Blogs

Residential Products Online content is now on probuilder.com! Same great products coverage, now all in one place!

Best Practices

Improve the process before streamlining with software

Perhaps you heard the story in December about the truck driver that won a Lamborghini Murcielago LP-640 worth over $200,000. A few hours...

Quality Management

Lessons from the worst CEOs of 2011

Netflix loses 60% of its market and RIM (Blackberry) also loses over 50% of its market, not a great year for what had been some of the...

Building Operations

Do you work for this egomaniacal business owner?

One of the advantages of consulting with businesses across the US is you see the companies that get it and the many companies that don’t....

Best Practices

The Lean Design Blog: Another example of low-hanging fruit

I love the easy ones! Scott Sedam and I were implementing a Lean Plan Workout recently and a very simple cost saving opportunity presented...

The Lean Builder

The Lean Builder Blog: Marshall Field had it right

Last weekend was the annual Christmas sojourn to my wife’s relatives in Chicago. On the obligatory trip downtown to Marshall Field’s to see...

Products

The Lean and Green Blog: Lesson 6 - A sustainable products process

This December marks my glorious return to selecting products for new home construction. For three years, I have worked with TrueNorth...

Quality Management

Hindsight and Foresight for 2012

Learning from the past and planning for the future. As we move toward 2012 we have a wonderful opportunity to evaluate what happened this...

Building Operations

Should you outsource your people function?

Most small to mid size builders today have found themselves without any internal professional Human Resource function. Either that function...

Customer Satisfaction

Have you set customer satisfaction goals for 2012?

December is often the time of year that many home building companies finalize their 2012 goals and budgets. Management meticulously...

Sales + Marketing

The Lean and Green Blog: Lesson 5 - Green marketing

Greening your marketing plan requires a different thought process and action plan than what you might expect. In the upcoming months, I...

The Lean Builder

PO vs. VPO—Another ‘Voice of the Process’

Your processes can teach you so much and save you a lot of cash. But you need metrics

Magnifying glass examining how to save money

The Sweet Spot

Housing industry could foot bill for payroll tax cut

So apparently there is something Republicans and Democrats can agree on: the housing industry is an easy target. The latest proposal from...

Quality Management

Study finds new home buyers still want green

A new study (by Yahoo Real Estate, Dec 9th 2011) finds that the American Dream is still to own a home and the top issue for that dream is...

Quality Management

Things to think about when purchasing tablets

Quality, criteria and requirements apply everywhere even when considering tablets, hardware and software. Overall requirements to consider:...

Customer Satisfaction

The Rear View Mirror - Goodbye 2011!

When we look into our car’s rearview mirror we see where we have been, as well as the distant horizon; the vanishing point of times past. ...

The Sweet Spot

Don't be afraid to innovate

This month we named our Remodeler of the Year — Anthony Home Improvements in Elkins Park, Pa. We chose the company for a number of reasons,...

Builders

The Lean and Green Blog: Lesson 4 - Plan for something greener

Todd Hallett does a great job helping us to understand the tremendous costs associated with inefficient, poorly designed plans. Making...

Builders

The Lean Design Blog: Are TJIs costing you more than they should?

My psychiatrist told me I'm going crazy. I told him, "If you don't mind, I'd like a second opinion." He said, "All right. You're ugly too!...

The Lean Builder

The Lean Builder Blog: Don’t let this passion go to waste

Yesterday after presenting an orientation for our LeanPlan Workout process to a group of suppliers & trades in Texas, a contractor named...

Quality Management

PB Builder of the Year: Excellence

PB Builder of the Year DSLD shows how powerful and central the basics are. Creating excellence on such basic issues as scheduling and scopes...

The Lean Builder

The Lean Builder Blog: Turnkey or not?

I am frequently asked, what is the right way to buy labor and materials? Should you use turnkey suppliers and trades or should you purchase...

Builders

The Lean and Green Blog: Lesson 3 - 'Lots' of opportunity

Down here in the south, you will often hear the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” When it comes to lot preparation, we seem to fix...

Construction Quality

The Lean Design Blog: 5 most common construction drawing mishaps

Construction drawings are complex and getting them right involves a whole lot of moving parts. From working with builder and trades...

Customer Satisfaction

Black Friday - Where Were The Builders?

The 2011 “Black Friday” sales numbers are in and show a pleasantly surprising 16% gain in year-over-year retail sales! Some economists,...

Quality Management

What and where to improve?

What and where do I start to improve? This is a common question and while we need to balance the cost and impact to identify the real bang...

Home Builders Institute's Schools to Skills Grant Application Open Through December

As Mortgage Rates Rise, Buyers Lose Purchasing Power

Renters Are Choosing Single-Family Homes for These Features