Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
When you need wisdom and advice. Seek out a guru
when you need wisdom and advice about remodeling and design.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Lock on and listen right now to Nick the construction Guru.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Here is award winning remodeling expert Nick Kerzner.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
We s Talk eleven thirty WSN. Good morning, Wisconsin. It's
Nick the Construction Group. I have a special guest today
and a special event coming up. I have Greg Perkins
from Nary Milwaukee, and he is on the Tour of
Remodeled Homes Committee and he's going to be talking about, Well,
this is cool, Greg, because here's what happens. Everybody looks
at before and after pictures, and I always say that
(00:43):
everybody's got nice after pictures because of a little app
called photo Shop. Right, Yep, you can't photoshop the real
deal here. This is like the Tour of Homes where
people are actually going to be able to walk through
remodeled homes and look at the miters, look at everything right,
tell us about the tour.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Close, look at everything that we've done. And so we've
got a number of companies that have their their special
projects that they've done and then they they are able
to show them off to their future clients. And I
love it because at that time they get to meet you,
they they know us, they know the people that are
(01:21):
going to be working on their home, and they see
the work and it's a to me. It's a privilege
to be able to show a home that I've worked on,
knowing that the client.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Is excited to me.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I know, I know, we've had many conversations. We served
on the ethics committee together. Yeah, you know, this business
there's I think there is that crew of people who
you know.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
I say this a lot.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
I haven't looked at a I haven't looked at a
balance sheet or a P and L in probably a
year at my company. But I've been out and looked
at I looked at a job yesterday. My tile guy.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Did it just kicks ass beautiful?
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, And you know when you do it, when you
come in to a house that's been remodeled, I think,
and I don't know how it works today. I haven't
been on the tour for a while, but I know
that when somebody comes through, many times the homeowners are
there too.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Is that still the case? Absolutely?
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Yeah, the homeowners being there is just a great thing
to watch them smile and get excited about the fact
that people are seeing what they did and what they're
enjoying and the way they're living. That is a real
special time and for us here at GMH Construction, we
do that a lot. We love to make it just
a great time. We'll be playing games and doing stuff
(02:33):
and having a great time while where they're sharing it
with the people that come through the tour.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
I was going to have you give your information out
at break and we can do that again. But not
only are you a volunteer at Narry, but tell us
a little bit about GMH Construction.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Sure.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
I started GMH Construction over thirty years ago. It's now
a family business. My son and daughter work with me
and they take it just as seriously as I have
for my lifetime. And we have a great team of
people that do some great work. We've been remodeling homes
and just turning stuff into some beautiful places to live
(03:13):
and enjoying every minute of it along the way because
we've got some great clients. And that really is the
exciting part, is being able to share that this weekend
with people.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
You know, with all the volatility that's going on in
a new home market, I mean, you know, a lot
of my builder friends are telling me, you know, it's
getting harder to find land, it's getting harder to help
people with mortgages because of interest rates. So I'm seeing
this trend and I'm sure you are too, that more
and more people are taking a home that they've had
(03:46):
for years and thinking, you know, I wish I had
an extra bedroom, I wish the basement was finished, I
wish that we had an addition, I wish we had
a new kitchen. And we're getting a ton of calls
like that. I know you guys are too. Tell us
about a couple of the projects that are going to
be on the Let's talk about yours first. You have
a you have a project on the t Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Our home is in Delafield. We've done a number of
homes in that subdivision and it just nuts and this
particular client, we've worked on their home over the last
eight years a number of different times, and this is
now the first floor remodel and so it's a full kitchen, laundry,
(04:25):
powder room, mudroom. We redid the stair railing. A lot
of people are tired of that old heavy wood look,
and so we did some real nice iron balusters in there,
replaced windows and really it's a it's a great place.
