Business Resources for Builders, Remodelers, & Contractors

TheBuildingAndRemodelingWiki.com is a collection of Project Management definitions and terminology with an emphasis and interest in the Theory of Constraints, Lean, TQM and Six Sigma methodologies.

http://thebuildingandremodelingwiki.com

The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University is another great source for research and articles effecting the building and remodeling industries. Most noticbly the The State of the Nation’s Housing 2016 came out back in June of ’16 and the is just a ton of information in other reports on the Working Papers & Reports page.

http://www.jchs.harvard.edu

Remodeling Magazine was amongst the first industry trade magazines I began with decades ago  (along with New England Builder which became The Journal Of Light Construction). It is well known for its yearly Cost vs. Value Reports as well as a great collection of Business, Product, How-To, Benchmark related articles.

http://www.remodeling.hw.net

The Journal Of Light Construction was the other industry trade magazines I began with decades ago (along with New England Builder which became The Journal Of Light Construction). Some Recommended Reading:

• Allocating Overhead to Labor Makes Financial Sense by Irv Chasen
• How To Charge For Overhead By Les Deal
• Getting the Final Payment – Timely payments for scheduled phases keep the last check small and manageable by Brian Sutton
• Four Alternatives to the Competitive Bidding Process by Dan Kolbert
• Survival Tips for Downtown Remodelers A hands-on guide to working in the city by Phil Hubbard

http://www.jlconline.com

Professional Remodeler magazine is an industry trade magazine targeted at the small to medium business remodeling contractor and residential and commercial professionals. It has a good collection of great business articles. Some recommended reading:

• 10 Ideas to Change Your Remodeling Business
• Are Free Estimates in Your Best Interest?

http://www.proremodeler.com/

QualifiedRemodeler.com – The website for Qualified Remodeler magazine. Good article content. Notably with Michael Gerber author of the E-Myth Contractor as one of their contributors.

http://www.qualifiedremodeler.com/

Woodworking Network brings you the latest custom wood products, cabinetry and manufacturing news and trends for commercial and residential woodworkers and publishes FDMC Magazine. (FaceBook | Twitter | Pinterest | LinkedIn | YouTube)

http://www.woodworkingnetwork.com

 Contractor Magazine -While my own personal concentration and interests were centered on architectural woodwork and metals and I have little trade technique understanding or knowledge of HVAC I read Contractor Magazine- The Newsmagazine Of Mechanical Contracting and visit their site pretty often. I like to read the columnists there especially on business and management. I think good business and management advice is good business and management advice no matter where you read it. (FaceBook |  LinkedIn | YouTube)

http://www.contractormag.com/

Electrical Contractor Magazine -My feelings for Electrical Contractor magazine ditto those of Contractor Magazine. Most of my interest here resides in the Business Articles, (Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube)

http://www.ecmag.com/

inPAINT – The Magazine for Professionals is not just tools and technique for painting contractors but full of good business advice articles too. (Twitter | FaceBook)

http://inpaintmag.com

Walls & Ceilings Magazine reports on drywall, plaster, ceilings, steel framing, fireproofing, insulation, EIFS/stucco, ICFs/SIPs, the building envelope & more.

Walls & Ceilings | Drywall, plaster, stucco, steel framing & more

Walls & Ceilings reports on drywall, plaster, ceilings, steel framing, fireproofing, insulation, EIFS/stucco, ICFs/SIPs, the building envelope & more.

 

KBB-Official KBIS Publication | Kitchen & Bath Business is the official KBIS (The Kitchen & Bath Industry Show) publication. They provide design professionals in the kitchen & bath industry with news & trends.

https://www.kbbonline.com

GreenIndustryPros.com is the online source for lawn mower comparisons, reviews, professional landscape contractors and lawn equipment dealers who want to learn about landscape trends and business strategies with a great collection of articles on business you can find in their Contractor Success Guide. (Facebook | Twitter | YouTube )

http://www.greenindustrypros.com

About the Building Knowledge FaceBook Group:

• To provide an inviting, yet moderated environment conducive to the free exchange of information, opinions, & techniques related to residential & light construction building practices, principles, methods, materials, & standards.
• To provide an outlet for professional trades people, building product manufacturers, architects, designers, & those deriving their income from the construction industry, both here & abroad, a platform on which to share knowledge & resources among their peers.
• To promote professionalism within all areas of the construction industry.
• Please be mindful & respectful of all present & refrain from discussions having to do with race, politics, religion, or otherwise divisive issues. Please do NOT post promotional material for your company or organization. Such material will be immediately removed and the member blocked.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/204659739677684/

WoodWeb -There are a bunch of great forums over on WoodWeb along with a pile of information in what they call their KnowledgeBase and it’s all searchable. There are forums there for Adhesives, Architectural Woodworking, Business and Management, Cabinet and Millwork Installation, Cabinetmaking, CAD, CNC, Dust Collection, Safety Equipment, and Plant Operation, Professional Finishing, Forestry, Professional Furniture Making, Laminating and Solid Surfacing, Sawing and Drying, Solid Wood Machining, Value Added Wood Processing Forum, and Veneers. The topics there get pretty industry, craft, and technique specific but if that’s what you need it’s a great place. It’s also a great place to go to start to find industrial woodworking machinery.

http://www.woodweb.com/

ForConstructionPros.com is a resource really geared for the commercial construction industry including news, articles, equipment and product reviews for the commercial construction industry. (Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube)

http://www.forconstructionpros.com

AEC Business – For Game Changers and Innovators in Construction AEC industry is a blog and podcast.

https://aec-business.com/

Construction Dive: Construction News and Trends provides news and analysis for construction industry executives covering commercial and residential construction and focusing on topics like technology, design, regulation, legal issues and more. (FaceBook | Twitter | LinkedIn )

http://www.constructiondive.com

Michael Stone’s blog and book (Markup & Profit A Contractor Guide) I think are good valuable resources full of good general information for small building and remodeling contractors except for what he writes about determining and working with markup which I have some incredibly strong disagreement with (see my articles: One of the Potential Problems in Using a Traditional Volume Based Markup and  Comparing Markup Methodologies In Real Some World Pricing Scenarios) still I find his writing very valuable and worthwhile.

Michael Stone’s: Markup and Profit Blog:

Markup and Profit Blog

I just attended your 2 day class in Omaha and I wanted to tell you Thank you again for everything you guys do! The class was very good with a lot of ideas and ways to make my business better. I really appreciate you guys!!!

 

 

From the About The Contractor Coaching Partnership page:

The Contractor Coaching Partnership, Inc was founded to educate and train the contractor servicing the residential homeowner market. Many contractors are very good at what they do but have challenges managing and running their companies. Often times they are busy working in their business and have no time or desire to work on company system development.

The Contractor Coaching Partnership Blog:

https://www.thecontractorcoachingpartnership.com/blog-contractor-coaching-construction-business-coach-epa-rrp-lead-rule