Colorado-based management consultant Chuck Shinn simplifies the route to double-digit builder profitability with a set of financial ratios that target cost control.

As a boy, Gene McKown of Ideal Homes in Norman, Okla., went to a pie supper and witnessed an auction for the first time. After college, McKown enrolled in auction classes. Since then, his reputation as an auctioneer has grown to the point where he now...

The Water and Gas Safety Valve (WAGS) from Taco, a pump and electronic control manufacturer based in Rhode Island, shuts off both the gas and water feeds to a hot water heater in the event of a leak.

In a bold and unexpected pairing, Samsung's Staron solid surface has teamed with custom staircase manufacturer StairWorld Inc. to create the Staron inlaid staircase.

New countertop products offer the opportunity to forge bold buyer memory points in model home kitchens and baths.

Bringing your team along as you innovate is another part of the challenge. People hate change. Builder John Wesley Miller calls it the Jonah Complex: Don't tell me it's better. I like it here inside the whale.

Former national salesperson of the year Cydne Combs, of Prudential New Homes in Ontario, Calif., anchors her sales approach in home construction. The idea is to be a guide to help people through a complicated process.

For small builders interested in experimenting with new technologies, educate yourself with whatever resources you can find and start with what you're comfortable.

Merchandising models targeted to families often translates to secondary bedrooms themed specifically to appeal to boys and girls. But builders are grabbing kids attention elsewhere in the model, too.