Mastering Bathroom Renovations with Expert Nicole Fella

Welcome back to the Chicks in Construction Podcast! In this episode, hosts Mikki  and Jess dive into the world of bathroom renovations with special guest Nicole Fella, an experienced interior designer and licensed general contractor from North Carolina. Together, they explore essential pre-demolition steps, worthwhile splurges, and achieving a spa-like bathroom on a budget. They also discuss the importance of hiring licensed professionals, communicating accurately about project costs, and maintaining a good working relationship between contractors and clients. Don't miss Nicole's expert tips on creating timeless bathroom designs and navigating the renovation process smoothly.

00:00 Introduction and Podcast Welcome

00:58 Meet the Expert: Nicole Fella

03:01 The Real Cost of Renovations

05:37 In-House Team vs. Subcontractors

11:01 Client Horror Stories

17:50 Red Flags in Client-Contractor Relationships

24:39 Dealing with Past Traumas in New Relationships

25:18 Handling Difficult Clients and Payment Issues

28:25 Trusting the Process and Communication

29:30 Challenges with Inspections and Fair Season

31:14 Fair Experiences and Family Stories

35:07 Homeowner Tips and HGTV Myths

40:09 Timeless vs. Trendy Design Choices

42:48 Final Advice and Show Wrap-Up

About our Nicole:
Nicole Fella is a seasoned professional in the realm of interior design and construction, with a passion for transforming spaces into exquisite works of art. Having graduated from the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.) in New York with a degree in Interior Design, Nicole honed her skills and expertise in creating aesthetically pleasing and functional environments.

With a dedication to excellence, Nicole pursued further qualifications and became a NASCLA Licensed General Contractor, demonstrating her commitment to mastering every aspect of the construction process. For over 11 years, she had been an integral part of The Bath Remodeling Center,LLC. where her talent and leadership have contributed significantly to the company’s success.

Now, as the proud owner of The Bath Remodeling Center, LLC. (2024) Nicole brings her wealth of experience and creative vision to every project. With an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction and a keen eye for detail, she leads her team in delivering exceptional results that exceed clients’ expectations.  Since taking over ownership, The Bath Remodeling Center has been awarded Best Custom Home Builder/Home Renovation Specialist by Cary Magazine, and was recently featured in Architectural Digest.

Nicole’s innovative approach to design, combined with her expertise in construction, allows her to transform ordinary spaces into extraordinary havens that reflect her clients’ unique tastes and lifestyles. Her dedication to quality craftsmanship and personalized service sets her apart in the industry, making her a trusted partner for those seeking to elevate their living spaces to new heights.

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www.chicksinconstruction.com

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Creators and Guests

Host

Jessica Abreu

As a social media expert, Jessica has a knack for identifying what makes each business unique and translating that into powerful, engaging content that resonates with clients and customers. From crafting tailored strategies and managing accounts to recording on-site content and boosting engagement, Jessica and her team handle it all so their clients can focus on what they do best.

Host

Mikki Paradis

President & CEO at PDI Drywall Inc. Mikki founded her first construction company, PDI Drywall Inc, in 2005 while she was still a student at NC State. After growing PDI into a multimillion dollar company, she has become an accomplished entrepreneur, speaker, and advocate for innovation in business and leadership. With a passion for empowering others, she has built a reputation as a forward-thinking professional dedicated to driving growth and fostering meaningful connections. Known for her dynamic energy and ability to inspire, Mikki is deeply committed to creating positive change in her industry and beyond. Whether through her entrepreneurial ventures or speaking engagements, she consistently challenges the status quo and encourages others to reach their full potential.

Guest

Nicole Fella

a seasoned professional in the realm of interior design and construction, with a passion for transforming spaces into exquisite works of art. Having graduated from the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.) in New York with a degree in Interior Design, Nicole honed her skills and expertise in creating aesthetically pleasing and functional environments. With a dedication to excellence, Nicole pursued further qualifications and became a NASCLA Licensed General Contractor, demonstrating her commitment to mastering every aspect of the construction process. For over 11 years, she had been an integral part of The Bath Remodeling Center,LLC. where her talent and leadership have contributed significantly to the company’s success. Now, as the proud owner of The Bath Remodeling Center, LLC. (2024) Nicole brings her wealth of experience and creative vision to every project. With an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction and a keen eye for detail, she leads her team in delivering exceptional results that exceed clients’ expectations. Since taking over ownership, The Bath Remodeling Center has been awarded Best Custom Home Builder/Home Renovation Specialist by Cary Magazine, and was recently featured in Architectural Digest. Nicole’s innovative approach to design, combined with her expertise in construction, allows her to transform ordinary spaces into extraordinary havens that reflect her clients’ unique tastes and lifestyles. Her dedication to quality craftsmanship and personalized service sets her apart in the industry, making her a trusted partner for those seeking to elevate their living spaces to new heights.

What is Chicks in Construction?

You plan your renovation with excitement, trust your contractor, and hope for the best...until things start going sideways. That’s when most homeowners realize they didn’t know what they didn’t know.

From permits that were never pulled to “contractors” who ghost after demo day, the construction world can feel like a maze of hidden costs and shady shortcuts. Too many homeowners end up confused, overwhelmed, and out of a lot of money.

The Chicks in Construction Podcast is here to change that. Hosted by Mikki Paradis, a licensed general contractor with 20+ years of experience, and Jess Abreu, a homeowner turned construction content creator, this show breaks down real renovation horror stories and teaches you how to protect your time, money, and home.

After building a multimillion-dollar drywall business and helping countless homeowners recover from construction nightmares, Mikki is on a mission to make sure you go into your next project informed, not blindsided. And Jess brings the perspective of someone who’s been in your shoes and now knows exactly what questions to ask.

Submit Your Construction Horror Story: https://chicksinconstruction.com/

24 - Chicks in Construction
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Mikki: Ever feel like your bathroom remodel turned into a full blown crime scene? Kind of where your wallet disappears, your contractor goes to you and your left showering at the gym. Today we have an actual expert here to save us.

From all of that. , We're talking what to do before you demo. What's worth splurging on and how to get that spa day vibe without breaking the bank. Trust me, learning the hard way is overrated. This is chicks in construction.

Mikki: Hello and welcome back to the Chicks in Construction podcast. I'm your host, Mickey Paradise, and this is my amazing co-host

Jess: I'm Jessica Abro, and today we have a fabulous guest for you. This is Nicole Fella and I'm [00:01:00] gonna let her tell you all about her business and what she

Nicole Fella: does. Hi, my name's Nicole Fell. I am an interior designer and licensed general contractor and the owner of the bathroom modeling center.

We are a residential remodeling contractor here in C North Carolina. We specialize in bathroom renovations.

