FXBG Neighbors Podcast
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
FXBG Neighbors Podcast
EP #38 Building Dreams in Fredericksburg
What happens when a philosophy major picks up a saw for the first time after college? For Nick Covert, it sparked a passion that grew into Dream Builders, a thriving 19-year business specializing in custom decks, screened porches, and sunrooms throughout Fredericksburg.
Nick's unexpected journey from academic to entrepreneur forms the heart of this engaging conversation. Unlike many in his field who grew up with tools in hand, Nick discovered construction after completing his degree, finding immediate satisfaction in creating tangible structures and watching projects take shape daily. This fresh perspective gives Dream Builders its distinctive approach, combining practical craftsmanship with a thoughtful understanding of client needs.
The discussion challenges common misconceptions about deck building, revealing why today's outdoor structures are far from simple DIY weekend projects. Nick explains how modern decks require engineering expertise and must navigate complex county-specific building codes. He shares valuable insights about emerging materials and techniques that have revolutionized the industry, moving beyond traditional pressure-treated lumber to innovative metal and composite options.
What truly distinguishes Dream Builders in a competitive market is their commitment to education over high-pressure sales tactics. "If you don't go with us, at least you learn something from us," Nick explains, detailing how consultations focus on empowering homeowners with knowledge rather than pushing for immediate contracts. This refreshingly honest approach, combined with Nick's genuine enthusiasm for his craft, reveals why Dream Builders has earned its reputation as a trusted local business.
Want to see samples of decking materials and railing options in person? Visit their showroom at 77 Cool Springs Road in Fredericksburg, check out dreambuildersofva.com, or call (540) 295-4111 to learn how they can transform your outdoor living space.
Nick Covert
Dream Builders
(540) 295-4111
77 Cool Spring Road Fredericksburg, VA, 22405
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dori Stewart.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to another episode of the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of our favorite local brands. Joining me today on the podcast is Nick Covert of Dream Builders. Nick, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 3:Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm excited to learn more about you and your business. So let's start there. Can you share with the listeners a little bit about your business?
Speaker 3:Yeah, we're a local company located at 77 Cool Springs Road in Fredericksburg, right outside of downtown Fredericksburg. We specialize in decks, screened porches and sunrooms. We're a small company. We've been in business for about 19 years.
Speaker 2:Oh wow. I had a chance to browse your website and your work is beautiful, so congratulations on 19 years. That's a huge accomplishment. So tell me a little bit about your journey and how the business started.
Speaker 3:Good question. I never really picked up a saw until I was out of college. Most people start young. That was not me. I went to school, got a degree in philosophy, minor in psychology. Was really done with school at that point, wanted to get out of the classroom, kind of start the real world, so to speak. My first job was building homes. I found I just loved it. It was just such a sense of accomplishment. You know, each day you know building something new. So it was just. It came easy for me, so it was just. I just loved it. Just being outside and you know, seeing what you could build and what a group of a couple guys could build in one day was just amazing to me.
Speaker 2:So interesting that you completely switched career paths, but I imagine that minor in psychology is helping quite a bit when it comes to dealing with your customers.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that definitely comes into play sometimes. So does the philosophy too, you know. Just, you know, just having a good background, you know, and understanding people as a whole, you know, helps, I think.
Speaker 2:Absolutely so. Do you find that there are any myths or misconceptions about the industry or your business?
Speaker 3:Yeah, there's several. One would maybe be just that.
Speaker 3:Decks are like a DIY, you know like that anybody can do a group of their buddies, you know, weekend warrior projects. That might have been the case years ago, but decks today are, uh, you know, highly engineered. Uh, there, there's lots of code restrictions that are associated with these decks. So, uh, the days of just a couple buddies building a deck on the weekend, I, I think, are gone. Uh, another one would be that, uh, pressure treated wood wood for decks and porches would be like the only option for framing. There's new technologies that have advanced to where now we're using a combination of either metal products for framing or even composite, so you don't have to go with just like a wood frame for your structural work, uh, project that's good to know.
Speaker 2:Thank you for for sharing that. So I imagine over 19 years you have seen quite a bit of innovation in the industry. How are you keeping up with new trends?
Speaker 3:good question. Uh, yeah, the codes change constantly. So uh, and only that. But there's different codes within the different counties we work in. So typically what we do is we pick the most strict county and we just build to that county for all the counties we deal with. Otherwise it's too difficult for the guys even the office for that matter to treat each county differently. So it just makes it more streamlined and easier approach for us building we just build to the toughest county that we work with.
