Flipping a house means that someone bought the house with the intention of adding value to resell for a profit. Sadly, this practice has been abused, it used to be a noble profession. Heck I did it all over my neighborhood for years before I became a business. Sadly, flipping has been bastardized into a...
While researching an article on how long things should last, it dawned on me that remodeling and building science as well as the industry as a whole has really evolved in my lifetime. I am regularly asking my prospects “how long they expect your remodeling project to last”? They typically had never given it any...
As a sustainability nut in the remodeling world, I often learn lessons the hard way. This recent example reminded me again that as counter intuitive as it seems replacing old parts is the best practice when the budget is tight. I am often asked to reuse existing parts in order to keep the budget to...
There are three things that I am certain of in remodeling. These are the insights of a remodeler who is committed to leadership and getting results through others. The 3 truths No one has ever been upset when we exceeded expectations. The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price...
I’ve recently entered into several conversations about how long things should last. What a great question. “It depends” I usually respond. Is it me or did big ticket items used to be built to last several decades. We believed that American made as an example meant the darn thing should last a hell of a...
In talking with my siding subcontractor Ed Lacey, I was trying to describe what my client wanted in the way of siding upgrades to his investment property. “It’s simple”, Ed said, “Just like everyone else, they want as much as they can get, for as little as possible.” Wow I thought, that probably describes 75%...
Every year at this time Remodeling Magazine issues the Cost Vs Value report so that we may see the value of the remodeling projects we are creating in relation to the value you get for your investment. Here at Levco we are excited to see it and read the conclusions that the industry gurus have....
The new article in Remodeling Magazine Cost vs. Value addition has arrived. It reminds me of when the new phone book arrived and I would get all excited to see my Yellow Pages add. This is the 10th year of the publication and it is packed with good news. It seems the industry is rebounding...
Does green remodeling cost more? It depends upon when you are doing the accounting. If you are counting the upfront cost, then perhaps it does. If you are counting after the X and Y curves cross in a few years then, -no it doesn’t. Trust me, there are seemingly intuitively “Green” seeming things that are...
I commonly have folks ask how much something is going to cost per square foot. This is an interesting question, I suppose, if you are buying a home or having one built. You simply divide how many dollars you spent by the total square feet to find out how much you paid per square foot....