The Qualified Remodeler Top 500 list recognizes the best of the best in the home improvement industry. It is unique because it combines companies from all sides of the industry including full-service contractors, kitchen & bath specialists, design-build remodelers, general home improvement, and insurance restoration contractors nationwide! For the seventh year in a row, Advance Design Studio has been named to the national Qualified Remodeling Top 500 list coming in at number 248. 

In the Design-Build category (companies that build projects and also have designers on staff), Advance Design Studio, Ltd. ranked 23rd nationwide. Our dedicated, local team is proud to continue to be named among some of the larger firms in the country, especially after enduring many industry-wide challenges over the past two years.

Many of you may know that the world and business communities have encountered unprecedented challenges in the continuing aftermath of the global pandemic. The ongoing impact of supply chain issues, labor shortages, price increases, and the related fallout have continued to create a challenging work environment for our industry and our team at Advance Design.

Qualified Remodeler Top 500 List

Positive Outlook Amidst Industry-Wide Challenges

“[All] sectors of the remodeling industry are identifying ‘hiring and retaining staff’ as their top challenge this last year. In speaking with some of them, supply chain issues were perhaps their more persistent issue.” Qualified Remodeler reports.

Qualified Remodeler also reports that remodelers with an all-encompassing process, like Design/Build, nationwide have continued to grow in response to the incredible demand for remodeling over the past two years, especially those focused on being a trusted partner to homeowners who will walk with them through lingering industry challenges. That growth alone has created new challenges for local companies. 

But homeowners have been the ones to benefit; the report states that especially amidst widespread challenges across the industry, homeowners who partner with a design-then-build team will most likely have a smoother remodeling experience than if they work with multiple contractors individually. By design, single-source companies have a better chance at successfully coordinating labor, materials, and subcontractors, as well as having more control when things go awry.

Tower Lakes Bath Remodel

Tower Lakes Bath Remodel

“Supply chain and labor availability have hit us the hardest during and post-pandemic. We are coming to the conclusion that the issues we’re facing may be a new normal for our industry at least for now, and we have put in place a number of changes over the past year to help mitigate the challenges as much as we can. We always have and will continue to strive to foresee developments and do everything we can to make our clients renovation experience the best it can be,” says Nick Holm, Advance Design Managing Director of Construction.

Top 500 Advance Design Studio

ADS Managing Director of Construction Nick Holm

Rising to the Challenge

Remodeling is a labor of love for most company owners and their teams who make their careers there. Companies like Advance Design are looking to meet the new more time-demanding expectations from clients, while at the same time make the duties of managers and staff workable as the bar has been forced to a level never before seen in the industry. 

“Remodeling is inherently a local, person-to-person business, and that will not change any time soon. Over the past decade, the remodeling industry has evolved on a widespread scale. Big or small, remodelers today produce customers for life. Deploying more and better business technology, remodelers offer faster, more seamless client experiences than ever before,” Qualified Remodeler reports.

One of the tools Advance has begun to train on and implement to help the communication process is an online project management tool called Buildertrend. With the help of online tools, companies like Advance are looking for ways to advance their process and produce the best result possible.

Advance Design's Chris Low

ADS Lead Designer Chris

“Since the pandemic, clients are working at home more than ever. Communicating current information about project progress has put more and more strain on our managers who used to be able to update clients on a weekly basis. More of their time is spent trying to give daily feedback while still scheduling crews and subs, managing deliveries, and even working on sites themselves since carpentry labor has been largely sparse compared to how we were accustomed to working in the past,” says Nick.

There is no doubt that out of challenges, growth always occurs. As the world shifts and changes, forward-thinking companies like Advance Design no doubt will come out on top with new ideas, new strategies, and continued successful implementation of those ideals as we forge into the future. 

Have a home renovation on your current or future to-do list? Our team is ready to help. Let’s get started! Call us at 847-836-2600 or schedule an appointment with one of our talented designers online.