Mikki: Oh. It's like specific bathrooms. You're specific. Don't call me for your kitchen, Susan. Just your bathroom. We do kitchens. We dabble in,

Nicole Fella: in that section. Dabble. You dibble, dabble. If you'll, yes, we're expanding there.

Um, a little bit of closets too. Oh. But like, I'm not doing, we have a closet lady. Yeah. She was on our

Mikki: last episode. Yep. You, we'll, we'll connect you.

Nicole Fella: Yeah. Um, but yeah, I'm not doing decks. I'm not doing additions. Okay. Yeah, so no

Mikki: additions. Just kitchens if it's worth it. None all are. And bathrooms. And bathrooms, yes.

Okay. That's awesome. Yeah. I love that. Very niche. Very niche. Uh, listen guys, she had the most amazing, this is why I love that we have actual viewers that watch the podcast, that come onto the podcast because she [00:02:00] said to us when she came in, she's, I have a great opportunity for you guys. You're missing a branding opportunity.

Instead of calling it Chita, she goes, why don't you call it Chicky chat? And I was like. Why God don't, God, don't we call it chicky chat? Right. Oh my God. Chicky chat. So we're gonna, we're gonna chicky chat. Yeah, we're gonna do chat. I need to tell you, I haven't even, I haven't even told justice. So we're all hearing for this for the first time.

I don't know. Should I be scared or It's wild. Okay. In these streets, but like wild in a different way. I, so my Pilates instructor, because I am that level of bge that I have a Pilates instructor. Oh, of course. And she is also quite bougie. She lives in the, like, she lives in. Inner belt line. So she's in her belt line, which listen, if you're not from around here, it's in her belt line is very fancy.

I don't know how that got started, but it's a thing. So she kinda lives in that like inner belt line. Okay. Very fancy neighborhood. And when I drove in for the first time, I was like, oh, Pilates is paying off. Turns out her husband is a doctor, but she would say that helps. She, so when we [00:03:00] first met, she was going through a renovation.

It was a kitchen and bathroom renovation. She told me yesterday. It cost $200,000. I was like, I was like, what? You could build a house. House. Maybe house died. I was like, in American currency or yet like, like what? Talking about, so I think Jess and I. Don't understand how much things cost. Probably like most of our viewers, like, we do not understand how much things cost.

Nicole Fella: So yeah. I mean, I, I will say, I've noticed that in some of the episodes I listened to, where they'll, you'll have Okay, because you're

Mikki: like, you're like, guys, you're too low. Yeah. Like, no, that's not, we need that feedback. Yeah.

Nicole Fella: So like you'll, you know, read letters from viewers or horror stories mm-hmm. And they'll give a price and you'll be like, for what?

And you're like, that sounds you like girl. That's what it costs. Yeah, that was a good price They got. Oh wow. You

Jess: thought the price is low? We're like, oh my god's so much. And she's

Nicole Fella: like,

Jess: oh

Nicole Fella: my God, Don. She was like, guys, you're this giving people bad intel. Like my, [00:04:00] that's actually what things cost.

Mikki: Yeah. It's expensive.

It's wild. Like we, we thought we did our research guys, just so you know, but apparently the internet, like most of you, has steered us wrong. Okay, so let's talk about that. What is your average, I know that's a really tough question, but average on a bathroom renovation, and can you tell us what they're getting?

Yeah, for the cost, like let's just educate everybody.

Nicole Fella: So average primary bathroom is usually gonna run somewhere around 40,000. Dollars. Wow. Yes. Okay. And that's like brand new

Mikki: everything though. That's brand new

Nicole Fella: everything. So we're gutting everything. Okay. We don't go down to the studs in the whole room.

It's not always necessary. Okay. Um, but typically that's removing your tub, replacing that with the shower. So we move the shower to the tub area. Make a nice big shower. Sometimes that involves replacing the window. So everybody has those big four by four windows over their top. Yeah. So true. Mm-hmm. Um, so you take that window out, we're changing out the window to a [00:05:00] smaller window.

Okay. Patching, siding. Okay. Um, building the new shower. Typically, like we were talking about earlier, you have like no linen closet or a small linen closet. So we build a linen closet where the shower used to be. Okay. New cabinets, countertops, sinks, faucets, mirrors, lighting. All porcelain tile. Okay. Paint, plumbing, electrical permits.

Mikki: Permits. Because she permit, she did not come to play y'all. She's pulling permits. Everything.

Jess: Everything. Wow. And what I loved when she was telling me a little bit about the work that she does is she has her own team of full-time employees. Yes. Okay.

Mikki: That is very rare in construction. Everybody's using subs.

Yeah. So we have, so you guys self

Nicole Fella: perform? We do. So we have our own carpenters and tile setters that are full-time employees. Okay. And so all of that work is done in-house. Love that. Um, plumbing and electrical, they are subcontractors. Okay. They have their own separate licenses. Yeah. Because they have all their licenses.

But I have one plumber and one electrician that we've worked with for over a decade that Oh wow. [00:06:00] Do every one of our jobs. So they are. They're exclusively who I use. They are not exclusive to me though. Right. They do work outside of, she has

Mikki: to say that because in order to be in compliance with North Carolina laws, they are not exclusive to her.

That's

Jess: always fun. Make sure that we have that on there. Just to be clear, North Carolina State man, don't come for her. That's awesome. Okay.

Mikki: That is what, that is lovely to hear. 'cause that is definitely like a. You don't hear that as much. Yeah. Especially just everybody uses subs. Yeah. So that's, and what that just for you guys watching, like what that creates is consistency.

So like these guys that work for her, they understand the assignment, they're her direct employees, they're, they are. They report to directly to her. Whereas with a subcontractor, like, you know, you wanna have that relationship with them where they care about your clients. Right. But a lot of times for subs, it's just like, this is just another job.

So like, however, [00:07:00] however it turns out is however it turns out where like if they're your employee, this is their job on the line. Yeah. So they show up

Nicole Fella: every morning. Yeah, they're there Monday through Friday. We work straight through, like we'll do a full. Primary bathroom in about two and a half weeks.

Okay. Wow. Um, and we're straight through for that timeframe. Um, whereas if we're, we were subbing that out, we would probably spend the same number of days in the house. Yeah. It would just be spread out over a larger number of weeks. Right. 'cause you'd have to wait for a sub to get in there mm-hmm. To do whatever the next task is before.

The next person in line can come in.

Mikki: Interesting. I love that. Okay, so guys, if you're looking for kitchen and bath situations, we got, we got, we got a winner here.

Jess: Okay. And because she's an interior designer too, this isn't going to be, you know, a. Like, oh, I think I might want this here or there. Like you make it.

