A clever adaptive-reuse project saves a 19th-century state hospital from demolition and proves profitable. More
Jay Simon was concerned with just two things when the construction company he worked for in 1982 was about to go bust: One, he had to ramp up his sideline remodeling business to take on the clients that his former employer would abandon when it closed its doors, and two, he'd have to use his wedding money to capitalize this company. More
Knowing the difference between taping, topping, and all-purpose drywall finishing... More
Last month at the International Builders Show (IBS) in Orlando, Fla., I had an opportunity to walk the site of two homes that will be showcased at next year's convention. One of the side-by-side projects ó currently under construction in Orlando's historic downtown ó is The New American Home, a regular IBS project that is featured in BUILDER magazine, our sister publication. The second building, dubbed The Renewed American Home, will be featured in our February 2007 issue. More
Hip, chic, and trendy are great for clothes and cars. But when your product is designed to last for generations, you tend to be a little skeptical about what's hot and what's not. To find out what design elements are resonating with today's buyers, Builder interviewed production, semi-custom, and custom builders, architects, real estate agents, and interior designers nationally, as well as Gopal Ahluwalia, staff vice president of research for the NAHB, to create our own top 10 list. More
In 1990, Don Strong started Brothers Strong, a house painting company, with his son Michael, in Houston. For Dennis Gehman of the $2.5 million design/build firm Gehman Custom Builder in Harleysville, Pa., the ideal annual growth rate is 20%. More
