It’s nice to be able to choose, right? And it’s good to be able to offer your customers choices — except when it isn’t. Psychologists have long noticed that when people have too many choices, they can become figuratively paralyzed. It’s like choosing a sandwich: Sometimes you just want a selection of well thought-out choices laid out [...]

At its best, building and architecture not only provides beauty but also innovative solutions to problems. Here’s a great example of that. Inhabitat recently blogged about the Swiss St. Maurice Abbey. It’s ancient — more than 1,500 years old — and during the thousand-plus years of its existence, it sometimes needs a little TLC. Recently, the [...]

Here is an important piece of news for builders, if you haven’t already heard: Builders all over the country are being fined for not properly following the Residential Lead-Based Paint Regulations. Housing Zone has an in-depth article that lists out examples of builders fined for not following these practices. Did you know that the highest [...]

Many people don’t like to think of growing old, and the uncertainty that comes with age. Can you live at home? Should you? With the “Silver Tsunami”  crashing home as the Baby Boomers age, there are concerns with the elderly being able to live in their own homes. This represents a prime opportunity for savvy [...]

If your clients are looking for a luxurious heat-and-relaxation thing to add to their home, but a steam room is too impractical and a hot tub is too much upkeep (and maybe too Jersey Shore), how about a sauna? According to the Listed blog, they are among the most requested home improvements currently. Listed says: Saunas [...]

Looking for some new business? Who isn’t! With the remodeling industry becoming one of the more robust parts of the building industry, remodelers are looking for new ways to get customers in the door. Fine Homebuilding offers a few provocative answers to this question. One of their readers wondered if offering some sort of incentive, [...]

It’s a fact: nothing is certain by death and taxes, and before we die, we will (hopefully!) be old. Old age means various physical and mental changes, and with more and more Baby Boomers joining the ranks of the 65 and over crowd everyday, universal design is something builders and remodelers should be thinking about. It’s [...]

The bathroom may qualify as the most used room in the house, certainly the most necessary! Due to this, it seems like people regularly want to add on another bathroom (no more morning shower rush!) or remodel an existing bathroom. Via the New York Times, we found this cool product: it’s a bathroom in a box! From [...]

With a new year just barely begun, it’s time to think of some resolutions. In addition to all the personal ones you may have made, it’s always a good idea to think about what sort of professional resolutions you can make. Here are a few ideas. Focus on marketing. Getting the word out can differentiate [...]

Green Building Goes on a Budget Wall Street Journal “Casa Feliz is one of a growing number of affordable-housing projects nationwide that have been built “green”—that is, with nontoxic materials, highly energy-efficient appliances, and features such as green roofs and solar panels. Thanks to tax credits designed to attract private capital and aggressive cost-cutting on [...]