Pave your path to a dream home safely and confidently, as I, Chris Kirby, unravel the critical elements of homebuilding and remodeling. From the get-go, we tackle the non-negotiables: ensuring your contractor is equipped with workers' compensation and establishing a solid dispute resolution plan in your contract. Safety isn't just a buzzword—it's the cornerstone of our conversation, along with the art of setting and managing expectations when the blueprint isn't set in stone. We'll also shine a spotlight on innovative businesses making waves on social media, and you won't want to miss the inspiring tale of Ryan Anderson, the NFL-player-turned-construction-mogul of 22 Builds, whose childhood passion has constructed the foundations of his success.
Transitioning to the colorful world of interior design, prepare to be whisked away into an intimate consultation process where every whisper of your vision is heard and translated into tangible designs. Feel the textures and tones come together as we craft mood boards that speak to both your style and wallet, thanks to the collaborative wizardry at Kirby Interior Design. Tanya, our latest design talent, joins us to share her expertise on harnessing the power of remote planning, offering a glimpse into the future of design consultations. Whether you're tuning in for the solid beams of construction knowledge or the plush cushions of interior design tips, this episode is a blueprint for anyone looking to build or beautify their living space.
Pave your path to a dream home safely and confidently, as I, Chris Kirby, unravel the critical elements of homebuilding and remodeling. From the get-go, we tackle the non-negotiables: ensuring your contractor is equipped with workers' compensation and establishing a solid dispute resolution plan in your contract. Safety isn't just a buzzword—it's the cornerstone of our conversation, along with the art of setting and managing expectations when the blueprint isn't set in stone. We'll also shine a spotlight on innovative businesses making waves on social media, and you won't want to miss the inspiring tale of Ryan Anderson, the NFL-player-turned-construction-mogul of 22 Builds, whose childhood passion has constructed the foundations of his success.
Transitioning to the colorful world of interior design, prepare to be whisked away into an intimate consultation process where every whisper of your vision is heard and translated into tangible designs. Feel the textures and tones come together as we craft mood boards that speak to both your style and wallet, thanks to the collaborative wizardry at Kirby Interior Design. Tanya, our latest design talent, joins us to share her expertise on harnessing the power of remote planning, offering a glimpse into the future of design consultations. Whether you're tuning in for the solid beams of construction knowledge or the plush cushions of interior design tips, this episode is a blueprint for anyone looking to build or beautify their living space.
The Homebuilding and Remodeling Show. Let's go. Welcome everybody to the Homebuilding and Remodeling Show. My name is Chris Kirby and I'll be your host. I am the owner of three construction companies on the Alabama Gulf Coast. The show is about residential construction. We're going to cover topics of homebuilding and remodeling. Are you thinking of doing a remodel or building a home? Are you a contractor looking to improve your knowledge base or grow your business? Have you ever done a remodel project or built a home? There were so many things you wish you knew or that you could have done differently during the process. Then this show is for you. We break down the process of building and remodeling and how to have the best results during your project. Whether you are a DIYer looking for tips, someone looking to hire a contractor to do a project, or a contractor looking to expand your knowledge base or your business, welcome aboard. Glad to have you. Stay tuned. We kick off the show with my thoughts on homebuilding and remodeling. I'll share best practices and talk about some of our experiences in business and out in the field. These shared thoughts and lessons learned are meant to help you on your very own journey. Let's go.
Speaker 1:
Question 15. What is your approach to safety and insurance for workers. This is a great question for both sides again, because you want to hire a contractor who does have workers comp and is going to talk safety. So if our estimator goes out and sells a job, they should talk about some initial safety concerns or address safety concerns during the scope of the project and make sure that from your side as the client, you're protected and understanding how, if something happens on the job site, what your liability is and what your role is in that. And then also for the contractor it's the same thing Understanding what your liability and role in protecting the job site, the insurance and stuff like that. So for the homeowner, you're going to want to see some general liability policy that covers damages and things like that. You're going to want to see a workers comp policy and understand that they are protecting If it's not the owner doing the work and they have people working for them that everybody that comes into your household is protected by some sort of insurance, because I know in most areas if they are not and you hire them, that stuff should be laid out in contract. But if it's not, in some instances you can be held liable if they're hurt in your home. So definitely a great question.
Speaker 1:
Number 16 is what is the dispute resolution process? So I know. Again back to our contract, we have it laid out that our first thing would be mediation and I guess you know as a contract from the homeowner's association and remodeler's association. There's reasons for that. You do want to make it known if you've ever been through something like that.
