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Build (37)
- Design Build (5)
- Products (15)
Contractor U (7)
Distractions (90)
- Creative Eye (1)
- Site Notes (8)
- Voices (66)
  - Alec Caldwell (7)
  - Guests (2)
  - Ian Szabo (1)
  - Mike Draper (18)
  - Robert Koci (26)
  - Steve Maxwell (8)
  - Victoria Downing (2)
dynamic (1)
Estimating (1)
Finances (3)
Grow (17)
Industry (47)
Marketing (20)
Mike Draper (9)
Profit (7)
Sales (8)
Stuff We Like (21)
Trades (12)
- Drywall & Insulation (3)
- HVAC (3)
- Plumbing (7)
- Pro Painter (2)
Uncategorized (16)

Posts per category

Alec Caldwell

How can you compete against this? — Comments (4)
Being a MOL — Comments (0)
A close shave — Comments (0)
Ontario WSIB truth — Comments (1)
Working for a pay cheque or building a business? — Comments (0)
Getting the pulse from Home Renovation Contractors in 2012 — Comments (0)
The Great Untouched Renovation Market! — Comments (0)

Build

Stairway to Heavenly Design — Comments (0)
Maxwell’s magnificent 7 — Comments (0)
HurriQuake Nails — Comments (0)
Contractor Roundtable, Part 2: Regulations and the underground — Comments (2)
Tanks tank in study comparing them to tankless — Comments (0)
Reliable Dry: Best practices for keeping water out of basements — Comments (2)
The death of home heating — Comments (13)
The Passive House continued — Comments (2)
Nice bits! — Comments (1)
The shower that does everything — Comments (2)
IBS Orlando, 2012. Design that makes you look up — Comments (0)
Revolution software — Comments (1)
Why Velux stays on top — Comments (0)
Super smart home — Comments (0)
The perfect porch for a scary client — Comments (0)
Hilti Brushless Power — Comments (0)
Hanging Fire — Comments (0)
The “little black dress” of kitchen products — Comments (0)
Laneway houses — Comments (0)
Getting into a Froth — Comments (0)
Marketplace kicks contractor butt — Comments (2)
Footings done different — Comments (0)
The ABCs of ICFs — Comments (2)
No-VOC Flooring Adhesive — Comments (0)
Cleaning and servicing the macerator — Comments (0)
Install once and you will hate all others — Comments (11)
Broken? Or just an R9 super efficient French door — Comments (0)
Why ‘R value’ is not accurate — Comments (3)
Milwaukee Compact Bandsaw — Comments (0)
The White Knight’s triumph — Comments (0)
The White Knight — Comments (2)
Bad insulation — Comments (0)
The house with no furnace — Comments (1)
Contracting in the City of Canals — Comments (0)
Craftsmanship in Venice — Comments (0)
Reiner’s letter from Germany — Comments (0)
Craftsmanship Time Warp — Comments (0)

Contractor U

Need more sales? Act like it! — Comments (0)
The 3 million dollar road Part 4: $3 million and beyond — Comments (0)
The 3 million dollar road Part 3: Beyond your first million — Comments (0)
The 3 million dollar road Part 2: Along the $3 million road — Comments (2)
The 3 million dollar road Part 1: The eight steps to growth — Comments (0)
It’s All About The Lawn Sign — Comments (0)
To Systemize or Not To Systemize — Comments (0)

Creative Eye

The Creative Eye: Life On Site — Comments (0)

Design Build

Stairway to Heavenly Design — Comments (0)
IBS Orlando, 2012. Design that makes you look up — Comments (0)
Revolution software — Comments (1)
Laneway houses — Comments (0)
The house with no furnace — Comments (1)

