Right Start by Stellan Eoin Builders
Welcome to the 'Right Start' podcast, where we dive deep into the essentials of home building and remodeling. Hosted by Drew Powell and Josh Hendrick from Stellan Eoin Builders, this podcast offers expert advice, insights, and stories to help you navigate the complex world of construction with confidence. Whether you’re laying the foundation for a new home or undertaking a major renovation, join us for guidance on making informed decisions that ensure your project starts—and finishes—right.
Right Start by Stellan Eoin Builders
The Role of the General Contractor
Unlock the secrets to construction success with our special guest, John, as we explore the pivotal role of the General Contractor in the pre-construction phase. Discover how involving a GC early on can transform your project, thanks to their unrivaled network of trusted subcontractors and their knack for assembling the ideal team of architects and designers. We delve into the art of creating a cohesive team that aligns culturally and professionally with your vision, ensuring a streamlined process and improved project outcomes. This episode is packed with insights on why the GC should be your first call and how their expertise can make the daunting task of team building a breeze.
Join us as we navigate the complexities of pre-construction, shedding light on the process of choosing the right designer and GC for your needs. With John's guidance, we break down the strengths of different designers and emphasize the GC's role as a steadfast advocate throughout the construction journey. Learn how early involvement of a GC can prevent costly missteps, keep budgets in check, and ensure the project's feasibility. We provide a roadmap to tackling potential challenges head-on, offering practical solutions to achieve the best possible outcomes for your construction endeavors.
Well, we got him back. We did get him back.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he went all of four feet and came back.
Speaker 1:We gave him a bathroom break in between.
Speaker 2:We did.
Speaker 1:We were like if we got the boss here, we got to keep him for a couple episodes. So you kind of alluded to this in the last episode and we'll go there a little bit more Just about the role of the GC. And I have a lot of questions about this too, just because I'm not. You know, this is a new industry for me, right? So I'm asking from the standpoint of someone who might be hiring a general contractor, not knowing exactly what they do and why it's so important. We were talking literally before we started recording. I made you guys stop because you're saying so much good stuff. I was like this is what we want to talk about on the podcast.
Speaker 2:So like to introduce the podcast. Basically, today, what we're going to do is we're going to explore the GC part of the team. So every pre-construction process has a team, right. So you have your designers, your architects, your engineers, your soil scientists, your surveyors. I mean you're going to have a realtor that brings you in and finds the land or maybe know, maybe even who you bought the house from.
Speaker 2:So in this team, in this concept of a team, where does the gc fit and how we're trying to change the industry and get us into a different position earlier, and why we think that's going to be best for the client. So that's going to be kind of our you know rundown of this episode. Um, you know we're a little biased. We are the gc, uh, so, but we were biased because we think it's genuinely what's going to be best for the client. So john's our uh guest expert, um, so he went from the founder, uh, to the expert, so and so I guess our first question is you know, out of that team of pre-construction, where do, as the industry sits right now, when does the GC usually get brought in?
Speaker 3:So when does he often get brought in, or when should he get brought in?
Speaker 2:When does he get brought in, as the industry sits right now?
Speaker 3:industry industry sits right now. So I think a lot of times, um, people will call a designer or an architect and then they'll, and they'll bring in, uh, the gc later or sometimes during that early design phase for, like you know, ballpark numbers to kind of. But I think it would be much better for the client and for the, the overall project health as a whole, to bring the GC in first. That should be your first call, because just the nature of a general contractor is he has a very large at least if he's a great contractor, he'll have a large list of vetted subcontractors that he can coordinate, he can come and look at the project, he knows what their capacities are, what they're good at, and so that's why the GC should be the very first call, because he also knows who's the architect or the designer that's best suited for their project.
Speaker 1:Don't you kind of want the GC to in some ways honest question? You want the GC to kind of be able to build their team in a lot of ways, cause you want them to be able to pick and choose who they get to work with, or does that, does that matter?
Speaker 2:I think it does matter.
Speaker 2:I think what makes us unique is we actually have spent a lot of time exploring different architects and designers in the Nashville, middle Tennessee area, and so we've built a lot of these partnerships with the designers and architects, and not every client is going to fit every designer.
Speaker 2:Not every client is going to fit every architect Right. So once you know our main focus is as a company is we get to know our clients. Because we can't build, you know we build around your why we can't do that unless we know our client. As we're getting to know our clients because we can't build, you know we build around your why we can't do that unless we know our client. As we're getting to know the client, we're going to start getting to what we think is the best architect, the best designer fit um for that, for that individual. Yeah, so instead of you working through a list of, okay, here's three architects in the area that I think will help me, we're actually saying, hey, here's three architects in the area that I think will help me. We're actually saying, hey, here's your best fit architect. You know we'll go through and you can interview one or two Um, but you know here's what we think is going to be your best fit.