Speaker 1:
It's tough for both sides to try to work through Initially. You know you want to verbalize, though listen, if there's a disagreement on the project or how it should go. Ultimately, when the client selects you as the contractor, you should own that project from beginning to end. The client should trust you to do the job you were hired to do. So if you have any concern from the contractor side or there are any red flags, you have to let them know who's in charge. You own that project. You are the expert in that field and it is your job to ensure that it is safe and done in a timely manner, but, most of all, that the quality is there. As the client, you want to make sure the same thing. You need to allow them to do their job. There may be a misinterpretation of plans or, you know, the worst part is if there were no plans drawn and something turns out the way you don't want it to, then you have to be understanding and accommodating from the client side. If you've only verbally talked about a project and then you hired somebody and they did the project without a site plan and without visual drawings, visual details, then both sides have to be accommodating and this is a conversation that needs to happen. I always recommend drawings, but in some instances it's not necessary. But you you don't get the exact outcome that you want. So it is a great conversation to have up front dispute resolution and how we're gonna handle things if there is a disagreement from the contractor and from the client side.
Speaker 1:
This is our contractor shout-out segment. We are going to pick 40 contractors a month that tagged their business page in our post on the home building and remodeling show Facebook page. And this month we have with us AB handyman services from Smith Mountain Lake, virginia. Stucco pros from Windsor, ontario, Canada. Top Gun Custom Homes and Remodeling and Shelbyville, michigan Lakes Home Improvement from Battle Creek, michigan. Thank you all for commenting on the monthly post. We will do another post next month. Like, subscribe and share our Facebook page and hopefully you get a shout-out next time.
Speaker 1:
And now we move into shop talk. It's the portion of the show where I bring in a co-host and we cover trending topics in home building and remodeling. Hope you enjoy, let's go. Welcome back everybody. Today for our home building segment we have Ryan Anderson. He may look familiar. Some of you may know him. Today we wanna talk about his new company and his new venture and his second career, which is 22 builds right, 22 builds. So let's know kind of what that company's about and why you started that. Really, let's get to the roots and then we'll talk about what you do.
Speaker 2:
Well, I kind of I grew up with a construction like background, like tradesmen, so that's kind of what I did before I ever thought I would be playing football. Yeah.
Speaker 1:
So you were working in construction as a kid and then really so did you like it. Was it a family thing, like your family members, or how did you get into the construction side?
Speaker 2:
I did family members, different family members, but I did. I started liking it Like it was at a young age, you know, being a boy Like I was everywhere yeah, something that I like, actually like doing Cause like you could see the start into the finish of it. You know, you can see the results of your work. Accomplished when you done doing it, so I kind of always liked that.
Speaker 1:
Started out in construction as a kid and then ended up playing football right, I did. You play for Daphne, local, local school here. So just the show is national. Everybody don't know about Daphne, yeah, but he played for the Daphne Trojans in high school and then from there you figured out, you liked it and it was pretty good, I mean.
Speaker 2:
Football. Yeah, yeah, it kind of just happened, man. You know, ninth grade I went back to Daphne high school and I kind of that 10th grade year I hit like a growth spur. Yeah, I was like five, nine, five, 10th grade, 10th grade year I was six, two, wow. So like I grew like crazy, yeah, it changed. You know, that's when I started taking school seriously and football once I kind of realized I had a shot. Who was the first?
Speaker 1:
person that realized that you were gonna be an NFL football player, like you were gonna make it to the league, you had the potential that kind of said, hey, you can do this if you buckle up.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, Coach Guthrie, Robert Guthrie, actually, I'll never forget that I was in 10th grade and he pulled me to the side after like a walkthrough, yeah, and he was like you know it was coaches from him, from I think it was Troy. It was like they like you, you know it's like you got a shot. You know, If you do X, Y, Z, embrace, you know, playing D-line like I didn't want to play D-line, it was like everybody looking for that.
Speaker 1:
So that was kind of like my first like wake up call when you heard that your passion was already there. But that's when you started taking it seriously. Yeah, it kind of like that's all that matter, then.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I just wanted to see, like, how good I could be.
Speaker 1:
And so there's only a small percentage of people that really make it. First of all, you play for you know, I'm an Alabama fan and obviously coach saving is a big deal and you had the luxury, the benefit of playing for him. So you had coach Guthrie, who was speaking to you, to make you buckle down and get right and say, hey, you can be a professional. And then you get picked up by Alabama, okay, and you play for somebody like coach saving, right, who talks about the standard and who talks about fundamentals and things like that. And then you went into the NFL and you were drafted in the second round, okay, and so you were a true professional and took what you did serious. And so when you realize, hey, I like football, but it's time to move on, you already had it in you to say, when I identify what it is that I wanna do, that I'm gonna take it serious. Right, and that's kind of what this is about.
