Transform Your Dream Home: Expert Tips on Renovations with Chelsea Combs

Have you ever fallen in love with a house only to fall out of love with its kitchen? Tune into this episode of The Chicks in Construction as hosts Mikki and Jess sit down with Chelsea Combs, owner of Green Hill General Contracting, to discuss transformative renovations that can turn any house into your dream home. Learn about renovation loans, realistic budgets, and avoiding construction chaos. Chelsea shares her insights on the importance of selecting the right general contractor, the significance of genuine reviews and licenses, and practical advice on making informed decisions for high return on investment renovations. Whether you own a home or are planning to buy one, Chelsea's expertise offers valuable guidance on optimizing your space. Plus, discover the inside scoop on why trusting your contractor and doing thorough research is crucial for a successful renovation project!

00:00 Falling in Love with Homes and Kitchens
00:56 Meet Chelsea Combs: The Remodeling Expert
01:17 The Journey of Green Hill Contracting
01:50 Women in Construction: Breaking Barriers
05:31 The Importance of Trust in Home Renovations
12:35 Setting Realistic Expectations for Renovations
21:39 The Southern Toilet Closet Phenomenon
22:30 Cost Considerations in Home Renovations
23:17 High ROI Renovations: Kitchen and Bath
23:49 Adapting Homes to Modern Lifestyles
24:51 The Importance of Pre-Purchase Renovation Planning
28:53 Making Informed Renovation Decisions
33:20 The Ripple Effect of Renovations
34:39 The Value of Trusting Your Contractor
35:40 Understanding the Deposit Process
39:52 The True Cost of Free Estimates
42:27 Final Thoughts and Advice

Link mentioned in the episode: https://linktr.ee/greenhillcontracting?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaeXnsocBchKrsldIgh-9T15zRHHrtCxZ_D0HXM0mfK1fXVkaUe7UZmk3giXiQ_aem_ZMuojH2U6FKantQPjfRyjA

Submit your homeowner horror story:
www.chicksinconstruction.com

Follow on Social Media:
www.instagram.com/chicksinconstructionpodcast
www.facebook.com/chicksinconstructionpodcast
www.linkedin.com/company/chicksinconstructionpodcast
www.youtube.com/@ChicksInConstruction

________________

Love what you hear?
Subscribe to Chicks in Construction and share this episode with your friends because every homeowner, builder, contractor, and designer needs to hear this one!

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

Chelsea Combs

Green Hill Contracting was founded with a clear vision: to provide exceptional remodeling services to clients who needed the high-quality work and communication associated with large projects but at a more accessible scale. The company was established through the collaboration of experienced professionals Chelsea Combs and Ken Combs, combining their expertise in remodeling, project management, and client service. Chelsea, with a background in executive recruitment, brought her ability to identify top talent and ensure excellent communication throughout the renovation process.

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 Aper, 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

This isn’t just another DIY podcast or contractor interview show. Mikki and Jess pull back the curtain on what goes wrong in home projects, translating industry talk into plain English and giving you practical steps to avoid common (and costly) mistakes.

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.

Want to renovate smarter and spot red flags before they wreck your project? Hit follow and get ready for real talk, expert advice, and stories that will make you say, “Thank God I listened to this first.”

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

25 Chicks in Construction
===

[00:00:00]

You ever fall in love with a house and then walk into the kitchen and immediately fall out of love Every single time. But today's guest has a magic fix for that heartbreak. She's a general contractor who helps people buy the house they want and turn it into the house they've dreamed of without living through the construction chaos.

And if you already own a home that you love, she can help you fall in love with that kitchen too. We're talking renovation loans, realistic budgets, and how to skip the months of takeout and drywall dust. This is chicks in construction.

Mikki: Hello and welcome back to another episode of The Chicks in Construction. I'm your host, Mickey Paradise, and this is my co-host. Hi, I'm Jessica Abro, and today we have a guest on here for you.

Meet Chelsea. Chelsea, tell everybody what it is that you do. [00:01:00]

CHELSEA COMBS: My name is Chelsea Combs and I own a residential remodeling company called. Green Hill contracting. Green Hill contracting. Yes. I was like, let's not forget to say the name. Yes. Oh, very intentional. Very intentional. Um, named after the road I grew up in, in Chapel Hill, Durham area.

Yeah. Okay. Uh, so we do everything from pulling, replace kitchen bathrooms, small additions, attics. Okay. Um, little bit of contractor rescue. Really meeting the client. We'll talk about that later. Yeah. Meeting the client where they're at, right. Like, you know, they want it done, but there's so many options.

Yeah. And helping them guide. So I tell 'em, you know. I can guide the ship, but you need to gimme a direction. Mm. And I think just really being that consultative approach is what led us to be successful.

Mikki: That's awesome. So you guys are kind of new, but like you're killing it.

CHELSEA COMBS: Yes. Which has been awesome to see.

That is clearly

Mikki: there's a hole in the market for like, I don't know, licensed people and competency and you know, all that stuff. I'm just saying they're just a woman

CHELSEA COMBS: in construction or related. That's true.

Mikki: This [00:02:00] is true. Mm-hmm. It's rare that we come across, we come across. Well in like the, like we only bring women in.

Yeah, of course. But like, you know, 'cause chicks in construction, I have had a lot of men that wanna be on the podcast and they're like, what if I identify as a woman? And I was like. You're really opening up a can of worms that I don't really wanna go down that road. There you go. So how about, I'll let you know if we run out of female experts.

Yeah. If we run out. The whole point is like to showcase that there really are women in the trades that are out there that are kind of doing it in construction. So it is an option that is available to people. A thousand. Um, everybody knows men are available. Mm-hmm. But they don't necessarily know that women are in the trades, that they're in construction and that they are available.

So our whole thing. Is to showcase women in construction. Exactly. So, um, love that. So, so three years you've been Yes. And they're killing it guys. Like they're, they're doing like how many kitchens and baths have you done? Like, you're like, I can't count. That's how many.

CHELSEA COMBS: Well, it's been wild, right? You know, you [00:03:00] start and you're trying to get your name out there and you really kind of take what comes at that point.

