Thoughts for a Safe 4th of July

Going away from our typical sales and design work, and thinking about the upcoming long and fun weekend that our staff gets to have with their friends and family, from bqques to firework made us think about general safety for our staff and clients!

Here are some of our thoughts to help you enjoy a safe holiday weekend!

- Keep a metal bucket with water near by when lighting fire-works, once the fire-works go off and cool down place the remains in the bucket so they do not reignite or burn someone.

- Keep an extinguisher near by

- Our owners husband is a fire-fighter and one recommendation she had was that she sprinkles her lawn, flowers and deck with a coat of water prior to the festivities

- Keep your fire-works on the ground, any that shot upwards are illegal in Colorado, we have a massively high fire danger, keep your home, your neighbors home, wildlife and your fire-fighters safe by being smart. Go to local shows that have permits for off-ground firework shows!

Here is to a safe, fun and relaxing 4th of July!

Management Please?

In today's construction world, the retail clients need and deserve management of their projects. All too many times we hear about jobs gone bad, or massive frustrations, a lack of communication or mis-understandings. When I dig a bit deeper into the complaints, I find more often than not, the issues are simple, unacceptable and/or down right weird. If a company offers no "Project Management" or they brush off the question, run! Proper Project Management is key to the success of a job, a fantastic Project Manager controls the progression of the entire job from the schedule, walk-through's with you the client, e-mail communication or job-site communication, sub-contractors and their warranty/insurance, the materials and how they all fall into place. There must be control, to know that the drywall was done poorly enough not to call in the painter, or the trim is not completed properly enough to stain, cabinets are delayed so stop the counter top people from measuring, the the tile guy ran short on tile.....even to the carpet is not installed so stop the final cleaning crew! All in all, properly managed projects come in on time, on budget and with less than 10 items on any given punch list! Success can be in the extra 5% you may pay for management, it is the guarantee to less money out of your pocket with change orders, less job site issues, no mad trades or complaining trades. Satisfaction and being able to smile after a 3 month project that is a great feeling!

Design Thoughts From Danze

Design is like language. You can use it to communicate so much about yourself. So why settle for décor that mumbles when you can share your take on the world in crisp, decisive prose? That’s precisely why Danze created the new Ziga Zaga® Collection. The clean lines and boldly assertive geometric shapes speak with a ref...ined sense of style and sophistication. Each element punctuates the look while working seamlessly together to create a bathroom environment where everything is as it should be. Exactly.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1429648183#!/pages/Danze-Inc/123693567658426?ref=mf

Visit our full-service gallery for Danze right here in Englewood, CO
2910 S. Tejon Street
Englewood, CO, 80110

www.projectproslp.com

Danze Does It Right!

This Lifetime Warranty Bathroom Fixture and Fitting line is on top of their game! They are revolutionary in their engineering, their state of the art facility and caring about our enviornment!

Living Green:
Homeowners and kitchen and bath professionals alike continue to show interest in the impact green elements can make on todays home. Whether it is within our manufacturing processes or in the products we develop Danze takes our environmental responsibility very seriously. Water-saving faucets, high efficiency toilets, FSC-certified furniture and water-saving showerheads are just a few examples of how we are offering choices for people to live more green.
Read more about our green efforts

Check out these links to leanr more about some of our products

http://www.danze.com/midgroup.asp?g=2&mg=5&b=2

http://www.danze.com/midgroup_products.asp?g=3&mg=10&b=12

By Popular Demand - Products Made in the USA for your home!

We get asked almost on a daily basis what product lines we have for your home are made and distributed in the USA
It is a great question and I think you will be surprised to find out that hundreds of products for your home are in fact made right here in the US

Shaw Flooring Wood Lines
Welcome Home Series
Danner Series
Tundra Series
Coffee House Series
Magellan Series

Mastercraft Cabinets
Oakcraft Cabinets
Quality Cabinets

Messina Flooring by Formica Brands

Countertops
DuPont Corian Acrylic
Living Stone Acrylic

Tile
Florim USA Stonefire Series Porcelain
Florim USA Wish Series Porcelain

All of these products and hundreds more are at our facility for your viewing pleasure
Come down and see our showroom today

Coming Soon....It's May in Action

For the entire month of May our mega vendor and maunfacturers will be involved in our "Bring it Back Home" Event, which will be a full month of specials and sales from 50% off a new kitchen, to menus to prepare in your new kitchen!

You can also find us on our Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=sgm&id=583924677#!/pages/Englewood-CO/Project-Professional-Building-Materials-and-Finishes/157339677024?ref=ts

From the editor of ReNew Magazine - Joe Ross:

Make sure your contractor is a pro

"Everyone is talking about bargains in the remodeling world. The market is flooded with out-of-work (you fill in the blank) who will offer to remodel your home inexpensively. In certain cases, this would be a smart move. Conscientious professionals have lost their jobs or businesses and you’d be lucky to have them work in your home.

However, you wouldn’t feel so lucky if an unscrupulous lout found his way into your home without credentials and the abilities needed to do the job right. We all know better than to hire such a person or company, but it happens all of the time.

True professionals understand the expenses that go into providing a service, whether it is design, materials, labor, marketing or other items needed for a successful business. Those costs and a profit margin have to be covered when a contractor agrees to work in your home. In addition to being comfortable with your contractor’s personality (you might need to interview as many as three separate firms), you have to be comfortable with the cost. Know your budget and stick to it. And if a bid seems too low to be realistic, beware. It will likely cost you more than a legitimate bid in the long run.

Local professionals are dealing with the economic downturn in a variety of ways. One industry supplier has added additional product lines to keep contractors happy. A designer said her clients have scaled back the size of their projects, so she simply tries to take on more projects to make up the difference.

A few words of caution: As a friend and food expert always says, don’t visit a Mexican restaurant and order the French cuisine. Or, if the folks that keep your lawn manicured decide they are also plumbers, be careful. With the industry turned upside down, there are plenty of carpenters willing to try electrical work and vice versa. Don’t be fooled. Hire professionals and check their credentials, insurance and worker’s comp. If it was a jack-of-all-trades that you sought, you’d have hired your son-in-law to do the work.

And one last timely issue to consider: Make sure you have your own definition or at least expectation of “green remodeling” when you launch a project. All companies want to advertise the word green when they hang out their shingle. Most firms have moved toward more sustainable remodeling practices, and the trade associations offer classes and certifications now. However, if your idea of green is a zero carbon footprint, then you’d better outline that expectation upfront with your contractor. His or her idea of green or sustainable home improvement practices could differ from yours."

Joe Ross
Renew Associate Publisher, Editor