Mid America Events & Expos

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

There are more than 12,500 contractors in Minnesota
Who should you call for your next home improvement project?

There are about 816,000* individual remodeling businesses in the United States – and more than 12,500 licensed building contractors** are here in Minnesota. With numbers that huge, it can be a real challenge to figure out who to contact about building your deck or remodeling your kitchen. Do you need a designer in addition to a carpenter? Can you go directly to a specialty or trade contractor? And what IS a specialty or trade contractor anyway?

“It’s easy for homeowners to get confused,” comments Bjorn Freudenthal, general manager of award-winning College City Remodeling, Inc., which does work throughout the Twin Cities. “That’s why attending this fall’s Mid-America Remodeling & Design Expo can be such an advantage. It will give homeowners the opportunity to interview and evaluate multiple contractors, and receive excellent advice, all in one day under one roof.”

The Mid-America Remodeling & Design Expo will be held November 4-5, 2006 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Produced in partnership with the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), it will feature only home improvement-related exhibitors. Homeowners are encouraged to bring their ideas, plans, swatches and other materials to the expo so that they are prepared to discuss their projects with the experts.

To determine what type of contractor to contact, Freudenthal (who will speak at the expo) encourages homeowners to ask themselves the following questions:

How extensive is this project? Does it make more sense to improve my existing home’s structure or to move?
What do I need this project to do for me? “Examine your wants versus your needs,” Freudenthal advises. “In a perfect world, everything is possible. But you will probably need to prioritize what you want from this project.”
Will the project I’ve outlined meet my family’s needs today and tomorrow? “People are staying in their homes longer. Make sure that your plans make sense for how you might be living in five to 10 years.”
Do I need space planning? “If you plan to move a wall, or change your kitchen’s layout, for example, you’ll need to talk with design professionals.”

After defining their projects, homeowners can then decide which types of contractors to interview. The following may all be listed under “Remodeling” in the phone book:

Design/Build Firms: These are turnkey firms with in-house design capabilities to draw up the plans and help with design decisions, cost estimating and a construction team to complete the project.
General Carpentry: Construction companies that can build from plans that were developed elsewhere.
Architect/Designers: Professionals who draw the project plans but are not involved in the estimating and the building of projects.
Handyman Contractors: Skilled experts on smaller projects but generally aren’t interior design or space planning professionals.
Carpenters: A good alternative for certain projects such as decks. May not be the best choice to create a luxury bathroom.
Specialty/trade contractors: Do one trade, i.e. plumbers, electricians, drywall. May also be referred to as sub-contractors.

“If your plans call for changing your home’s footprint or floor plan, always deal with a design/build firm, an architect or a designer,” says Freudenthal. “That’s because you are not just changing that one area. You may also be changing the roof plan, the traffic flow, and the balance of the heating and cooling system, for example.”

He adds that you should talk with an interior designer if you think you might need outside help picking out tile, countertops, fixtures, windows, paint colors, etc. “If you’re on a budget, an interior designer can show you how to make the best use of higher end materials, and how to pull your project together and make it look cohesive.”

When interviewing contractors, Freudenthal stresses the need to discuss the processes that will be used. “It’s all about finding the best fit with your expectations and your communications style,” he says. “A contractor should be able to explain his company’s processes and procedures to you. A contractor who can do that can typically be trusted to follow through with the execution of the project.”

For additional information about the Mid-America Remodeling & Design Expo™, visit www.101expos.com or call 612-798-7256. To find a qualified NARI professional, visit www.narimn.org or call 612-332-NARI.

Sponsors for this year’s Mid-America Remodeling and Design Expo include AM 1500, Channels 5 and 45, Midwest Home, and Floors Galore & More.

* CensusTabulations by Joint center for Housing studies of Harvard University, 2001
** MN Dept of Commerce

Media Note: For additional information or to schedule an interview, contact Media Relations, Inc. at 612-798-7220.

Biography -- Bjorn Freudenthal

Bjorn Freudenthal, CAPS—general manager of the family owned, award winning
College City Remodeling, Inc. and president-elect of NARI MN has led the company to Top 500 status in the nation in 2005, as well as, Remodelor of the Year-Runner up in the Twin Cities in 2006. College City Remodeling, Inc. -- with family building traditions reaching back to 1969 -- is one of the leading design/build firms in the Metro area with several industry certifications on staff and numerous stunning Remodelers Showcase
Tour-entries produced over the years.

About NARI
NARI of Minnesota is a Chapter of The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), the only trade association dedicated solely to the remodeling industry. With more than 7,000 member companies nationwide, the Association is “The Voice of the Remodeling Industry”™. For membership and chapter information, or for more on the COTY Awards, visit the NARI MN website at www.narimn.org. or contact the headquarters at 612-332-NARI.

The remodeling market, a $230 billion industry in the U.S. in 2003, is expected to continue to experience significant growth. It is estimated that more than a million homes per year undergo major renovation or remodeling.

NARI is a professional association whose members voluntarily subscribe to a strict code of ethics. Consumers may wish to search www.narimn.org to find a qualified professional who is a member of NARI or contact the headquarters at 612-332-NARI for a copy of the consumer directory, “Remodeling Today.”