Point. Yes. I remember those days. And then it's gotten bigger and bigger, um, to where now it's less projects, but bigger in substance. Okay. For sure. Yeah. Um, I would say we probably do six kitchens and maybe 20 bathrooms. Bathrooms are definitely like the bread and butter. Mm-hmm. Um. You know the two thousands bathrooms that have the big jacuzzi tub that you can't clean the jets.

Yeah. And people move into it and they just want a large shower. You're like, take this out of my life. Yes. I don't ever wanna see it again. This is a massive misuse of space. How can we make this better? So yeah, I have one of those. Now it doesn't

Mikki: have the jets, so it's not even that fancy. You like, how dare

Jess: you take

Mikki: up this much space in my bathroom?

We don't. I don't, I'm not gonna sit in it. I'm not going to. She's like, absolutely not. Absolutely not, not. So it has just sat there and like, when we moved in, I was like, oh, that's so nice, nice little Soaker tub. Oh, I'm gonna get like, mm-hmm. The little pillow and the, no, I, [00:04:00] I live in my bathtub. Like, so I always tell people that I must have been French in a past life because I.

Listen, I take a shower occasionally. Don't get it wrong. I'm not dirty, but I only take baths. So like I'm, I'm a bath. You love it. I'm here for the bath life. I have designed choice now. Designed an entire bathroom renovation around the tub. Oh, I love it. So I get the tub first. Mm-hmm. And then I'm like, what can we do with this space and this tub?

Because the tub is the center point of the bathroom. That's a sero club. I'm, I'm wild. I'm wild.

CHELSEA COMBS: Well, I always go in and ask like, do you ever use your tub? So I know for me, like I'm running too quickly that like. As soon as it fills up, I'm onto like three more things. Right. Like, and I can't slow down and do that, at least in this chapter of my life, right?

Yes. I,

Mikki: I, I look forward to your bath,

CHELSEA COMBS: your

Mikki: bath era. Yeah, me too. It's a whole vibe. I'm telling you. I'm here for it. Yeah. Baths are a choice there. Hector's, like, whatcha doing there for two hours and I'm like, everything. Mm-hmm. Taxes, [00:05:00] QuickBooks work. Watch a podcast, three YouTube videos, and then I get out and I'm, I'm like, pruned.

Wrinkly. Mm-hmm. Isn't it getting relaxed cold? Listen, I, I tap it off. I know how it hot. There's a process. You're like, little bit out. Tap it off with a hot, it's like, it's like tap it off your, your coffee there, you hot, hot. Makes sense. Yeah. I'm just saying. And that is a chat. You're welcome. You're welcome.

Gotta get on that. So. What is like, obviously our whole thing is like educating homeowners and we have been so lucky to have a couple GCs on the show now, and so we always wanna know what do homeowners need to know that they don't like? Whether it's, it could, it could be a, a, a plethora of genres. Mm-hmm.

But like, how can homeowners best like, optimize their experience maybe in the selection process or what's your like, best piece of advice for homeowners when it comes to like. [00:06:00] We'll start with selecting a general contractor.

CHELSEA COMBS: Yeah. I mean, I think in that is really doing your homework. Mm. Um, I think there's a lot of resources out there that is marketed really well too.

The community. Right. But you kinda have to pay for those ads and it may like list them higher because they pay for it and things like that. Versus like going to Google reviews. Mm. You can't change Google reviews whatsoever. I tried. They're about as honest as they come. Um. We have one bad Google Review.

If I had a family event and I had to cancel that, I called 'em all those things and they were real mad. He left us a get a bad Google review and I'm like, I'm sorry. Um, my family has to come first in this, so yeah. Yeah. I'm happy to reschedule, but you know, it kind of is what it is. Yeah. And um. Doing your research, obviously looking at kind of their style.

I think even though we help people through the selection process, we are guiding it. So obviously we guide to certain things. Um, you know, I was [00:07:00] not in this industry before, but I have created this style that I didn't even know I had. Yeah. And people choose me because that style, right? Yeah. Um, and making sure that aligns, I think, you know, interviewing your contractor.

They also need to be interviewing you, right? Like they're in your home. Yeah. It's the most invasive, I feel like, work that you can do. Yeah. Because you're in somebody's home for mm-hmm. You know, six plus weeks. Yeah. Four to six weeks, you know, whatever. Um, in and out, really trusting them. Yeah. So as long as you trust 'em, then that's gonna go the furthest way.

Mikki: So like, this is like a kind of, kind of common thing that, that GCs have said that really like trusting your gut. Mm-hmm. Like when you meet with somebody, if, if you're just not feeling it. Just because their price is lower. Oh no. Does not mean that gonna work out for you, my friend. No, don't do it. Don't you pay for what you get

CHELSEA COMBS: a thousand percent?

Mm-hmm. Yeah. Um. And, you know, we really invest into like our operations, our systems, our team, all those things. So we're not the cheapest. Yeah. [00:08:00] And like, that's not our business model. Um, but we are, we strive to support the client. Yeah. You know, our best possible way. Right? So we have a client portal where it has the schedule going.

Right. Versus doing texting. All your selections are in there versus like, oh, I took a picture of this. I'm scrolling through it to show my friend. Like all that, like, we have to invest in that. And of course that comes in. Um, but it leads to better communication throughout the whole process. I love that.

Versus scroll through email. Yeah. So, you know, there are clients that are okay with kind of the more quick and dirty and those type things. Yeah. And there's a perfect contractor for that, right? Yeah. If you need a little more handholding, that goes to me. There's companies that have much more handholding than me, so interviewing make sure it's the right fit.

Mikki: Yeah. And ask questions, I think like mm-hmm. But like there, a lot of people are like, okay, ask questions. Great advice. But what questions do I ask? Like, do you have like, hey, when you're interviewing a gc, ask this question.

CHELSEA COMBS: Mm-hmm.

Mikki: Like, is there in your mind, like, can you think of like a very, like a [00:09:00] top two or three questions that, like when you're interviewing a gc, what, is there questions you wish people asked you?

Listen, also psycho guys, we didn't

Jess: give her any of these questions,

off camera: so this is just wild in these streets.

