Clearing up logistical details before work begins will help set customer expectations and avoid surprises based on assumptions.
Strategic Marketing Plans from LOWE'S for Pros. Use our business marketing strategies to stay on budget for your project.
Whether it’s an easy way to boost inquiries or a tip for increased efficiency, contractors share their tips that you can apply to your own business.
By: Sam Barrett - December 2008 -
NewsHome builders from across the nation gather at the 2009 International Builders’ Show to learn more about home building trends and technology, like green building.
3D sketching software makes do-it-yourself CAD concepts easier than ever.
Some contractors have sophisticated ways to inventory job waste and overage to get the biggest bang for their buck. Here are five ways you can do the same.
There are many ways builders and remodelers can redefine their core business in a downturn without sacrificing quality. The solution amounts to a balancing act between expanding into new areas and exploring ways to build on old ones.
Your customers want to go ‘green’ with building projects that help the environment and save costs. But upfront expenses can be significant. Here's how to justify the investment.
Going ‘green’ is admirable, but comes with a pricetag. How to evaluate costs of environmentally sound practices and services so your efforts don’t sink your bottom line.
By: Rob Fanjoy - December 2005 -
NewsWhen the job calls for removal of structural elements, be sure to approach the demolition carefully to avoid injuries or damage to the space.
The current recession has forced business owners to re-evaluate their pricing structure with respect to job estimates and supply expenses. Guidance from experts can provide a blueprint as to how to improve margins.
Sometimes your customer will want to expand up rather than out. As a builder or remodeling contractor, you should know which addition and design (a second story or extra room) is best for the specific home.
Before diving headlong into that home addition project, there are a few things you should know to protect yourself and your client from additional expenses.
The purpose of advanced wall framing and optimum value engineering (OVE) is to engineer the framing/design process in way that significantly reduces the amount of lumber and resources used, resulting in a more eco-friendly home. While many applaud it, however, others believe its difficulty and added expenses can negatively affect a builder’s bottom line. Here are the pros and cons of OVE.
Social media has changed the way companies advertise. Now more than ever, small businesses can promote themselves online by targeting customers and expanding their networks, often for little or no cost.
Advertising is beneficial for your business, but certain forms of advertising, such as spam and pop-ups, may have a negative impact. Dishonest advertising is also harmful.
Find out how you can get involved with building affordable housing, whether it’s through a nonprofit or a for-profit developer.
OSHA requires employers to provide and pay for personal protective equipment that keeps their employees safe. Here’s what builders need to know about PPE.
As a small business owner, it can be easy to get lost in work when trying to ensure the stability of your business. But having a proper work–life balance can be vital to not only your health, but the overall health of your company.
There currently are 40,000 job boards on the Internet, with more to come. Here is advice about how to put them to work for you in your searches for qualified construction and building trade candidates.
Building and remodeling contractors have to have a supervisory role, not that of a buddy to the subcontractors. Here are some tips to handling a promotion to supervisor to ensure changes in the relationships with employees are positive.
Cash flow has been called the lifeblood of business, so follow these tips to keep on the positive side and eventually increase it. Landscaping contractors can keep a steady cash flow by utilizing credit, discounts and contracts, and by planning for the future.
By: LowesForPros Staff - August 2009 -
NewsThe latest news, advice and information from building construction and managment professionals across the United States.
Builders can use software to automate their work orders, purchase orders and payments to their subcontractors. In the process they can reduce cycle time and increase profit margins.
Reduce the chances of an audit by avoiding these typical audit-triggering tax moves.
Estimating your job’s budget requires you to anticipate unexpected costs—like product allowances and material prices—to avoid overruns.
Make sure visitors to work sites follow safety procedures. Accidents can result in expensive lawsuits for personal injury caused by negligence.
Creating a partnership requires blending philosophies, dividing duties and turning cooperation between friends or family into a successful business. Follow these guidelines to avoid problems in the future.
There are many considerations when devising your marketing strategy. It’s easy to make a mistake and head down the wrong path, but it’s never too late to rebound from a failing marketing strategy.
Building trust with a prospect is necessary to get them to hire you. Know what words or phrases may turn them off.
Home builder sales are creeping down, leaving home builders to find new marketing strategies for housing.
The trend toward spa-like features in residential baths continues unabated, but there are some new twists.
Lithium ion and nickel cadmium batteries have become more commonplace for performing residential and commercial jobs. Here’s a primer on selecting the best option for your applications.
Intern and mentoring programs can help a contractor’s business while giving back to the communityc
Remodelers can use industry certifications as credentials to bolster their resumes, and the Green Certified Professional program from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) provides them with a great way to get ahead of a major industry trend: eco-friendly remodeling.
A home-inspection service can supplement income and provide synergy with a construction company’s main line of work.
Benchmarking will help your business improve efficiency, profits and managerial process and facilitate growth by keeping clear goals in mind.
Reduce your tax bill by making wise deductions.
If your contracting shop is ready to take on major construction-industry projects or those for state/local/federal customers, a performance bond is essential. Getting one requires extensive review of your financial grounding and experience.
Referrals—comments by existing customers on your work—can be a contractor’s most powerful business-building tool. The key is harnessing word of mouth marketing by asking for referrals and rewarding customers who offer referrals.
Your business can benefit greatly from Internet search engine optimization (SEO). It can boost your presence Web presence by marketing to those who are searching for services similar to the ones you provide.
Concerns about braced-wall sections of the International Residential Code
A brand is a major differentiator among small business owners in the same industry—it's a way consumers and even competitors identify a business. But creating a solid brand strategy is no easy feat. In part one of a three part series, learn how you can brand your business for success.
After launching your brand, it’s critical for you to differentiate your business from the wealth of competition. Experts weigh in on how to distinguish your core marketing message to ensure an immediate bond with potential customers.
Launching a great brand will fuel a winning success strategy. But you need employees to understand, accept and then effectively promote your vision for the gameplan to work.
Remodelers can boost their business by offering custom cabinetry services.
With the help of Sed de Saber-Construction Edition, your Spanish-speaking workers are empowered to learn English in just four months.
A contractor’s built-in web of association, subcontractor and supplier contacts can be expanded and leveraged to gain referrals that will bring in more business.
Green building is all the rage, but information and substantive knowledge on how to pull off green-building projects is lacking. In this how-to article, learn to use green roofing materials in order to build an environmentally friendly, energy-efficient roof.
A new Lowe's survey reveals the biggest trends in the residential construction market.
