We found out a while back that we had received the 2009 Remodelor of the Year award from the Home Builders Association of Louisville. We received the award by submitting two remodeling projects we completed in 2009. We’ll post a follow up to this post with some pictures of those projects. If we can round them up of course.

The article ran in this month’s Louisville Builder magazine. We are very honored by the award. We do a lot every day to make sure our work stands up to quality standards and to meet our customer’s expectations. This helps solidify our hopes.

Here is a really bad picture of a very nice award.

If you know of a better way to take a picture of a glass object, let us know in the comments.

If you stopped by to see our booth at the Home Garden and Remodeling Show then thanks. We participated in the annual event for the first time in several years and we’re glad we did.

Although we’re doing many creative things with our inbound marketing, we still realize you can’t pass on the chance to get your name out in an event of this scale.

We’d like to thank the Homebuilders Association for organizing the event and Trend Appliances for their main sponsorship.

Three reasons we gleaned for getting an annual booth in this event:

1) You get your name out there and you can get a few leads. One lead that turns into a paying customer probably pays for most of the cost. Then the rest of the exposure is just gravy.

2) You get to say hi to all the old faces you’ve done business with over the years. They keep getting older but they also get a little wiser too.

3) You get the pulse on the industry. You can walk around and see who is still in the game, who’s new, and what innovative products catch your eye.

We gave away some Lowe’s gift cards to individuals who signed up for our monthly newsletter. They will be contacted directly via the email address they used to register. We have some more cards for a future contest or promotion.

If you haven’t made plans yet for this weekend, then schedule a trip to the Trend Appliances Home Garden and Remodeling Show. If you’re considering an addition, a remodel, a hardscape project, or just any little thing to make your home better; then come on out Friday, Saturday or Sunday. You can get all the information on the main promotional site linked above. The show is coordinated by the HBAL and sponsored by Trend Appliances. If these types of improvements aren’t in this years budget, dreamers and planners are welcome too. Come on out and get some ideas for that future project. Then go home and make it a goal.

If all those weren’t reasons enough, then yes coming just to see P.L. Lyons, Inc. is fine as well We’ll have a booth focusing on our custom building and remodeling services. We’ll be giving away some freebies each day and we’ll also have some interactive treats for you.

If you have questions then comment below, hit us up on Twitter or contact us online through our form. Of course we still answer email and the telephone too- whatever your communication preference.

We’re looking forward to a better year in 2010 than 2009.

Last year was a tough year for most of the building industry. The wavering economy and financial markets put a stop to the new home buyer market. The buyers were not only concerned that their net worth had diminished with the fall of the stock market in 07 and 08, but they were also concerned about their employment situations. Concerns and debates over nationalized health care and the unwillingness of banks to lend were two other headlines that led to uneasiness.

These are still concerns for everyone in 2010. However, tough times have always made the leaders in our industry stronger. Many of us weathered the “recession/depression “ of the late 70’s and early 80’s, when interest rates for builders and developers exceeded 20% and home mortgage rates were at 14%. We survived the slow down in the 90’s, then came out strong through the early 2000’s when builder and developer rates dropped to 5 and 6% and 30 year fixed rates dropped to 4.75 and 5%..

All that said, we just experienced the worst downturn in the building industry most of us have ever known. Those who are still surviving will come out of this downturn much “leaner”, “meaner” and “greener”. We will be savvy to current trends and the newest building practices. We will be better managers. We will again appreciate every project no matter how small. It’s part of the economic cycle. This cycle has just been a bit deeper and longer than most. However, this too shall pass.

So what does this mean to you the consumer. It means this is one of the best times in history to build, buy or remodel. Product and material prices are low and labor rates in the construction field have dropped. They won’t stay low forever. Thirty year fixed rates are still very low, and they will rise as well. So if you are contemplating making a move, now is the time to “press go”.

Our firm is looking at the future and embracing change. We’re looking into new products, practices and aligning with future mandates.

We are looking forward to good year! After all, we have our health, our faith, and our God who promises to take care of us as long as we BELIEVE. And we do BELIEVE!

Contact us today about your custom project. We’re still here.

This message is a little late but nonetheless important.

We’ve been blessed at this time of Thanksgiving to start a custom remodel, commercial buildout and a contract custom home. We were blessed before but feel even more grateful after beginning these projects in November. God is good, we give him the glory.

The winter in the building business can be a difficult time in good years much less in tough years. So we’re very thankful to have these projects to keep us moving forward during the cold winter months.

We’ll be posting some pictures of our progress with each project over the next few months. It will give you a good idea of how we do what we do. Thanks for following along.

What are you thankful for?