CHELSEA COMBS: Mm-hmm. We do have a Ram Remodelers guide to where, you know, it's a book of common ask questions. Oh, that's awesome. Things you should look out for. Obviously it has our reviews and our pictures and those things. There's also notes within it.

So like as you're interviewing people and. We are always like, our motto is rising tides lifts all ships. Like, if you don't choose us, then we completely understand you found somebody a better fit for you. Right? We just weren't have to your clients. So

Mikki: is this something any of our watchers can, or listeners, 'cause you can listen or watch, you have options on a podcast, lots of options that they can access.

Like is this on your website that they can go to? Like how can, how can people find this? Like these questions?

CHELSEA COMBS: It is on our link tree, which is within our website. Okay. And we can kind of make a note on how to find it and share it with you. We'll put the show notes like, so if

Mikki: you mm-hmm. If you, they, they have like a, a [00:10:00] document and you can print out and you can use the interview and even take notes.

Mm-hmm. On, on. How the interview's going. Yeah. Um, so we'll link that down below so you guys have access to that. That's awesome. I love that. Yeah. That'd be super helpful that you have that and like have just as a resource. Yeah. Yeah. You're just like, listen, we've been doing this long enough. These are the same questions that keep coming up again and again.

So like, let's create a document. That's something just would do. I wouldn't think about that. I'd be like, oh, same questions. I'll just answer it 500 times. Just as like idea, just thinking here. Let's create a document. Yeah. You know those frequently ask questions that get Yeah. Like, like post them on you.

Fqa F freak. Nope. Nope. FA qqq. Guys, listen a little. This is why I do that. Yeah. And you do drywall. I do drywall and sometimes paint sometimes. Awesome. Okay. So like, you're like, don't worry about the questions. We have them already thought out. Check the link down below, check the link. Absolutely. I mean,

CHELSEA COMBS: obviously we're there to answer every questions.

Obviously everybody talks about timeline. A majority of our clients do ask like, [00:11:00] will you help me through selections? And Yeah. You know, I actually just came from a sales call and I was like, well, do you have a vibe you're going for? You create a Pinterest board? And she's like, I just need you for that.

I'm like, all right. We'll work it out. Like, do you like past, you know, we have like a questionnaire that also goes out to them as soon as they sign a design contract or a build contract. Um, so really trying to help hone it in.

Jess: Mm-hmm.

CHELSEA COMBS: Um, I think another big thing is making sure they're a licensed contractor.

Check. I think Yes.

Jess: Guys, how many you talk about this? Yeah. Go search their name

Mikki: and their business. Do it before, like, and, and so. Every homeowner horror story where somebody hired somebody who claims to have had a license. Mm-hmm. It always ends in, after things went wrong, I then researched their license and found that they either gave this a fake license or they actually weren't licensed so, or they gave someone else's license.

They're using somebody else's license. Guys check before you sign any contracts that everybody that you're interviewing mm-hmm. Already [00:12:00] has their, honestly, to be just like next level. Check before you meet with them. Like, don't waste your time. Why waste your time? Like, like check before you have that, that meeting if they're licensed and if they're not, cancel it.

Like, don't do it. Please God. Mm-hmm. Or, or if you do, just make sure you. Take really good notes and lots of pictures and lots of pictures, and then send that all to us so that we can share it with everybody and tell them what not to do. Yeah, yeah. Because learning the hard way is overrated. You know? You know how, you know how we say it's expensive is what it is.

It is. It's spicy price. Very expensive. So what are some misconceptions that homeowners have about renovations that you find that you're constantly having to either help them realize? Like if something's not going to go this way or things are going to take a certain amount of time or be a certain price, like what are some common misconceptions that you come up against?

CHELSEA COMBS: Um, I think they think it's like a surgical process to where it is. I mean, we're [00:13:00] remodeling, we're working on somebody else's work. Like yeah, we don't have x-ray version vision. We can't look behind those walls. Yeah. And we don't know what's rotted out. If we experience that, then we wanna make it right.

Mm-hmm. Um. So I think just understanding that we are gonna, you know, talk to 'em, show 'em, do all those things. But it's not gonna be like, oh tiles tomorrow. Wait, we ran to this thing, tile can't happen tomorrow. And then that pushes the next person. Um, I think a lot of people kind of rush and they wanna as soon as possible.

And I do communicate even in selections, like, I'd rather you wait. Like a month longer for your favorite vanity. Yeah. Then have that happen. Your project start quicker. Yeah. And then you're looking at that vanity for the next 10 years. Literally you would've had the vanity you wanted. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Right. Um, so just understanding it, it's a process and trusting us.

Right. I think sometimes we have people that ask questions of like, why are the can lights not in there? Why is, you know, whatever. And it's not. [00:14:00] Time to do it. Right. Right. Like, and just gotta trust the process. If it's anything that we're not gonna skirt any lines, you have to trust your contractor. Right?

Yeah. And, and what you do. And

Mikki: that's like, that's part of the process all the time. Trust the process is definitely, we hear that a lot. Mm-hmm. And I think that's one of the things is like, if, if you meet with a contractor and you don't immediately trust them like there's a flag, okay, then don't hire them.

Mm-hmm. Like, if you don't feel like, listen, if this person says this is the reason, then I trust that that's the reason. Don't, don't hire them like fi wait until you find a contractor that you're like, listen, whatever they say, I trust that that's accurate. 'cause I think that's a lot of understanding for, as a homeowner, understanding that you don't know how construction works.

Like that's why you're hiring somebody to come in because like, you don't know how this works. I have no idea. But you have to hire somebody that you trust. And then actually trusting them. Mm-hmm. That's the thing is like, it's not just a, a concept, it's not like a on a vision board. Like we actually need to then actually trust them and say, okay, well if Chelsea [00:15:00] says that.

I should wait the month to get the vanity that I want. Then I'm gonna wait the month to get the vanity that I want. Yeah. Because like, I trust that like her knowledge and her advice is better than mine since I, you know, work in it and don't do construction. Mm-hmm. So I think that's the thing is like we hear a lot, it's like people kind of like, almost like, what do they call it?

