Toe To Toe

“If you think you are building better stuff, you want to be sure that your clients are seeing it up on the site,” remarks Bill Welte. “We've had dozens of calls from people who took the time to view our Web site,” he concludes.

Most builders are too small to have model homes, and unless they build spec homes, one of the only other ways to show buyers what they have to offer is by participating in a local parade of homes.

A lot of small builders complain that too many of the shoppers at the HBA events are just browsing, but Carmen Dominguez, president of Homes by Carmen Dominguez in Orlando, Fla., says builders should look at the parade of homes as a long-term investment.

“I don't always get immediate results,” admits Dominguez, who chaired the spring parade of homes for the Orlando HBA. “But people think about building a home several years in advance,” she says. “When people see the quality I offer and leave with the right information, they do call back.”

PEOPLE LOVE PARADES: In response to builders who complain that parades of homes don't generate business, Orlando, Fla., builder Carmen Dominguez says she gets calls from people who see the high quality of her homes, such as the one shown here.

Builders can and do sell homes at these HBA events. Paul Kumar, president of Cyras Homes in Charlotte, N.C., says his company took part in the Charlotte HBA's HomeArama this year. He notes that the company showcased a $3.48 million home that sold just before Memorial Day weekend.

Participating in a parade of homes may not make sense every year, but it might be a good strategy to enter every second or third year. It's an excellent way to show your homes to large groups of people and to let them know the kind of product you offer.

Ten construction tips that Gabriel Builders uses to stay one step ahead.

All business experience is valuable; it's just a matter of how you apply it. Take Gus Rubio, president of Gabriel Builders in Greer, S.C., a company he founded in 1984. Before Rubio started his company, he worked as a quality control person for a plastic injection molding business. In that position, he developed an eye for the little details that let companies build quality products. He applied the quality control techniques he learned in manufacturing to his building company and developed a series of construction-oriented processes that help keep quality high. Finally, about three years ago, Rubio decided to put the list down on paper and now uses it as part of the company's marketing materials. He also plans to post the list on his company's Web site. His advice to builders: You are probably doing something unique with your own building processes. Just take the time to write them down and use them as marketing opportunities.

• Add extra soundproofing. Insulate the interior walls for sound with regular batted insulation in the bathrooms, laundry room, and adjacent living areas. This costs several hundred dollars, but most builders—even custom builders—only insulate the main walls. The extra insulation makes for a quieter house.
• Eliminate household plumbing noises. Install cast-iron plumbing drops to reduce noise. This also costs a few hundred extra dollars per drop, but it reduces the noise of the water running through the pipes when the toilet is flushed.
• Treat exterior wood with care. When using wood products, back-prime exterior trim and paint all siding before installation to decrease wood rot.
• Build healthy homes. To maintain indoor air quality, install air filter systems. Gabriel uses the system from Aprilaire. The product includes a prefilter, a 5-inch pleated filter, and an ultraviolet bulb that breaks down bacteria, mold, and fungi and neutralizes unpleasant odors.
• Waterproof the house. All the windows and doors in Gabriel's homes have a window head and wall flashing system as well as back-caulk applied to ensure that water never enters a wall system.
• Use interior temperature controls. Be smart when installing hardwood flooring or any interior finishes. The goal is to minimize wood movement while doing such work by having the air conditioning on in the summer or the heat on in the winter.
• Put a premium on painting. For high-quality painting results, fill the nail holes with wood instead of putty, and lay on a minimum of three coats of paint with fine sanding between coats. Gabriel also applies an oil-base paint to all trim. Remember to use great sheetrock and high-quality paint, because that's what people see.
• Don't cut corners on drywall. Attach all sheetrock to the studs with both glue and screws. The extra fastening eliminates nail pops.
• Find creative ways to do water runoff. Gabriel runs a pipe from the gutter to either the street near the front of the house or the backyard. More orderly water management helps eliminate basement leaks.
• Prepare for hurricanes. Tests were run after Hurricane Hugo in 1989, and it was determined that applying plywood horizontally increases the strength of the house 30 percent. Gabriel also uses hurricane straps to attach rafters to the wall system. Even though the communities where Gabriel builds are four or five hours from the coast, the company adds the straps for two reasons: One, it gives the homeowner peace of mind; and two, it shows the building inspector that the company is serious about quality.