Speaker 1:
For you is to gain credibility, you have to have experience. But you started out in construction. So although you're a new company, right, you're an established presence, and so you have opportunities because of your gifts and talents, to really help people by what you do. Now, we've talked, you know, prior to this, just about being from here, giving back, being in your hometown. Really, now you're in your hometown. Now, this isn't the only place that you do this, correct, or is it? Yeah, you're focused on Ballin County.
Speaker 1:
South Alabama, for everybody who don't know where Ballin County is. So, and then 22,. That was your number in college.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I was. Actually it was my friend, one of my close friends Isaac Houston number. So we went to high school together, we grew up together, yeah, and he joined the military. I went to college, he went to college for a bit, but we ended up going to the military and he ended up Getting killed by a drunk driver.
Speaker 1:
So I switched to his number like my third year, something like that when I like your plan football and you have to grow up quick as well for the discipline side right. Not everybody who makes it to Bama stays.
Speaker 2:
I hear how I come saving. You know how he ran his ship. Yeah, that was a, that was a big culture shock. You know, coming from Daphne, where you know you could do pretty much, you know did what I wanted to do. Yeah, I'm not really bothered me. You know what him? It was like the list of yeah, he was just always on your body.
Speaker 2:
So that was like attention to detail, every little thing like stuff you I wouldn't even think he would think about. You know what I mean. It's like hey, I know you was late for this class, you did it.
Speaker 1:
You know what I mean and you didn't even know, he knew so.
Speaker 2:
But that that was. That was major for me, though I feel like if I, if I didn't have that, if I did go play for him, I don't know how it would have turned out, right, you know, because he held me accountable and that's so.
Speaker 1:
I'm glad you said the word accounting because your background in business. Now you ended up getting a degree from Bama right. And so you've got your degree. You've worked with, you know, some high level, high caliber business people. You've been coached by Nick Saban, one of the greatest when it comes to discipline, accountability, right and and really taking your craft and what you do serious. So how is that now translate? You go to the league and coming back here with 22 builds Starting that up. How does that transfer to to here to 22?
Speaker 2:
I feel like you know everything you just said. I've been blessed, you know, to be in some some good situations. You know what I mean, so I feel like all it just correlate.
Speaker 1:
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
I feel like you're gonna hire somebody. You're gonna hire that person based off who they are. Yeah, I mean, I don't really care if you went to Harvard or yeah, they don't matter, that don't matter to me. You know what I mean. So I like I'm gonna work with somebody based on their values, what they didn't been through, that this person ever Persevered? Have you ever went through some? How do you respond when he go through, went through? You know. So I feel like that's my life. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 1:
So, switching it over to this place, that's, it's, it's the same when you thought about, you know, getting back to construction, coming back home right when you were playing and doing and being coached at such a high level. Is that something that you want to do in your business? So the business of building is the business of building. Have you done, have you started any projects recently? What do you have in the world?
Speaker 2:
I'm doing a project right now that we just started in Birmingham Okay, so a renovation, and we built a like a garage. Okay, man cave slash garage, yeah, so that's we start now. I got some other lots that I'm getting developed in the site working stuff done on, so what's the plan there?
Speaker 1:
Are you doing a small development? Is it gonna?
Speaker 2:
It's a small development. It'd be three houses in it. On the twig of development we're gonna do 2,900 square feet and half a coli. We have a 2400 square feet on probably a little bit under half a coli to that.
Speaker 1:
Now we're gonna move into the portion of the show where we talk interior design. We're gonna bring in an interior designer and we're gonna talk trending design and products. I hope you enjoy. Let's go when you're putting together. Okay, let's get back to the consultation. You call, you're called, whether it's virtual or you go out there and you're walking through the home. Are you fact-finding? Or how are you getting the information that you need to even start the project? I mean, they have something right listening.
Speaker 3:
I would say you have to listen. Yeah because they're gonna constantly be right. They're thinking as they're talking out loud, so it sounds, I'm sure. And then you can relate to. I mean, it's like wait a second, we just went from like and within five minutes something could change drastically. You're like, that's not what you just said, so you, you kind of have to Take all the notes, yeah, so you're listening, you're literally taking notes.
Speaker 3:
I'm taking notes and you have to just, and then, at the end of that console, you can really Start visualizing how to, like I said, pull it all together or eliminate some things if needed, or whatever.
Speaker 1:
So are you looking? Are you you're looking at the space to Okay? And then you know you've done that. You've looked at the space, you've taken your notes, you've talked to the client. Now it's time to come back to the office and start putting it together, right? So talk to me about putting together.