Sideline quarterbacking? What's the phrase? Oh, it's Monday morning quarterback. Monday morning quarterbacking. You're welcome. Sport. Sports. Hashtag sports. She was like, stop saying hashtag

I'm old. I say the same thing over and over again. Yeah. Like so they come in and they're just like, oh, well this should be that way. And it's like, but how do you know? Yeah. Like how

Jess: do you know it should be that way? What makes you think that?

Mikki: Well, I chat

CHELSEA COMBS: GPT it. Yeah.

Mikki: Oh, that's great now, huh? Right. They can do that now.

Mm-hmm. That's a thing. That's a thing. And have you gotten, um, chat gtd? Renderings of like what they think that they want their space to look like, because that's a whole next level. [00:16:00] Because that's a whole, that's a whole thing that prepare your mind for that.

CHELSEA COMBS: Yes. And we do tell them. I mean, I'll be honest, we like, if we, we had a project where it was like a back porch, right?

Mm-hmm. And we're not going to put in AutoCAD and all that. They just wanted a visual, artistic interpretation of it is what we say. Those are fun. Um, those are fun of what it would look like with. Certain type of pickets or whatever it may be. Yeah. We don't need to spend half a day with the exact measurements of all the little things.

It will be that way, but you just need to see it visually. Um, and I think Chatt B t's been great because we've already had people reach out to us and I say, how'd you find us Chatt BT? It's like, oh really?

Mikki: Wow.

CHELSEA COMBS: Thank you. Chat GBT

Mikki: be re you. Yeah, I, okay guys. Watch doing great.

CHELSEA COMBS: BT knows what's up. Um, and I mean, I, I love chat GBT like even for me.

Working with the homeowners association. They need a picture of this window on this side of this building and I send it four pictures and it automatically does it verse bogging down my designer [00:17:00] to create all that. And that's all the homeowners association needs. So it does make you quicker. Yeah. Um, and I think, you know, when a client does bring us certain things, we can say like, yes, that makes sense.

That's not gonna happen like that. Yeah. You know, whatever it may be.

Mikki: Oh, that's awesome. Yeah, so because I was just like, is that gonna make your expectation of what can happen? Like the homeowner's expectation of like, oh, I can create this whole big beautiful kitchen or bathroom. And it's like, no, you cannot not.

That's, we can do anything you want. It just has a price tag assigned to

CHELSEA COMBS: it.

Mikki: Oh, yeah. Well, I mean like the picture, that part of the conversation.

Um, so do you find that like when you're dealing with homeowners, there is like. They, they come in with like unrealistic, uh, is it like a 50 50 mix? Like do they have realistic expectations? Are they like all living on Mars? Like where are we in average?

CHELSEA COMBS: I don't think homeowners know how much remodeling costs, especially like a primary factory.

We, we didn't even know we [00:18:00] had a GC

Mikki: come in and say like, Hey, I've been watching your show and your numbers are off. And I was like, thank you. Like,

Jess: could you have put that in the comments section? So,

CHELSEA COMBS: I mean, especially like with the tariffs and everything. Yeah. Like, that's tile, that's countertops. Yeah.

That's a lot of our vanities. Um, labor's also becoming more expensive. Yeah. Um, to wear. We, we pay more to for that peace of mind for us and our homeowner. Yeah. Right. So, like I said, we're not gonna be the cheapest, but you know, it's done and you know it's done right. And it's gonna be beautiful at the end.

Um, I think it was, it's probably a 50 50 split between people, like realistic and just like you're

Jess: living in the clouds.

CHELSEA COMBS: Yeah. Yeah. Ht And we try to, we try to say that on the front end, like when we screen or somebody sends in a contact us, we talk to them. We set expectations. Okay, you're doing a primary bath that's gonna be between 45, 50, you're doing a kitchen that's 60 to nine.

There's just so many variables, but you have to know, [00:19:00] and we have resources, you know? Mm-hmm. Yeah. If you need, a lot of people in the area have a lot of equity in their home. Yeah. So we have resources to help them use that to, you know, make their dream home the cost fun, the

Mikki: Reno. Mm-hmm. Yeah. That I, I, I will say, Jess and I.

Did not we, we did not understand how much kitchens and bath cost. Mm-hmm. Like the internet lied to us. Shocking. I mean, yes. I don't do enough residential for me to know. I probably should've, I should've. Tapped into some resources. 'cause we were like, yeah, like I think we said like 20 to

Jess: 40 for a kitchen every, everybody's like, absolutely.

No, that was a bathroom. A bathroom was bathroom. That was a bathroom.

Mikki: We, we were a little off. We were off. So like we bring in the experts, they're even correcting. We take accountability. We're sorry, we own that. Sorry guys. Our bad. Don't go tell your contractor that you want a bathroom for $20,000 and 'cause the chicken construction said so please don't do it.

Don't do it. Where's Ari mistakes were made. Um, okay, so like. So that's very on par with what we've heard. Mm-hmm. [00:20:00] Recently as far as price wise. Um.

CHELSEA COMBS: And that, so is there levels like a thousand percent. Okay. And I think really when we, when I go in and talk to a client of what they want, there's this, you know, beautiful tile that's all marble and like kind of talking through all the pieces of it.

I went to a sales call last week. Full marble shower. And she's like, I don't like how it stains water. And I was like, did nobody tell you that that would stain water? Right? Oh yeah. Like in certain spots and like just little You can get that beautiful, luxurious look in a porcelain tile. In a porcelain tile.

Yeah. That doesn't

Mikki: stain. 'cause it's not really marble. Yeah,

CHELSEA COMBS: you're welcome. So really meeting 'em, you know where they're at. Mm-hmm. Um, a lot of our like pull and replace bathrooms. It's allocations, right? You have $10 square foot. So when you say

Mikki: pull and replace. Mm-hmm. Like everything stay in the same spot.

They need what that means. So every, nothing's moving. We're just fix, changing the shower out, changing the tub out. Mm-hmm. Changing the vanity out. And

CHELSEA COMBS: it may be that big [00:21:00] jacuzzi tub that we talked about. Yeah. And we're putting a free standing tub. Okay. There may be some like. A little bit of movement of the drain pipe and those type things.