Speaker 3:And it may not just be the best cultural fit or like, that's not the only qualifier. It may be that you know some architects primarily just do commercial architecture. You know some designers mostly do like commercial spaces or, you know, or new builds, and we have a list of people that we've already worked with that we can bring in on your project. That is going to set your project up to win, because it's what they do every day, and so I think that is kind of primarily what I was getting at. But also, if we have multiple people that could do the project well, then it becomes a question well, who do you like the best or who would you get along with on your project? Because you're going to be working with that designer as well through throughout the project. Yeah, so that is a very important um, you know fit like it has to be. It has to be a good fit for you to have fun on the project when you're your architect.
Speaker 2:Well, no, excuse me your designer and your gc actually need to get along very well because, out of the pre-construction process, those are the only two at the finish line. So an architect is going to give you drawings very rarely in larger commercial stuff They'll stay on to the end year. But you're engineers, they'll give you a load galaxy and they're out Right Um, you're, but you're, you know, engineers. They'll give you a load galaxy and they're out Right Um, and then, but the only two at the very end of a project, or your GC and your designer. So the better that relationship is, the better it's going to be for the client.
Speaker 3:Right and I think that, having you know the debate being well, should you get your designer involved first or your GC first? Yeah, and regardless. You know pretty much 10 out of 10 of our projects at least, are designer. You know designed homes. So we're always working with designers and so they will always be pretty much our first call. So if you work with us, you're going to get that designer from the very onset Gotcha. However, I think it's just better for the GC, for a third party to be able to speak into who the best designer is for your project.
Speaker 1:Well, you had a great. In case someone missed it, I'd love for you to give your analogy again about what a GC is and what they did on the last episode you talked about that. Could you just kind of reframe that for us in case someone missed it?
Speaker 2:Absolutely so. In my opinion, I think gc is like a symphony conductor, right? Um, you can have all the best musicians in the world, so you can have the absolute best architect, best designer, the best plumber, the best electrician, like you go through all of it, right, but without someone leading that, you're never going to have the music. And so that's what we do, and I think that's what we um excel at, is that we get to know the client and we build that music around them. So, and it's a music town, so it's a fun analogy. So, but we're we're always looking for that way. To you know, okay, we've met dozens and dozens of designers in Nashville, right, I want to make sure the client is as happy and comfortable with that designer as possible. So I may bring three in front of you and say, hey, here's the three that fit our scope best. Which one do you like? Because some designers we have one gentleman that is just a genius when it comes to spatial awareness. He'll make a small build feel so much bigger than it could. And we have other designers that just they're, they're really good at figuring out the client, like how they, how to design with that client, specific client mind.
Speaker 2:We have another designer. She just she's brilliant, but it's her style and if you like her style, like she may be the best at nashville um, and so if we have a client that's like, hey, I like these elements, I'm like man I really need, I'd love for you to meet her um, because she is going to guide you into some of the most beautiful homes in nashville lake. She actually won um in the. We had a designer award show and she won best kitchen right. So, uh, we've, we've met, we've built, we've met, we've built these relationships with uh, designers, we've built these relationships with architects and everything, so that way we can give a better service to our clients.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think a lot of people going into these projects feel one of the few things probably, but it can feel pretty overwhelmed, like where do I start, where do I go, what's you know? And I think there's also a lot of fear of you know. Take something like me, for example. There's just so much I don't know.
Speaker 1:I don't know about permitting I don't know about codes, I don't know who to hire what. In some ways it sounds like getting the right GC from the beginning is kind of your almost your concierge through the whole, the whole project. Am I thinking about that right?
Speaker 3:Right, because if you have never done something before, wouldn't you want to have an advocate that has hired a designer or an architect or any one of the entire project team, the entire vendor list? Wouldn't you want to hire someone that has, like, wouldn't you want to have an advocate that has hired hundreds of times, like daily, someone that knows, someone that has done it hundreds of times? So you don't have to like, feel like you need to go and, you know, wade through a thousand different designers, a thousand different architects.
Speaker 1:That feels to me that alone would keep me from doing a project, cause I would just be like I don't even know where to start. I'm so overwhelmed I don't even know what to do. I don't know where to start. That alone Plus. I mean, sometimes you need someone to have a difficult conversation for you and to have someone who knows the industry and knows how to navigate those.
Speaker 3:And the incentive as a, as a GC, is we're, we're involved in the project from start to completion. So we want that project to be successful. We want that project to go well, to go smooth, to have, you know, find the right people for you. So when you call us, you're actually, you're actually enlisting the help of someone that wants the success of that project. Uh, from the very beginning, so well and we hate delays.
Speaker 2:Projects can get delayed for so many reasons, but also pre-construction can get delayed for a lot of reasons. So when we're in pre-construction, as the gc, you know we want to make sure hey, have all the zoning questions been answered? You have this idea for a project. Can you even do it? Um, you know we uh soil like do you have a septic? Do you have it perked already?