Distractions

A Canadian View of the American Housing Industry — Comments (0)
Your Leadership Style — Comments (0)
A hand up, not a hand out — Comments (0)
Greek Lesson — Comments (0)
A new way of selling to homeowners arrives — Comments (0)
What Your Parents Never Taught You About Business — Comments (0)
Canadian Contractor Salary Survey is LIVE — Comments (0)
Need more sales? Act like it! — Comments (0)
The right price — Comments (0)
Illegal immigrants in construction need a break — Comments (0)
To profit, specialize — Comments (0)
Reiner’s House — Comments (2)
The 3 million dollar road Part 4: $3 million and beyond — Comments (0)
Profit is not a dirty word — Comments (1)
The 3 million dollar road Part 3: Beyond your first million — Comments (0)
The 3 million dollar road Part 2: Along the $3 million road — Comments (2)
The 3 million dollar road Part 1: The eight steps to growth — Comments (0)
Cost-side smarts — Comments (0)
Does it matter to renovators when housing slows? — Comments (2)
One contractor’s opinion on home sales and renos — Comments (0)
Showing off — Comments (0)
Bad Santa — Comments (3)
Underground truths — Comments (1)
How unions encourage the cash economy — Comments (7)
The Johnny Cash School of Decor — Comments (0)
Reliable Dry: Best practices for keeping water out of basements — Comments (2)
Crash! — Comments (0)
The death of home heating — Comments (13)
Meetings…what a waste!! — Comments (1)
What you need to think — Comments (1)
Health as a profit strategy — Comments (0)
The Passive House continued — Comments (2)
Union bully boys — Comments (0)
Salary Survey: What you earn — Comments (0)
Decorenza — Comments (0)
How do you fire a client? — Comments (4)
Who attracts the most attention at Orlando’s IBS? — Comments (0)
The IBS show in three minutes — Comments (0)
Why Velux stays on top — Comments (0)
Battery life learning for reno geeks — Comments (0)
What’s the ROI on this excavation? — Comments (0)
Home show strategies — Comments (3)
Multiple Trades On Site at the Same Time — Comments (3)
How can you compete against this? — Comments (4)
The Profit Series Part 1: Why Profit? — Comments (0)
The Profit Series Part 2: Markup and Margin — Comments (3)
Marketplace kicks contractor butt — Comments (2)
Win more business — Comments (0)
Contractor Shorts 1 — Comments (0)
Being a MOL — Comments (0)
Are you conservative? — Comments (0)
Best Way to Profit — Comments (0)
A Thousand Decisions — Comments (5)
WSIB’s unfunded liability more than reported, says C.D. Howe — Comments (0)
A close shave — Comments (0)
Contractor Shorts 2 — Comments (2)
Sell More at Trade Shows — Comments (1)
The Federal budget for renovators — Comments (0)
Men At Work Win — Comments (0)
Ontario WSIB truth — Comments (1)
The Creative Eye: Life On Site — Comments (0)
Good news from RBC for renovators — Comments (0)
Contractor Shorts 3 — Comments (1)
Tired of working 60 hours plus a week? — Comments (0)
Where’s Personal Responsibility? — Comments (0)
Why ‘R value’ is not accurate — Comments (3)
Hiring slaves — Comments (2)
Contractor Shorts 4 — Comments (0)
Working for a pay cheque or building a business? — Comments (0)
This is cool — Comments (0)
Lead Follow-Up — Comments (0)
Visit us April 19 — Comments (0)
Contractor Shorts 5 — Comments (0)
Getting the pulse from Home Renovation Contractors in 2012 — Comments (0)
Maybe You Need a Different Perspective. — Comments (0)
Help a food bank. It will take one minute — Comments (2)
The Home Depot Appreciates YOU! — Comments (0)
Contractor shorts 6 — Comments (0)
It’s All In The Presentation — Comments (0)
Will getting three quotes find the bad banana? — Comments (2)
Stop trying to be a business — Comments (0)
It’s All About The Lawn Sign — Comments (0)
It’s definitely about the lawn sign — Comments (0)
The Great Untouched Renovation Market! — Comments (0)
Contracting in the City of Canals — Comments (0)
Craftsmanship in Venice — Comments (0)
To Systemize or Not To Systemize — Comments (0)
Craftsmanship Time Warp — Comments (0)
Females hammering away — Comments (0)
A Contractor Joke — Comments (0)

