Where To Get Ideas For Remodeling

The smell of sawdust is in the air! It’s remodeling season and you’re eager to get started. Maybe you want to fix up your home so you can sell it in a couple of years. Or maybe you just want a comfortable new addition to your permanent home. In either case, remodeling your home is certainly a good idea—especially now when real estate and cold weather temperatures are rising steadily. But what should you do? Hmm, good question–you’re not quite sure on how to get started. You just know it’s time for a remodeling. No questions asked! Here are some ideas organized into two categories.

Unique Ideas For Remodeling

Where might you find some unique ideas for remodeling your home? Aside from watching television shows, you can subscribe to home remodeling magazines or purchase books for your ideas. These information sources will not only give you ideas; they will also show you step-by-step how to began and finish the project. Other unique ideas you can find by attending a home improvement expo locally, or even consulting “virtual expos” on the web. Many Internet companies as well as big name retailers like Sears, The Home Depot, or Lowe’s remodeling center can offer remodeling ideas online. Some luxurious remodeling ideas for a home might include adding a swimming pool, adding a sunroom or remodeling your office to accommodate more appliances.

Practical Trends For Remodeling

However, not all luxury remodeling ideas will be a good investment. If you’re looking at real estate value, or are simply thinking of selling your home in a few years, then it might be best to look for more practical ideas that will make the market value on your home rise. Some practical remodeling ideas that always improve a house’s value include adding a second story, improving the siding, and doing some minor repairs on the kitchen and bathroom. Adding another bathroom or bedroom is always a smart move to increase the value of a modest home.

Count The Cost – Get Financial Advice for Your Remodel

But before you start demolishing toilets and taking down walls, be sure and count the cost. While doing your own planning and using a calculator to estimate is a good idea in the beginning stages, when you’re serious about investing money it’s best to contact a professional remodeling contractor—even if you plan on doing it all alone. They can offer advice and tell you if your expectations are realistic.

Have fun this season and always starting remodeling with a short term and long-term goal in mind.

Article By Adam O’Connor, Tips on How to Save Money on Home Repair

Website Changes

We will be going through some changes in the next few days as we revamp our website. In the futture, not only will thie website be a resource for contractors, but also as resource for homeowners looking for contractors. We will be adding contractor directories, homeowner articles and other resources for homeowners to select the best contractors.

The Plumber’s Guide to Effective Yellow Page Advertising

Great, so you can repipe a home or seal a leak in virtually anything made, so what? Is it enough that you and maybe a few of your employees are in business and pretty darn good at what you do? What is going to ultimately make you successful? Your accountant, insurance agent, landlord, truck fleet dealer, or your parts supplier? A big “No” should be the answer in all those cases. How about your Yellow Page rep?

Getting the phone to ring is your number one priority, not fixing plumbing. Because, without customers, all the other fancy things from the neat full-color printed t-shirts to the well-stocked trucks don’t mean a thing. Instead, concentrate on your marketing strategy. For a plumber, let’s assume it’s a nice sized ad in your local Yellow Pages. You say they’re too expensive and that’s why you don’t have one? Shame on you. Look at all that overhead I just mentioned that doesn’t bring in a single new client. Yet you don’t mind paying for liability insurance, right? So, why not do something for yourself that creates business?

Okay, so now I have your attention, what next? Get a picture of what you hope to accomplish overt the next few years and make up a business plan. Who do you want to reach and how will you get there? Set aside a reasonable advertising budget that has room to grow as you do. Now, pick up the local directory and survey the YP heading. How many of your competitors are in the book and what are their ad sizes? What will it take to meet or beat them? Now you have an idea of size, it’s time to get to the content of the ad.

What makes you better than all of them? Don’t say your price and experience. Everyone of them already says that somewhere. You have to come up with something that will get the readers attention and set you apart from the other guys. Hey, I didn’t say that this would be easy. It’s about time to seek out an expert, wouldn’t you agree?

I should know, I was a YP rep and consultant for nearly 25 years and, prior to that, had my own advertising agency. I also have a degree in marketing. I’ve been designing Yellow Page ads for the past three decades. So I have expertise in YP creation and have advised almost 7000 companies on how to put together the most effective YP ads. If you have a display or in-column ad, regardless of size, color or position, I can tell you it most probably needs improvement in the headline, artwork, body text, placement, book, or heading. You must understand the ROI or return on investment and learn how to track the results as well.