I was built back in the early nineties.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Okay, you know I have some history with Delafield, even
I live out in Oconowak now, and it's the lumber
in there. I'm sure you know the lumber in We
hit that place probably three or four times a week
between my crew and my wife and everybody else. But
I went to Saint John's Military Academy, so on the
weekends when they let the cadets escape, we would go
in downtown. That was that community was always a quaint
(05:08):
little community, but it was nothing compared to what it
is now. You're seeing these older houses and people updating them,
and they're gorgeous. I just drove through there yesterday and
I'm looking at a couple other houses that have been
done right over there by zen Yep, and man, I
can't believe old old Milwaukee bungalows and things like that
that have been modernized. And you guys have been instrumental
in a lot of those projects.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Yeah, there's a there's a number of really cool older
homes there in Delafield, and you know, even along the lake,
there's some really cool stuff that we've been able to
work on. And it's a great little town. It's a
great place to visit. So you know, when people want
to come out and see our project, well they should
plan on spending some time in Delafield before.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
I got a little boutique shops, Yeah, cool places for lunch, yeah, absolutely,
And if.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
You stay in the evening.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
My favorite stake joint in the whole world, and I've
been a lot of places.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Kurts right down the road is great.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
It's right, it's right around the corner from the house
we're working on and or that we're showing this weekend.
But it's a great little town, and that's the important part.
You talk about how expensive it is to build a
new home, to find a new lot in such there's
some great areas in Milwaukee to be able to, you know,
settle your family in and expand your home and make
(06:24):
it what you really are thinking it's going to be.
And it's easy. I'm sure you tell people all the time,
we can do anything you want. As long as we
got the space and we can we can make it happen.
And there's there's so many opportunities to really make some
great improvements on homes.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
So if somebody's thinking about a project Greg and they
want to take a look at maybe a kitchen or
even I always I always told my clients this, even
if you're thinking about a kitchen, the tour is a
great place to go and look even at rec rooms
and things like that bathrooms, because not only because of
the future concerns, but also gives you kind of an
idea of the quality of the contractor that you're getting.
(07:05):
Let's talk about a couple. Well, give us the dates
first of all, because I want to make sure that
we get that out there.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Yeah, it's Saturday the seventeenth and Sunday the eighteenth. It'll
be from ten to four each day. We've got a
number of kitchen first slory models. We've actually, for the
first time this year, we've got some showrooms that are participating,
so they're open so people see some ideas and they
want to stop into our places that's available. We've also
(07:33):
got some whole entire homes that are being displayed, a
couple of new construction homes that are going to be shown,
as well as basements and some outdoor living space. There's
a lot of different options if you're thinking about it.
Between all of those projects, everything's been done, and you'll
(07:53):
be able to get some great ideas as to how
we can bring that into your home.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
And if somebody really wants to do the whole gamut here,
it's probably a two day project for them, right, It's
probably going to be Saturday and Sunday for the people
that are going.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
To absolutely absolutely there. There's a number of different areas.
We've got them. Like I say, our project is in Delafield,
We've got some in New Berlin, in Tosa, We've got
them up in Greenfield, in Greendale, Elmgrove, Milwaukee, we've got
them in North Prairie even So, Yeah, there's a Yeah,
(08:29):
there's a number of places to go. You can just
go to neary Milwaukee, dot org, slash tour, get your tickets,
get the map, start it all out, do that before
you hit the road on Saturday or Sunday, and you'll
be able to see a lot of great projects.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
So that you're going to have the Renovate book with
the maps and it's going to talk a little bit
about the projects, what went into them, a little little
history on them. Then you get to the project and
you're going to be able to talk to probably a
rep reresentative of the company and maybe maybe an owner.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
Right, there's going to be some owners.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