Drywall & Insulation

The death of home heating — Comments (13)
Getting into a Froth — Comments (0)
The ABCs of ICFs — Comments (2)

dynamic

For Painters Only — Comments (2)

Estimating

CMHC Housing Report Q4, 2011 — Comments (0)

Finances

CMHC Housing Report Q4, 2011 — Comments (0)
What friends are NOT for — Comments (4)
Keep this link — Comments (0)

Grow

Your Leadership Style — Comments (0)
CMHC Housing Report Q4, 2011 — Comments (0)
Contractor Roundtable, Part 2: Regulations and the underground — Comments (2)
The 3 million dollar road Part 4: $3 million and beyond — Comments (0)
The 3 million dollar road Part 3: Beyond your first million — Comments (0)
The 3 million dollar road Part 2: Along the $3 million road — Comments (2)
The 3 million dollar road Part 1: The eight steps to growth — Comments (0)
Meetings…what a waste!! — Comments (1)
What you need to think — Comments (1)
Go Rici Construct Canada Reno Roundtable: Part 1 — Comments (3)
Survey your customers — Comments (0)
Decorenza — Comments (0)
Revolution software — Comments (1)
And you said social media would never work in construction — Comments (2)
Stop trying to be a business — Comments (0)
CARAHS chapter meeting: Five proven ways to grow your business — Comments (2)
Homeowners will pack seminar in Vancouver — Comments (0)

Guests

Your Leadership Style — Comments (0)
To profit, specialize — Comments (0)

HVAC

Install once and you will hate all others — Comments (11)
Milwaukee Compact Bandsaw — Comments (0)
Dewalt’s shrouding protection — Comments (0)

Ian Szabo

The right price — Comments (0)

Industry

A Canadian View of the American Housing Industry — Comments (0)
Your Leadership Style — Comments (0)
US housing industry trends for 2012 — Comments (0)
Greek Lesson — Comments (0)
A new way of selling to homeowners arrives — Comments (0)
Canadian Contractor Salary Survey is LIVE — Comments (0)
Contractor Roundtable, Part 2: Regulations and the underground — Comments (2)
Illegal immigrants in construction need a break — Comments (0)
Does it matter to renovators when housing slows? — Comments (2)
One contractor’s opinion on home sales and renos — Comments (0)
Underground truths — Comments (1)
How unions encourage the cash economy — Comments (7)
How house sales affect renovations — Comments (0)
Red Tape Awareness Week — Comments (0)
Go Rici Construct Canada Reno Roundtable: Part 2 — Comments (1)
Go Rici Construct Canada Reno Roundtable: Part 3 — Comments (0)
Go Rici Construct Canada Reno Roundtable: Part 4 — Comments (0)
Union bully boys — Comments (0)
Salary Survey: What you earn — Comments (0)
Decorenza — Comments (0)
Salary Survey: What reduces profit? — Comments (0)
Salary Survey preview: What you are doing online — Comments (0)
The IBS show in three minutes — Comments (0)
The new rules for WSIB in Ontario — Comments (2)
The Anti-Angie’s List — Comments (8)
2012 Salary Survey — Comments (2)
Building permits down for January — Comments (0)
Starts break 200,000 in February — Comments (0)
New Housing Price Index Up — Comments (0)
Marketplace kicks contractor butt — Comments (2)
Conference Board says renos gain in importance — Comments (0)
Construction union wage rates — Comments (0)
WSIB’s unfunded liability more than reported, says C.D. Howe — Comments (0)
Another contractor enters WSIB hell — Comments (9)
The Federal budget for renovators — Comments (0)
Men At Work Win — Comments (0)
Keep this link — Comments (0)
Good news from RBC for renovators — Comments (0)
WSIB responds — Comments (0)
Hiring slaves — Comments (2)
ACCESS! You need to know what it means — Comments (0)
Bad insulation — Comments (0)
Benny’s a charm, says J.D. Power — Comments (0)
CARAHS chapter meeting: Five proven ways to grow your business — Comments (2)
Permits up (commercial) and down (residential) — Comments (0)
Rotating skyscrapers — Comments (0)
A pocketful of natural gas — Comments (0)

