Veteran remodeling contractor R Dodge Woodson provides all the guidance and details necessary for success in the lucrative remodeling business. This practical guide covers every phase of starting, running and operating a profitable business and delivers insider advice on everything from getting a license to renting an office to remodeling an entire home.
- Sidebars and Tip Boxes provide valuable at-a-glance information
- Real-world care studies drive home key points from the text.
- How to start on a part-time basis.
- Buying trucks, tools, equipment, and materials at reduced costs.
- Mistakes that can kill a business—and how to avoid them.
- Locate the profit centers in the remodeling business, and exploit them.
- Transition from carpenter or builder to remodeler.
- Create a business image that attracts customers.
- Ensure customer satisfaction, the key to success.
- Choose employees or subcontractors.
- Use computers to maximize profits.
- Anticipate your office and storage needs.
- Help you business grow, year in and year out.
From the Introduction
Are you tired of pounding nails? Has your boss been giving you a rough time and very little money? Change it. Go into business for yourself as a remodeling
contractor. Make some serious money without climbing on the roof. Are you an organized person who can perform as a business owner? If so, you don't need
carpentry experience to make a solid income as a general contractor.
The key to making money as a remodeler is organization. Other elements come into play, and they include the following:
- Field experience is very helpful.
- A good credit rating helps.
- Being able to take control of difficult situations is essential.
- Time management skills will add to your success.
- Having money in the bank never hurts.
All of the items just mentioned are major factors, but anyone can do this. You don't have to be a carpenter to be a remodeler. You have to be able to run
a business and deal with subcontractors if you want to make this career work. It's not that hard for dedicated people.
What's in it for you? Most general contractors add approximately 20 percent to their cost for the cost of a job. You do the math for your area. In general,
a $20,000 job relates to a potential remodeler profit of $4,000, or more. This is not a bad return for 7-14 days of work by others if you have the right
crews.
The job is not easy. If you are not willing to do a lot of phone work at night, you might want to consider other options. Being a remodeler is stressful,
but at the same time it is very rewarding. You can ride around town and say, "I remodeled that." Venturing into remodeling can take two main directions. You can be the person who is making the job come together as a hands-on remodeler or you can take the white collar approach. Both work, and the money is not bad.
Table of Contents:
Introduction; Chapter One: Going from Carpenter to Remodeling Contractor; Chapter Two: When Builders Become Remodelers; Chapter Three: Why Remodeling?; Chapter Four: Kitchens and Bathrooms; Chapter Five: Setting Up Your Business; Chapter Six: Your Business Structure; Chapter Seven: Office and Storage Requirements; Chapter Eight: Adding a Computer to Your Toolbox; Chapter Nine: Keeping Track of Your Cash; Chapter Ten: Trucks, Tools, Equipment, and Inventory; Chapter Eleven: Creating and Promoting an Attractive Business Image; Chapter Twelve: Hiring Employees; Chapter Thirteen: 15 Mistakes that Can Kill Your Business and How to Avoid Them; Chapter Fourteen: Bidding Jobs at Profitable Prices; Chapter Fifteen: Subcontractors, Suppliers, and Code Officials; Chapter Sixteen: Time Management Translates into Stronger Earnings; Chapter Seventeen: Customer Satisfaction; Chapter Eighteen: Growing Your Business from Year to Year; Chapter Nineteen: Nuts and Bolts of General Remodeling Projects; Chapter Twenty: Jobsite Safety; Index. |
