Capital Connections
Capital Connections Podcast
Capital Connections
EP #2 - Renovation Success with Stephen Potter of Potter Renovations
Stephen Potter, the dynamic force behind Potter Renovations, reveals his incredible journey from the world of printing to becoming a well-respected name in the renovation industry. Listeners will be captivated by his transition from sprucing up landscapes to transforming indoor spaces, a path shaped by his collaboration with our host, Samuel Low. With over 200 kitchens completed under his belt, Stephen shares how word-of-mouth became his most powerful marketing tool, driving his business to new heights.
For homeowners considering a renovation, this episode is packed with insights to guide you through the process. We discuss the common challenges in hiring trustworthy renovators and tradespeople, offering strategies to navigate these uncertainties. Emphasizing honest communication and managing expectations, we aim to empower listeners to feel confident and in control of their renovation projects. Plus, I open up about my own interests in travel and gardening, adding a personal touch to our conversation.
Timing is everything, and Stephen shares why scheduling renovations during a homeowner's vacation can be a strategic game-changer. From Punta Cana getaways to snowbird retreats, Stephen recounts success stories that not only yielded impressive results but also earned repeat business and referrals. Highlighting the importance of showcasing projects online, Stephen underscores the role of client consent in promoting his work. Join us as we express our gratitude to Stephen and emphasize our commitment to connecting you with top-tier professionals in the renovation field.
Potter Renovations
Stephen Potter
518 Chartrand St, Russell, ON K4R 1G1
(613) 853-4125
https://potterrenovations.com/
Connections podcast. The place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, samuel Lowe.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Capital Connections podcast, episode number two. Today we have the pleasure of speaking with Stephen Potter of Potter Renovations located just outside of Ottawa, and Russell, stephen, thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 3:Pleasure is all mine.
Speaker 2:Hey, fantastic Stephen. Can you share a bit of?
Speaker 3:what you do at Potter Renovations. Potter Renovations is primarily a residential renovation company. We can do interior and exterior. We have done a few additions, predominantly basins, bathrooms, kitchens, things that people want to upgrade for one reason or another.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's fantastic. So additions like what size additions are we talking about? Is this like a whole new wing on the house, or is it a sunroom, or is it what type of thing?
Speaker 3:Our experience so far is predominantly sunrooms, but what you do with the room is entirely up to you. Once you add the foundation and you've done the walls and the roof and all that sort of stuff, it becomes whatever the customer may have wanted. Sunrooms are popular because most people buy a house that fits their family, and the one thing that they seem to add on without just basically selling the house and moving to the house that does have their needs, matt is a sunroom. A lot of people invest heavily into their house and then they get to a point where they go, oh my God, we don't have any place to be, like a sunroom. So that's the one sort of addition that seems to pop up more than anything uh, can you share uh with our listeners your journey?
Speaker 2:uh, basically how and why you got into business?
Speaker 3:uh, my career was supposed to be printing. I was in printing for, I don't know, between 15 and 20 years. But when I was young from the age of 15 to 21, I think or 22, I was in landscaping as a summer job and through college, and then I stayed with it for a year or two after I graduated out of college, and I stayed with it for a year or two after I graduated out of college. I went to college for printing, but I ended up being an estimator for printing. After a couple years and it was a desk job is not for everybody I found myself after three or four years with a company behind a desk getting a little bored, and I would then go back to landscaping for one you know, for one summer or something like that, for a few projects, and then I'd end up going to a different printer.
Speaker 3:Printing was really good to me, don't get me wrong. I was in printing here in Canada, the United States. I saw lots of the world, but you kind of get pigeonholed in what you do, and with renovations I was with one company that did some. Actually, it was you, sam.
Speaker 2:We do have a common connection. That's right.
Speaker 3:You were doing landscaping. You had a landscape renovation type company and I came and joined you mid-summer and then you went and started doing indoor projects and that was sort of my introduction to indoor projects and I learned a little bit under you, obviously. And then, after I left that, I went and worked for a kitchen company here in Ottawa and I did I lost track it's somewhere over 200 kitchens. It was basically basically at least a kitchen a week and sometimes, uh, a kitchen and a half, you know.
