|
Mobile version
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Investing in outdoor living Universal Forest Products Blog Share     For the past decade, homeowners have been investing more in their decks and outdoor living areas, adding on products like synthetic decking, fiber cement siding or new roofing. And not surprising, studies are reflecting changes to what many call investment improvements. In some areas, outdoor living improvements have matched or exceeded popular kitchen or bathroom projects. More
Join NADRA today! NADRA Share
 NADRA is made
up of deck builders, manufacturers, dealers/distributors, wholesalers, retailers and service providers to the deck and railing industry. By working together we can be one voice for the industry and deliver a clear message to the consumer and the code development bodies. NADRA serves as a trade association with emphasis on safe building practices and deck safety.
Are you a member yet? Get Involved NOW! More Thought of the Day: "A Carpenter's Story" Share
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career. When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the frontier key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you." What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well. So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized that we would have done it differently. Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.
Get involved with the NADRA Industry Update! Share
Are you interested in featuring your company's logo in an upcoming edition of NADRA Industry Update? Advertising in the NADRA Industry Update is a great way to gain exposure to more than 2,500 deck and railing business professionals. To advertise in future issues, contact Ben Maitland, director of advertising. He can also be reached at 972.402.7025. Download the media kit here.
Customized railing combinations Professional Deck Builder Share
When manufactured railing systems first became available, one builder couldn’t find any that were exactly what he wanted; rather, he found that he liked parts and pieces from several lines. It occurred to him there was no reason not to select his favorite components and combine them to create high-quality, low-maintenance hybrid railings in a range of prices for my customers. Although manufactured railings have since matured and there are now several on the market he uses in their entirety, mixed systems still account for 80 percent of the railings he installs. More
Real Estate: Inexpensive exterior remodeling can prove profitable San Jose Mercury News Share
Nationally, eight out of the top 10 projects in terms of costs recouped were exterior replacement projects that cost less than $14,000. Certain types of door and siding replacements, as well as wood deck additions, all returned more than 80 percent of project costs upon resale. A steel entry door replacement recouped 128.9 percent of costs, followed by upscale fiber-cement sliding replacements at 83.6 percent. Wood deck additions recouped 80.6 percent of costs. More The Senate offers small businesses a little relief The New York Times Share
Small business has at least a little to gain from the stripped-down, $15 billion jobs bill that passed the Senate last week. The bill contains two items of interest to small firms. There's a hiring tax credit, proposed by a Democrat, Charles Schumer, and a Republican, Orrin Hatch. Any company that hires someone who has been unemployed for the preceding two months will not have to pay payroll taxes on that worker for 2010. If the worker stays on for more than one year, the company also gets a $1,000 tax credit. More
Builders bracing for long, slow recovery in housing MarketWatch Share
The abysmal new-home sales numbers released last week are a grim reminder that the housing recovery will likely be choppy, and some home-builder chiefs are voicing concerns about what will happen to demand when stimulus measures expire soon. The Commerce Department reported that sales of new U.S. homes fell more than 11 percent in January to the lowest pace on record. Winter storms in some areas of the country likely depressed activity, analysts said. More |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
