Technology Would Be Hilarious ...

... if it weren't so bleeping frustrating. Here's a note I tried to send to the entire d5R readership late this afternoon, following the discovery of one site problem after another. Unfortunately the note didn't go out. That part of the site was broken too. Here's to Tuesday.

Tuesday update: Today's issue features yesterday's content because yesterday's issue didn't go out. And then today's issue went out twice.

Dear d5R Community:

You may have noticed a conspicuous absence in your email this morning. My apologies. Today’s d5R didn’t go out, and in fact the site was down for most of the working day. Our web-hosting company switched to a faster server -- and “something broke” in the process, as the tech people say.

Thankfully, after hours of research and testing, the problem has been fixed, and the site is up and running with the latest stories. Tomorrow’s d5R will re-feature these stories to give you time to read and respond, in the event that you don’t make it over today.

Two more quick notes:

The site outage delayed the start of voting on the November Snapshots contest (“Our Favorite Clients”). Voting is now open and will remain so through next Monday. Click here to go directly to the voting booth and here to review all the entries. Thanks again to GuildQuality for sponsoring the contest and providing an iPad 2 for the winner.

And … a collective thanks to all of you who have upgraded to d5R Premium under the new price structure announced November 18. Woefully, there was a glitch in that system as well, and I hear that many of you did not receive your receipt or an automatic email explaining how to take advantage of your awesome Premium benefits. If that’s the case with you, please shoot me a note. I’ll send you those two items asap.

Thank you for your patience, and fingers crossed that we all have a much better rest of the week!

Leah Thayer
leah@daily5REMODEL.com

Good With Remodeling Details? This iPad May Be for You

Greetings from a rainy Saturday. I come bearing good news for remodeling and design pros:

If you're still eyeing Apple's new iPad -- or want another one for a member of your staff -- take a few minutes to enter the October Snapshots contest on daily5REMODEL: "It's All in the Details." The sponsor is Crown Point Cabinetry, which also sponsored the Old Home Renovations contest in July.

The prize for the winner is an iPad 2.

As always, entering the contest on d5R is simple and free:

• Assemble up to three great “after” photos of one of your company's best construction details. This can be a porch, a built-in, columns or brackets, a staircase, a historic restoration -- whatever you'd like to showcase.
• Include a brief narrative indicating the project location and challenges, the age and style of the home, and why you’re proud of this particular detail. Provide a contact name at your company and your website address.
• Email the photos and narrative directly to me (leah@daily5REMODEL). Type "It's All in the Details" in the subject line.
• We'll feature entries throughout October in the Snapshots section of d5R, and then hold an open vote to select the winner in early November. We'll also help you promote your entry to your clients and community.

Thanks to Crown Point Cabinetry for this generous sponsorship. That's their Linea System shown in the photo.

Send me your detail shots! Have a fantastic weekend.
By the way: Voting is now open for the September contest! Click here to vote.



P.S. Speaking of details, learn about Crown Point Cabinetry's Remodeler Appreciation Program. "Their quality is outstanding, but that's the starting point," said a remodeler on d5R.

How to Win an iPad, Remodeling-Style

In January, your bathroom remodels competed to win an American Standard 5-Function Shower System.

In February, your kitchen remodels competed to win a $250 gift card from National Lumber.

In March, your kitchen remodels (the theme was a hit) competed to win a Delta Pilar Pull-Down Faucet.

In April, your 'exposed glulam' projects are competing to win a $250 Visa gift card from Rosboro.

In May? Send us your basement remodels -- the uglier the "before" ceiling the better -- and you'll be eligible to win an iPad 2 from WoodTrac by Sauder, whose new wooden ceiling system offers an affordable and stylish alternative to drywall ceilings. Especially in basements!

As with all d5R contests, entering is simple and free:

• Email no more than two "before" pictures and two "after" pictures of a basement your company remodeled to snapshots@daily5Remodel.com. 
• In the subject line, write "Ugly Ceilings"
• Include a brief narrative explaining how you solved your client's ugly basement problem. If the basement had a hideous "before" ceiling, as many do, tell us about it!

We'll feature a different project in d5R each weekday of May, beginning next Monday (May 2). You'll get a website link and a lot of attention from your remodeling peers and potential clients, and at the end of the month WoodTrac by Sauder will hold a random drawing to select a winner of the iPad 2.

"Like" WoodTrac's Facebook page, while you're at it. This, too, will automatically enter you to win the iPad 2. But that's not as much fun as showing off a beautifully remodeled basement.

Looking forward to seeing your (formerly) ugly basements, and to sharing the remodeled results with the readers of d5R.

The Morning Routine

What more does a remodeling professional need at 6 a.m.?



Thanks to Peter Troast of Energy Circle for the photo. (Yes, d5R looks great on the iPad.)

Giving It Away

"It seems that you keep giving more things to your members," I said. "Do you think remodelers should think of ways to 'give' more and better to their clients too? How do they do this without cutting into their profits?"

"I think every business has byproducts of their service," responded Geoff Graham, president of GuildQuality, which conducts customer surveys for builders and remodelers. "I'm not a big admirer of Henry Ford, but he was a really smart guy.... After he built all these cars, he had all these little chunks of wood, so he started a charcoal business. It's now known as Kingsford Charcoal.

"You end with this thing that you've sold, and you also have this other stuff," Graham continued. "Can you package this other stuff in a way that creates additional value? Some of it, you can charge for. Some you can give away for no other reason than to build goodwill."

In Graham's case, the "other stuff" includes, recently, integrating customer feedback with GuildQuality members' Facebook and Twitter accounts, thus maximizing visibility for the good service they provide. Not only has GQ added such services without cost bumps, but the company has lowered its fees in recent years.

Technology both enables and mandates that kind of change in some industries. Thankfully for GuildQuality -- and for companies like Netflix, whose services strike me recently as infinitely better, at a lower price, than they were a few years ago -- "giving away" more has strengthened the bottom line as well as customer loyalty.

Is Remodeling Different?

We all know that remodelers give away a lot, and that it's not because your cost of doing business is on the decline. Moore's law -- basically, that technology gets better while prices go down -- doesn't typically apply to construction labor, material and overhead costs. And still, you give advice and time to prospects who never hire you. You bid on architects' projects that somebody else builds.

As a homeowner, I plead guilty to having taken advantage of some of this largesse -- but I'll tell you, I've also sometimes wished that you would charge me for your time, to alleviate the guilt I feel for being indecisive or asking for your help without really thinking through the decision I'm contemplating.

My friend, remodeler Greg Antonioli, has some advice. First, his company does not give "free bids." Second, he notes in his latest blog on Remodeling magazine, realize that if you properly estimate and plan your project from the get-go, you can "give away" work that other companies might call change order or "extras." And you can reap the goodwill that will follow.


More than anything, says Greg, the best way to se your company apart is by saying to a client: "No, we should have seen that one coming.... We own this one." How do you afford to donate that? By setting aside funds you would have otherwise spent "on postcards and magazine ads, stuff that returns no value to the people who gave you the money in the first place," Greg says.


So, a question: What stuff have you consciously and cheerfully "given away" lately, remodelers? How did that help or hinder your business?

By the way, I'm giving away an iPad to one person who registers for daily5Remodel. You pay nothing to register for the standard subscription, but don't think I'm just giving it away. I'll ask for your participation and honest feedback, and -- if you're happy so far -- invite you to join the "premium" community too.


Leah Thayer
leah@daily5Remodel.com