There, absolutely, So homeowners will be there in a number
of the projects. For for our project, we're going to
have our our design team on site. We're going to
have my son and daughter, myself will be on site,
so'll be able.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
To even with I know, sometimes these things, especially during
certain hours, get pretty crowded. Yeah, so you're going to
have enough people there to staff it, and I would
assume that everybody else is too. So people have questions.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Absolutely, and we even have snacks and drinks available at
our place. You can come and have a have a
good time with us and see what's going on there
and how to live in a in a really beautifully
renovated home.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
You know.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
I think that this lends a little bit more than
the shows, Like you go to a home improvement show
and you get to talk to the owners and that,
but now you're standing in their creations, which is cool
because you're going to be able to ask specific questions
of people. I know, I had a theater on the
tour and people were asking me, you know, how did
you do everything? From how did you do the sound
system to what kind of wood is this? And it's
(10:07):
really cool to be able to walk around and look
at It's almost like being curated at a museum, if
you will, right, absolutely everything.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Yeah, there's there's so many times when you're walking through
a show and it's great to meet the people because
that's kind of like a dating game thing when you
meet people at the show. But this is now really
getting into the opportunity to meet the individuals that do
the work, the people that you're going to be, you know,
kind of married to for several months or years as
(10:36):
the warranty period goes on, and you just see the
kind of workmanship that they do and and what type
of personalities you're going to be dealing with for a
long period of time.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Yeah, I know how important it is to develop that
that that personal relationship with your remodeler, because I always say,
your remodel is going to have access to your children,
your files, your computers, and your wife's lone of rag
or so you better customer, right, Yeah, you have to
trust them. Okay, so we're going to take a short break,
but check it out at Narymilwaukee dot com. The Tour
(11:08):
of Remodeled Homes is taking play Saturday May seventeenth and
Sunday May eighteenth from ten am to four pm. We're
going to talk a little bit about how to maneuver
that at after the break, and we're going to tell
you about some of the projects are going to be
on there on News Talk eleven thirty WISN thirty WSN
(11:29):
Returning from Break, Nick the Construction Grow listen new developments
in the last few weeks. We now have a podcast
on the iHeart app. You can take a look at
shows from the past. You can even look at this show.
If you miss some of the information, it will be
on the iHeart app under Nick the Construction Grow Take
a look at that if you're just tuning in. I
have a returning guest, good friend of mine pere in
(11:49):
the industry, Greg Perkins from GMH Construction, who in his
other life is a volunteer at Narry Milwaukee and works
on the tour of remodeled homes. I think most of
you know about the tour of remodeled homes. At break
Greg and I were talking a little bit. Greg John
and I were talking a little bit about he said,
(12:09):
the pary to homes and so if you remember that
old BF good Rich commercial they said, if you see
the blimp in the sky, remember where the other guys.
So we're just remember we're the other guys. A tour
of remodeled homes, which is there is some new construction
on there this year though. Yeah, there's a couple of
new homes. Yeah, I was really surprised when those came through.
But it's again, it's an opportunity for people to see
(12:33):
the workmanship and what goes into and the pride that
goes into the work and the pride that the homeowner
has in their projects too. And good Kate good good
case in point here is is Greg you bring that up.
It takes a lot for a homeowner who's just gone
through the remodeling process. Man, which is, I don't care
(12:55):
how tough you are, it's it's it's a battleground going
through a remodeling project. Sh a kitchen, it's what I
call it, in your face project. These homeowners have weathered
that storm going through that had all these people in
their house, the dust, everything else. Let's let's not sugarcoat it, right.
Everybody's kind of the same with that, and now they're
willing to say, Okay, Greg, you can have people march
(13:16):
through my house and take a look at your work.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
They got to love you to do that. That is
that is such a great feeling to know that. You know,
you tell them, hey, the first thing you're gonna lose
is your kitchen sink, and the last thing you get
back is your kitchen sink, and everything in between is
going to be what's going on, and they never know.