Right. But more or less, everything's staying in the same spot. Okay. Okay. Um, especially the toilet. Toilet's the most expensive thing to move in your house. Just so you know. Fun. Y'all

Jess: fun facts. Oh, I wouldn't

CHELSEA COMBS: have known that 'cause it's a three inch pipe. So you can't go in through any floor joists. Oh yeah.

So, and it has to have the pitch of it. So everybody was like, well if you just turn this 90 degrees, I was like, uh,

Jess: no,

CHELSEA COMBS: no. Doesn mean what? Matter how that works. Lemme look at your floor joce and see,

Mikki: um, you might just wanna leave that toilet right where it is. Yes. In the closet. In the closet.

CHELSEA COMBS: The

Mikki: closet.

Which is miracle. I had never seen, I mean, I'm from up north and we don't have. Toilet closets. Mm-hmm. That I call them the tc. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And like here it was like everywhere. It was like, here's your toilet closet. Yeah. Because obviously your, your bathroom business should be private. It's a shameful moment.

Do it, do it

Jess: privately so

Mikki: nobody in your house knows were very, that you used the

Jess: toilet [00:22:00] proper.

Mikki: Yeah. I mean that's, this is the south. Right. Hide. Shame.

Close the bathroom door, like, no, you can't shower right now. I'm gonna use the bathroom. But no, now everything's like, you could use this while someone's doing that. I'm like, mm-hmm guys. I'm like, just stay outta my bathroom. Down with the doors. There's so many doors. There's so many doors, so many, so many doors.

But yes. It's just funny that you have a toilet closet, so we're just leaving the toilets there. That's, that's where the mistake is. Yeah. I mean, we can,

CHELSEA COMBS: as I tell everybody is like, we can do whatever you want. Just so you know, this is the most expensive thing to me. It just cost money. Yes, we can design around this to where it's very purposeful, but um, they're like, ah, just move it.

Um, well, a little harder. A little harder than harder than that, but,

Mikki: but I think that's something to keep in mind. Like if you're a homeowner, you're can sitting a renovation understand that like. Doing a hardcore moving of all of the fixtures. Mm-hmm. Like fixtures being your toilet, your sink, your shower, that's, that can be [00:23:00] done.

Like anything can be done. Mm-hmm. Do you wanna spend the money to do it? Maybe, maybe not, but it's something to consider, like just we're not just. Moving something like there's a lot of pieces underneath what you see. Yeah. That could cost, that really drive the cost up of like, of doing these things.

Mm-hmm. So that's a huge thing. And speaking of cost, what are some things that people can do in their homes that are good renovations to have a high return on their investment? Like if they're looking to sell their home, they say primary bath and

CHELSEA COMBS: kitchen are your two biggest return investment. Yeah. Um, I mean that's mainly where.

The buyer of the home's gonna be. Right. Right. Yeah. Um,

Jess: the person who pays the mortgage, yes. Sorry kids, we don't care about your bathroom. And I know that's terrible, but it is what

CHELSEA COMBS: it is. Yeah. Um, I would say like your kitchen, just depending on kind of the flow of the family, right? Like now we're taking down a lot of walls and doing a big island to where that's the center of the home.

We don't have that like formal dining space anymore. Mm-hmm. Right. Um, and it's been wild or just interesting to [00:24:00] see. It's wild y'all of people's lifestyles. Yeah. Right. Yeah. I mean, same with the bathtub. I got

Mikki: rid of my kitchen table 'cause it was just a collector of special trash. Really? Mm-hmm. Is just like, we're just bringing special trash.

Where did you have a kitchen table? Yeah, good point. So where the plants live Yeah. Is where the kitchen table used to be. Okay. Mm-hmm. And so we, I was like, you know what? I'm so tired of cleaning off this daggone kitchen table. Get it out of the house. Yeah. So now we have a bench. 'cause we had, I did a builtin bench, so there's just a random bench in my kitchen.

Mm-hmm. And it's just like, that's where the kitchen table used to live. All right. But we all, we eat at the, at the island now. Yep. So it's just, and this is just wild. 'cause I'm just like, I, I don't need anything else in this house. Any flat surfaces. A danger zone stuff. Yes. We're terrible. We're terrible. If you've watched the podcast, you know, we're collectors with special trash in my house.

Jess: And dogs. We call it special trash. And dogs.

Mikki: I know that we talked about return on investment for if we're selling the home.

Now, what if somebody was trying to move somewhere and they had their heart set on like living in a neighborhood or I get established like my neighborhood, right? [00:25:00] Don't, we don't wanna do a new build, but a lot of these homes that are being sold now are a little outdated and stuff. Like, can you help somebody who is like looking to buy

CHELSEA COMBS: a home?

Yeah. A thousand percent That I think that's really been. A piece of Greenhill success is we've had a lot of partnerships with realtors in the area.

Jess: Oh,

CHELSEA COMBS: awesome. And you know, people tend, tend to choose people they like, know or trust. Mm. And if we already are connected with the realtor, we got one of those, right?

So say they're interested in a home, but they hate the kitchen, how much is it gonna be to renovate this? And then if they really love it. We also have partners that they can roll into a renovation loan. So their whole mortgage has that renovation, a part of it. Oh, that'ss awesome. So it's just kind of lumped in.

Yeah. And then we do the whole entire thing and it's just a part of their mortgage. I love that. That's such

Mikki: a, that is very niche. Like we don't hear a lot of people saying, Hey, we actually wanna help you. Before you move in. Mm-hmm. Because y'all, I cannot tell you that would be the best case scenario. Yeah.

So you don't, you can get all before it done. Before, before, [00:26:00] before they move in. Yes. Like stuff, get it all done before you move in there. You don't have to get special drywall, dust all over your, everything dust because it's magical fairy dust. It is

CHELSEA COMBS: magical. It goes everywhere. Everywhere. As much as you prep and protect it.

