Good Neighbor Podcast: Frisco

EP #241: Fighting for Fair Insurance Claims: How Jeff Bass Transforms Home Repairs

• Sophia Yvette

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What makes Jeff Bass with Remodel Contracting a good neighbor?

Jeff Bass embodies the rare combination of political service, entrepreneurial spirit, and skilled craftsmanship as the owner of Remodel Contracting. From his Richardson office, he serves clients throughout North Texas, tackling everything from small residential patios to 4,000-square-foot commercial warehouses with the same dedication to quality and customer satisfaction.

What sets Jeff apart in the crowded contracting field is his specialized expertise in insurance claims, particularly for water damage remediation. "The biggest myth is that you have to accept what the insurance company offers," he explains, describing how his team transforms initial $10,000 settlements into $30,000+ claims through a meticulous supplement process. This ensures homeowners truly recover what they deserve rather than settling for inadequate compensation.

Unlike contractors who aggressively market their services, Jeff's business thrives almost entirely on word-of-mouth referrals – a testament to his reputation. As a city council member in Garland, board member for multiple nonprofits, and 13-year chamber of commerce member, he's woven himself into the community fabric. This visibility creates both accountability and accessibility. "I tell people I'm easy to find. Just Google me and you'll see that I can't hide," he shares, addressing the trust issues that plague the contracting industry. His customer-focused approach extends to the creative side of remodeling too, where he offers design input without pushing unnecessary renovations. From his innovative built-in freezer for a lakeside Airbnb to his willingness to tackle projects of any size, Jeff brings the same work ethic he developed starting at age nine to every job. Check out his five-star Google reviews to see why clients trust Remodel Contracting with their homes and businesses.

To learn more about Remodel Contracting go to:

https://www.remodelcontracting.net/

Remodel Contracting

469-831-5620

Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

Speaker 3:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a general contractor? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, jeff Bass, with Remodel Contracting. Jeff, how are you doing today? Wonderful, thank you. Happy to be here, awesome. Well, we're excited to learn all about you and your business Can you tell us a bit about your company.

Speaker 2:

Yes, so Remodel Contracting is a general contractor and my office is in Richardson, texas. I work all over North Texas. I've gone all the way up to the border of Oklahoma, so we do interior remodeling, exterior work. I do commercial, residential. I built a, just recently did a 4,000 square foot warehouse on the back of a grocery store and I also do, you know, I also at the same time did a small patio on the back of a house. So you know, as they say, no job too big, no job too small.

Speaker 2:

A lot of what I do on the residential side is I work with insurance companies for water, water remediation claims. So you have water damage at your house. Somebody comes out and dries it and pulls the carpet up and cuts two feet of sheet rock out, and then what we do is I come in and I negotiate with the insurance company so that you get everything that you deserve. So the insurance company might come to you and say, hey, we'll give you $10,000. That's got to cover everything. Well, I actually have an employee who handles my supplement. Process is what it's called. We work with the insurance companies to turn that $10,000 claim into whatever it's supposed to be, whether it be $17,000, $30,000, whatever it may be, so that you can get back to where you were before, and that's probably on the residential side. That's my greatest area of expertise.

Speaker 3:

So, Jeff, how did you get into this business?

Speaker 2:

Well, you know, I've owned rental properties for decades and so when I was younger I would do work on them myself, and even in my own home I've rebuilt a bathroom, rebuilt the kitchen, painted. So the remodeling process is something I'm very familiar with and I'm also I'm a serial entrepreneur, and so I used to own eight restaurants and a catering company, and through COVID that really kind of lost its luster quite a bit. I kind of saw the writing on the wall where my businesses were going, so I started looking for something else to do, so I decided that I was going to help a friend of mine with his remodeling business, and then that went well for a couple of years and so I decided to go out on my own, and I've been on my own with remodel contracting for about two years now and it's going great. Really couldn't be happier, and I have sold all of my restaurants now and so I don't have those anymore and just focusing 100% on my general contracting business.

Speaker 3:

Amazing. So, jeff, what is the most common myth or misconception you come across in your industry and your experience?

Speaker 2:

Well, honestly, since we're talking about the residential side that you have to accept what the insurance company offers you. People think that you know like I had a guy he's been through two contractors and he had one of them try the supplement process. This is someone I'm working with right now and you know he needs two bathrooms and flooring in the entire house and two new bathrooms and the insurance company is offering like $8,000, which is crazy. We're supplementing that up to, I think, $34,000. And we're negotiating that with the insurance company right now. So I think the biggest myth is that you have to accept what the insurance company offers.

Speaker 3:

Wow, and getting into it a little bit more, since we are talking about your typical customers who are your target customers and, in terms of marketing, how do you attract them?

Speaker 2:

um, great question. Well, you know, for marketing, um, I I really don't do anything. I have a. I just started a google ad a couple of months ago and, um, honestly, I wasn't really getting great calls on that. So, um, I you know they give you credit for calls that you don't use. So I've really whittled it down and only using the credit that I still have with have with google for those calls. So I, really I don't do any marketing, it's all word of mouth.

Speaker 2:

Um, I do networking. Um, you know, I uh, um actually have 12, 13 year member of garland chamber of commerce, so I don't do a lot of networking through that, do networking through richardson chamber of of Commerce. I work with different nonprofits. I'm on the board for multiple nonprofits actually in the city of Garland, which is where I live. I'm pretty well known here. I'm on city council here in Garland, so I get out quite a bit and people know who I am. So word of mouth is honestly the way I get most of my business. And I apologize, there was another part to that question.