Speaker 3:
So with the boards, and so I like to. I Spent a lot of time on mine because I want them. If they really really like it, yeah, I want them to be able to go buy that product immediately.
Speaker 2:
So I'm not just artificially throwing things out.
Speaker 3:
I just did, just give them, because they do have vision boards to yeah, or some people call them vision vision boards Okay so. But I'm not just trying to give you a vision, I'm trying to give you something that you can actually reality. So what you're?
Speaker 1:
saying is when you're, when you're doing your mood board, so there are quick mood board. There are a way to do it quickly but you tend to take your time and put stuff that they can actually click the link or go and buy.
Speaker 3:
Okay, I can already have a price on it. I know immediately if it fits their budget, and that's important, because if I add Things that are crazy amount of money and that's not in their budget, they're gonna be like why did you even show me that? Like that's not even a reality and now I don't even I'm glad you said that tip Like that.
Speaker 1:
That is a good tip of the day right there, as an interior designer is making sure that you understand the budget right because, like you said, people will get aggravated if that you have been given a budget right and you're showing them things outside of the budget and I've seen Salesmen or sales women, yeah, do that and they do it on purpose right. And it really rubs people the wrong way. Where they may be condition-based or whatever it is, for whatever reason, they immediately are showing stuff outside of the budget range.
Speaker 3:
And if they're turned off or they see something that maybe I have put on there and they're like, well, we wanted something a little fancier, then I can say, well, that is probably gonna be a hundred dollars more or 200, you know. So I can raise the bar in that moment, but I feel like at least it gives them a starting point to whatever budget they were wanting to stand.
Speaker 1:
Well, not only that, though. Sometimes you get the reverse, where you put together the mood board, they're happy. They come into our showroom and start looking around and say okay, now show me this. And Face to face, and then they see the nicer or something that they just want.
Speaker 3:
Right.
Speaker 1:
And then that's when you have the conversation of you know it fits, maybe it does fit well with the project, but it is over your budget and some people then they just want it and they're like I will pay more.
Speaker 3:
Exactly which is different than Right, and they have done that. I mean tile, really, I would say more than anything, really sucks them in fast.
Speaker 1:
Yeah.
Speaker 3:
If they find a pretty tile they're willing to just like OK, we'll do everything.
Speaker 1:
OK, we've got Christy with us today and we're going to talk about so. Here at Kirby Interior Design, we've been just discussing business lead generation and for me, given my construction background, I don't necessarily always know the vision, and that's why we started Kirby Interior Design. They are very creative, right, and so one of the things that you all do for our clients is a mood board, right?
Speaker 2:
Yes.
Speaker 1:
OK, so let's talk about a mood board and kind of how that helps the client and how it helps with kitchen bath remodels and things like that.
Speaker 3:
So what is a mood board? It's a collage of products, colors. It's basically a collage of the design, overall design view or plan.
Speaker 1:
OK, and so it helps with the concept right, yes. Ok.
Speaker 3:
Or it's a collage of the concept board.
Speaker 1:
Concept board OK.
Speaker 3:
It has a couple of different.
Speaker 1:
OK, got it. Concept board. Ok, we use mood board for mood board Monday and nobody better steal that from us. Yeah, hashtag mood board Monday.
Speaker 3:
It's actually a lot of people have it so Bang.
Speaker 1:
OK, so it's already out there. It's not an original. I'm not up for it.
Speaker 3:
We're not the OGs on that one sorry, Sorry.
Speaker 1:
Ok, so we put together these mood boards and let's talk about some of the things. How do you get the concept together for the client? Do you do a consultation?
Speaker 3:
Well, yes, what does that look like? Yes, so there's always the consultation. Those are necessary, you have to have them.
Speaker 1:
OK, so if they call the office, the first step is to set up the consultation.
Speaker 3:
That's correct, and so now, because we are in a tourist area, some of our clients obviously don't live here.
Speaker 1:
OK.
Speaker 3:
So we offer that virtually or in person, but in person is great because you can actually see. You can go to the home, you can take measurements if you need to Tanya. Our new designer actually has a virtual coming up later on today, so maybe she can tell on the podcast later and explain how that would look.
Speaker 1:
Well, so because a lot of people would say you know a virtual console, so if you're not there, how can you come up with?
Speaker 3:
Right, well, usually if they're already calling, they have something to mind.
Speaker 1:
Thanks for joining us today. As always, we are grateful for our listeners and your continued support. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel. Follow us on social media via Facebook, instagram and TikTok. Get more info at our website, wwwthehomebuildingshowcom. And, as always, remember who we are the home building and remodeling show.
