FXBG Neighbors Podcast
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
FXBG Neighbors Podcast
EP #18 Transparency in Construction: Why Pre-Planning Changes Everything
What happens when a finance and economics graduate navigates the rocky job market of 2009-2010? For Brian Beck, it became the unexpected gateway into the world of construction that would eventually lead to founding FXBG Construction, a premier residential contractor in Fredericksburg.
Brian's journey unfolds as a masterclass in building a business with integrity. From his early days working for someone flipping houses to establishing his own construction company with his wife as partner, Brian shares how values shape business decisions. "I'd rather spend more money to have it done right the first time," he explains, revealing how past disagreements about quality standards ultimately pushed him to forge his own path. This commitment to excellence has allowed him to maintain relationships with the same crews for nearly a decade—a remarkable achievement in an industry known for high turnover.
What truly sets FXBG Construction apart is their thorough pre-construction process. While many contractors rush to start projects, Brian's team invests significant time upfront selecting everything from shower fixtures to cabinet knobs before breaking ground. "We are very big on the front end, slow to start," he notes, "but that way, once the construction process goes, it just rolls through." This methodical approach eliminates surprises and change orders that often plague renovation projects. Perhaps most telling is Brian's practice of testing new tradespeople on his own home first—ensuring only proven professionals work on client projects.
Whether you're planning a high-end bathroom remodel, kitchen renovation, basement finishing, or a custom deck with exotic hardwoods, Brian's insights offer valuable guidance on choosing the right contractor. Follow FXBG Construction on social media or visit their website to learn more about their customer-focused approach to transforming homes throughout the Fredericksburg area.
Brian Beck
FXBG Construction
703-609-7825
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dori Stewart.
Speaker 2:Welcome to another episode of the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. Today we have a fantastic neighbor to introduce you to. Brian Beck is the owner of FXBG Construction. Brian, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 3:Thank you, Dori.
Speaker 2:Thank you for joining me today. Let's start off by sharing with the listeners a little bit about your business.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so we are a residential general contractor, so anything in and around the home is really within our realm. Anything in and around the home is really within our realm. We specialize in high-end bathroom remodels, kitchen remodels, basement finishing, and we've actually started doing a lot of decks, which we've found we really enjoy doing as well Trex TimberTech your composite stuff in as well Trex TimberTech your composite stuff, as well as Exotic Hardwoods. So a little bit of everything. But anything around the house is within our realm.
Speaker 2:Nice, nice. That's awesome. So tell me, how did you get into this? Tell us about your journey.
Speaker 3:So I actually went to school for finance and economics, graduated with a degree in both and came out 2009-2010. So not the best job market to come out of. Yes, I started working for a guy who was flipping houses and that's how I actually got into construction. So I've been doing construction now for since about 2011,. 14, 15 years, give or take. Okay, started branching out on our own with our own flips and stuff, which kind of led to our own construction company, which is what we've really found that we enjoy doing, and when I say we, my wife is my partner with me on the construction. The stuff that makes it look pretty is really what she does. I'm more of the nuts and bolts, logistics side of things.
Speaker 2:Nice. Well, your background in finance lends itself very well to being a business owner. So many business owners get into this because they love what they're doing in terms of you know the work, but then they don't really have the business side of it and sometimes it can end up in disaster. So you are a leg up when it comes to the business side, so that's awesome.
Speaker 3:It definitely has helped out.
Speaker 2:I'm sure. So tell me. Are there any myths or misconceptions that you come across when it comes to your industry?
Speaker 3:I wouldn't necessarily say misconceptions. A lot of it is who you choose to work with. There is a reason. Construction has some of the stereotypes it has about it. Say, working in this industry long enough, I've been through my fair share of tradesmen and companies and luckily we've got the same crew now I've been working with for about eight to nine years. I've got two or three crews who I've worked with for the same amount of time Almost coming up on a decade with all of them now, which really helps to eliminate a lot of what we see as the problems Lack of communication, communication not executing, timelines discrepancies and say expectation setting.
Speaker 3:We've got to say we know what crews we're using, we know what they can and can't do, we know, going into it, what that is and we can either set ourselves up to hit those goals or, if it's something that, hey, we're not going to be able to do it, we can either readjust expectations or, if it's something that's just not going to be a good fit, we're not afraid to tell people that, hey, it's based on what you want. We can't do it this way. We can do this, this or this or these are some other options for you, but we're not going to put ourselves or the homeowner in a spot. Just frankly, it's not worth it. Everyone ends up unhappy at the end.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, I'm sure your customers appreciate your transparency. That's so important.
Speaker 3:It is, and I think that's one of the biggest issues we see with why we end up. Actually, a lot of our calls are from people who we've given initial bids to and they've gone alternative routes and get halfway done or all the way done and end up unhappy or having to redo stuff because the communication wasn't clear, the expectations weren't clear or the execution was just not where it should have been. So yeah. So the transparency is definitely a key.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, Huge. What a great compliment that you have had uh your same crews for so many years. That's a huge Testament to you and your wife and the type of business owners that you are. So congratulations on that.