Yeah. So

Nicole Fella: I do everything. Do we have a, a design center? We have a 3000 square foot [00:08:00] showroom. Okay. And so we have all the materials there. So I source everything. And then I do everything in AutoCAD. So every client works directly with me. Oh, I love that. Um, so they get. You know, plans, perspectives, renderings, we pick everything out.

They get to see everything in 3D, how the finishes are gonna look. Okay. Um, I love that you guys

Mikki: have a showroom. That's awesome. And also like, not super common. Yeah. You are just checking all the boxes. I'm trying. Yeah, she's doing, she's doing the work guys. She's doing the work. That's wild. Okay. So like, when people work with you, they can come in, like, do you have, like in your showroom, you have like all the selections or like, can they select anything?

But you just have some examples.

Nicole Fella: I have a lot of examples. Okay. Um, we can source from pretty much anywhere. Okay. Um, but the way the showroom's set up, we have 11 full bathrooms on display so they can Oh, that's so cool. Really walk through Yeah. And see what their bathroom will look like. Chances are, oh, that, you know, everybody wants a bigger [00:09:00] shower spa-like showers.

Yeah. And so you're coming from this little three by three shower and you don't know what the next. Showers gonna feel like, how big is that really gonna feel? Oh, that's a good point. And so they can actually stand in that shower and be like, oh yeah, this is nice. See, me

Mikki: and Hector are small people, so we never, but like I've had, I have ta, I have big friends, like my nephew is six foot three, he's a big, and he is 18, so he is.

And he's like growing. Yeah. So apparently he's gonna get bigger. And so I'm just like, I don't know how this works. Like how do humans work? I'm not sure, but I can imagine like his shower experience is very

Nicole Fella: different. Yeah. And that happens. I mean, I had a client who, her husband was six five, and so he, the shower head had to able to accommodate him.

But also where she could reach it. Yeah, that's, so you have to take that into consideration. I can't even

Mikki: imagine the level of detail. I have to say, I have so much respect for people who, you know, do any kind of like renovations because one, it's kind of the redheaded [00:10:00] stepchild of, of the construction world.

Like everybody's just like, hmm. Eh, I'd rather not, but you're like, this is all we do. Mm-hmm. So like when you're looking for somebody to do your kitchen to bathroom renovation, finding somebody that like, they don't do new construction. They don't do like, they just do bathrooms and kitchens. Mm-hmm. It's kind of like warm gives me the warm and tingly is, 'cause it's like.

It's what, you know. Yeah. Like, there, you're not gonna come across, there's, there's nothing that's gonna happen that you haven't seen before. Yeah. After 11 years. Like, you know what, you know what's coming. Yeah. So it's like, yeah. And

Nicole Fella: you like with you too, right. So like, you do commercial. Yeah. And you, like you've said, like people ask for residential and you're like, eh, I don't do that.

I know someone good at. Stay in your

Mikki: lane. I do. Uh, people all the time are like, oh, well, have you ever thought about doing trim? And I'm like, absolutely not. Like that is, that is a whole skillset I don't possess. And I'm just like, I'm gonna stay right here in the far right lane.

Jess: Yeah. Doing this, doing this one thing.

[00:11:00] Yeah. Like, Have you ever gone to do a bathroom renovation that like somebody else has started? Oh, that happens

Mikki: a lot.

Jess: You know, it's a disaster. Yes.

Nicole Fella: Oh God. Yeah. Um, I've had people that, not too long ago actually, I went in, they had hired somebody. Um, I didn't end up getting this job, which is fine.

You're like, honestly, it was probably for the past. It's probably yes. Like

Mikki: I saw it, I was like, oh, I don't really wanna do this. I'm

Nicole Fella: okay with it. But, um, this poor couple's house complete, the whole thing was torn apart. Oh. I mean, they, it was a simple hall. No, it was a primary bathroom. Um, they were halfway through it, the.

Every, you could see into their kitchen from the bathroom. Oh my. The whole downstairs. All the dry walls here. Hey honey, I need a snack. Can you bring me some toilet paper? I'm out. It

Jess: taking

Nicole Fella: longer than I thought. Can I get a [00:12:00] snack? Yeah. It was terrible and I just felt so bad for this guy. Um, and I just.

Tried to educate 'em as much as I could. What was the scenario?

Mikki: Did

Nicole Fella: the, did the GC walk off or did they fire the gc? So they, since you,

Mikki: they didn't hire you, we can spill all the tea.

Nicole Fella: So license and permits was definitely an issue. Oh God. So they hired this. Contractor who apparently was not licensed,

Mikki: who I bet they got from Facebook, that every horror story, they sourced their GC from Facebook.

From Facebook.

Nicole Fella: Stop asking Facebook. It never goes Well, guys. And so when they opened everything up, they found out that there was rot in one of the floor joists and that it had to be replaced, but it was a structural joist. Oh. And so they had to get an engineer involved, which they did. Okay. And they got the engineer plans.

And they got the permit pulled for that. Okay. They got that inspected. But when the inspector came in for it, he said, '

Mikki: cause as we've discussed, inspectors are [00:13:00] not stupid, but GCs, well rephrase. Unlicensed GCs think they are. Exactly. It's like inspectors gonna come in and immediately know that this is more than $40,000 worth of worth more than

Nicole Fella: thousand and more than just a structural being like, he's like, you're doing a whole bathroom.

You have to have that on the permit. Yeah. And so that's when they like hit the. Stop button hard. Yeah. And now they were like, I don't trust this guy anymore. Yeah. And so they started, you know, outsourcing and trying to see exactly where they were. Um, I can only imagine. I think in the end they stayed with the same guy.

Mikki: Oh God. Because

Jess: nobody else wanted to, but I

Mikki: imagine. So, so here's the thing. A licensed general contractor is gonna cost more because you're paying for them to be an expert. Like you're paying for that level of licensing, you're paying for the per permits, you're paying for the inspections, you're paying for the time that it's gonna take for all that stuff to get inspected.

Yeah. So I more [00:14:00] than likely, I bet if they stayed with the same guy. They realized the cost and they were like, it's fine. We're gonna let 'em finish. Yeah. Well that's, they had,

Nicole Fella: I think they had already had like $20,000 invested in this project already. Oh my God. And I was, I think, quoting them like 30,000 to do it.

And they were, is like still less than what I would've, because I kind of felt for the situation. Mm-hmm. But had to, you know, cover the cost and all. Um. And they, you know, couldn't do that. So, and I get it. Yeah. But I get,

Mikki: yeah. That I don't what Either

Jess: that or they're still got the hole in the floor. Things just going up.

