Canter Construction kept it simple , saying : ‘ Hi , I ’ m a newly licensed contractor and I can take care of several things for you , including but not limited to CL-100 inspections and repair addendums .
“ That got me through the door – oftentimes , that ’ s the hardest part of the process . It got me in front of people , potential customers , and agents from various firms . And the best part of it all ? It was 100 percent free !”
The sweet spot
Though Canter Construction began with minor repair work , over time clients and agents began asking for more and more complicated projects . Today , it ’ s not unusual for the company to take on a home remodel with an $ 800,000 budget or construct a high-end $ 2 million custom home with the support of external designers and architects .
“ We ’ ve found a real sweet spot within the industry , allowing us to flow back and forth between two types of building ,” Jonah reveals . “ That ’ s really important because , in a home building recession , the first thing that happens is people stop buying homes ; they hunker down , and insist : ‘ We are staying put !’
“ But there ’ s often an itch for novelty and home improvement that needs to be scratched ,” he adds . “ They might start looking at their bathroom , screen porch , or open landing and think : ‘ This would look amazing if it was remodeled .’ Alternatively , they might want to add 1000 square feet of extra space – the next best thing if you can ’ t buy a bigger home due to rising interest rates and so on .”
A necessary part of being operationally malleable is cultivating an equally adaptive team of in-house employees and subcontractors . “ We subcontract 100 percent of our work , so naturally it ’ s one of the most challenging aspects of
the job ,” concludes Jonah . “ You can only imagine how many multiples of each trade discipline we are working with ! At the end of the day , though , I treat subcontractors how I , myself , would want to be treated .
“ Happy people will continue to work for you . Happy people will be by your side for years to come . The greatest source of pride I have is working with tradespeople and firms for five-plus years , knowing we ’ re building something remarkable together … again and again .” ■
www . canterconstructionsc . com
People first
In short , that ’ s the beauty of being well-positioned and dynamic : when the well does run dry , firms like Canter Construction can successfully pivot and keep active by focusing on , for example , remodeling and building different aspects of the home in a variety of styles . modernhb . com 55