All Articles

Building and Remodeling is not a Commodity

I’ve been noticing ads lately regarding “real time price checking” and “price matching”. The culmination of internet shopping and big box stores has created a marketplace where comparitive price shopping is so quick and easy that the giant retailers are actually willing to do it for you. I guess this is a wonderful thing, after [...]

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ServiceMagic(tm) Still Stinks

Some of you may have read my previous post concerning ServiceMagic(tm) and other online lead generation companies.  I just ran across a video on YouTube(tm) that really drives this point home. If you are looking for a home improvement contractor please do your homework on how to find a reputable contractor before you begin.  If [...]

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New Remodeling Forum Takes Seed

I have spent quite a bit of time in the past few years contributing to and gaining knowledge from an online forum for construction professionals. I have fairly recently switched to a new forum called RemodelCrazy(tm) that was founded by several top notch remodelers I had met.  I would like to invite anyone who reads [...]

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The Death of Durability

    Has anyone else noticed that it is getting more and more difficult to find good quality durable products in our market place?     It is my belief that this is but one element of a consumer driven mentality that embraces low prices at the sacrifice of quality, durability and craftsmanship.  This is a very [...]

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Grilled Caesar Salad

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As some of you may have picked up on I used to be a partner and the chef of a prominent upscale eatery in Lancaster City.  I’ve been hearing from a lot of people lately that they would happily sacrifice small and insignificant body parts for the original Grilled Caesar Salad dressing recipe.  I don’t really [...]

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Temporary Labor

We recently began a project that involved stripping multiple layers of wallpaper from almost every room in a 3000 square foot house.  We decided to use workers from a temp service.  It was an eye opening experience. In conversations with the workers I learned several things about what these folks go through to get work.  [...]

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Kitchen Cabinets: Stock, Semi-Stock, Semi-Custom or Custom?

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When discussing kitchen cabinets there are typically three basic types of cabinets discussed:  stock (also referred to as modular or economy), semi-stock and custom.  Some (myself included) would add a fourth category: semi-custom. Let’s talk about what these terms mean.

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Kitchen Remodeling Design Tip

This article contains good common sense tips to designing a kitchen remodeling project on a budget.

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Have We Declared War on Work?

Mike Rowe, host of Dirty Jobs, did a presentation on TED.com last month.  If you’re short on time fast forward the video to the 15:20 mark. I think Mike brings up some insightful points in his presentation. I also think he is still missing parts of the big picture. Many blue collar workers ARE either [...]

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Electric Radiant Floor Heat

    The latest craze in bathroom remodeling is toasty warm tile floors for your piggies.  On a recent kitchen remodeling project we took things a step further:  electric radiant floor heat as the primary heat system.     STEP Warmfloor(tm) manufactures cutting edge floor warming and floor heating systems.  Unlike many of their counterparts, Step uses an [...]

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