Builder- March 2009 - (Page 5) V O L U M E 3 2 I S S U E 3 M A R C H 2 0 0 9 60 F E AT U R E S Practice Makes Perfect Now that the enormous numbers of the housing boom have been deflated, the stark difference between aiming to be the biggest and aiming to be the best is glaringly apparent. The winners of the 2009 America’s Best Builder award exercised self-discipline that might have been scoffed at during the boom, but in the downturn has provided them with cash reserves and customers. Standing as a testament to the merits of fiscal restraint, meticulous attention to systems improvement, and an unwavering focus on their target market, these companies run on sound business principles from which every builder can learn. . . . . . . . . 60 Major Makeovers While housing’s crash has spared no one completely, decreases in the value of remodeling projects remain at only about half of the decline in new-home 74 values in 2008. And as demand for housing continues to drag along the bottom, remodeling and renovation—offering less risk to builders and paybacks for homeowners, not to mention an unending supply of foreclosures in need of work— are serving as a lifeline for many builders as they wait for the recovery. Builder looks at the challenges involved in three large-scale projects and what it took to overcome them. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Volume 32, number 3. BUILDER (IS SN 074 4 -1193; USPS 3 70-600) is published 12 times per year: monthly in Jan., Feb., March, A pril, May, June, July, Aug., Sep t., Oct., Nov., and Dec. by Hanley Wood, LLC, One T homas Circle, N.W., Suite 600, Washing ton, D.C. 20005, for the National Association of Home Builders and printed in the USA . Copyrig ht 2009 by Hanley Wood. Opinions ex pressed are those of the author s or per sons quoted and not necessaril y those of the N A HB. Reproduction in whole or in par t prohibited w ithout w rit ten authorization. Sing le-copy price: $8.00 (except House Plans issues, w hich are $12.95). Periodicals pos ta ge paid at Washing ton, D.C., and at additional mailing of fices. Postmaster: Send address changes to BUILDER, P.O. Box 3532, Nor thbrook, IL 60065 -3532. Member: Business Publications Audit, A merican Business Media. W W W.BUILDERONLINE.COM m a rc h 2 0 0 9 BUILDER ■ 5 http://WWW.BUILDERONLINE.COM
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