Tips & Techniques
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Mark-Up Basics
When I give talks or attend trade shows, I'm often asked about mark-up, overhead, and net profit. Some people even talk in hushed tones when asking about what percentages our company uses, as if we might be letting out some tightly held secret. From these discussions, I've found that a great many contractors do not understand the concept of mark-up or the difference between mark-up and profit.
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Multiplying Space with Stairs
When confronted with a stubborn layout problem, I go right to the stairs. Of course, stairs can be frustrating in their inflexibility. You can’t cut across a stair. You can’t access a stair except at a landing.
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Hot-Water Circulation
By delivering hot water to the tap quickly, on-demand systems save water, energy, and time.
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Reconditioning Antique Fixtures
Lighting sets the mood in a house. In fact many would argue that lighting choices for a house affect the occupants’ physical and mental wellbeing.
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Restoring a Standing-Seam Roof
Properly maintained, this elastomeric coating can protect a metal roof indefinitely.
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Painting Interior Bricks
I need to paint an interior brick wall in a bedroom, and I'm not sure what type of paint to use. Because the brick wall includes the back of a fireplace, I'm worried that the heat from the fireplace might affect the selection or durability of the paint.
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Taking the Worry Out of Drinking Water
Whether it’s an outbreak of dangerous protozoa in a municipal water system, news of a private well contaminated with nitrates, or fresh warnings about the dangers of lead in our drinking water, rarely a day goes by without a worrisome new headline about water quality.
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The Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule
The EPA’s lead-related Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule became fully effective on April 22, 2010, causing a tectonic shift in the remodeling industry. The law affects remodelers, window installers, painters, HVAC specialists, and contractors, as well as plumbers and electricians, and is backed by fines totaling up to $37,500 per violation, per day.
