Happy New Year!
Posted by David on January 4th, 2009
I was just reading a post from Judith Miller of Remodeling Magazine, who I look up to as a seasoned veteran of the industry, and thought it was a cool way to round out of 2008. We at Fox Hill are looking forward to working with new clients in 2009 as well as seeing some familiar faces throughout the year. We are looking forward to continuing the work on our internal systems and processes to help make our clients’ experience overwhelmingly positive. Like spending a month at Disney World.
Happy New Year
Posted by David on December 28th, 2008
I just wanted to wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year. Let’s make 2009 a year to remember.
Should I Remodel?
Posted by David on December 21st, 2008
I have read quite a few articles lately that seem to have the same tone. The housing market and economy are not just at a low, but a place we have never seen or experienced before. We are certainly going through a tough and different time but how much of it is “Media hype?” Obviously, no one knows but I think the world we live in with instant information and way more media than necessary is drumming up quite a bit of this panic.
My wife and I were graciously invited to a client’s Christmas party last night where we had a great time meeting so many new people. First off, it made me feel pretty good to have a client want to share a personal event with my wife and I. Secondly, it was so much fun and rewarding for me to watch my clients enjoying and showing off their re-designed main living area including an extensive custom kitchen renovation.Â
The reason I bring this up is because there had to be approximately 60 people at the party and of all the people I met and talked to, no one seemed to be “Hurting” in this economy. Sure, many of them (including yours truly) have lost quite a bit of money over the last few months, but the general tone at the party was it’s not really as bad as you hear. My client is a well known morning radio personality in Boston so you would think the people at the party would be your well-to-doers but there were people from all walks of life. I left the party very encouraged after having talked to several other business owners who had very good 2008’s.
As we go into 2009, let’s do a better job of not following the crowd or media and let’s take the time to do our own research and thinking. There are many opportunities out there so don’t let them slip away because of all the hype!
Electricity?
Posted by David on December 15th, 2008
As I write this post in my office (which has power), my mind can’t stop thinking about all the things I have to do when I leave. We just got through one of the worst ice storms in history up here in NH and I, like many in the region, still don’t have power. We lost our power on Thursday night and “They” are saying we probably won’t have it back until the end of the week (hopefully). It’s absolutely incredible to me how much of our daily life is dependent on the power of electricity.
I was reading through the PSNH storm center website getting a chuckle at how obvious many of these things sound.  But in reality, if the majority of us did these things, many of us would be much better off. Maybe we as residents should create a website for PSNH and create a checklist of things they should do before the storms hit. Like either have on hand or have a way to get telephone poles WHEN they run out and not have to wait 5-7 days. Have linemen and trucks on call from other states (or countries in our case…Canada). Have more tree service companies on call other than Asplundh!? We could also link our site to thiers. Just a thought.
I wish everyone the best during this trying time and if Fox Hill can be of service in anyway please don’t hesitate to call the office.
Thanks!
Posted by David on December 11th, 2008
With all the economic, political, and universal negativity we’ve been bombarded with this year, I thought I would go the opposite route. Although we as a nation are going through a really tough time right now I know many of us have a lot to be thankful for. I spent some time dwelling on this the other day and wanted to post just a few things we as a company are truly thankful for.
Great clients!! Without you, there would be no Fox Hill. We sincerely thank each and every one of you for putting your trust in us to design and build your dream home. We have had the pleasure of meeting and working with many new clients this year on several elaborate projects which have turned into magazine quality works of art. I think I enjoy the finished product almost as much as our clients!
Great employees! No business can survive without great employees, let alone, survive an economic situation like this.  I know I’m biased but I feel that Fox Hill has the best group of employees around. It’s been a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get to this point but it’s been worth it to come out with the core group of people we have here. I personally appreciate all their hard work this year as we have totally overhauled the business by creating and writing all of our systems and processes. It wasn’t easy, it was a ton of work, and it’s only the beginning but it’s all been worth it.
Great family and faith! I appreciate the love and support of my wife, my parents, sister, and my in-laws. I know they pray for the company on a continual basis and I know it’s because of this that Fox Hill is blessed. Also, thanks to my executive coach who has helped unlock my mind to see and do things I never had before. You will never know how much help you have been to me this year!
Without getting too “mushy” I’ll sum it all up by saying we all have many things to be thankful for so lets do some pondering and dwell on all of life’s blessings.