Listen, if you're

Mikki: watching and you're this homeowner. Can you send us your homeowner horror story at chicks construction do com? Yeah, that is great because we would absolutely love to share the story of your kitchen or your bathroom debacle. Mm-hmm. Where you could see into the kitchen from your bathroom for at least a solid two weeks.

Yes, yes, for sure. If not more, please share your [e-mail]. We wanna hear from you. Oh my gosh. Gosh, I can't even imagine. That is crazy. [00:15:00] Yeah. I feel it's like the more we get the home and her horror stories, the more I'm like. People are gonna get tired of the redundancy of, because they're, they're alway always have a little difference.

But the, the story's the same. The moral of the story's the same. Yeah, right. I wanted to do a renovation. I went to Facebook. They all start with, I went to Facebook to find a contractor. Don't ask me. Don't do that. Please. The devil is in the details of we, as we discussed on previous podcasts, um. And then it just, it starts off okay.

And then it just quickly, rapidly goes downhill. But they've already paid their deposit and they don't wanna switch, but they end up having to, and it's, it spirals outta control. Yeah.

Nicole Fella: I love, like when I go into a, a client's home for the first time and they'll show me like, oh, well let me show you this other bathroom I just had done, or my kitchen that I just had done.

So they have an example so you can see examples of what their style is and what they're like. And I'll be like, when did you do that project? Oh, we did it a year ago [00:16:00] or two years ago ago. Well, why aren't you going back with that company? Good question. It's always a horror story. Yeah. They're like, what?

Well, yeah,

Mikki: they

Nicole Fella: went 20,000

Mikki: over budget.

Nicole Fella: Yeah. It took them three months. Exactly. It took way longer. Mm-hmm. They said they were gonna do this. They didn't do that. Yeah. Or they didn't show up. So

Mikki: yeah. I mean, it's, it's, it's wild in these streets. It's wild in these

Jess: streets. It's crazy. It's just wild to me that like there's so many bad contractors.

Yeah. Out there doing all the things that they're not supposed to be doing.

Mikki: Yeah. And as if there's, I guess I, I guess the problem is right, that there's not any strong enough consequences. There's not, there's not, there's, there's not a strong enough deterrent keeping people out, you know, kind of scaring 'em straight.

Right. You know, because like, listen, prison is really motivating to me. Like a lot of, most of my day is like. I don't look good in orange. [00:17:00] I'm not gonna kill anybody today like that. That's most of my day. So certain consequences are highly motivating. Mm-hmm. And it just seems like for a lot of these, these contractors.

There aren't strong enough consequences to keep them from taking on a project that they know that they don't have the right to take on. Yeah, and even

Nicole Fella: just the, the requirements for permitting and everything, like $40,000, you could do a lot of damage from 40,000. Exactly. Right. And they

Mikki: just raised it, so it used to be 30 and they, I think it was two years ago, they brought it up to 40 and it was just like those were giving people more rope to hang themselves way.

'cause things were going so well, everything was going great. Let's give him more money. Yeah, let's let him screw it up worse before it's like, ah, we have a problem here. Oh my God. So, yeah, that is very true.

Jess: What? Uh, it's crazy. Um, so I know that we talk a lot about, about contractors doing the wrong thing and being the horror story, but I think you said that you have, you know, a [00:18:00] client being a horror story and be like, so we've

Mikki: gotten a lot of IESs that are like, listen guys, I don't even wanna come on your show.

'cause all you do is. SMACK talk GCs. And I'm like, that's fair. Do you wanna come on your show to tell us about how you don't like that? And give us reasons why the GCs not always the problem. So please. So balance the scales. Homeowners, you're not homeowners. Watch yourselves. We about to teach you.

Nicole Fella: Well, this is more of a cautionary thing for homeowners too, on like how not to behave.

Right? Right. Guys, come on. So. Like one of the things I say is like you're building a relationship with a client, right? Right. So a client has to pick us because they feel like, one, we have the expertise and know how to do what they're looking for, but also that they have. A level of comfort with us, right?

That they know that we're gonna help them select what they want to select, give them the results that they want. We see their vision, but also that will push them outta their comfort zone a little bit. Right, right. And so it's a relationship. Mm-hmm. You're in a relationship with these people for [00:19:00] however long, couple of months, couple of weeks, whatever it is.

Um, on the contractor side, you have to know that too. And we are sometimes. So not as selective as we should be, right? Mm-hmm. And so the job is worth it. You okay?

Mikki: You ignore the red flags you see in personality types. Give us, give us some red flags as a gc, 'cause this is super helpful to the homeowners. So like, when you go to meet with a homeowner, what is like two or three red flags of their behavior that you're like, you know what, this isn't the best fit.

Um. So not, so you guys can hide it, so you can change your behavior. Yeah.

Nicole Fella: Um, if there, you know, I'm very particular, I'm very picky or anything like that. Like if you, if you're. Saying that out loud in like an initial meeting, you're already hiding a good amount of what the truth is there. Like, did your therapist say that

Mikki: this [00:20:00] is just you being particular or are you crazy?

Yeah. And so I had a

Nicole Fella: client that I went in in that initial meeting. She was like, my husband's really particular, he's real, like he's gonna be in there with them and he's gonna be checking over them and stuff. And I was like, absolutely not. We won't really do that. Like first of all, it's not safe, right?

Mm-hmm. Right. Like this is a construction site even though it's in your house. Yeah. Um, and they were the biggest nightmare client ever. Oh, I'm so sorry. Um, and so, so,

Mikki: but what made them a nightmare? Like, I know you can't give specifics, but if you could give like broad range specifics,

Nicole Fella: um, went to the extent of like Facebook stalking you.

Looking up. Um, yeah. Okay. That's weird. Yeah, guys don't

Mikki: do that. Yeah. Like, like, okay. So you would like talk people you'd carry it, right? Like stop that. And we know some people who do stalk and you're weird. And you're creepy and stop it. We don't even want you watching our stuff. Okay? You know who you are.

Everybody else [00:21:00] we like you and please like, and subscribe, but every, but you wrote who? You're, stop it. We don't like you. Um. Side note. That was a tangent. That was a chicky check. I dunno, I dunno. That check. That was a Mickey rant. That was a Mickey's insane. Sorry about that. Uh, so like, you walked into the job and they were like, oh, we saw that you went to such and such dinner restaurant last weekend.

No. They're like, how did you know they were Facebook stalking you?

Nicole Fella: So we need the tea. They. Sent an email stating I know so and so, which is a Face mutual Facebook acquaintance that we both had. Okay. Um,

Mikki: and you're like, good for you. There would be no reason

Nicole Fella: for me to care. Right, right. Like, it's not somebody that is in my inner circle.