Speaker 2:Is there a way that, um, we can start expediting things? You know, can I start getting you know your fields marked out before we even have a design? Because that might take two years in some areas. Um, that's been very rare to ever see it that long. But what we're trying to do is, if you can get the GCN early, then we can start working through things to making sure like this project's actual possible and we can push it forward. So that way you're not spending all this money with an architect to get something designed that you can't even build. You're not spending all this money having something designed that you can't even do. Right, so we want to help you out. We want this. Our goal is that our client gets the absolute best project for them that we could ever do.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So, whether it's property restrictions or budget issues, like we recently had a client tell us that they had, before they called us, they had called all the pre-construction team pretty much, and had already paid for civil engineering, architectural, structural engineering, the stormwater people, like had all this engineering in place, you know the site plan. Water people, like had all this engineering in place, the you know the site plan, um, and had paid for all of this stuff, you know exceeding you know 48, I think, some thousand dollars, just to find out that their budget wouldn't allow them to actually do the build.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, what a nightmare yes, and they're in 50 grand, just to find out that they can't and that's where we really want to help.
Speaker 2:Um, you know, a common thing are setbacks and like, oh, I want to build this edition, we're like your setbacks aren't going to allow that we can go up, we can't go out. Um, you know, uh, there's all kinds of different things we're going to see, but if it's possible, we want to make it. You know, we want to push it forward and make sure you're you're getting the best. But if it's not possible, we want to make sure you know that as early as possible, before you spend as much any money.
Speaker 1:And we kind of specialize in tough cases too. Right, I mean, that's the, the, we like the custom stuff. We talk a little bit about that. So it's like, even with the setbacks, we're looking for ways to say yes. Or might not be able to do that, but here's a better way of doing it or a different option. Talk a little bit about your heart and your passion for that.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So I mean, if it's a renovation, you know you might hear, no, you can't do that. You know the span is too wide or something like that. And we work almost daily uh, definitely weekly with structural engineers on our various projects, and so we'll be pretty quick to bring a structural engineer in and figure out a way we can do it, whether it means using you know some composite materials or using steel, or using you know, uh, laminated, veneer, lumber or different, like not to get too technical, but that's actually the technical part is the part I enjoy the most, so I geek out on that. Um, so, getting into you know your more difficult construction projects, finding solutions for things that you know your other contractors will tell you that, no, you can't do that. We often can find a way to do that.
Speaker 3:But I would say too, you have property restrictions at times, so that people think they can build something and not all of your architects a lot of them do have a good understanding of zoning, you know related issues and things like that, so they can help point you in that in the right direction, but not all of them do. So you can pay for a complete set of drawings and end up not being able to build it, um. So a minute ago I mentioned about, you know, budget. You know what we do is we can guide the client from the very onset you know, with budget related, like ballparks, so that we can guide them within their budget. And then, when it comes to like restrictions, we can already do, you know, do the our due diligence and know exactly. You know what square footage of that lot they can cover, how much they need to leave as pervious area and how much they can be impervious area.
Speaker 2:So there's zoning restrictions, especially in Metro Nashville, um, and so I think having a GC involved early in your in in your project can help you with a lot of those questions and avoid issues and paying money for something you can't do. Yeah, so there's um, yeah, there's so many different elements to planning a project. That's good. I didn't know where I was going to go yet.
Speaker 1:Well, sorry, I was going to let. That was a good stopping place. Unless we have more. Is there more we want to talk about?
Speaker 2:We're right at 15 minutes. Let's do an outro kind of you have any type something like you know. So, hey, we're so excited to meet anyone we can in that pre-construction process as early as possible. I'd love to you know if you already have an architect designer involved. Let's set up a meeting. Let's get some thought process about what's going to be the best project for you. We don't want to take over any project, but we do want to make sure that as soon as we can get involved, we are part of a team. We'd love to conduct that team, but we definitely want to be a part of that team as early as possible. So please let us know, call us, we'll have show notes. We'll have all our information there. And then, john, do you want to give us a like where? How do you find stalin on builders? He's like I don't know on the spot so on the world wide web.
Speaker 1:He's like that's what I hire you guys worldwide web.
Speaker 2:Who calls it that is?
Speaker 3:that old people old people well I would say that, although we're not opposed to, you know, getting involved with a project where there already is a complete design team involved, we would obviously prefer being involved as early as possible because then we can best help guide that project from its inception really, and can keep you from making as many and often easily avoidable mistakes.
Speaker 2:And that's the whole point of our Right Start service. We literally are asking people to call us when there's an idea of a project, so that we can help them all the way to the permit. So that's a wrap for episode three, right Start podcast.
Speaker 1:Here we are, we're in. You know, most podcasts only go three episodes. That's the average length of podcast. So we're already at the average.
Speaker 2:Okay, so we're killing us in next month for us being above average, above average podcast. Seriously, john.
Speaker 1:Above average, above average podcast. Seriously, john, thanks for being with us. Man, thank you for your time. You're welcome. Of course it's your company, so you can do what you want, but you're welcome back anytime on the podcast. We love having you.
Speaker 3:Well, thank you for having me All right.