A building year:The design/build sector is growing thanks to some consumers' increased confidence, but economic and weather barriers hampered serious growth at most firms.

摘要

Clients are loosening their wallets a bit and more willing this year to spen&on design/build projects, placing a priority on enhancing their outdoor spaces. There are fewer for-sale signs propped in yards, and families are reconsidering those big vacations. So some have coin in the bank for that patio space."We are seeing more restoration design/build work where clients have decided it doesn't make sense to move - they'll lose too much and take a financial hit on their home if they sell it - so they decide to stay and remodel or redo the landscape," says Tracy Bertog, president of Bertog Landscaping, Wheeling, III.But those remodeling decisions haven't included entry-level, small potatoes projects for Bertog Landscaping. Those $2,000-$4,000 jobs have kind of disappeared. "The people who used to spend a couple thousand are too afraid to spend that now or are spending it on other things that are more important to them," he says. "Clients in that range aren't spending money."