Marketing

Showing off — Comments (0)
Bad Santa — Comments (3)
Tanks tank in study comparing them to tankless — Comments (0)
The Johnny Cash School of Decor — Comments (0)
Go Rici Construct Canada Reno Roundtable: Part 1 — Comments (3)
Survey your customers — Comments (0)
Go Rici Construct Canada Reno Roundtable: Part 2 — Comments (1)
Go Rici Construct Canada Reno Roundtable: Part 3 — Comments (0)
Go Rici Construct Canada Reno Roundtable: Part 4 — Comments (0)
Decorenza — Comments (0)
Liar, liar pants on fire. Misleading proposals and how to avoid them — Comments (0)
Ottawa firm gets in front of the curve — Comments (0)
Word-of-mouth marketing is not just on the street — Comments (6)
What does this woman have to say about your reno business? — Comments (0)
And you said social media would never work in construction — Comments (2)
How can you compete against this? — Comments (4)
Keep this link — Comments (0)
A four letter word for success — Comments (0)
It’s All About The Lawn Sign — Comments (0)
Homeowners will pack seminar in Vancouver — Comments (0)

Mike Draper

The last payment — Comments (0)
The 3 million dollar road Part 3: Beyond your first million — Comments (0)
Home show strategies — Comments (3)
Sell More at Trade Shows — Comments (1)
Tired of working 60 hours plus a week? — Comments (0)
Lead Follow-Up — Comments (0)
Maybe You Need a Different Perspective. — Comments (0)
It’s All About The Lawn Sign — Comments (0)
To Systemize or Not To Systemize — Comments (0)

Mike Draper

Need more sales? Act like it! — Comments (0)
The 3 million dollar road Part 4: $3 million and beyond — Comments (0)
The 3 million dollar road Part 3: Beyond your first million — Comments (0)
The 3 million dollar road Part 2: Along the $3 million road — Comments (2)
The 3 million dollar road Part 1: The eight steps to growth — Comments (0)
Home show strategies — Comments (3)
The Profit Series Part 1: Why Profit? — Comments (0)
The Profit Series Part 2: Markup and Margin — Comments (3)
Win more business — Comments (0)
Best Way to Profit — Comments (0)
Sell More at Trade Shows — Comments (1)
Tired of working 60 hours plus a week? — Comments (0)
Lead Follow-Up — Comments (0)
Maybe You Need a Different Perspective. — Comments (0)
It’s All In The Presentation — Comments (0)
It’s All About The Lawn Sign — Comments (0)
It’s definitely about the lawn sign — Comments (0)
To Systemize or Not To Systemize — Comments (0)

Plumbing

The shower that does everything — Comments (2)
Ottawa firm gets in front of the curve — Comments (0)
The “little black dress” of kitchen products — Comments (0)
Cleaning and servicing the macerator — Comments (0)
Install once and you will hate all others — Comments (11)
Milwaukee Compact Bandsaw — Comments (0)
Dewalt’s shrouding protection — Comments (0)

Pro Painter

Pro Painter magazine’s Dynamic Survey — Comments (0)
For Painters Only — Comments (2)

Products

Maxwell’s magnificent 7 — Comments (0)
HurriQuake Nails — Comments (0)
Tanks tank in study comparing them to tankless — Comments (0)
Nice bits! — Comments (1)
Why Velux stays on top — Comments (0)
Hilti Brushless Power — Comments (0)
Hanging Fire — Comments (0)
The “little black dress” of kitchen products — Comments (0)
Getting into a Froth — Comments (0)
The ABCs of ICFs — Comments (2)
No-VOC Flooring Adhesive — Comments (0)
Cleaning and servicing the macerator — Comments (0)
Broken? Or just an R9 super efficient French door — Comments (0)
Milwaukee Compact Bandsaw — Comments (0)
Reiner’s letter from Germany — Comments (0)

