Qualified Remodeler Magazine

OCT 2014

Qualified Remodeler helps independent remodeling firms to survive, become more professional and more profitable by providing must-have business information, namely best business practices, new product information and timely design ideas.

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Publisher and Patrick L. O'Toole Editorial Director patrick@solabrands.com Managing Editor Laurie Banyay laurie.banyay@cygnus.com Assistant Editor Kacey Larsen kacey.larsen@cygnus.com ForResidentialPros Editor Andrea Girolamo andrea.girolamo@cygnus.com Art Director John Sidor Production Director Steve Swick Audience Development Ellen Stormer Manager Production Services Rep Connie Wolf Administrative Assistant Jenni Ehlke-Heyer Editorial Advisory Board Stephen Gidley, GMB, CAPS, CGP, CGB, CGR, CPRC, CR Jeffrey Holloway, CKD, CBD, CGR Michael Nagel, CGR, CAPS Scott R. Sevon, CGR, CAPS, GMB, CGP, GMR Donna Shirey, CGR, CAPS, CGP Kenneth P. Skowronski, CR Group Sales Director Paul DeGrandis Midwest Manager West Reed Fry East and Southeast Vaughn Rockhold National Automotive Tom Lutzke Sales Literature Galleries/ Nancy Campoli Classifieds Digital Programs Tim Steingraber Manager Administration Marie Snow Coordinator A preferred publication of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and the NAHB Remodelers Patrick L. O'Toole Top trends offer opportunities and challenges T his coming March, Qualified Remodeler will celebrate 40 years serving the remodeling industry. In preparation for a special issue this spring, our editors have been looking at the bigger picture of the remodeling industry going forward, and, without jumping the gun, here are some trends, I think, which offer the greatest challenge and/or opportunity for remodelers in the coming years. GREEN/ENERGY-EFFICIENT REMODELING For more than 20 years, green remodeling has been the "next big thing." We are now at a stage where there is critical mass. Millions of homeowners now see remodeling and improve - ment as a means by which to make their homes more comfortable and more resource efficient. In the past, local programs and subsidies in places like Austin, Texas, and Portland, Ore., have been drivers. But new codes, particularly California's Title 24, with its goal of making all new homes "net zero" by 2020, now provide a more broad-based catalyst. If you are a builder, a remodeler, a kitchen designer or an architect in California, you are already actively in the process of researching new products and new methods that will get you ready. Very soon, "green" remodeling will simply be "good" remodeling. COOKING ENTHUSIASTS The interest in gourmet cooking and baking is on the rise. Among other reasons, this trend will spur the growth in kitchen remodeling throughout the next decade. BACK TO THE CITY Millennials, the latest generational cohort to buck conventional home ownership patterns, are confounding the experts. They are not buy- ing new homes at nearly the levels of previous generations. Nor are they marrying and form- ing households at the same rate. But they do tend to live in urban areas. Living in urban areas means that older housing stock will need renovation, improvement and remodeling. COMPLIANCE Remodeling is well known as a business with low barriers to entry. Licensing is minimal and capital requirements are low. But lately, the table stakes have been raised by OSHA and the EPA, with costly requirements of remodelers to record and document their compliance pro- cedures. As we have seen around the country, remodelers who don't comply face huge fines that can put them out of business. HOUZZ.COM AND OTHER ONLINE PHOTO VENUES TO COME Seemingly overnight, Houzz is the place where homeowners browse images of designed spac- es. Among other things, the service has demon- strated consumers' ravenous appetite for design ideas, especially when they come from such a deep reservoir as the Web. The opportunity for remodelers is clear: Maintain a good presence on Houzz and other online venues, and new clients will find you. This phenomenon has made clients more knowledgeable than ever before, increasing the demands on you to know more and to spend more time educating your prospects. UNIVERSAL DESIGN Seventy-eight million Boomers can't be wrong. Each passing day, tens of thou- sands of Baby Boomers are reaching age 65. Where the Eisenhower generation may have been happy to move to Sun City and other "active adult" communities around the country, many Boomers have expressed a desire to age in place. Higher demand for universal design features will certainly drive a steady stream of business for remodelers steeped in the art and science of this new discipline. The real winners will be those who have taken the time to become Certified Aging in Place Specialists or Universal Design Certified Professionals. Remodeling and home improvement will remain strong in the coming years. Your response to these important trends among oth- ers, will go a long way to determining your ability to capitalize on the overall market opportunity now available. QR ForResidentialPros.com QR October 2014 9 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR'S NOTE

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