Speaker 3:As soon as you were done, you were on to the next one and you got, we got really good at it, and so I got to the point where I was pretty much doing kitchens, you know, solo I would go in, and I didn't have any helpers or anybody, I would just do the kitchen right from, uh, from scratch, just by myself. So you get good, good at doing things by yourself and learning where to start and where to end, and so that was a big learning curve for me and that put me in a whole different world. After I was doing kitchens, though, for that many years, I found myself in a position where I was headhunted back into printing. So I went to printing for three years, and then I got bored again. And then this time, when I went back out on my own, it was actually the people I was working with in the print shop that knew that I could do all kinds of home renovation stuff.
Speaker 3:So I started having people at my office getting me to do their bathroom, do their kitchen, do their fence, do this, do that, and I was doing like I was busy. I was working nine to five or whatever, no question about it and then I was working the weekends and nights and stuff like that and I, I think the big push, the big uh thing that put me over the you know, to quit that. And you know what's the saying Burn the boats and take the island. Yep, that's Robbins. What's his name?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't recall exactly where it's from, but it's just burning.
Speaker 3:You've got to burn the boat, so I haven't. I had a neighbor, uh, close by, that wanted to renovate their basement and they had got a quote for it. And when they talked to me about it, they I was still doing printing. And they said but I they see me do all kinds of renovation work and would I be interested? And when I heard what they were paying this other company, or about to pay this other company to do the basement, um it was like wow, that's a lot, that's a lot of money.
Speaker 3:Um, you know, I could easily do that for less and I did it for them for less and everybody was happy. I, I quit my job, basically, and did that basement job for them and that was that was me burning the boats to take the island and from that point forward it was I have to get the next job. And then the next job, next job, and you get to a point where you no longer have to look anymore for the next job, that the phone is just ringing and you know you get to.
Speaker 2:When you do quality work like you do, that's, uh, that's exactly what does happen. Things just start to snowball. Love also the fact that you still have the throwback to the exterior work, which was really the beginning of how you got started with uh, with renovations or hard things and that sort of stuff.
Speaker 3:It's still mind-boggling to me that how many landscaping companies are out there doing landscape work? Predominantly, as we know, it's, it's interlock, and I worked with in that industry. I worked with a guy who was out of the british navy and this guy was extremely smart, brilliant and he really knew what he was doing when it came to laying interlock and when we were doing it back in the 80s early 80s there wasn't the interlocking that there is now, and he was the one that developed most of the systems that anybody is using to install interlock in predominantly Canada. For sure, he ended up teaching it at a college level as well.
Speaker 3:So when I watch these guys install Interlock, I see the systems that he and I well, mostly him, but I helped, you know as a helper we created and when they don't use the systems, it's like it's mind boggling that people are paying these people to lay interlock without the proper systems. And in canada, if you don't do it right in two, three years, with our climate.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you're redoing it yeah, you got to redo it and uh, it's. It's really awful that people get sucked in. So I've I've been lucky that I have, from the beginning, always had good, good teachers teach me how to do it right, and I like to stand with the kitchen people. So you know, when it came to exterior work, our guarantee in the beginning was five years.
Speaker 3:Uh, if it moved a quarter of an inch any direction, I came back and fixed it wow, that's amazing I have, you know, I have my neighbor had uh, had interlock done uh, before I came here and when I showed up it was it was more than a quarter of an inch off, the second year after it had been put in and I was like, oh my god, I was shocked that it had had moved that much. But if you let water get in into something like that, it'll cause all kinds of damage. It's the same interior wise right, you can't let water get in behind anything or it will damage stuff.
Speaker 2:Any myths or misconceptions that we could clear up for our listeners regarding the renovation world. You know we just touched on the interlock side of thing, I guess, about water infiltration into its base and that kind of stuff. But anything you could think about any nuggets of information you could throw out to our listeners.