Yeah. It's just something, it's not something that was in his inner circle. That's weird. Um, but yeah, like that was just one. And then he also, um. [00:22:00] Had an issue with tile, which to his credit there, there was a OD issue. Okay. Um,

Mikki: diot being that the, some, some of the tile was one color, some of the tile was another color, but it was the same tile, same pattern.

It came

Nicole Fella: into different production dates and so the, the batch was a little bit off. Yeah. We found out and I was like, okay, let me get on the phone with them. We'll get this replaced. And within a half hour he had found these local sales rep on LinkedIn, his supervisor, and um. The CEO of the company and left voice messages for them.

Oh yeah, you

Mikki: guys,

Nicole Fella: so like, just

Mikki: because the internet allows us to stalk each other does not mean that we should hashtag whatever, hashtagging that. I mean, that's insane. That's next

Jess: level. Yeah. I mean, I could see him wanting to go to the, the next level if. [00:23:00] You weren't taken if I had not done my taken, weren't taken care of it.

If you were saying, well, you

Mikki: have to pay for it. I mean, I'm assuming you just were like, listen, we'll take care of it. Don't worry about it. Hundred percent. But he's like running it all the way to the top. Yes. Wow. That's crazy guys. Don't do that. Crazy. Don't,

Jess: yeah, don't do that.

Mikki: Especially if you have, like, listen, I obviously, we've read all of your homeowner horror stories, so we understand that some of you have had very bad experiences, but if you're working with a competent general contractor, you don't need to call the CEO of the tile company to complain about the dialogue.

Like she's on it. Yeah. Like give her a minute to like get it squared away. Like that's wild. Yeah. So guys, don't do that. Okay. Yeah, I'm doing that. All right, so that's. Don't Facebook stalk. What else?

Nicole Fella: Um, trust the process. Oh, yes. Right. So like in remodeling, the homeowner gets to see how the sausage is made.

Yeah. Right? Mm-hmm. You don't really get to see that. And Yeah. In new and in construction, you're walking in like, oh, [00:24:00] everything's up. Okay. Yeah. Drywall's up. Okay, now? Yeah. So you're seeing every little piece of it. Trust the process. Yeah. Right. We,

Mikki: that, that's kind of what we've been saying. Like a lot of our horror stories lately have been people very concerned about the electrical wires hanging out.

And I was like, guys, if they can't install the fixture yet, the wire has hang out. Locker locker, that's not energized. You're okay. Yeah. But it, it like. When you're looking to be upset about something. Mm-hmm. That is an easy one because you naturally, people just naturally think that all wires have electricity to them.

Yeah. And I'm like, as long as the break is off, everything is fine. Yeah. Like yeah. As if it's not sparking, you're good.

Nicole Fella: Yeah. And I think what probably can, like part of that is. They had bad experiences. Yes. Yeah. And they hold that trauma. They do. And they bring it into the new relat relationship.

Mikki: So that's honestly really good advice.

[00:25:00] Like if you've had a bad relationship with a general contractor, you've had a bad experience working through that before you bring in another gc. Mm-hmm. I know that sounds ridiculous, right? Like you're just like, it's fine, everything's fine, but you don't realize what. You're bringing to the table and like, listen, I do this all the time.

Like I'm, I always have to do a vibe check. Like I have bad clients, some of, some I have wonderful clients, but I have had in, in my career of 20 years some really crappy clients and I'm playing at a, on a very big stage, like when a client doesn't pay me, it's not a couple thousand dollars, it's $330,000, and it's just like.

That leaves a mark no matter like how chill you try to be about it no matter what. Like you're, you're bringing mm-hmm. In bad jujus because you have this bad experience. So the second somebody acts even slightly, like they're not gonna pay their bill, I they're coming for it. I literally have, and it was just funny 'cause it was a gift from the, our first podcast [00:26:00] guest ever, which is Lisa from Hydro Block.

She's. Pet me a gold crowbar. So I, it's beautiful. I keep a gold crowbar in my car. She instigates all of my bad behavior, um, in my car because there's a story about me threatening somebody with a crowbar in my younger years. I will tell you if, if they didn't pay me mm-hmm. And so she sent me a gold crowbar, gold one people issue with a gold crow bar.

Take that. And so you bring that with you? Yeah. No. No matter how hard you try. So I have to be very intentional, like I'm going to different job sites, especially if I'm leaving one. 'cause we, we have some interesting clients right now. And so I go to one and it's like my cortisol spikes, I'm livid, I'm through the roof.

But then we have these amazing clients, so I have to like, okay. Fine. These clients are not those clients. These clients pay their bills. These clients respect you. Mm-hmm. These clients are good. Like I literally have to do that because we carry stuff with us and you don't realize it. [00:27:00] So like I would bring my bad attitude from the one job to the other, and like, they didn't deserve that.

Like they're doing all the right things. And so it's really about realizing what you're bringing with you. And so if you've had a bad experience. You unknowingly can kind of bring that lack of trust that like this probably isn't gonna go well. And it's like, listen, uh, what you think of persists. So if you think it's gonna go bad, it probably will.

Like if you're just convinced Yeah. That this is gonna end in like yeah. Me having to fire this general contractor, it probably will.

Nicole Fella: Yeah. And it's okay to share those experiences with the new contractor Yeah. In the vetting process. Mm-hmm. That like, yeah. You know, I had this happen here. How do you handle things differently?

Or How good advice would you have handled that situation? And that can help you make a better decision on who you're hiring and give you that level of comfort knowing that Yeah. Okay. They are different. They are gonna handle this situation differently. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Mikki: You [00:28:00] have to just decide, like it's just one of those things.

It's like she can tell me all day long that this is how she's gonna handle things. I have to decide to believe her or not. And it's just one of those things where it's like, if, if you're meeting with somebody and you're just like, yeah, I don't necessarily trust them, don't hire them. Like if you're getting like weird vibes off somebody and you're like, I don't know if this guy's gonna rob my jewelry box when I'm not home.

Don't hire them. Right? Like go with you think trust the gut. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Go with the gut. So, okay, so, so trust the process, meaning that like you're gonna see it in all stages and just because for two days nobody's working on it or whatever's happening doesn't mean that we're not working in the background.

It's like, 'cause it could be ordered materials and they got delayed or. Do you communicate, like when there's a delay, are you like always like, Hey, here's what's going on? Yes. Okay. So

Nicole Fella: we work very differently than most GCs where I book about two, two and a half months in advance. Okay. So if you signed a [00:29:00] contract with me today, you would actually be started the end of January at this point.

So I have all that time to get all of your materials in. Okay. So you're like on it. So yeah. So, so when you guys show up, you have everything. You have everything there. Okay. That's awesome. So that helps us Yeah. Get that two and a half week timeframe done. Mm-hmm. Because we have all the materials. Yeah.

