New Leadership Joins Linda Minde at Tri-Lite Builders

01/22/2011

 
Picture
Happy New Year! As the new face in the picture to the family of happy Tri-lite clients, I would like to introduce myself.

First of all, I am honored to be associated with Tri-Lite Builders and their standard of remodeling excellence. As someone who has strived to improve my remodeling knowledge and performance, this year will be no exception in my professional journey.

Some years ago I joined the local National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) in order to take advantage of their educational opportunities and associate with other professional remodelers who have the highest professional ethics and performance standards.

Upon entering my first meeting, I was greeted by Wayne Minde co-owner of Tri-Lite Builders.  He represented every professional accomplishment that I aspired to achieve, all rolled into one. He and his wife Linda had won numerous remodeling awards, certifications, designations and led a company that is well respected by their clients and other professionals across the country for their success and professionalism.

Wayne made me feel at home and demonstrated that I had made a good choice in joining NARI for my continued professional development. Over the years my wife Sally and I have developed a strong friendship with Wayne and Linda Minde, plus archived multiple NARI professional certifications..

My association with NARI and friendship with Wayne and Linda continues to open the door to professional development. This year I have been elected by my associates to lead our NARI chapter as their President.   This a great honor, responsibility, and a continuing opportunity for personal growth. Thanks to Linda's  urging me to take the time to enter my remodeling projects into NARI's CodY award competition, We entered and won won the local Contractor of the Year Award for 2011.

As you may know, the time has come for Wayne Minde to retire from the leadership of Tri-Lite Builders.

Wayne and Linda have honored me by inviting me to take a leadership position and partner with Linda to insure that Tri-Lite Builders continues to be an industry leader in in years to come.

My intention is to continue their example of quality service to homeowners across the valley for years to come through both Tri-Lite Builders and our original company, Homework Remodels.

Linda Minde has been a driving force in the company and will remain in her current role at Tri-Lite, continuing to spearhead community outreach, marketing and client relations efforts for the company.

We are looking forward to a great year working with homeowners across the valley to make their homes even more livable.

Call me with any questions!  Once again - Happy New Year from our entire team!

 

Top Remodeling Trends for 2011

01/02/2011

 
Now that the new year has arrived, I thought it would be a good time to share my views on the top remodeling trends for 2011. This year has been challenging for homeowners and remodelers alike. The good news is that although progress is slow, remodelers across the valley say that things are looking up.

Homeowners are looking to the New Year with a renewed sense of optimism about remodeling their homes. Home prices have stabilized and the economy is moving in a more positive direction. Astute remodeling contractors have found ways to lower their overhead and pricing to be competitive during the recession.  Many people think that 2011 will the best time we have seen in years to remodel a home.

The number one trend in 2011 remodeling will be expanded use of creativity by homeowners and remodelers as a team. The use of design build remodelers will continue to expand due to their holistic approach to balancing both design and budget
Picture
The focus will be on creative use of existing space and moderate sized additions. The use of color as a way to define space and bring out architectural features will continue to gain popularity. Kitchens will be made over to be brighter, open and less formal. Granite and quartz continue to be the countertops of choice, but soapstone is emerging as a unique alternative for an earthier feel in a solid surface countertop. Many kitchen and bathroom remodels will include cost effective techniques to recycle or renovate features rather than replacing everything.

Formal spaces in the home will be repurposed by opening up existing walls and creating more usable family centered space. Many people will find that their home can take on a whole new feel and function by reorganizing the seldom used formal open floor plan, living and dining rooms. 

Master suites and bathrooms will also be designed around how we live our lives, with less focus on over the top extravagance.  By focusing more on function and reasonable scale over flash, home remodels will have the feel and features we want without unsustainable budgets.

Integrating home energy performance improvements with various types of remodeling projects will continue to grow in popularity due to their positive return on investment. Homeowners are discovering that advances in building science have illustrated that there are numerous cost effective adjustments that can be made to their homes during a remodel.  These adjustments and repairs will improve their energy bills and make their homes more comfortable at the same time.

An excellent resource for perspective on remodeling in 2011 can be found in Sarah Susanka's book "Not So Big Remodeling. Sara is an Architect and bestselling author. She has been a proponent of designing and building living space that is more in line with how we live our lives. Her earlier book on home building "The Not So Big House" has led the trend away from building homes that are built for show instead of function.

Her longstanding focus on remodeling better instead of bigger will be the perfect homeowner perspective for 2011 for homeowners in Phoenix AZ and the surrounding communities of Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Ahwatukee, Gilbert, Sun City, Glendale and Peoria Arizona.