Two Hammers

We exhibited in a local home show over the weekend; and the attendance and homeowner interest was a surprise. Attendance was off a little from previous years, and some people could not get past our remodeling booth fast enough. However, about 25% of those which we had discussions with were interested in kitchen remodels. Our expectations were for nothing but small face lift and maintenance projects, apparently some homeowners are not restrained by the softening housing market.
The big hits for the show were convenience hardware and premade kitchen cabinets by Diamond Cabinets. The new turquoise rust finish from Decora Cabinets received a lot of interest; and to our amazement there was still a lot of interest in white cabinets. And the winner in the countertop area were quartz stones like Cambria.

The soft touch on cabinet drawers and doors has become the dominant hardware choice for homeowners.  The hardware has matured to the point that it functions reliably and can be installed with confidence.  Blum offers a very nice soft closing under mount drawer glide which is a must have for a new kitchen.  The second generation of Blum Door closers has a very pleasing motion and should be considered for all kitchen cabinet doors.  If you have already remodeled your kitchen, all is not lost, Blum offers a unit which will retrofit onto most of their European style hinges.  Call your local cabinet shop and get retrofits for your doors.

For a new kitchen remodel the soft close hardware is available on custom cabinets and premanufactured cabinet lines like Diamond Cabinets Decora Cabinets, and Kraftmaid Cabinets.

Before running out and blowing your tax rebate check on the first big screen tv you see at Wallmart, let us consider how that money can feather your nest and also help your local economy.  Spending the money on a big screen tv is almost like direct deposit into a foreign bank account; a small percentage will stay with the local retailer, and a smaller percentage will stay with the trucking company, but the majority of the money is going straight to a foreign manufacturer.  Instead consider spending the money on locally manufactured goods and services with a large labor component.  Buy a piece of art from a local artist, or a product made at a local manufacturer.  Crown moulding in the living room will make a nice job for a local carpenter and painter while sprucing up the home.  Or, the unemployed carpenter down the street could use a couple of days pay doing maintenance projects around your home.  Money spent on local labor will circulate at least once locally before heading offshore to a foreign bank account.

The local businesses which are going to be the main benefactors of such spending need to do their part also.  Invest the windfall profits on tools and equipment, software, and employee training; which will enhance your capabilities or increase efficiency.  That way you will be in better shape to weather a recession.  In addition, the money will circulate a second time through the economy and have a multiplying effect.

We all watch too much tv anyway!

The customer freeze during the first quarter is finally thawing out, and remodeling projects are starting to hit the drafting table.  For those that survived the worst quarter in recent memory there is a glimmer of hope.  We are projecting remodeling activity at 80% of the level of one year ago, not ideal, but acceptable.  Gone are the home equity line remodel projects which were so popular for the past several years.  Now projects will be either maintenance driven remodels, or for customers who are immune from recession.   This will actually be good for the industry, the home equity remodels always seemed to have the budget raided for a new car or a big screen tv.  Remodeling projects now should be of better quality with more stable budgets, and more committed customers.  Thus, these projects should be more profitable, and well established contractors will survive.

This is how the scenario plays out.  Obama is elected president with Clinton as vice president.  A Rush Limbaugh dildo head shoots Obama in the head, then a jealous girlfriend shoots Clinton.  Pelosi then becomes president, and we all shoot ourselves in the head because we should be voting Libertarian.

Spare me the hate mail; this was just a weird dream that I had.