Speaker 2:That's really smart and really efficient. So I imagine that you have learned a lot in terms of on the business side of things over 19 years. What is something that you wish someone had told you when you started your business, or what advice would you give a new entrepreneur?
Speaker 3:That's tough, I would say, maybe don't wait. You know, uh, if you know you wait for the right time, it's just that that right time there's always a reason to put it off. So, my, my, I would say you know, get out there and start. You know, uh, that's that's really the best way to learn is to just dive right in. So, um, I started when I my own company, when I was 27,. Um and um, I look back on it and I think that was a good time. I mean, maybe I could have started a couple of years sooner, uh, but I did need some time to like learn the trade, really get a good grasp of that, before I started something that was new to me. But I think starting young is like crucial with most industries or businesses.
Speaker 2:That's really good advice. The best time to start is now, and if you wait until you are completely ready, you may never start. Some things you have to learn along the way, right.
Speaker 3:Correct. I think I've always been someone that learned best by experience. I can read it, but if I don't see it firsthand, it's just that lesson isn't always learned as well when you actually experience it.
Speaker 2:Mm, hmm, so clearly you work very hard in your business. I imagine you have long days, so tell us when you're not working, what are you doing for fun?
Speaker 3:I love working. More I'm often doing, you know, like my kids and my wife are always like you know, dad's always got a project you know, like dad's always doing something so like it's just. I don't know, I'm just a busy body, you know. So I think that's what makes me good at construction, that I just, you know, I'm not a kind of guy that just pops on the couch and just watches tv on my off time.
Speaker 3:I'm always doing something whether that's you know building, you know a garden box or, uh, you know taking the kids on the boat or something. It's always I'm, we're always doing something, that's for sure. And we love Lake Anna. We live out here, so we're on the boat a lot Nice. That's what I like.
Speaker 2:Well, what a great role model you are for your children to see that your hard work pays off and to watch you building this business. I imagine you get a lot of joy out of that as well.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I would love for both of my kids one day. I think they're both interested in what I do and I think they're both, in their own aspects, like maybe plan on helping in the future. My daughter is going into marketing here at JMU so she's kind of she could help me out in that aspect. And my son he'll be a senior this year and he's been helping out some just with, you know, this summer in the business, so he's trying to get his feet wet and learn from the bottom up.
Speaker 2:Nice. That'll be so rewarding to have your kids involved in the business someday. I love that. So what is something that you wish the listeners knew about? Dream builders?
Speaker 3:Just that we're honest. You know, like we don't, we're not the high pressure there's. There's several of them in the area that are just like the whole used car salesman approach. They just come in and try to wear you down Like that's not us. You know like we come in, we try to educate people. We try to give you. You know, if you don't go with us, at least you learn something from us. So I do a lot of the sales. I don't do all of them, but the other salespeople they're handpicked by me so that when none of us are high pressure, we're always just easygoing. You know an honest approach and we're there to you know educate you, if nothing else.
Speaker 2:I love that so much. I love the education piece. I've always believed that if you serve others, it you know, it all comes back to you and and you're right even if they don't end up going with you, you educating them, you're positioning yourself as the expert. So it it, it all comes back around in that, in that situation. So I really love that you put an emphasis on education.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean we're all good at something, I just happen to be really good at this stuff. So, yeah, I mean we're all good at something, I just happen to be really good at this stuff. So you know, I try to, in the 30 minutes to an hour I try to get you as much information in my head that I can give you. You know, whether that's you know design or that's you know products to choose, like there's, there's so much to go over that you know. I just try to give you a small portion of what's in. You know what I know.
Speaker 2:That's amazing. So, Nick, if the listeners want to learn more from you or want to connect with you you mentioned your address Give us your, your contact information, maybe your website and phone number.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, the website's dreambuildersofvacom. I'm sorry, I almost gave you my email and then, yeah, you could contact me email as well, dreambuildersofvacom, or a phone number, 295-4111. And our office location is also a showroom, so there's some samples decking railing to choose and look at.
Speaker 2:Nice, nice, well, nick, thank you so much for being my guest on the podcast today and sharing Dream Builders with us.
Speaker 3:My pleasure, thank you.
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 fxbgneighborspodcastcom. That's fxbgneighborspodcastcom, or call 540-534-4618.