There's no amount

Mikki: of plastic that can deter a flake of drywall dust. Like it has a mind of its own. So not living there, I could really, that's a huge benefit of like hiring. Somebody. So do, do people like hire you? Say, Hey, listen, I haven't purchased the house yet. Do, do they present you with options or are they like, will you come to the showing with me?

Yeah. I mean, how does that work?

CHELSEA COMBS: Um, usually they see the house and they really like it, but they say, I hate the kitchen. I think that's almost a good part of the market right now where things are sitting a little bit. Yeah. So it gives us the time to go in and say like, if you want a new kitchen, this is how much it's gonna cost you.

Okay. Again, there's a lot of variables, so it's a ballpark. Mm-hmm. And then. They can purchase the home and then refinance it through the renovation loan. Okay. So then that way it's lumped in. Yeah, yeah. Depending on the size, how much cash they have, whatever it may be. [00:27:00] Um, so that way we can just give them a ballpark.

'cause again, I think most homeowners don't know how much certain things cost. Right? Yeah. So they're like, whoa, that's

Mikki: outside.

CHELSEA COMBS: Yeah. Or Oh, yeah. That's, it's kind of shocking to

Mikki: find out how much things cost. Like I, we were just discussing on the last episode that my Pilates instructor told me. So it caused her $200,000 to renovate her kitchen and bathroom.

And I almost felt directly off the reformer. I was like, and then I died.

CHELSEA COMBS: Yeah. Depending on, uh, wasn't she No cheap love

Jess: either, because she has like very fancy Italian tile in her kitchen and I was like, I don't even wanna know much that cost. 200,000,

Mikki: but like the egg

Jess: tile. Oh, just the tile. I'm like, I

Mikki: don't wanna know about the tile 'cause I won't be able to go into your kitchen.

'cause I'll be like, I'm afraid to break it. If I look at it too hard, I don't wanna come for that tile. Yeah. I don't want to imagine having a glass of red wine. God, I couldn't. No, because it's white grout. I'm like, honey, honey, honey, no. Grout has kids has come a long way. I'll say that. They don't, she, she has kids, but they're grown.

So she's like, she's like, don't [00:28:00] spill anything. I waited till they moved out. I did the fancy upgrade once. They were nowhere. She was like, she just like waited until they were gone. She's like, all right, we're gonna, we're gonna redo everything. And I was like, get it, girl. Do it. Here we go. So side note, Chicky chat.

Jess is like, stop it, Mickey.

Jess: I can't, it's in my brain now.

Mikki: Okay. So that is awesome. I love the idea of of like hiring somebody before you've even like, fully bought the house to be like, Hey, how much is this gonna cost? Mm-hmm. Because again, that, that. Numbers are wild and, and they, I'll say they do change, like mm-hmm.

Unfortunately, I don't see them going down anytime soon. Once people figure out how much money they can make, they normally don't accept less. So costs are what they are and that's probably not gonna change, but it might go up. So I. Just saying, think about do it now. Think about that. Do it now if you want it.

Just get it down if you wanna do it. Um, what, what is like, what else is there, like as a GC doing renovations, [00:29:00] this is something all homeowners need to know. I know. Hot seat. She's on the hot

Jess: seat.

CHELSEA COMBS: I mean, I feel like for me, I really try to. Meet the client like, like I said, where they're at, but, and I think sometimes they're paralyzed by like, well, what about resale and what about this or that?

Yeah. And kind of knowing your plan for the long term of like, do I want the, to make this my forever home? Yeah. Do I want it to fit my family or what? Because that changes the finishes,

Mikki: right? Yeah. Like you might for your forever home, if you really love a Carerra Marvel moment, you might invest in that. If you're like, I'm gonna die in this house.

Oh yeah, sorry, morbid, but like that's just, we're all gonna die. Um, so, but if you're like, I know that this is just like I'm gonna go to another house. Like, you might make a less expensive choice because it's one, I think it's a little harder to sell. Like very personal. Exactly. Yeah. So like when you get real niche mm-hmm.

It can be really hard to sell that. 'cause like somebody's gotta have your same style for them to [00:30:00] walk in and feel the same way about like. Your Venetian kitchen tile, or

CHELSEA COMBS: especially like the green and blue tile. Yeah. Which is very like, it's very trendy, right? Mm-hmm. And it's beautiful. I love it. Obviously Green Hill.

Um, but it, somebody can walk in and they're like, Ooh, yeah. I like the more Carrera Yeah. Feel of it. And again, you can replace it, but still that can be a big determining factor. Yeah. So I think like if you're moving in five years or something like that, then it should be a different fill versus like, I'm gonna be here 20.

Yeah.

Mikki: Right? Mm-hmm. Yeah. And if you're

CHELSEA COMBS: gonna be there 20. Do whatever you want because the style's gonna change so much. Yeah. That's not gonna matter, but time you're ready to move, you'll have to renovate it anyway. Yes.

Mikki: You should have planned for that. Yeah. Okay. So knowing. Like the stage you are in life and thinking about what the next move is, is like really where you, you make your decisions and your choices.

Mm-hmm. And, and even your budget, like, 'cause we've talked about this before. You don't wanna be the most expensive house in the neighborhood. Yes. You, you don't wanna over renovate your home to the point [00:31:00] where the money that you've put into it, there's no chance you're getting that back. Mm-hmm. And so like knowing, like, listen, we've, we've talked about it.

I'm never gonna be able to sell my house. I'm gonna have to burn it down. I'm gonna have to build another one. I accept that so I can do whatever I want in there. Mm-hmm. Um, but if you are not in that place in life mm-hmm. Life, maybe you make different decisions. And having a GC that understands that and is asking those questions, I think is really important.

CHELSEA COMBS: Yeah. And I think also having a realtor that's. Like a kind of a lifetime realtor, right? Yeah. And they can pull market comps and say like, oh, this is perfectly fine. Like, or you're gonna be priced out. Yeah. Again, a lot of people have equity to where it's not that big of a deal. Yeah. But you can know where you stand within the market, um, if you're in that five year timeframe.

Mikki: Yeah. Making those informed decisions. Mm-hmm. But really just like, like my sister, I love her to death. So she doesn't wanna bother me with stuff. So she's like, listen, I'm not, I'm not gonna call Mickey about this window. Well, she goes and puts like the world's most expensive windows into her, like the first house she ever bought.