Everything's there. We show up, we deliver everything to the job a week before we start. We get everything started day one. We're there straight through until we finish. So we don't really have delays like that. The only time we might have a delay is if. The town is behind on inspections. It's, yeah. And that can happen.

It's,

Mikki: but do you know that they've, they've, they had a new law come out where they cannot go more than, I think it's 48 hours, so like Yeah,

Nicole Fella: apparently. Do they still, do they still pass that 48 hours sometimes? Listen, everybody's been good about it, but one jurisdiction, um, um, we, please tell me it's not

Mikki: Wake County.

Nicole Fella: No. Okay. Um, we, it's the, the biggest county in the

Mikki: state.

Nicole Fella: We requested an inspection, [00:30:00] the. End of September, I believe, like September 24th or so. Okay. We requested this inspection. Um, October 17th is the date they gave us.

Mikki: What? That's illegal. It's illegal. Whatever county you're in. Oh my

Nicole Fella: God. Yeah. So did your report, what happened?

So I didn't report them because I don't want to get any repercussions back. Do you want me to report them? I did, however, empower my homeowner. Okay. To call, make a phone call to say yes. Be like bloop, bloop.

Mikki: Mm-hmm. Nope. 17th ain't gonna work. Yeah.

Nicole Fella: To say this is feels like a month

Jess: almost. So did they, did they call?

Nicole Fella: She has not called. Okay. She said she was okay. It, this was a final inspection. Okay. So it's not holding, so she's holding up across, okay,

Mikki: that's good. Yeah. At like, she can use it. It's just like the inspector comes when they come. Right. Wow. If it was

Nicole Fella: SI for sure would've been on the phone. Oh yeah. Because immediate that, because

Mikki: she had had her bathroom torn up for almost a month before they could.[00:31:00]

That's insane. Maybe that's why they, because also, I don't know if this is a real, it was, it was a client of mine said that. The fair 'cause North ca we're in fair season right now. I don't know when this is gonna air, but we're in fair season and they set up the fair rides and they, all the inspectors are like busy at the fair doing all these inspections on the rides.

Really? And so they were like, oh, the electrical, the, the elevator inspector can't come out for like this many days. 'cause he's like at the fair. And I was like. He's at the fair, making sure reason. 992,000. Why? I hate fair season, like I've never been to the fair, the traffic.

Nicole Fella: I can't never been. Oh girl.

Lemme tell you. That was enough.

Mikki: So my niece here now. Mm-hmm. And Hector. Hector. Hector brings up at dinner that the fair isn't is coming to town. And I was like, okay, well [00:32:00] you're taking her now. And he goes, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. And I was like, no, you brought it up. You your job. Start, take there. And he goes, here's what I'll do, here's what I'll do.

And I'm just like, whatcha are gonna do? He goes, I'll drive you guys. I said, I can pay an Uber for that. Absolutely not. Absolutely not, sir. I don't need an Uber. I can, I can. Procure that on my own. Yeah, you're taking her now. That's how much we hate the fair that we're like, oh, you brought it up. You brought her, you're taking her now.

I thought Trauma. Trauma,

Jess: my God. But it's hysterical. All the, the elevator inspector is going to make sure that your children are not going to die. The ride that goes boom. Five

Mikki: fair season. The inspectors can't be inspecting elevators because they at the state fair and hopefully it was just to inspect rides and not to ride them.

Or have like a chicken maybe have, get them to make sure they have, they're like, well, are we gonna ride to make sure it's quality We're here? Meaning, well, like, can I also get a, uh, a fried stick of butter please? Because apparently that's a thing at the [00:33:00] fair.

Nicole Fella: I, no, we be wild up at these fried anything.

Mikki: Yeah. But every year they un Yeah. Every, yeah. That's a thing. Yeah. They un unveil a new fried item every year. It's like some people, it's what they live for. But they won't be alive long if you're eating fried butter. I'm so sorry to tell you. It's not good for your cholesterol. I mean, I

Jess: can't eat fried anything, so 0%.

So yeah, you would be, you'd die. I'd be die. Die I'd die.

Mikki: She, she say that'd like I would bedy.

Jess: I would bedy. I would bedy.

Mikki: Okay. As a human. She would

Jess: bedy

Mikki: look at Chicky chat

Jess: about how I'm going to bedy. That's how I'm gonna be died by eating fried food at the fair. No, I'm never going to do that. Yeah, that would

Mikki: you.

Jess: Yeah,

Mikki: I'm surprised with the kids. You haven't take them to the fair.

Jess: Um, no, because here's the thing,

Mikki: Jeff is like, I have a, I have a PowerPoint. I don't

Jess: do carnival rides. No, I don't trust them. This is like a great

Mikki: way to like accidentally die. And

Jess: then the, [00:34:00] I also don't think it's worth it. I'm like, you're gonna make me pay how much to have my kid ride that?

I might as well just take him to Disney World Facts.

Mikki: Yeah, like

Jess: for the, for the, it gets

Mikki: pretty spicy priced

Jess: and I don't like, you

Mikki: can, you can like listen for that stuffed animal. You spend $15 trying to throw the ring around the fish thing. Yeah, I know. I will say though, my sister. She, she, she won a fair fish once.

Fair fish is a real thing. It's a real thing. Yeah. Oh yeah. I had one, I was a kid. Gold fish. It's a real thing. That thing lived for like six years, my and belly up Fair by the time I got home.

Nicole Fella: Usually that's how it happens.

Mikki: Yeah, they're dead. Dead before gets home at best. It lasts a couple days. She's, I think she had it for like six years.

Oh my God. This fish was determined to live. He was like, listen, still live. I'm gonna come back to your house. I'm gonna be a part of your family. I'm outta the

Nicole Fella: carnival.

Jess: I'm, I'm sticking it out. You got

Mikki: me. He's out. I survived the carnies. I'm here for this.

Jess: I live in his best life and a little fish

Mikki: bowl swimming around.

Yeah. He's like, oh my God, this fish. Die. I was like, are you sure? [00:35:00] Quentin's not swapping it out like it's, it's my brother-in-law. So, okay, so, so trust the process. What's another like homeowner tip for their, their behavior to have a better experience? Don't watch

Nicole Fella: HGTV.

Mikki: Oh, ah. What do we tell you guys? Don't watch it.

She goes, don't watch chicks in construction, not HGTV. 'cause they'd be lying to your face. And I know that from personal experience. Yeah, yeah,

Nicole Fella: yeah. I don't think people really realize, I mean, I think they know that like, okay, clearly they didn't do that whole thing in three days. Right. But like I don't think they realize well do, because

Mikki: honestly.