Speaker 3:That's that, that's big it says this is the same as uh the homeless. If you treat people well and they treat you well and ends up being a good relationship, everybody's happy, everybody comes out ahead and yeah it's worked out well and, frankly, I don't like trying new people because, yeah, you never know what you're gonna get. Luckily, we've got a long list of projects at my house, so we are comfortable testing people out at my house because I know I can get it fixed easy enough If it turns out to not be true.
Speaker 2:That's hilarious. I love it. I love it. Okay, so clearly you're working very hard, so we need to know what do you do for fun when you're not working hard on your business.
Speaker 3:So lately it's spring, so kids sports and you got a daughter and a son, middle school and elementary school, so that's spring and fall is pretty full on. Other than that, I do play ice hockey up there in Woodbridge. It's probably the bulk of my hobbies. I still do a lot of real estate investing as well, just with the flips and stuff. That's slowed down in the last year or two just because we've been really focusing on drilling down the construction company, on drilling down the construction company, but um, so yeah, hockey, kids sports, jet skis and you like jet skis those fun as well.
Speaker 2:Nice.
Speaker 3:Those would be the private big things.
Speaker 2:Nice, nice. Well, with the, with kids that age, you're very busy.
Speaker 1:Yes, no doubt.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yes, no doubt, yeah, but looking forward to summer, I'm sure so can you describe a hardship or a challenge that you have gone through that you now feel like you're stronger and better because of it? I would say there's lots of small things here and there. One of my previous previous previous previous employers when I just got out and we were flipping houses, this is kind of when I realized I don't want to flip houses as my primary thing.
Speaker 3:A very say, disagreement on quality and doing things twice as I would rather spend a little bit more money.
Speaker 3:Have it done right the first time as opposed to the way others wanted to do things. We were actually pregnant with our first kid at the time, but that's kind of when I decided I wanted to start doing my own thing. So I ended up starting working for a general contractor, which led me to start my own construction company. So Blessing in disguise but also kind of set me up for realizing that I'd rather do things right, do it with more money and stress there's a dollar cost, I guess, to stress. And doing things the right way, I think, is just frankly easier.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you really do learn what you want the values to be in your business when you go through something like that.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes.
Speaker 2:So what is something that we haven't talked about yet, that you would like the listeners to know, about FXBG Construction?
Speaker 3:We are customer focused and that's our main goes back to the disagreement I had with my boss when we were flipping houses is we want the customer to be happy in the end. If we can't do that, we are not going to take a job that we know we are not a good fit for. Or if there's a timeline expectation that we know would be a stretch, we would rather tell you, and even frankly, have you use somebody else who can hit that if it's a possibility, than put you or us in a bad spot. We are about simple. We don't make the process as simple as possible. So we are big on the pre-construction. We will sit there with you. We will select your shower fixtures, we will select your shower glass, your doorknobs, your cabinet knobs and we are completely in-house for that. So that does simplify the process.
Speaker 3:But going through that pre-construction, we are very big on the pre-construction. We aren't going to start your project if there are big missing pieces. We aren't going to change order you at the end and say, well, we had to change it because we didn't know this going into it. Everybody's uncomfortable at the end with those situations, nobody's happy. So that's probably the biggest thing about FXBG construction, as opposed to what I see from other contractors. We are very big on the front end, slow to start. Very big on the front end, slow to start. But that way, once the construction process goes, it just rolls through because nobody wants, even if it's a remodel, nobody wants you in their house any longer than you have to.
Speaker 2:Right, right, and nobody likes surprises. I mean, it happens and it's hard to avoid sometimes, but I love your transparency and that you try to figure all of that out in the beginning to avoid as much as possible those surprises that come up. I love that Awesome. So if the listeners want to learn more about FXBG construction or want to connect with you, what's the best way for them to find you?
Speaker 3:So our website is www. fxbg-construction. com. You can follow us on Facebook, instagram. These are really my wife's expertise more so than mine, but we do have Facebook. We do have Instagram. You can reach out to us there. You can reach out to us there. You can reach out to us via the website. Our email is on there as well, and if you have any questions or projects you interested, so we're happy to talk to you and, let's say, if it's something that we'd be a great fit for, we'd be happy to talk further. If it's something that, hey, it may be outside of our bread and butter, but we usually can point you in the right direction or even refer you to the right contractor. If it's like a single trade thing or something. So and we love and I'm kind of nerdy about this stuff, so I like this stuff, so I'm more than happy to talk to anybody about it, so feel free to reach out.
Speaker 2:Nice, Brian. Thank you so much for joining me on the podcast and sharing your business with us.
Speaker 3:Oh, thanks for having us.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to fxbgneighborspodcast. com. That's fxbgneighborspodcast. com, that's fxbg neighbors podcastcom, or call 540-534-4618.