Emailing monthly maintenance tips is a value-added service that is easily provided and well received. Most of the information for each issue is obtained from your Operator’s Manual and from your Maintenance Checklist. When picking a topic, choose one that will be relative for the month. Also, consider what types of calls are historically received at that time of year. Choosing your topic this way will preempt a lot of those calls. Using Microsoft Publisher® or other desktop publishing software,...

If a picture is worth 1000 words, how much is a 3-D drawing worth? A three dimensional (3-D) drawing is almost always easier to understand than a two dimensional plan view, elevation or section drawing because it adds depth. It looks closer to the way the sees things. Trimble SketchUp is free 3-D modeling software (there is a paid version for heavy users). The program makes creating detail drawings like the one shown here a snap. The value of 3-D is easily understood. I have drawn many 3-D or perspective drawings...

For years I worked with some sort of paper construction/production schedule. Most of them, were not all that sophisticated. The rub with this type of construction schedule for many builders/contractors is that by the time they are copied/printed they are already inaccurate and obsolete. This leads to frustration and a general feeling of “why bother?” on the part of those who were intended to use them.   ” In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”...

This kit was designed to help homeowners perform routine maintenance on different types of cracks and separations. Specifically; concrete cracks, grout cracks, trim separations and door edge cracks. The kit serves to reinforce the fact that even new homes need maintenance to keep them looking like new. When it comes to introducing this kit, there are two trains of thought: Assemble the kit and make it part of the final walk-thru and new home orientation process. Print up a flyer and offer the kit for sale. Delivered...

The kitchen area in your high end model/spec looks empty and uninviting. It’s a huge part of  a brand new floor plan you are introducing. You want your future customer to have some say regarding the layout and style of the cabinets. Or maybe you just don’t want to spend the money for the cabinets yet.  What do you do? You could tape up a couple of the kitchen designer’s 2020 drawings on the wall an hope prospects walking through could figure them out. Or, you could do what I did. I bought some...

WikiHomebuilding.com started with this question;  “Is there way to bring  professionals in the homebuilding industry together to share their knowledge with; each other, prospective new homebuyers, and owners of newly built homes?” I thought contributing to an industry blog might be the way to get started began to look at homebuilding and  real estate blogs.  I found that if you look long enough, some great insights can be found in  builder/realtor blogs.  Still, I thought, something has...

I like flipbooks. I like the way the page curls when you move the curser near the corner. I like the way the pages roll when turned. (The quality of the sample at the left is less than good because the pages were scanned copies, not originals) Since I found out they can be an easy DIY, in-house project, I like them even more. Oh, did I mention there is no cost to make them? Free! Who doesn’t like free? Flipbooks can be used for many functional purposes. I’m sure, since they are both neat and free, you...

 Do Not Fear Your Website – You Can Manage It Yourself… I have modified a few PHP files, played around a little with CSS, and even moved a few files using FTP. I’m not an IT guy; what it takes me hours to do would take only minutes for a professional. I have done it to learn and to see how much a person can do on their own if they give it a try. It’s like tackling a new  do-it-yourself project around the house; it can be extremely rewarding! What I’ve learned is WordPress is not just...

Here's another easy one. Provide a monthly maintenance chart. Iclude as many routine owner maintenance items as possible. Include the things that are not covered by the limited warranty but show up on your 30, 60, 90 day and 1 year lists. The items should match what you have on your warranty website. Make it in the form of a checklist and it should fit on the front of a letter or legal sheet of paper. On the back of the paper, print the summary of your...

Homebuilder and retiree export know-how from CNY to Poland The houses rising in Europe look the same as those in Manlius. By J. Trout Lowen.  Staff Writer. Syracuse Herald-Journal. June 5, 1995 Amid the brick, concrete and stucco homes that stand as trademarks of communist-era Poland, something unusual is taking shape on Warsaw’s suburban landscape. In Lomianki, 12 miles west of Warsaw, a dozen Polish carpenters are at work erecting a pair of wood-frame townhomes that wouldn’t look out of place in a Syracuse suburb. That’s...