Making Choices

Let's talk about the alternative materials that I just mentioned. What does the word "alternative" mean to you? To me, in its simplest form, it means "choices." In the construction trade, that means choices between kinds of materials and work techniques. As a contractor or builder, you have a responsibility to make good, well-informed choices for your customer. If you've been doing things the same way your dad did, and his dad before him, then making new choices may come hard. But to be fair to yourself and others, you need to take the time to examine new products coming to the market. Be open to change, even though these products may require different or new methods of installation.

I bet you think I'm going to tell you to get up to speed to stay ahead of the competition. Normally, I would – but the fact is that your customers may beat me to it! Today's customers do their homework and they're smart shoppers. If you're going to stay in the game, you need to be one step ahead of them! Do the research, find the products – it could make a difference on which contractor the customer selects for their project.

Be careful though. Alternative products are simply flooding the market, and manufacturers do such a great job of promoting their products that it's easy to be misled. It takes a few years to weed out products that don't have good market appeal or that don't really have the stamina that they're supposed to have. You need to do your homework.

That's where I got the idea to write this book. My purpose is to provide you with information about the alternative products on the market. Unfortunately, I can't cover all of them – there are just too many. But I've tried to cover the ones you're most likely to use. Some of them I've used myself, others I haven't. Some now have established performance records and others are still fairly new to the industry. I hope to give you a basic understanding of how to use and install these products so that you can make an informed decision about whether to consider one of them for your next project. It's that simple!

If you're interested in one of the newer products, you can contact the manufacturers or supply houses to get samples, documentation and references. Talk to other professionals who've installed the product, and, if possible, visit a job site or two and personally view the results. To be successful, you need to educate yourself about the latest building technology.

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