Speaker 3:

Yes, who are your target customers?

Speaker 2:

Who are my target customers? Honestly, really, I mean anyone who has anything they need done to their house, whether it be roof, fence. You know, interior work, exterior work and then, like I said, on the commercial side, I do a lot of commercial. Finish out, you move your business into a new strip center and you need to make it yours. We do a lot of work with that, do a lot of work with additions additions on to existing businesses, additions on to existing houses to existing businesses, additions onto existing houses.

Speaker 2:

I'll tell you right now getting, with spring coming up, getting a lot of doing a lot of patio, patio coverings, pergolas, make patios larger, that kind of stuff. Really really like doing that. You know I like to. I like to help with the design side as well. So if it's something that we can, you know, with me and my guys and you, your opinions, help you with the design, then you know, really really reduces some of the costs, right? If you don't have to hire a designer, or if it's something we don't have to hire an architect for we can still do, then you know I like doing that. I like saving people money, I like to find the most efficient way to get things done, and so people get the most bang for their buck.

Speaker 3:

Let's go ahead and switch gears for a second. Can you describe a hardship or life challenge you overcame and how it made you a better and stronger man today? What comes to mind for you?

Speaker 2:

Well. So I was raised single mom four kids so hardship was it's all perspective, right, I mean it's just perspective. I mean if I look at something as a hardship then I'm letting it limit what I do and how I perceive things. So I didn't really look at my upbringing as a hardship. I looked at it as teaching me work ethic, teaching me empathy, teaching me the skills that I have that allow me to be successful today in my service to others in my city and in my service to my business. Yeah, I mean I'm a factor of my upbringing. I've been working. I started working when I was nine years old, started working full-time when I was 14 years old. I started working when I was nine years old, started working full time when I was 14 years old and you know, quite often when I was younger I'd have two or three jobs at a time and just never look back, just keep going forward.

Speaker 3:

You sound like me.

Speaker 2:

Got to hustle, got to hustle every day. It doesn't stop. It's not a destination, it's a journey.

Speaker 3:

It most certainly is, and it's more about the journey than the destination, because it's the journey.

Speaker 2:

it most certainly is, and it's more about the journey than the destination because it's the journey that ultimately builds you yeah so, jeff, please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about remodel contracting um, one thing to remember honestly I am I tell my, I tell my clients, because you hear horror stories and I have it happen to me too I had about people taking your money and you never hear from them again. I had a framer for a commercial job I gave a shot at and he gave him a $5,000 check, never saw him again. And I hear stories like that all the time. And so I tell people I'm easy to find. Just Google me and you'll see that I can't hide. That's what's one thing about being a public, public elected official is that I'm easy to find, right, so you know, I guess one piece of advice I would be is find people that you trust and keep those people close to you.

Speaker 3:

Amazing. And how can our listeners learn more about remodel contracting?

Speaker 2:

Amazing. And how can our listeners learn more about remodel contracting? Look at my Google reviews. I've got five stars on Google and yeah, just look me up, give me a call. I've got a website. My website's not that great. I need to update it, but there's a website and yeah, but best thing to do is look. Look on Google. I have worked on my Google. I've got pictures on there, reviews on there, so that's, that's a great way to do it. I've got a Facebook page too, and it's it's not even as good as my website. So if anybody wants to, wants to tackle those jobs for me, you're welcome to to do that.

Speaker 3:

Well, Jeff, one final question for you today. When it comes to remodeling, how is your approach different from other remodeling companies?

Speaker 2:

I try to look at things from the customer's perspective. You know a lot of guys go into a job and you know they're called out for a bathroom and they're going to go oh, you need to do your kitchen too. You need to do your floors, you need to do this, you need to do your kitchen too. You need to do your floors, need to do this, need to do that. I'm going to do whatever it is you need to do. If you just want to do the bathroom, we'll do the bathroom and, like I said, a lot of what I do is I help with things that I help with others, don't? I help with the design decisions.

Speaker 2:

I've got a great eye. Like I said, I do my own work in my own house and have a gorgeous house. I do design decisions with you. I listen to what it is that you want. I will give my input if I feel that you want it and you take it or you don't.

Speaker 2:

So, just as an example, I did an Airbnb on Lake Texoma, rebuilt the whole house and it slept 12 people. So well, if you got 12 people in Lake Texoma, these people are going to be coming in with a lot of groceries. So one thing I did is I designed a built-in chest freezer along with the cabinets, so it looks like it's part of the lower cabinets in the kitchen but it's actually a chest freezer and the the countertop opens up and you have. So that's an idea that I had that the client liked and we put it in there. So I helped come up those ideas. I try to think of things from the client's perspective and if I do that then things are going to run smoothly and everyone's going to be happy from A to Z.

Speaker 3:

Well, Jeff, I really appreciate you being on the show. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

Speaker 2:

Sophia, it's been outstanding. I love it, Appreciate you having me on here and I've had a great time this morning outstanding.

Speaker 1:

I love it, appreciate you having me on here and I've had a great time this morning. Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpfriscocom. That's gnpfriscocom. Or call 469-221-9345.