Speaker 3:Well, we do two things when it comes to customers to help them feel at ease with the project. Most people have watched a lot of tv and they see um. You know mike holmes talk about. You know all these disasters. And there's a lot of apprehension when people are hiring renovators and and trades people that they don't know what they're buying. I mean, they're not skilled in it themselves. So it's really hard for them to know confidently that they've hired the right people. And we're talking a lot of money always. So I like to treat the customer in a way that dispels, you said, myths, but that was my first feeling was these applications and and the? You know the, the sleepless nights that they're not sure that they're they've picked the right person and that's going the right way. So I I always treat the projects like I would want to be treated and what does that look like, Stephen?
Speaker 2:is that like laying it out with a proper plan?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah, it, yeah. It's like you first have to talk about the project so that the expectations are in line with what reality is going to be, so how long the project is going to take. I've been doing it long enough that I know quite comfortably how long a project is going to take within a few days or a week, something to that effect. So, for instance, there was one lady that we were renovating her house but she wanted to have a party for her husband on a specific date down the road and she's like looking at me, uh, saying, well, I have a house party that we're going to need to have in. Basically, you know, pick a number 30 days, will this project be done.
Speaker 3:And I would say, okay, providing that you don't change your mind halfway through this project, I'll be able to complete this project in 21 days. So you have a little bit of wiggle room for your um bit of a buffer in mind, but we will be confidently getting it done. And so, from that point forward, I typically would have I do have a line in our service agreements with customers that we are going to start on this date and we are going to be predominantly done by this date, which means you know if it's a bathroom, it's going to be eight working days or nine working days and you'll have a functioning bathroom in nine days. Sure, so the other one is money, and money is I don't want to be doing a project where I'm not getting paid till the job's done and the customer doesn't want to be outlaying a lot of money until they've actually got something to show for it in terms of the project being, you know, completed.
Speaker 2:Understood.
Speaker 3:One way or another. So we have target dates and and progress payments of what's going to be. You know I'm going to need money from you on this date because I'm going to have A, b, c and D off the service agreement done and then we'll move forward. Once I get F, g and H done, then you'll pay me some more and so on and so forth, and that allows the customer to feel a lot more confident that the project is being and in control.
Speaker 2:you could follow along and you know the benchmarks and after all you're talking about pretty substantial projects here. If you're doing a whole basement or a kitchen or a bathroom, it's not nominal dollars Side of work. How do you enjoy spending your time?
Speaker 3:traveling. I have a travel trailer nice and um, we've been uh across uh north america three times now wow our daughter's in um alberta, so we travel across to go see her and we always pick a different route there and back. So we see you, we see things there and back. So I think that's my big passion outside of this.
Speaker 2:I hear you, I love it.
Speaker 3:Gardening as well. The couple across the street just went to Punta Cana for Christmas Nice A couple. When they went to Punta Cana they hired us to take the stipple off the ceiling on their main floor.
Speaker 2:Oh nice Good timing too.
Speaker 3:They were long. We made a mess and we fixed everything up and when they came home it was a perfect project for the time period that they were giving us, Basically a week right.
Speaker 2:Perfect for everybody, right? You're less concerned about where the tools are at the end of the day because people aren't living there. That's a great opportunity for listeners who plan on traveling. It's a great opportunity to get some work done.
Speaker 3:Well, you know it is interesting, we have done this quite a bit, and this winter I have two more like that.
Speaker 2:While they're away.
Speaker 3:There's a lot of snowbirds.
Speaker 2:I think it's experienced people who realize this is the ideal time to do things.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 3:And so we did a basement I don't know, maybe five years ago now, maybe six, for this one couple. They went to Texas for the winter and we redid a large portion of their house while they were gone and it really went well and they were really happy. And from that one customer we have been, it's just been one other customer that they've recommended, one after another and as a result of that, this winter we have two more now just from them alone, recommended, you know, recommended to us. So very grateful for that, very grateful.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's amazing and you know, as we touched on, I know firsthand of the quality and the professionalism that you put into your work, so you know that speaks volumes and it's no question that you know people want to share that with their friends and family. It's like I know this amazing company and this amazing guy who's going to look after you and get the work done and do it well. Let me see what's. You know a parting thing anything you want listeners to know about your business, maybe how they could get in contact with you, or anything that you just want to end the podcast on.
