Exterior remodeling specialists are remodelers. But they are also a breed apart. They typically complete hundreds of relatively small jobs per year that average in size between $8,000 and $10,000. Therefore, the emphasis for specialty remodelers is, and always has been, on marketing, sales and production efficiency. This new section devoted to Specialty Remodeling will appear in Qualified Remodeler four times in 2006. Each issue will focus on these main aspects of the roofing, siding, windows, doors, decks and sunrooms business.

This month, we launch our Specialty Remodeling section with a new annual listing of the 200 largest specialty remodelers in the country, The Specialty 200. Beyond their size, these companies also lead in other ways. They are the early adopters of best practices that are improving the overall specialty remodeling climate. Over time, we plan to bring you their stories of growth and excellence. Completing jobs that account for as much as 20 percent of the remodeling market, exterior specialty remodelers deserve the special attention.

The Specialty 200 - 2005

Exterior specialty remodelers have turned to Qualified Remodeler for news, products and business trends for over 30 years. For more than 25 years, they have tracked the progress of the largest specialty firms in our annual listing of the Top 500 remodeling companies nationwide. But increasingly, specialty remodelers deserve more: more information about their market, and more information about their peers. That is why we've compiled the largest listing of just specialty remodelers, The Specialty 200.

The specialty remodeling segment is huge. It represented an estimated 20 percent of the overall remodeling market in 2003, according to statistics from Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies' Remodeling Futures program. This list is comprised of those companies that focus on window replacements, siding, roofing and doors, as well as decks and sunrooms. There are some companies on the list who offer additional services, but their core operation involves one or more of these activities.

To be sure, insurance restoration companies are specialists; so too are, cabinet refacing firms, bath refinishers, and many others. But roofing, siding, windows and decks comprise the main activities of companies that operate and market themselves similarly.