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 the iPad Was Won: an Old House Story

In our most competitive contest ever on daily5REMODEL, the prize in July was an iPad 2. The subject? Old Home Renovations. The winner, after a seven-day voting marathon that brought 2,952 votes and ended only this afternoon, was this remodel and small addition in Wilmette, Ill., by Blank & Baker Construction Management.

Thanks to the sponsor, Crown Point Cabinetry, and to the dozens of remodelers who shared the stories of some of the old homes they've helped to restore. 

I asked Chad Blankenbaker how he rallied his supporters behind his project. His answer is below.  -- Leah Thayer, editor

Very exciting. I can't believe we won, I was just happy you chose our project to be one of the featured projects.
 

I don't think I did anything revolutionary, it just seemed to gather momentum on its own.

So I started off by posting it on both my personal and business facebook pages as well as RemodelCrazy.

Then I sent out an email to all my friends and family. Next thing I know I started to get emails back from everyone saying they voted and that they forwarded the email to their friends and coworkers. I never asked them to do that but it was flattering.

So then I started sending it out to all my vendors and subcontractors and I got the same response. People were excited for us and wanted to help.

Then after much contemplating, I decided to send it out to all my past clients, past prospects that didn't materialize, to current clients, to prospective clients, to architects that I've worked with and the response was overwhelming. 

Even all these people were passing it on to their friends and coworkers and some of them cc'd me on the comments they were posting along with my email something along the lines of this is the contractor that did the work to our (enter project here) and he is the greatest blah blah blah. To my surprise those emails resulted in two leads for projects I need to go and look at so that was a huge bonus.

Then to wrap it up, I then posted it on LinkedIn and Twitter as well.

So it was nothing that required much work. I think the reason the email campaign worked so well was because for one I was asking for help. I think generally people like to help people if you ask for it and it doesn't take much effort. I've been asked many times before to vote for things online and I usually will but once in a while you get the request for a vote that requires you to sign up on a website and give out personal information and I hate voting for those things so I think you voting system that makes it so easy for people to vote helps a lot. 

I spelled that out in my email how easy it was to vote, just 2 clicks of the mouse! is what I said. People like that. I also had many people email to tell me they voted using their computers, cell phones, ipads, etc...so for these people to be able to easily get onto the website using their mobile devices helped a lot I'm sure.

Anyway, I think that's about it. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of it. It forced me to reach out to a lot of past contacts and ask for help, something I've never been comfortable doing before and it felt good to get such a supportive response in return.

Celebrate Independence, Celebrate the Month

This year's 4th of July card from Wentworth Inc.

Happy Independence Day!

We've got a fun month planned at daily5REMODEL, so be sure to take advantage of these and other opportunities. All are free, fun, and good for you and your business:

1. Free webinar July 19: How to Use Energy Audits to Reduce a Home's Cost of Ownership and Make the Sale, presented by Scott Pusey of Everyday Green. Guaranteed to be one of the most info-packed hours of the summer. Click here to learn more and reserve your spot (space is limited).
2. Free iPad 2 for one lucky winner of the July Snapshots contest, sponsored by the fine folks at Crown Point Cabinetry and starring old home renovations. Guaranteed to be one of the free-est and most easy-going design awards contests of the year. Click here to see the first entry and learn how to enter one of your own projects.
3. Free logo redesign for one remodeling company from the creative geniuses at Blue Ocean Ideas. And really, who wouldn't benefit from a little freshening up? (You know who you are.) Click here to learn about the company's design process and eligibility.

Enjoy!

Remodel Old Homes? Brag a Little on d5R -- and Win an iPad 2

"Old" is a relative term, especially when it comes to houses. My home is 93 but will easily withstand another 100 or so, assuming the world doesn't end first. We've all seen homes built 10 years ago that should have been condemned yesterday.

But I digress. What I mean to say is that between now and the end of July we're considering any house built before 1960 to be old for the purposes of the Snapshots contest on daily5REMODEL:

contest name:
Old House Renovations

contest sponsor: 
Crown Point Cabinetry

contest prize:
an Apple iPad 2

Entering is simple and free:

• Assemble up to three great “after” photos of any part of an old house renovation by your company, and email them directly to me (leah@daily5REMODEL). Type "old house renovation" in the subject line.

• The photos can feature any part of the home, or even one or more small details. If you like, you may also (optional) include one or more “before” photos showing the same areas prior to your renovation.

• With your email, include a brief narrative explaining the scope and challenges of the work, the age and style of the home, and why you’re proud of the finished product!

• Indicate the home’s location as well, along with a contact person at your company.

We'll feature entries throughout July in the Snapshots section of d5R, and then hold an open vote to select the winner -- a chance to rally your clients and network -- in early August.

Thanks to Crown Point Cabinetry for this generous sponsorship.

By the way, if you like old house stories, you'll love reading these accounts of what remodelers have found behind old walls. Missing a revolver, a corncob pipe, the book (published in 1889) on buiding?

Good luck!