Speaker 3:Well, we can be found on the web, potter renovationscom. Um the. The website is going to be updated, uh, in the next, uh, let's say, three weeks.
Speaker 2:Oh nice.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we haven't. Uh I, once you get going, you know in life it doesn't matter what you're doing, you've been busy renovating, not busy getting a website done. Well, water flows downhill, and if you're so busy and you don't have to do something, you won't do it, and so we have not added anything to the website in years, uh, years, uh, it's, it is still a fine website, but you know, like you said, you know updating it just to bring it up to right well, there's a lot of projects that we've done that that are really fascinating things that customers should.
Speaker 3:You know. See, I I don't take pictures of people's houses unless I get permission and I won't post it unless I get permission, and so, but once I have permission, other people should see what some people are doing and you know, because they have something.
Speaker 2:Well, you get inspiration from it and it's ideas and, yeah, yeah, people are proud of the work that they've they've hired you to do as well. So, um, so that's great. So, um, I know, go to the website and, um, I guess, reach out by email. You're based out of russell, but what is your service area, steven?
Speaker 3:That's a good question. We like to stick as local as possible for many reasons aside from economical. It is always nice to work as close to home as possible. Funny, I will say no to a lot of people that are like west end of ottawa, you know, farther away, but if they're recommended to me because of I did some work for their brother or their you know, or you know something like that, uh, I find harder, I find myself saying yes to to people that are recommended to us.
Speaker 2:Would it be fair to say like your sweet spot would be, you know, the downtown core, south and East, out to Orleans towards and then South towards Russell, like that would be the sweet spot.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:But you know again we've done work, though in Toronto we've done, you know again Our haven.
Speaker 3:Even We've done work, though in Toronto. We've done, I've done work, oh wow.
Speaker 2:So when you're talking about distance, you're really talking distance.
Speaker 3:Right, I've done work for a customer in Tadasac.
Speaker 2:Nice.
Speaker 3:I was in.
Speaker 2:Tadasac this past summer. What a spot.
Speaker 3:You were there.
Speaker 2:I was there. Yeah, I was visiting family with the kids. We were on a road trip. Oh, no way, no way, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:This guy, this couple. We had done their house in Limoge, which is not far from us here in Russell, and they bought this house to be an Airbnb in Tadoussac and so we brought the crew out there and we stayed for two, three weeks. I guess we spent three weeks and we did a lot of work there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, amazing Great little town. I remember hearing about Tadoussac, but it's one of those places. Once you're there, you see how charming it really is.
Speaker 3:French-Canadian. You just never know until you're there. It's like all these great places exist. It's tough to say that I'm going to say no to somebody, but it does make a lot of sense for the customer and for us to try to get as local work as possible understand you know a sweet spot and your sweet spot, still pretty big, being in sandy hill and south and east from there, that's, yeah, that's a really good east side of ottawa there's there's a lot of quality renovators out there that there's no need for them to be coming out to where I live and there's no need for me to go where they live, unless you know.
Speaker 2:There's a connection.
Speaker 3:It just has to have the, you know, the look that we provide, the quality that we provide. You know, I don't know. It seems silly to think that I'm better than everybody else, but we do do a really good job and and, and that's why we get recommended for work. So Yep.
Speaker 2:Well, steven, it was great introducing you to the listeners today and thank you for connecting with us. Invite everybody to reach out to to Potter renovations and hope to see you in the community soon.
Speaker 3:Thanks.
Speaker 1:Sam, thank you for listening to the capital connections podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to capital connections podcastcom that's capital connections podcastcom, or call 803-6268.