride to the cityís 631,000 residents. More
A second look at Big 50 firm Classic Homeworks' owner Richard Pratt. More
Like a lot of other remodelers, Strong Construction in Fremont, Calif., can't afford to waste time with clients who want to push $50,000 where $100,000 should go, or who get fixated on some magic number for a project's cost. But co-owners Steve and Sandy Strong also can't afford to turn away good business, so they bring up the big, bad B word ó budget ó as part of the typical first phone conversation. More
Could it be any easier for homeowners to find home improvement contractors? Only if the online referral industry maintains its current torrid growth rate. Having emerged in the 1990s and then largely imploded in the dot-com bust, this industry is back and bigger than ever. Hundreds of services exist today, from national behemoths that “match” contractors and consumers automatically to one-person companies that know every client by name. More
Like many contractors, Rick Pratt is careful to not count his chickens before they've hatched. They then sign this form and give Pratt a deposit check for 10%, which he is entitled to keep even if they decide to back out -- provided that his estimate stays below the quoted price. More
The phone stopped ringing in Tom Davison's Sonoma, Calif., office in early 2001. Not a year after Davison Remodeling celebrated its best earnings ever, the unwanted quiet set off a two-year slide that almost killed the company. More
A name change and marketing makeover turned into a bonanza of market understanding for a Denver remodeler. As a result, Rick Pratt, of the newly renamed Classic Homeworks, expects to continue his 25% annual growth rate. Four University of Denver MBA students each put 80 hours into a thesis to develop demographic research and marketing plans, at no cost to Pratt. More