Profit

Motivating your staff without money — Comments (3)
To profit, specialize — Comments (0)
Profit is not a dirty word — Comments (1)
What you need to think — Comments (1)
Health as a profit strategy — Comments (0)
The Profit Series Part 1: Why Profit? — Comments (0)
The Profit Series Part 2: Markup and Margin — Comments (3)

Robert Koci

A Canadian View of the American Housing Industry — Comments (0)
A hand up, not a hand out — Comments (0)
Greek Lesson — Comments (0)
Illegal immigrants in construction need a break — Comments (0)
Reiner’s House — Comments (2)
Profit is not a dirty word — Comments (1)
Cost-side smarts — Comments (0)
Does it matter to renovators when housing slows? — Comments (2)
One contractor’s opinion on home sales and renos — Comments (0)
Showing off — Comments (0)
Bad Santa — Comments (3)
Underground truths — Comments (1)
The Johnny Cash School of Decor — Comments (0)
Crash! — Comments (0)
The death of home heating — Comments (13)
What you need to think — Comments (1)
Health as a profit strategy — Comments (0)
Union bully boys — Comments (0)
Salary Survey: What you earn — Comments (0)
Decorenza — Comments (0)
How do you fire a client? — Comments (4)
The IBS show in three minutes — Comments (0)
Why Velux stays on top — Comments (0)
Are you conservative? — Comments (0)
The Federal budget for renovators — Comments (0)
Stop trying to be a business — Comments (0)

Sales

The art of starting over — Comments (0)
And you said social media would never work in construction — Comments (2)
Building permits down for January — Comments (0)
Win more business — Comments (0)
Sell on value, not price — Comments (0)
Lead Follow-Up — Comments (0)
Maybe You Need a Different Perspective. — Comments (0)
It’s All In The Presentation — Comments (0)

Site Notes

A Canadian View of the American Housing Industry — Comments (0)
Bad Santa — Comments (3)
Who attracts the most attention at Orlando’s IBS? — Comments (0)
Battery life learning for reno geeks — Comments (0)
What’s the ROI on this excavation? — Comments (0)
Marketplace kicks contractor butt — Comments (2)
Good news from RBC for renovators — Comments (0)
Females hammering away — Comments (0)

Steve Maxwell

Reliable Dry: Best practices for keeping water out of basements — Comments (2)
The Passive House continued — Comments (2)
A Thousand Decisions — Comments (5)
Where’s Personal Responsibility? — Comments (0)
Why ‘R value’ is not accurate — Comments (3)
Contracting in the City of Canals — Comments (0)
Craftsmanship in Venice — Comments (0)
Craftsmanship Time Warp — Comments (0)

Stuff We Like

Maxwell’s magnificent 7 — Comments (0)
HurriQuake Nails — Comments (0)
The shower that does everything — Comments (2)
Ottawa firm gets in front of the curve — Comments (0)
Battery life learning for reno geeks — Comments (0)
Super smart home — Comments (0)
Hilti Brushless Power — Comments (0)
Hanging Fire — Comments (0)
Getting into a Froth — Comments (0)
Footings done different — Comments (0)
Cleaning and servicing the macerator — Comments (0)
Install once and you will hate all others — Comments (11)
Killer clothing, literally — Comments (0)
Broken? Or just an R9 super efficient French door — Comments (0)
Varrrooommm!! 1 — Comments (0)
Dewalt’s shrouding protection — Comments (0)
Varrrooommm!! 2 — Comments (0)
Varrrooommm!! 3 — Comments (0)
“Your tailgate just got ripped off, Ivan.” — Comments (0)
Varrrooommm!! 4 — Comments (0)
Varrrooommm!! 5 — Comments (0)

