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REMODELER’S BRIEF
National news and practical ideas for residential remodeling owners.
Coverage: week of September 10, 2026. Reporting cited below was available by this date.
By Darren Slaughter, a construction marketing pro with 30 years of experience.
THE BIG STORY
Recruiting starts before you need someone Monday
On September 4, NAHB announced the program for Professional Women in Building Week, September 14–18. Its themes included supporting the next generation, women in the trades, leadership and broader participation in the industry. The announcement provided an opportunity to think about where a remodeling company looks for future employees. Read the program.
Our take: An event is a starting point for relationships. Identify a local trades program, workforce organization or building association that can help you understand how candidates enter the field. Ask what a credible entry-level opportunity looks like from the applicant’s perspective.
Prepare before making contact. Know the role, work location, normal hours, essential skills and training you can actually provide. A vague offer to find “good people” gives a potential partner very little to work with.
Widening the places you recruit can help you meet candidates you might otherwise miss. Keep selection based on consistent, job-related criteria, and make the workplace expectations clear to everyone.
THE NUMBER
5 days
September 14–18 was the announced PWB Week program window. The more useful business question is what relationship or practice will continue after an event ends.
AT THE OWNER’S DESK
Make the opportunity concrete
Job description: Separate skills that are genuinely required on day one from skills your team can teach. Do not promise training unless someone has time and responsibility to provide it.
Interview: Explain the typical workday and ask candidates to describe relevant experience. Use the same core questions and evaluation criteria across applicants.
Team: Ask who will answer a new hire’s questions when the owner is elsewhere. Assign that responsibility instead of hoping someone steps in.
Marketing: With employees’ permission, show the people and processes behind completed work. Accurate depictions of the job are more useful than generic claims about being a great place to work.
STEAL THIS IDEA
Send a useful introduction to one training partner
Adapt this message to a real role and a relevant local organization:
“We’re a residential remodeling company serving [area]. We want to understand how your program prepares people for [role]. Could you share what employers should provide for a strong first opportunity? We can explain our work, training capacity and hiring process.”
The first objective is a conversation, not an immediate applicant list. Record what you learn and decide whether your company is ready to offer the opportunity described.
THE 60-SECOND BRIEF
Labor context: NAHB’s August 13 employment analysis showed why national construction headlines need a closer look at the residential sector. Local skill availability still requires local checking. Read the analysis.
Onboarding check: Put the first week’s schedule, supervisor and training expectations in writing.
Retention question: What recurring frustration could you remove for the people already doing the work?
ONE LAST THOUGHT
A recruiting relationship becomes valuable when both sides understand the opportunity. Be specific enough for someone to decide whether it fits.
Know the market. Run a better remodeling company.