Honestly, I'm not sure. Yeah, like so many people are under the impression that like, well, chip and jojo did that in two and a half days. And I'm like, first of all, I have seen episodes where the woman was not pregnant in the first episode and she was nine months pregnant when they finished it three days later.

And I'm like, I know you know that long. It takes longer for babies to grow. Everybody [00:36:00] knows that. Like yeah. What? It definitely took them a year to renovate this person's house. Mm-hmm. And H-G-G-H-G-T-V said it was two weeks. Yeah. And you're just like, wow.

Nicole Fella: And just like the, like we had a client in her belt line that, uh, got picked for a Love it or list it.

Yeah. And. They had already, before they got selected for the TV show, had already contracted with us for three bathrooms. Okay. Yeah, and I think all three total were like somewhere around 65, $70,000. Okay. Then they got picked for Love It or listed. They came in, told them what renovations needed to be done on the house.

It was another $150,000. Not including the bathrooms.

Jess: What? And it, so a 210?

Nicole Fella: Yeah. Okay. Building another house. Y'all right, y'all. So they, they listed it. They didn't, they didn't stay into the Yeah. But. The way that the show was gonna air was, I dunno if I'm gonna get in trouble for saying this. So they are $150,000 that they were quoted.

The show covers [00:37:00] 75,000, the homeowner covers 75,000. What is reported on the episode would only be the 75,000 that the homeowner Oh my

Mikki: god. Insider tea right here. Okay. So I've never heard that.

Nicole Fella: Yeah. So interesting. Everything that we did in the would've, well we did the bathrooms, it just didn't get.

Filmed, you know, filmed for it. Um, but everything that would've been done in the bathrooms, the kitchen, the family room, everything else that they would've done, would've aired as if it only cost $75,000. Okay, guys? And now I know

Mikki: Double facts, that they'd be lying straight to your face and they know they'd be lying.

So they're saying, this is how much we paid. And they're not saying, and the home are, because listen, if they told you they were gonna pay for $75,000 worth of your renovation, everybody would wanna be on Love it or listen, despite the fact that they've been. Sued a bajillion times. Mm-hmm. Because we actually talked about that in the last episode.

Okay. I was watching in the, well, I was watching YouTube. I don't watch actual tv, but I was watching The Tube and it was like showing me probably 'cause my algorithm is like, this is what you want anti H. [00:38:00] It was like, you're gonna love this one, Mickey. And it was a Raleigh couple that were on HGTV. They renovated their house and I'm we're definitely using loose air quotes.

Um. For, it was like $210,000. They didn't do anything complete and the, it was so bad that they couldn't even move into the house, like in the meantime. Oh wow. And so there, there's this massive lawsuit between them and HGTV because they're like one, the company that I guess owns h their love it or listed or produces it, um.

Are based outta Canada. Mm-hmm. And they did the renovations without using a North Carolina general contractor. Mm-hmm. Oh wow. And I'm just like. In what world? Like come on. Crazy. It was two $10,000. God's crazy's like this, a smidge over 40 K. Like it's a little bit. So we talked about that last time. So listen it, I do have a friend who was on Love It or List it and she had a great [00:39:00] experience.

It was with a Raleigh based general contracting company and she just like, I think she's the only one I've ever heard. 'cause we actually had a Love it or listed house in our neighborhood. Mm-hmm. They ended up suing them. Like we're very unhappy with the whole experience. Like it was terrible. Yes. So like, listen, love it, or listen, am I coming for you?

A hundred percent. Do better. Do better. And I mean that like you are out here on these streets, you're destroying your own reputation and we're just reporting the hashtag facts don't come for me or do I don't care. Get in, lie in HGTV I've given up on my dreams of having a show. I think we've made that clear.

I think you made made that very clear.

Jess: Okay. Right. She's not getting a show. No, I'm not getting a show. Um, so now when clients are coming to you to get their bathroom renovated and stuff, do you help them go pick things so that they're timeless or trendy? Like how do you help them with that? Because, I mean, I love some of the stuff.

Now, [00:40:00] and I'm like, oh, but like how will that age? Yes. Is that gonna age like fine wine or am I gonna wanna tear it down in two

Nicole Fella: years,

Jess: like

Mikki: my master bathroom?

Nicole Fella: So you can never go wrong with timeless. Um, define timeless though. Is subway tile timeless. I don't think subway tile is timeless. Okay. Okay. What do you

Mikki: think is timeless tile wise?

Um, I know this is like hot seat moment.

Nicole Fella: This like marble look. Oh yeah. Carrera marble, Carreras statuary. Yeah. Any of those. And, and everything is done in porcelain tile. I mean, not everything. There's still true marble out there, but most of what we do is porcelain tile made to look like statuary or Carrera.

Okay. Or Calcutta. Um, and so you can use that. And I call it. Like the little black dress. Mm. That is the classic Yeah. Style that is, it's been here forever. It's not going anywhere.

Mikki: Mm-hmm.

Nicole Fella: Anywhere. Um, and [00:41:00] then you use your jewelry to enhance that outfit. And so your jewelry in the bathroom is gonna be some accent tile, your paint colors, your accessories, your cabinet hardware, your light.

Fixtures. Oh yeah. Like all those things are gonna jazz it up. They make it pop. Mm-hmm.

Mikki: And that can always change. Like that's easier to change. It's a much, much less expensive, then you can swap out a light fixture than retile your entire bathroom. I speak from experience. Yeah. Um, this is the story of my life.

So Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. That it's like, it's like those things can be changed. Yeah. So go with what's popular right now, and then it can always be changed out later if that's what you're into.

Nicole Fella: Yeah. And if you're. If you want something that truly is trendy, that's okay too. Yeah. Just know that it, it's gonna have a shelf life to it.

Yeah. And so if you're okay with like, no, I don't care. I'm like, I'm gonna do this now, I'm gonna do, in a years, there's what I had told me that

Mikki: the tile that I picked for my master bathroom was like not gonna be in trend in a couple years. 'cause if I had known, I'd have just spent the more money on the more expensive tile.

Like I'd have done it. [00:42:00] And now I'm just like, I just needed to gut this entire bathroom to start from, from scratch. Like life choices were made. She's not wrong. And

Nicole Fella: sometimes it's not a A price thing. Either. Either, yeah. To get the more timeless look. It's just like people aren't stylistic people Aren thinking about like long

Mikki: term.

So that's a good thing to think about is like really like how will this age? Yeah. Mm-hmm. Will it be like, you know, somebody who doesn't wear sunscreen or somebody who does? Mm-hmm. Because those are two different vibes.

Jess: Well, I is going to age beautifully. One, not so much. Not so much. You're gonna want. Get, um, all the Botox face lifted again.

Yeah, just stretch it, it gave me the facelift again.