So consider getting some expert advice before you place your next ad. There are many good and inexpensive places to turn, some available on the internet. Or read any on my online articles here and you’ll probably pick up some terrific tips. Then go to my website for more great stuff.

Jeffrey Hauser’s latest book is, “Inside the Yellow Pages,” which can be viewed at http://www.poweradbook.com

He was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master’s Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. Currently, he is the Marketing Director for thenurseschoice.com, a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.

Minneapolis Roofing Contractor Launches Website To Help Homeowners Learn More About Roofing, Siding and Exterior Painting

All City Improvements today announced the launch of www.AllCityImprovements.com as an information portal for Minneapolis area home owners to find information about roofing and windows their homes, and home improvement tips. With articles being added almost every day and an online monthly newsletter of home remodeling tips the website is anticipated to quickly become Tampa’s primary resource web site for home improvement.

Future plans include educational guides on renovating your home, professional advice from local experts, and a question and answer forum for Minneapolis area homeowners.

The web site will be an invaluable resource for Twin City homeowners in finding accessible information to address their home remodeling needs. Information will be efficiently categorized for easy navigation.

Tom Peterson, president of All City Improvements stated, “Our goal is to be the best home and family resource center and information portal for assisting all Twin City homeowners with their home improvement needs. The depth of knowledge and resources at www.AllCityImprovements.com is simple, concise and offers every homeowner some information about their home.”

About All City Improvements – With over 10 years of experience, All City Improvements is locally owned and operated and has an excellent reputation and references to match. We offer free estimates for you to peruse before making any important decisions. Don’t go with just any contractor for your project. Choose the best. When you need excellence, All City Improvements in Minnesota is ready to serve you. For More information please visit www.AllCityImprovements.com

Home Show Marketing

It’s that time of the year, when every general contractor from HVAC to gutter protection begins to sign up for home shows. But simply signing up for them is not going to guarantee that you will get leads and sales simply by showing up.

Successful home show marketing can be divided into three marketing categories:

1. The Preemptive Strike – Before The Show
2. Shock & Awe Show Marketing – During The Show
3. Follow Up – After The Show

The Preemptive Strike is everything you do to attract the people you want to attend the home show. This could includes:

Mailing invitations to previous clients, people around current jobs, and people who have requested information from your company in the past year.

Contact your manufacturers and gather any potential marketing materials they may provide you

Writing a press release announcing that your company will attend the show, not only helps getting your name out there, but it also helps with the optimization of your website. Your marketing consultant can help you with this, simply send them the dates of the show, location, name and your booth number and who is sponsoring the show they will handle the press release.

Shock & Awe – During the show, remember you are not there to sit and look pretty and hope that someone may stop by. You need to go to everyone in the room and approach them. Get out of your booth and hand people who walk by a postcard, along with your business card. On this postcard should be a special offer, only for people who attend the home show. Offering a SPECIAL REPORT, or consumer guide is also beneficial in this strategy.

Follow Up –Follow up is critical to a successful show! As soon as the show is completed, mail out a direct mail piece, your special report, another postcard to every lead that you received! Timeliness is everything! Home show leads tend to get stale very quickly, so don’t delay on your follow-up! A few days later, personally follow up with a phone call to make sure they received your special offer. All leads from the show should be added to not only your direct mail campaigns, but also your newsletter list.

Planning for your home show is important, because simply signing up for them is not going to guarantee the results that you would like.

Houston Air Conditioning

We are pleased to announce the launch of Patrick’s Air Conditioning & Heating, a Houston HVAC contractor, who provides heating and air conditioning solutions.

San Jose Remodeling Contractor

We are pleased to announce the launch of Nunley Construction, a San Jose Remodeling contractor, who is known by customers throughout the San Francisco Peninsula area for their reliability, reasonable pricing and use of top-grade materials. With over 35 years of experience their owners work each job and supervise all projects on a daily basis or perform the work personally.

Rockville Painting Company

We are pleased to announce the launch of Cracovia Contracting. Cracovia Contracting is an innovative repair, restoration and renovation company dedicated to finding creative solutions to your unique and challenging repair and remodeling problems.

Custom Sheds

We are pleased to announce the launch of BackYard Structures, a Chicagoland custom shed company that offers custom sheds, decks, pergolas and gazebos.

Denver Remodeling Contractor

We are pleased to announce the launch of Moore Bros. Construction, a Denver Remodeling contractor who specializes in green building.

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