Systems
Posted by David on October 8th, 2008
I have been working with a business consultant/executive coach over the last six months completely revamping the way we do things internally and in the field. Firstly, I cannot believe how much work it’s been. I knew it would be a lot of work but I didn’t have a true sense of how much work it would have been. Secondly, it’s amazing to see how much smoother things operate when you have effective systems in place. Projects are flowing nicely, clients are happy, and employees are enjoying work much more. What a novel concept!
If you read any of Peter Druker’s work, you’ll see that business and business systems are always a work in progress. They are a never ending, always changing organism that need to be worked on continually. And it’s incredible to personally see how they can change the culture of a company, even a small, young company.
Where have I been?
Posted by David on October 2nd, 2008
I know I haven’t written a blog in quite some time but I am committed to getting back to it. I have been reading many blog posts every day keeping my mind fresh and I know I need to get back to it. A few bloggers you may be interested in reading are Jonathan Sweet for any remodeling info, Seth Godin for marketing and inspiration, and Guy Kawasaki for entreprenuers and great business practices.
I’m sure everyone is sick and tired of hearing about how bad the economy is and that it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Well, we at Fox Hill are having a great year and some other remodeling companies I network with are also having great years. How much of the negitivity is the liberal, biased media and how much is actually true? I doubt anyone really knows. All I know is that we can only control what we can control. I know it sounds so basic and simple but I think if you focus on that and do it to the best of your ability, you’re going to do well.
 I’m going to be watching the vice-presidential debate tonight rooting for Sarah Palin. I don’t know when it became so wrong to say who you are voting for or what party you belong to but I don’t have any issues with it. I have many friends, who I greatly respect, that are Democratic and voting for Obama. We just agree to disagree as they know I’m Republican and voting for McCain.
GO RED SOX!!!!!
Vacation
Posted by David on June 11th, 2008
My family and I just got back from a terrific week of vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Fortunatley for us, we were able to fly all four of us from Boston to MB for $18 a ticket on Spirit Airlines. If you haven’t flown Spirit yet, you should check them out on their web-site. They randomly have fares from $8 and up each way from Boston to many places around the country. We are also fortunate to stay with my parents who live down there. It makes for a very economical and enjoyable vacation.
If you haven’t been to Myrtle Beach in a while you should take a trip and check it out. I personally think the beaches are some of the best on the east coast and the water temperature is warm from April until October. If you live in New England and go down there it will be amazing how warm the water is. It has really started to turn into a great place to live and work and there are a couple of incredible neighborhood developments starting now. A development that I think will be one of the best in the area is Wild Wing Plantation. If you go onto the web-site check out the videos, they’re pretty good.
It was a well needed trip and we all enjoyed ourselves very much. It was great seeing my father and friends and spending time with them.  We all enjoyed swimming at the ocean and pool and my wife and I mostly enjoyed watching Raeann and Anson have a great time all week.Â
Product selections
Posted by David on May 14th, 2008
A common question most homeowners typically ask upon signing a contract is “When do we need to select our products?” Contractors and Remodelers alike handle this question in their own uniqe way based on what their procedures are. There certainly is no right or wrong answer or industry standard but rather, what works best for each individual company.
My recommendation for our clients is to make as many (ideally all) selections as possible before the actual construction begins. Depending on the size of the project and scope of work we try to get our clients to finalize all selections within three weeks after signing the contract. This way if the client has selected any long lead-time items we can make sure these items are ordered as soon as possible to avoid unecessary project delays. Also, if any items have been discontinued we have time to help the client select another comparable item.
Our goal with all projects is to make sure they are completed on time or ahead of schedule and product selection is a major part of it. Waiting on products is a sure way to blow a schedule right out of the water.
How much??
Posted by David on May 8th, 2008
Today I met with our designer, Bill and our production manager, Jeremy and asked them what the five most frequently asked questions from clients and potential clients were. It was a great exercise in general for me just to gain more insight into how we can better serve our clients by knowing their concerns from the beginning.
I came away with many great, interesting, and humbling questions people have asked over the years. But for some reason it was easier to quickly think back and remember a lot of the things we did wrong or not as well as we could have. I guess it’s human nature to be hard on yourself when you are always putting forth your best effort and come up short some times.
I will be sharing these great questions in future posts and adding our answers as we delve into the questions as a company. This is going to be a great exercise for us and I believe it will also help people who are looking to remodel their homes to ask their contractors these and other questions. I have put a link here to a remodeling firm in Michigan who I think does a great job at helping potential clients with questions.