Mikki: Um, okay, so, so, okay, because we gotta wrap up 'cause Joe's looking at me side eye, but one is like, so you've watched the show, you know, one give, tell us one thing we're doing wrong. Tell us one thing we're doing right and then give the homeowners like your best tip.

Okay. And it's a lot of pressure. Yeah. Tell us to our face what we're doing wrong. [00:43:00] Joe's over there like pressure. This is a bad idea. He's like, I can't wait for these sound bites. He's

Nicole Fella: like getting subliminal clues to be like, don't say anything. He's like, Joe Mickey

Mikki: actually does not take constructive criticism Well, I know.

Nicole Fella: Um. I mean, I don't think really anything wrong, like the, the, the numbers, the prices, I would say need, need better. The numbers we're gonna call

Mikki: you now on from now on, be like, Hey, what does this sound like?

Nicole Fella: Yeah. I mean there even if like, you Google it, right? 'cause like homeowners do that all the time. Yeah.

Like how much should this cost? Yeah. Like that number that you see is the national average. Yes. And

Mikki: we, yeah, to be fair, so yeah. You know, we did find a website that. That, that we put in our zip code and it was supposed to have been more accurate, but it is kind of unfair. I don't do residential work, so I, my pricing is like all over the place.

Yeah. So, and I we're, she's gonna be our consultant from now on.

Nicole Fella: You

Mikki: got it.

Nicole Fella: You're gonna make sure, um, what you're doing. Right. I mean, just educating homeowners in general. It's really important. You can't go on with that. People don't

Mikki: understand like, like how we have so many shady general contractors is 'cause nobody's really talking [00:44:00] about it.

So like your level of looking out for it is limited. Yeah. Not anymore. 'cause we exist. Okay. And then, then, alright, best homeowner tip.

Nicole Fella: Be open to advice. Mm. Yeah, that's a good one. Um, you know, like you'll get homeowners who've they've done their homework. Yeah. Like, you know, they've been on house, they've been on Pinterest, they're online, they're looking at all the things that they want.

Mikki: They've watched 82,000 episodes of House Hunters.

Yeah. Or Love It or List It or Chip and Jojo's, uh, whatever that is. Mm-hmm. Whatever their show is, but

Nicole Fella: like. You know, you having, or, or you've done a remodel in your last house. Yeah. Or you've done one or two bathrooms. You're like, this is all I do. Thousands of bathrooms. Right? So I know that there, there is an expert in whatever field it is that you're looking to do.

Whatever area you're having remodeled, there is an expert for that person. And sometimes it's not just a. General contractor. They're specialty contractors. Yeah. And we do certain things. So, um, [00:45:00] you wouldn't want me to design an extension for you? Could I? Yeah. Yeah. But I should I, but I'm not gonna have, yeah.

I'm not gonna have all the expertise to know really what you're looking for and so like, be open to that advice and that guidance. Yeah. That over. You know, X amount of years, like no, I've seen the clients do do that and it never worked out. Or they don't wanna do it. Or after a time this happens. Yeah. I recently remodeled my own bathroom and that alone was like an eye-opening experience because I got to be the client Yeah.

Of my crew. Mm-hmm. And, you know, get the same, like I had my project managers handle it like any other client. Oh, nice. So like, send me the communications the way that we normally would. Yeah. And so. Seeing that even like open my eyes to my clients to give them more advice on, like, I always tell clients, move outta the bedroom when you're having the bathroom done.

Like, oh, that's good advice. You're gonna have to sleep in another room. We're gonna put plastic everywhere. You don't wanna pick that up and [00:46:00] get drywall dust everywhere. Everywhere. Call it magical

Mikki: fairy does literally gets everywhere.

Nicole Fella: So, um. Like living through all of those experiences, having been on both ends of the spectrum.

Yeah. For it like mm-hmm. We have expertise and trust and knowledge. If their

Jess: closet is attached to the bathroom, do you recommend they take all of their clothes out? Move them so that they don't get all covered in drywall dust too. I recommend

Nicole Fella: taking out at least two to three weeks for our projects.

Mm-hmm. Because that's how long we're in there for. So you don't have to go in there. So you don't have to go in and introduce us. We'll put plastic up over the door and block everything. We will still have some Yeah. It's magical gonna happen and fairy dust. Um, but yeah, I, I recommend limiting your in and out of the closets and definitely stay outta the bedroom.

Jess: Nice. Yeah.

Mikki: So

Jess: listen and listen when they give you that advice. Yes. Just follow it. Look, literally,

Mikki: listen as DMX says, listen. I know that's a weird reference, but I'm here for it. [00:47:00] Um, okay, so guys, we're gonna put all of her contact information below. If you are looking to redo your kitchen and bath. I don't think we've had, well we've had some great grit guests on, but we have not had a specific, like all I do is kitchen and baths on, um, on the show.

I think you're the most knowledgeable kitchen and bath GC and interior designer that we've had in the show. So one, thank you so much for coming on. But guys, don't reinvent the wheel. She exists. We found her for you. We procured her from the universe to bring to you today. You're welcome. You're welcome.

Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. 'cause listen, she's happy Hanukkah, she's got, yeah, happy Hanukkah. Happy Kwanza. All of the, all of the holidays. You're welcome. Um, just hire somebody who knows what they're doing. Like hire somebody who just, she look, she came and fact checked us. Okay? So we're here for that.

Um, also, please listen, look at this. Look at this. [00:48:00] Look at this mug. Jess had these monks made, she made two. But if you want one, we have to get. Some likes on the video, and then we'll put them in our store and you can buy them.

But until then, like, and subscribe so you, we know that you watch the video and that you want a cup.

It's the best mug ever. It's the best mug ever. It's the cutest, little cute, cute you've ever seen Chicks in construction? Yeah. Um, so like the podcast, please subscribe. Please leave a comment if, if you're feeling, you know, generous. Generous. If you're feeling like I've got some extra time on my hands, I understand.

Um. And also if you have a homeowner horror story, uh, we would love for you to go to chicks and construction.com and share that. Mm-hmm. So we can continue sharing, you know, spreading the good word, if you will. Doing, doing the Lord's work, if you will. You know, absolutely. That might be a stretch, but I'm just putting it out there.

So yes. And then Jess knows we're all, we are on all the socials. We're on

Jess: all the socials. LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram at Chickson [00:49:00] Construction Podcast, and we're also on TikTok at Chickson Construction.

Mikki: So thank you guys again, and thank you so much for coming on. Is there anything else that you wanna throw out there before we wrap it?

Remodel

Nicole Fella: your bathroom,

Mikki: remodel your bathroom guys, and hire her. And hire her. And we'll have all of her contact information in the show notes so you can find it down below. And guys, have a great day. We'll see you next time. Bye bye.