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Week of September 8, 2003

Front Page

President's Message

* Housing Advocates Are Prevailing in Court on Policy Issues

Housing Forum

* Solving the Housing Crisis — California's Oldest Permanent Emergency

Housing Politics

* NAFTA Panel Questions Basis for Tariffs on Canadian Lumber

Regulation

* HUD Web Site a Clearinghouse for Regulatory Concerns

Housing Finance

* Builders Working to Step Up Participation on State Financing Boards

Small Builders and Remodelers

* Remodeling Index Finds a Big Upswing in the Second Quarter
* Home Warranties Open the Door to Future Business Opportunities

Business Management

* The General Liability Insurance Crisis: Seven Strategies for Builders

Multifamily

* Fully Automated Garage a First for U.S. Multifamily Buildings

Commercial Builders

* Commercial Buildings Go 'Green' With Sustainable Design

Seniors Housing

* Research Is Essential For Targeting the Active Adult Market

Member Dividends

* NAHB Advocates Help Make a Bad Land Plan Better

Building Products

* Douglas Fir Is Pretty Hard for a Softwood

Building News Coast To Coast

Association News & Events

* Survey Aimed at Improving Arbitration Services
* Boost Your Marketing Through These Awards Programs
* Calendar of Events

NBN Back Issues

 

Home Warranties Open the Door to Future Business Opportunities

By Tim Shigley, CGR

Home warranties are no longer just a tool that remodelers can use to alleviate the anxieties of their customers. They can open new doors for your business for years to come.

We have been offering home warranties for four years as a way of demonstrating that we have confidence in what we do and as a way to stand out from the competition.

I am happy to pay for the labor and materials to go out and repair a warranty issue. This is an opportunity to return to a customer's home and remind them again that we provide great service. It also is a chance to visit with the owner and find out what other work he may be planning to do in the future. This is something I can't buy in any advertising medium.

Builders and remodelers shouldn't be afraid to stand behind their work. Nobody knows more about room additions, about soils and how to install foundations with proper displacement and about attaching an addition to a home. With this expertise, our company feels comfortable standing behind our work with a 10-year limited warranty, and we're ready to go to 15 years if anybody wants to match it.


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My company has built room additions that have experienced no problems in the more than 15 years since the work was completed. By developing a checklist system and following it, we are able to consistently deliver a product that strives for perfection and can reach the zero-defect level.

Developing a zero-defect checklist for your project managers, lead carpenters and trade partners or subcontractors for each phase of the job can decrease the time it takes to do the job and minimize callbacks for fixing things that should have been right befrore the project was delivered to the home owner.

When you develop a systematic approach to the warranty process that everyone in your company understands, your employees will feel a greater sense of responsibility for the work they do and take pride in the quality and craftsmanship of the project.

Tim Shigley, CGR, is the president of Shigley Construction Company Inc. in Wichita, KS. He is vice chair of the NAHB Remodelors™ Council  Membership and Local Council Development Committee and is a member of its public affairs committee.


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