And I was like, babe, you should've called [00:32:00] me. I would've told you Absolutely not. Yeah. Because I'm like, your windows might be the most energy efficient windows, but your house is a piece Swiss cheese, like it was built. It didn't.

Jess: Like 2001 like I was building in 2001, like absolutely not. It's not energy efficient.

Mm-hmm. That's when like house wrap first came out and like some houses had it and some houses didn't. Oh no. So like literally the

Mikki: wind blows and you feel it So lovely. Yeah. I'm like,

Jess: babe, I don't know why we spent 70 grand on Windows. Oh. Like she also got solar panels and I was. Oh, the my time of your home,

Mikki: you're never gonna see that.

ROI like it has to be your forever home. And so like really working with people that know like, okay, this is an expense where you're gonna get that money back. Or like, mm-hmm. Hey, if you wanna spend money that you're not gonna get the money back, that's fine. But to know that. People don't pay extra for a house 'cause it has new windows or people you, or like a

CHELSEA COMBS: different grade of windows, right?

Yeah. Like as long

Mikki: as it's

CHELSEA COMBS: not

Mikki: rotting out and it's double paying. Right. People are just like, that's fine. I don't have to replace it. I'm good with that. [00:33:00] Yes, exactly. You don't have to go with the world's most expensive windows, which let to be fair to my sister, I also did that, but I knew I was gonna die in my house.

Like I knew where, where that was going. But. Because I got Casements and they were, they were trying to talk me out of the casements, but Casements were what was in there. And I was like, I'm not gonna re side my house 'cause I changed my windows. Oh, thank you. Yeah.

CHELSEA COMBS: Well and then that's another thing. Well what I talk about is like the ripple effect of things, right?

Yes. So it's probably the same cost if you had to re side your whole home or people are taking out walls. I was like, well, just so you know, that affects your floors and your ceiling. We gotta paint the whole thing and refinish all your floors. It's not just taking out this wall. Yes. Right. So just the ripple effect of things.

The ripple effect. Sometimes it makes sense. To look at a different, like make pay more for the singular thing versus trying to reconstruct everything to have cheaper here.

Mikki: Yeah, that's very true. Because it's probably not, it doesn't always end up, it's gonna cheaper work out in the wash. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

That is such good advice. 'cause I think that's one of those things like you don't even. You are so zoned in, you're [00:34:00] so zoomed in. Mm-hmm. That you're just like, you're thinking about this one piece of it. You need somebody who's like, oh, I'm, I'm looking at that 10,000 feet above going, okay, if we move that wall, yes, yes.

I might solve one problem, but it creates five more. Yes,

CHELSEA COMBS: exactly.

Mikki: Now we need to bring in the drywaller. Mm-hmm. We don't want the drywall, and she's terrible. That's awesome. Okay, so like what is your. Best advice, like what? Closing remarks, what do you wanna leave the viewers with? Like as a GC that's doing it?

All over town doing it, lady.

CHELSEA COMBS: Um, I mean, I, I think going back to really interviewing your contractor and making sure you're comfortable with them, um, they obviously have a team, so, and you know, for us, you're meeting me, the owner, my name's on it, all those things. So obviously I have a team. I'm there through it.

However, you're gonna be working with every single one of my team members. So [00:35:00] knowing, trusting the person is gonna just take it so much further because if they truly own their company, like the ownership and the pride in the company mm-hmm. Then that's transcended through the rest of the people. Right.

Um, you know, being able to lay my head down at night and not have to think about, you know, the 30 projects we going on have going on, because I know. Doing good work. Yeah. And everybody's happy. Like that's the best thing. So I think just truly interviewing and you know, you pay for what you get, honestly.

Mm-hmm.

Mikki: Guys, you pay, you get what you pay for. Yeah. Okay. The cheaper number you get what you pay for. It's always gonna be more expensive in the long, always gonna be more expensive. A headache. This is a question that we should ask every gc, what is your deposit process?

CHELSEA COMBS: It depends on the project. Okay, so for what we call the pull and replace, right?

Mm-hmm. You have allocations for your projects? We ask for 50% upfront because we order everything. Okay. And then it's progress payments. [00:36:00] Okay. Based on, you know, roughen tile is done, vanity placement, substantial completion, have

Mikki: you had anybody push back on a 50% deposit? Yeah, and we just say, what do you do?

You're like, this is our policy. Deal with it. Or find somebody else. Yes, because like, so, so this is a thing with every home in our horror story we have, it's always the deposit. So they, they, they paid X amount of dollars in a deposit. They stayed because of the deposit, even though they probably should have fired this person a long time ago, but they had so much money in the deposit that they were like, I can't walk away from X amount of dollars.

Yeah. So is like, we are all, we wanna help owners to protect themselves. We want to give them, so we're trying to figure out like, what's the magic, what's the secret sauce? What's the solution? Yeah. Like how to, how can we help homeowner feel comfortable? Mm-hmm. Um, and, and advocate for themselves in the deposit process.

Um, so we were saying what if, what if the homeowner put it in escrow so you know that it's there you can pull from it to like buy [00:37:00] materials? Does that immediately make your skin crawl?

CHELSEA COMBS: A little bit just because it's a lot more work. Yes. That's what, it's a a lot more work. That's what, that's Every

Jess: GC that I've run this by has said the same thing.

Like, I don't think you understand. Well, and

CHELSEA COMBS: we have a decent amount of work to where if they're gonna make, also, like we gotta set the precedents like on both sides front, right? Yeah. Like if we're kind of. Changing ourselves for one simple request, then that's gonna snowball as we go through it. Okay. Um, and in the end, if you don't trust us, then we can just give you your money back.

Okay. Right? Yeah. Um, like, and we wanna make that expectation, right? Yeah. Um. Doing your research is gonna help you protect your money. Mm-hmm. For sure. Mm-hmm. Okay. Those Google reviews, right? Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Mikki: And making sure the person is licensed. Yeah. The license. Don't give somebody a 50% deposit if you haven't checked to make sure that they actually hold a license.

