First we started with questions.

What if we could remodel a kitchen in 7 days?  And what if we could do it for around $15,000?  And furthermore, what if we made sure it included the whole remodel, not just some gimmicky offer with a low price and a bunch of add-ons?  What if we could even offer granite countertops? And new plumbing fixtures? And appliances?

So we went to work.  We met with suppliers.  We hired an interior designer to consult on colors and material combinations.  We worked with scheduling combinations to find just the right fit.  We came up with a name, and a logo and a website.

Last week we launched.  And the response was impressive.

Want to find out more? Here is the page that tells the whole story…

This is the fourth tip in our 4-part series on avoiding insurance claims in your home.

The Facts

As we approach the middle of winter, it’s important to be aware of damage caused by freezing.  While most homes are insulated sufficiently to protect interior elements, freezing weather can cause damage to the outside of your home.

Two dangers that we’ve seen cause insurance claims are freezing water lines and gutters.

When water inside a pipe freezes, it expands.  When it expands, it can rupture the pipe or an adjacent valve or connection.  This obviously creates a flood hazard for your home.

When water sitting in gutters freezes, it stops gutters from operating properly.  Not only does this make the home susceptible to water infiltration, but it puts strain on the gutter supports and can cause gutters to fall off the home.

The Solution

A simple solution to freezing pipes is to properly insulate them.  This can be done with pre-fabricated pipe insulation or simple household items like newspaper and duct tape (although the latter sure isn’t pretty…)  Simply be sure all exposed exterior pipes are insulated and the problem is solved.

The best way to prevent gutter damage from freezing is by making sure gutters are clear of debris.  When operating properly, gutters allow water to drain faster than it can freeze.  Simple solution.

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2011 was filled with numerous exciting milestones for Trinity Renovation.  Our first full year of operation, an office to call our own, the addition of two great team members and over 120 completed projects.  Through all this change, one thing remained the same: we were influenced by some fantastic business books.

Some of us prefer reading, others listening to audio books.  Either way, we love growing our minds (and hopefully our business).

So in celebration of a great year we present a few of our favorite books of 2011:

Crush It by Guy Vaynerchuk

What It’s About:  A man with a passion for wine discovers the power of video blogging and grows his family liquor store into one of the biggest wine retailers in the United States.  It’s a fantastic journey narrated by one of more entertaining marketing personalities of our time.

How It Spoke to Us:  The way you market in 2011 is a far cry from the days of yore.  This marketing revolution is double-edged however: while it’s easy to reach your market, it’s hard to maintain their attention.  The only way to “win” attention is to serve your market by producing thorough and entertaining content.  As a builder, we operate in an arena mostly void of this type of marketing.  Applying modern concepts is one of our biggest challenges, and this book certainly shed light on a strategy.

We Recommend It If:  You’re interested in getting a jump on the competition in online content marketing and becoming an authority in your business arena.

Drive by Daniel H. Pink

What It’s About:  Blowing up our preconceived notion of what “drives” us to do our best work.  Using a clever combination of scientific study and case studies, Pink delivers an impeccable thesis on changing our work culture in business and education.  This book certainly falls into one of our favorite categories: books that make us uncomfortable while reading because we realize how wrong our preconceived notions may be.

How It Spoke to Us:  As a fairly new small business, we have a fantastic opportunity to set precedence.  Implementing some concepts from Drive will make us a great place to work and allow our team to truly enjoy what they’re doing.

We Recommend It If:  You’ve ever wondered why you or your team seem to be dissatisfied with the workplace.

Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi

What It’s About:  Building a relationship-based marketing plan that not only allows your business to grow, but also makes marketing “fun” again.  Note: this is not a book about becoming good at “sales.”  This is a book about enriching the lives of others and tailoring your product to your customer’s needs.

How It Spoke to Us:  At its core, construction is a relationship-based business.  Beyond the tools-of-the-trade, beyond the structure and finishes, at its core, it’s about providing great service and meeting client needs.  Of course technical expertise is a prerequisite, but what separates the great from the others is the passion to care for the client.

We Recommend It If:  Brochures, PowerPoint presentations, trade shows and direct mail are not getting the job done and your looking for a more fulfilling way to meet your clients’ needs.

Anything You Want by Derek Sivers

What It’s About:  Brought to us by Seth Godin’s The Domino Project, this book is part business biography part business assessment.  Written by the founder of uber-successful start-up CD Baby, Anything You Want takes you through lessons he learned as he started, built and then exited his company.

How It Spoke to Us:  This book is filled with insight that will resonate with any business owner.  At it’s core, though, this book challenged us to be sure our company is built around our passion, and not vice versa.  At the end of the day, business must serve us, or there is no point in running our business.

We Recommend It If:  You simply want to learn from someone who has “been there” before.

In-N-Out Burger by Stacy Perman

What It’s About:  The fascinating history of the nations most successful privately held fast food restaurant chain.  From it’s start in Southern California’s Baldwin Park to it’s current expansion to the east, this book reads like a movie screenplay.

How It Spoke to Us:  Quite simply, this book entertained while providing key business insight, especially in the realm of family business.

We Recommend It If: You like a solid, well-written story that happens to be about a business.

Curious what books we enjoyed in 2010?  Here is last years blog.

From all of us at Trinity Renovation, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a successful 2012!

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This is the third tip in our 4-part series on avoiding insurance claims in your home.

The Facts

Did you know that a fire hazard could be lurking in the depths of your laundry room?

From our friends at Zusti!:  According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission Document #5022 updated June of 2003 (http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5022.html), in 1998, clothes dryers were associated with 15,600 fires, which resulted in 20 deaths and 370 injuries.

All this because of a poorly maintained dryer exhaust duct.

The Solution

Be sure to clean your dryer exhaust duct at least once every 6-months.

If your duct exits through the side of your house, this could be as easy as disconnecting the duct and using a shop vac to remove the lint.  Be sure to clean not just the flexible duct from the dryer to the wall, but the part that is in the wall as well.

If your duct exists through your roof, then you will need some type of tool to loosen the lint along the duct perimeter.  Once the lint is loose, it falls to the bottom of the duct where it can be easily vacuumed and disposed of.

After cleaning your duct, be sure to properly secure the flex duct back to the wall outlet.  Failing to do so could be messy!

Next up – Tip 4: Here Comes February: Be Freeze-Ready

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