Partner with the Pros.

Kate Carbone. Remodel Portland Magazine 2005, page 40 (Published in cooperation with the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland & Strategy Custom Publishing LLC)

Anyone with experience of a remodeling project will agree that the most overwhelming aspects of an already intimidating project are the choices. There are the colors and the textures and the materials to consider, not to mention the ever-complicated cost-value ratios, longevity versus maintenance requirements, aesthetics versus safety. The list goes on. And depending on the size of the remodel, you could be making these decisions for hundreds, even thousands of items that will make up your updated home. And just think, before all this begins – you have to actually select the perfect remodeling contractor. The Home Builders Association understands, and is here to help you navigate the process with ease – even to enjoy it.

The HBA’s Remodelors Council is an organization comprised of the area’s most trusted remodeling professionals. Membership in a trade organization is a good sign of strong commitment to both craft and community, and of superior knowledge and skill.

Jeff Metke of Metke Remodeling and Woodworking is an HBA board member and vice chair of this year’s Tour of Remodeled Homes. Remodelors Council members have chosen to specialize in remodeling. Just as it requires added training and study for a general practitioner doctor to become a specialist, remodeling is very similar. It requires knowledge of not only how to build a home, but also how to deconstruct, repair, rebuild and beautify the existing structure.

Metke adds that Remodelors Council members constantly strive to raise the bar and public perception. “We are professionals and want to public to view us as same, not as ‘Billy Bob with a pickup and a dog’. I think that is why consumers should demand that their contractors be active members [of the council].”
A Remodelors Council member is actively involved in keeping updated with new information,” explains Melissa Fryback with Arciform, LLC and an active member of the council. “We look to the Remodelors Council for the opportunity to broaden understanding not only of how we do business, but how fellow members do business as well.”

Fryback explains that rather than acting as competitors, Remodelors Council members work together to improve the industry standards in the area. “There’s plenty of remodeling work in Portland. The Council provides the opportunity to swap stories with other remodelers, and to network with the large number of members who are suppliers and subcontractors- that’s very important.”

One of those suppliers, John Ott of Home Comfort Zones, is a member of the Remodelors Council Steering Committee, chir of the Remodelors Council Marketing Committee and a member of the HBA Communications Committee. He makes an excellent point about the way that members work together to improve the efficiency and expediency of the remodeling trade. “As an associate member of the HBA, there is no better way to meet and understand the needs of remodelers than by working side by side with them on a professional and civic projects. Not only do you have the benefit of belonging to a professional organization, you also have a very easy and structured way to give back to the community.”

There is no doubt that professional membership in the Council ultimately benefits the consumer. Ott makes an eye-opening comparison. “As a consumer looking to do a major remodel, you are buying something that you will only buy perhaps once in a lifetime. Signing up with a remodeler without looking at the professional credentials is like going to a doctor who got his degree through the mail and was never licensed to practice. The Remodelors Council is really the ‘AMA’ of Remodelers- it is the organization with the clout and sheer numbers to ensure its members stay trained and up to date on codes, trends, materials and construction technology.”

Indeed, the epicenter of Council activity revolves around the continuing education of members. Each month, a variety of classes and seminars on subjects related to the industry are offered to members. There are also specialized programs by which members can earn the title of Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) and Certified Graduate Remodelor (CGR) through a series of classes followed by comprehensive exams.

The Tour of Remodeled Homes is another Council activity that offers members the opportunity to show off their work, and a perfect chance for homeowners to meet potential remodelers. Metke is a Tour veteran. “I have been a presenting builder since the first Tour, and I cannot think of another think that has helped my business grow so much.”

Fryback, a three year council member, first participated in the Tour last year and immediately saw the benefits not only for the remodeler, but also for the consumer. “The consumer benefits when they look at a variety of different remodelers’ work all at one time,” she says. They can see how each house is done, they can interview all of us and even set up an appointment to talk more specifically about their project. They find out who is know for work relevant to their project, and they can hand-select the companies that suit their needs.” This is especially important, explains Fryback, for people who don’t have a long list of referrals.

Ott agrees, “Anyone considering a remodel of their home in the next three to five years should be attending the Tour now. It is the easiest, most convenient way for consumers to be exposed to a dozen different real projects- not just some vignette in a showroom or pictures in a magazine. They see how different approaches and materials can radically change the look of their existing home.”

Last, but not least, remember that the members of the Remodelors Council love what they do, and they look forward to helping you achieve the home of your dreams.

Content republished with permission from the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland, courtesy of Strategy Custom Publishing LLC.