Mm-hmm. I mean, for real. Don't do that. Yes. For the other, 'cause you said it's different for the different projects. Yeah. So it's 50% for [00:38:00] that one and for other things. So if we're doing a

CHELSEA COMBS: bigger project, it's a big addition attic, something like that. Is 30% deposit and then like once lumber's down, it's again, progress payments depending on the scope of the job.

Mm-hmm. Right. So it changes a little bit based on each project. Mm-hmm. Um, but it's usually five payments based on the progress, so you don't pay until that phase is done.

Mikki: Okay. Very good. And is that all like laid out? Like are you in the contract? Yes. Okay. So your contract is like, this is how much, and then this at this point, the other.

Okay, so, 'cause we also talk about that a lot is like your contract, reading your contract, knowing what's in your contract, and then advocating for certain things to be in your contract. So like how the payments are expected needs to be mm-hmm. In writing and in your contract.

CHELSEA COMBS: Yes. I think that's another big thing of like having an actual contract.

Yes. So like, and making sure you're receiving that. Yeah. Um, because that. If it feels a little loosey goosey. Yeah, and that's how they start the project. Then you're finishing loosey

Jess: [00:39:00] goosey

CHELSEA COMBS: I think a, a big piece of it is also having, I mean, they're, yes, that's a big amount, but if a contractor's not asking for that, then they're playing bank for you. Not only are they playing bank for you, they're playing bank for all their other.

Contracts, right? So it's then think about, so then, you know, if something slows down, then they don't have enough money to pay for you and all that. Um, I think it's almost a flag if they don't ask for enough money. Like, you know how much your allocations are, you know how much the things cost on the front end.

Okay. If they're. You know, they're in the hole on the front end. Yeah. Then like, what are they doing for all the other contracts? Right? Yeah. So, um, you know, it's an inve investment for that. And also all the sweat equity of design and feasibility. Um, you know, making sure our designer has, you know, all the renders communicating correctly, like our team meetings, all that, all that costs money.

People get

Mikki: wild when they find out that you won't give them a free estimate, and I'm like, do you have any idea how much of my time goes into [00:40:00] an estimate? A lot. It's a, it a crazy because, so for, for what I do specifically, it will take me three or four days to do an estimate for a multifamily drywall situation.

Mm-hmm. I don't get paid for that. I'm, I'm competing against other drywallers, so I'm putting this time in and, and listen, you get like one out of every 10 jobs you bid. That's a crap ton of time and money that you're spending doing, estimating. So if somebody comes around that is not somebody that I wanna work with, or it's, I'm like, yeah, that costs money.

Like if you like me to bid it, here's how much it costs. And people are, they're like, absolutely not. And I'm like, why don't you feel like you need to pay for my time, for the time? Like, in what world do I work for free? And that's the thing that I don't think, don't think people understand. Free estimates are, are all fun and well until you really start calculating how much money mm-hmm.

Those free estimates are costing you. So it's like. When somebody says, I charge for estimates, it doesn't, you're like, okay, somebody values their time. Their time. Yeah. You're like, get it. Mm-hmm. So, as it should be, this is your time, and [00:41:00] time is not free. Yeah. Now, I, I also love that when people are like, Hey, this is how, like, we charge for estimates, but if you go with us, we'll, we'll put that we'll money towards your, towards your renovation or whatever it is.

Mm-hmm. That I think is very fair and reasonable. Mm-hmm. But it's like, if I'm gonna take your time to give me an estimate. I shouldn't expect that for free. And if I end up not using you, I understand that that's money outta my pocket. 'cause your time isn't free is what? So really, I think to, to the homeowners out there like understand that like, just as you wanna get paid for the hours that you work, so do we.

And, and there really isn't this crazy high markup that we're just rolling in the dough, you know, like, I mean we don't, we ain't starving, but we. Need to be paid for our time and to understand the importance of that just as you wanna get paid for yours, it that doesn't change no matter what industry you're in.

CHELSEA COMBS: Well, yeah, and I think in that respect, you want somebody that takes this specific time to figure, be very out everything to where like we're, yes, we have a design phase, but that's so we can [00:42:00] pick out every individual thing. Yeah. So you know exactly what you're getting on the backend, right? Yeah. You're not getting pot committed about this low price to begin with, and then.

Your house is demoed and we're asking for 50 K more, right? Yeah, yeah. Like that. You have that fixed price and everybody agrees on it. So investing that time on the front end both ways, right? Yeah. Um, is supportive of the backend and everybody, you know, being. Cover

Mikki: your front and your back guys. That's what we want for you.

So with that said, we gotta wrap up 'cause we over time. But thank you guys for watching. Thank you guys so much for coming on. Yes, thank you. I'm so glad to have you. We, we always love having GCs on because they keep us in check and they help keep you guys in check. They help you understand how the world works in, in the world of construction.

Um. If you guys have any sad stories about your home or home or horror stories, we want them, we wanna collect them, and we wanna share them with the world because it's better for you to learn from other people's mistakes than learn them yourself. So if you've had the bad [00:43:00] experience. Go onto the website chicks construction.do get dot dom chickson construction.com.

Sorry about that guys. My brain's working faster than my mouth. Uh, scroll down. There's a little form. You feel it, it, I'm, I really wanna do this. The clickety, clackity, clickity, clackity. Get your, get your story in there. We appreciate you guys. And then Jess is gonna tell you where you can find us. Yes. So make sure you like and subscribe.

Yes, please. Like and subscribe. It's free. It's free. Um, I'm Facebook, LinkedIn, and. Instagram, you can find us at Chickson Construction Podcast and on TikTok at Chickson Construction. We got the talk. Now guys, watch us. We got the talk, watch out. We're trying to be famous. And then we will link all of your contact information in the show notes down below so that you guys, if you're looking for a little Reno moment.

We got you covered. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You can reach out and then we'll also link that form. The Yes, the question, the frequently asked, asked questions, the FAQs, if you will. Mm-hmm. I said it right this time. So yeah. Thank you so much for coming on. Thank you. We appreciate [00:44:00] you and we'll see you guys next time.

Bye bye.