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HOME OCTOBER 2017 10 with the owner to a d d r e s s i s s u e s personal- ly, Kerzn- er said. Remod- elers, as o p p o s e d t o bu i l d e r s who also remodel, might not have the experi- ence, he cautioned. "You don't go to remodel- ing school. It's a practice because we practice on people's houses. The more you practice, the more you come up with solutions you can use," he said. Then there are different tastes in design. "What are your expecta- tions for design? Do you want to be involved in every detail or do you want someone to come up with a plan based on trends?" Kerzner said. Another question to ask yourself, he added: Does the contractor-designer's work reflect your taste? And while you're prob- ing, check professional cre- dentials. Kerzner, whose dad start- ed their company in 1966, said the check should include: ■ Considering longevity. At least 25 years in remod- eling is good. "They've weathered the storms." ■ Contacting the Better Business Bureau. Compare the three or more business- es' ratings. ■ Seeking National Asso- ciation of the Remodeling Industry-certified profes- sionals. It means they've received extra training. And with 900 Milwaukee NARI members, they're competitive with each other, he added. ■ Calling the contrac- tor's insurance company. A certificate of insurance may no longer be in effect. Also ask what the con- tractor won't do on the job, something that could be in the contract. "I won't violate code to meet a design," Kerzner said. "But if you don't want a dishwasher in a kitchen after I've given you five reasons why that's a bad idea, I'll do what you want." He'll also write up and price every change order. "It forces accounting," he said, and avoids surpris- es. "I don't make $100,000 on the job. I can't just throw it in." While lots of changes might drive him nuts, Kerzner said he wants the customer to be happy with the finished project. Just beware that every change means time and money. Customers, he said, might not realize that contractors pay for down time. Riding today's trends Just like there have been design trends over the years, like avocado is no longer in style for major kitchen appliances, there have been some major impacts on customers' expectations, Kerzner said. He calls one of those the HGTV effect. As in the pop- ular cable channel packed with home improvement shows, though the shows are not limited to one chan- nel. Costs and timeframes can get skewed. "The challenge we have as contractors is spending time explaining you're not a crook. It's cable TV's shows' impact. My margin is 15 percent of gross. "One lady said she was watching HGTV and she said it was $21,000 to do the kitchen. I said that's just for the materials; they probably threw in the labor for free," Kerzner said. Price can work the other way, too. A remodeling job here might cost $150,000 whereas it's $500,000 in California because the economies are just differ- ent, he said. Codes vary, too, he said recalling checking out a show his wife was watch- ing and the headroom on stairs didn't have enough clearance for Wisconsin, but the job was in Canada. Major jobs also seeming- ly get done in the blink of an eye. "They might have 25 peo- ple on the crew or they're working for free to get exposure or they edit the tape and the time is unreal- istic as well as the money," Kerzner said. In a similar vein, he said, products that customers order on the Internet can be not what they seem. One customer ordered faucets online but the valves weren't inside, Kerzner said. "If I supply the faucet and something goes wrong, it's my responsibility," he said. "The $30 you save won't cover your problem." Just the enormous amount of product choices for a project can be mind boggling. "It used to be you chose from Corian, tile, laminate or stone for countertops," Kerzner said. "Now, walk in a big-box store and it seems there's 500 different choices for countertops, there's 500 different choic- es for toilets, 8 million choices for flooring." What's in style also might go out of style quickly or hurt resale price. "Stainless steel will become the avocado of the future," he predicted. Open concepts might seem great, but it's a lot easier and cheaper to tear down a wall than to put one back up, he pointed out. "Industrial is another trend," he said of the con- crete countertops and floors found in some kitchens, which he called "the platform shoes of tomorrow." His advice? "Traditional will last longer." Remodeling:While media trends can pose challenges, consumers also have many options Kerzner Home improvement and remodeling experts, along with area chefs, will be found at the Milwaukee NARI Home & Remodel- ing Show, from Friday through Sunday, at the Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park. The schedule: Friday 2:30 p.m. — What Type of Contractor Do You Need? — Nick Kerzner "The Construc- tion Guru" 6 p.m. — Beer Tasting + Making Home Brew — MobCraft Beer Brewery and Tap- room Saturday 11 a.m. — Communicating with Your Con- tractor — Nick Kerzner "The Construction Guru" 1 p.m. — Football Season Party Foods — Emerald City Catering and Chef Oz 5:30 p.m. — Baking for the Holidays — C. Adams Bakery Sunday 11 a.m. — Brunch for a Holiday Crowd — Dinners with Class, LLC and James Jens Noon — "Green and Gold" Kickoff — Don't miss the game, as it will be broadcast live at the show 1:30 p.m. — Project Expectations and the "Home Remodeling TV Show Effect" — Nick Kerzner "The Construction Guru" 3 p.m.— Winter Home Weatherization Tips — Keith Williams, home performance specialist Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with more than 100 exhibitors display- ing the latest home improvement and remodeling products and services, includ- ing design and build, kitchens, decks, cabi- nets, windows, wall covering, bathrooms, lighting, landscaping, roofing, painting, fireplaces and siding. Special attractions include the Home Solutions Stage, Smart Home Gallery, a graffiti wall and a Focus on Energy interac- tive lighting display. In addition, there are plans for Sunday's Packers game to be broadcast. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $8 in advance, and $10 at the door. Tickets for seniors, 60 and older, are $8, while children 17 and younger and active and retired military personnel with mili- tary identification are admitted at no charge. Home improvement experts, chefs to take NARI stage The entryway to a home is the first thing guests experi- ence when coming inside. It also can be the first place residents drop their belong- ings after long days at school or work. As a result, entry- ways can quickly be con- sumed by clutter. Taming such messes takes a mixture of ingenuity and planning. Homeowners hoping to clear their entryways of clutter must first decide what they want to get out of the space. Will it simply be a decorative spot with photos and other home decor on display? Or is functionality the primary goal? Once that decision has been made, take inventory of which items, such as shoes, keys, umbrellas or coats, need to be in the area, which don't (i.e., old mail). To make things more organ- ized, rearrange the former while removing the latter. Next it is time to assess storage needs of the remain- der so it doesn't end up where it doesn't belong. Start with what's already available. User-friendly stor- age items may need to be purchased to make the space as functional as possible. The following ideas also can help bring order to the space. ■ Create a command center. Create a central location where items are neat, orderly and within reach. Use a bulletin board, dry-erase calendar or some- thing that can house sched- ules and important notices. Hooks can hold keys, charg- ers and more. ■ Keep it covered. Cov- ered bins can serve as a seat- ing area and also a place to store shoes, hats and scarves. ■ Create cabinet space. Store items in cabinets so they are organized but out of sight, belongings are not just left on an entryway table. ■ Create another drop zone. If the entryway is too small to serve this purpose, outfit another room or area that also can do the job. This can be a laundry room or mudroom area. Just be sure this space is close enough to the entryway to make it use- ful. ■ Go vertical. An easy way to keep things neater is to remove items from the floor and embrace vertical storage. Install shelves, shoe racks, a bench, cabinets and hooks for purses and a cabi- net for coats may do the trick. Clutter can accumulate in entryways. But some simple adjustments can quickly revamp the space to make it neater and much more func- tional. Corral your entry clutter Continued from Page 1 Decorative or functional is first decision

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