Builder Magazine: Design Centers

Georgia Builder Shops for Customers at a Shopping Center

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 01:39:16 EST

Grayhawk Homes moves its offices and sales center to a prominent corner in Columbus, Ga.

Well-Stocked Design Center Helps Sales

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:50:32 EST

Fulton Homes' design center has helped boost margins and sales despite the Phoenix-area economy.

Fulton Homes Sells Houses Like Trousers, to Great Effect

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:45:23 EST

Using retail techniques, the Arizona builder is making money with a trade-run design center.

Sustainable Kitchen

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 05:36:47 EST

Burlingame, Calif.

Fischer Homes Takes on Indianapolis

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:36:59 EST

Builder plans to open a design center for this market, where it wants to sell at least 150 homes in its first year.

Illinois Builder and Remodeler Form Marriage of Convenience

Tue, 11 May 2010 04:09:06 EST

A showroom in downtown Naperville will be focal feature of merger between Charleston Development Group and Casa Bella Design Kitchen and Bath Remodelers.

New Web-Based Design Studio Offers Hope for Poorly Designed Kitchens

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:16:24 EST

Service offers benefits to builders as well as consumers.

One Supplier Offers Helping Hand to Troubled Builders

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:22:11 EST

Creative Touch Interiors, despite being embroiled in at least two builder bankruptcies, forges closer ties with its clients.

Home Depot Reports A Fourth-Quarter Loss

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:20:46 EST

But company officers say results were "distorted" by charges and writedowns, as well as one fewer reporting week.

Despite Downturn, Design Centers Endure

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:12:40 EST

Builders are cutting back everywhere, but they are finding creative ways to keep their design centers open.

Survey: Death of the Design Center

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:05:12 EST

When asked if they felt centralized design centers would remain prevalent as builders return to core activities and business practices, results were pretty evenly mixed, with 42.5% of respondents saying yes, 45.0% saying no, and 12.5% remaining unsure.

The Builder Roundtable: Chicago Segment 2

Mon, 3 Mar 2008 10:22:26 EST

In this segment, expert panelists cover current sales and marketing challenges, business plan predictions for 2008, and long-term prospects for the industry.

Feature: Selling By Design

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:12:46 EST

Every Tuesday afternoon, Renaissance Homes sales broker Leslee Lahey locks up the single model home in the community she manages in the suburbs of Portland, Ore., and heads into town with high hopes that Renaissance's state-of-the-art design center will help her finalize a sale that evening.

Special Issue Report: The People's Choice

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:59:25 EST

In the age of personalization and customization, organizations selling to consumers must make themselves adaptable.

Ye Olde Design Centre

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:05:30 EST

When David Jenkins, owner of Suwanee, Ga.–based Winmark Homes, decided to add a design center to his garden of home-grown operations, he dug deep into the family-owned business' talent well. Five-year Winmark veteran Marty Milbrett was appointed design center manager and tasked to find a novel take on an industry staple.

Design for Dollars: Ryland Homes

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:00:38 EST

Two years ago, when Eric Elder, The Ryland Group's senior vice president of marketing and communications, first decided the Calabasas, Calif.–based home builder should to team up with Eric Mandil, president and principal of Mandil Inc., the plan was to use Mandil's fresh approach to color as a way to set Ryland Homes apart in the Denver market.

A Downplayed Upgrade

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 10:50:09 EST

Hardwood floors and countertops are among the most apparent product categories when it comes to opportunities to glean profits through options and upgrades. How about carpet upgrades?

The Nationals: Special Spaces

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:46:23 EST

Before buyers spend years in a home, they'll spend critical hours in a welcome center, a sales center, or a design center. A disconnect at any one of these points can be the difference between a customer who is happy to refer friends and family and one who just wants to get the whole thing over with so they can move into their house. That's why these facilities are so important, and why The Nationals recognizes excellence in them.

Instant Entertainment

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:43:51 EST

A big builder and an electronics retailer form an agreement to market audio/video systems.

See It Now

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:40:47 EST

For years, home builders have been looking for a reliable software tool that would let home buyers view home plans and models and select options in 3-D and then integrate with a builder's back-office system.