Uncategorized

The Big Orange goes Green — Comments (0)
National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings (NECB) talks to you — Comments (0)
I’ve never heard this insulation tip before — Comments (2)
Stats Can says construction industry down, and the res part is even downer — Comments (0)
Tired of working 60 hours plus a week? — Comments (0)
StatsCan: Lower intentions for residential — Comments (0)
March Starts from StatsCan — Comments (0)
Maybe You Need a Different Perspective. — Comments (0)
Take a break — Comments (0)
It’s All In The Presentation — Comments (0)
The Great Untouched Renovation Market! — Comments (0)
To Systemize or Not To Systemize — Comments (0)
When your customer kicks the bucket… — Comments (4)
The Venetian Building Scene — Comments (0)
How Carbide Saw Blades Are Made — Comments (0)
Cape-able Contractors — Comments (0)

Victoria Downing

What Your Parents Never Taught You About Business — Comments (0)
Meetings…what a waste!! — Comments (1)

Voices

A Canadian View of the American Housing Industry — Comments (0)
Your Leadership Style — Comments (0)
A hand up, not a hand out — Comments (0)
Greek Lesson — Comments (0)
What Your Parents Never Taught You About Business — Comments (0)
Need more sales? Act like it! — Comments (0)
The right price — Comments (0)
Illegal immigrants in construction need a break — Comments (0)
To profit, specialize — Comments (0)
Reiner’s House — Comments (2)
The 3 million dollar road Part 4: $3 million and beyond — Comments (0)
Profit is not a dirty word — Comments (1)
The 3 million dollar road Part 3: Beyond your first million — Comments (0)
The 3 million dollar road Part 2: Along the $3 million road — Comments (2)
The 3 million dollar road Part 1: The eight steps to growth — Comments (0)
Cost-side smarts — Comments (0)
Does it matter to renovators when housing slows? — Comments (2)
One contractor’s opinion on home sales and renos — Comments (0)
Showing off — Comments (0)
Bad Santa — Comments (3)
Underground truths — Comments (1)
How unions encourage the cash economy — Comments (7)
The Johnny Cash School of Decor — Comments (0)
Reliable Dry: Best practices for keeping water out of basements — Comments (2)
Crash! — Comments (0)
The death of home heating — Comments (13)
Meetings…what a waste!! — Comments (1)
What you need to think — Comments (1)
Health as a profit strategy — Comments (0)
The Passive House continued — Comments (2)
Union bully boys — Comments (0)
Salary Survey: What you earn — Comments (0)
Decorenza — Comments (0)
How do you fire a client? — Comments (4)
The IBS show in three minutes — Comments (0)
Why Velux stays on top — Comments (0)
Home show strategies — Comments (3)
Multiple Trades On Site at the Same Time — Comments (3)
How can you compete against this? — Comments (4)
The Profit Series Part 1: Why Profit? — Comments (0)
The Profit Series Part 2: Markup and Margin — Comments (3)
Win more business — Comments (0)
Being a MOL — Comments (0)
Are you conservative? — Comments (0)
Best Way to Profit — Comments (0)
A Thousand Decisions — Comments (5)
A close shave — Comments (0)
Sell More at Trade Shows — Comments (1)
The Federal budget for renovators — Comments (0)
Ontario WSIB truth — Comments (1)
Tired of working 60 hours plus a week? — Comments (0)
Where’s Personal Responsibility? — Comments (0)
Why ‘R value’ is not accurate — Comments (3)
Working for a pay cheque or building a business? — Comments (0)
Lead Follow-Up — Comments (0)
Getting the pulse from Home Renovation Contractors in 2012 — Comments (0)
Maybe You Need a Different Perspective. — Comments (0)
It’s All In The Presentation — Comments (0)
Stop trying to be a business — Comments (0)
It’s All About The Lawn Sign — Comments (0)
It’s definitely about the lawn sign — Comments (0)
The Great Untouched Renovation Market! — Comments (0)
Contracting in the City of Canals — Comments (0)
Craftsmanship in Venice — Comments (0)
To Systemize or Not To Systemize — Comments (0)
Craftsmanship Time Warp — Comments (0)