From day to day. You try to inform them, but
it's an experience they've never had. And then after they're
(13:40):
done with it, they're like, heck, yeah, let's let's show
people this because we had a great time with this
and we love it.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
You know.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
I always I always compare it to a cruise, like
when the demo crew comes in and they're starting to
get ready, they're putting the lay around your neck when
you're getting on the ship and and you know, and
now you're thinking about you're looking at the brochures and
all that, and you're thinking this is going to be
really cool. But inevitably, I always tell people, as you
go through the cruise, somewhere along the line, you're going
to get seasick because the water is going to get
(14:08):
rough and sometimes you're going to be puking over the
side of the ship, let's just face it. And that
happens in remodeling projects right around drywall.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Yeah, and it does. It does. And what's really really
awesome is in the end, you know when when your
your homeowner tells you, I'm really going to miss you. Guys,
your your people are just great people. They're not just
good at their job. They're good people. And it's really
important to realize that, you know, nary professionals. They they've
(14:38):
spent the time, they've been vetted there. They're good people,
not just good at their job. And you should be
able to trust everybody that comes in the door. And
that's that's something I know you you and I talk
about and are are concerned about all the time.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
It's why we worked on the ethics.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Absolutely absolutely stay stay true to to what's right and
do the right thing, and your clients are going to
love you and call you back. The client that we
were working with this time, I mean, I can't can't
even tell you. It's probably four or five different projects
we've done for them over the years that all of
(15:17):
a sudden I get a call from them and it's like,
it's not a warranty thing. It's not a oh, this
is falling apart. It's like, hey, we've got something else
we'd like to do. When can we get together And
to be able to then show that that's awesome even.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
If it is something falling apart and you're back there
to fix it, I can't. I always laugh at the
guys that don't go do their service because I will
tell you that I'm going to guess sixty percent of
the time I go fix a latch on a window.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Or I get a door to close correctly, or.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
A just a patio door, and they'll say, you know, Nick,
while you're here, can you give us a price on
that basement remodel now right? I mean, and these types
of things, And like the tour, The tour is case
in point. When you can actually interact with the people
that are going to be doing the work, I think
that's so key. And then you can talk to somebody
who has interacted with these people and gone through this
(16:06):
whole project, which is a difficult one. I'm not I
always say that it's not easy to remodel.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
No, it's it's not easy when you when you build
a new home. It's just like you go visit it
maybe nights and weekends, and you really don't get to
meet the people that are working on your home. You
don't really know what's happening during the day. They're just
stuff seems to happen. You're living in it in a.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Remodel, right on the battlefield with us.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Yeah, and it's a whole new way of doing things,
making sure that the family can be comfortable in the
home as much as possible while you're making noise and
dust and kind of a man.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
They're trying to make decisions and they're writing checks. And
it's a tough goal of it because people aren't prepared
for it. But when they go through it and you
can talk to somebody, you can get both perspectives at
the tour because you're going to talk to the contractor,
who I always make it sound worse than it is.
I know a lot of contractors want to sugarcoat it.
I make it worse so I can be a hero
(17:05):
rather than a chump. Right, But a lot of them
are saying, Oh, it's not going to be that big.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
It is a big deal.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
It's a big invasion in your home space and it's expensive,
and so foremost, first and foremost, you've got to trust
the people that are in your house and trust that
the people that are bidding your job are treating you fairly,
that you're getting a value for your dollar. And this
is where you can not only talk to a contractor
who's interested in obviously selling a project, but you can
talk to a homeowner who's just gone through that whole
(17:31):
fresh project that it's fresh in their heads, they know
what's happened.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
Greg.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Let's talk about some of the companies and some of
the projects that are on there real quick, so people
know if they're looking for a particular project that it's available.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Yeah, we've got change A Construction. They're going to be
in Greendale, Lifetime Renovations in New Berlin. Callen has got
a project in Sussex Refined Renovations and Wawatosa AB and K.
Their showroom is going to be open MK Design Build Okay,
(18:02):
and then MK MK E Design Build they're going to
be open Blifford Lumber and Design. They'll be open Kellman
Homes Greendale remodeled by J and J Contractors. So they
got two projects in the in the tour this year.
A Layer has got a home in elm Grove Dimension
(18:23):
Design they'll be out there, and then m k E's
got another they're one of the new home builds. And
then in North Prairie D S H Design has got
new constructions.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
So what types of projects do we have? What do
you got kitchens?
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Yeah, there's there's a number of kitchens. There's three whole
home remodels. Then there's two new construction projects. There's basement projects,
outdoor living. There's some exterior remodel in Milwaukee, and a
bungalow by Home Guard exteriors. So there's there's a lot
(19:00):
of different variety to look at and.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
See, not only not only companies and projects, but different architecture.
So you've got older houses, you got newer houses.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
A wide gamut of stuff to look at in something
that's going to fit what you're living in today.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
So May sixteenth and seventeenth, ten am to what time
is it over?
Speaker 1 (19:21):
It's ten to four, actually the seventeenth and eighteenth.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Okay, ten to four, the seventeenth and eighteenth. Now, when
you contact Milwaukee through their website, you're going to get
a renovate. I assume when you go to the first
project they're going to give you a renovate.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Yeah, all of the sites have all the information to
be able to see where everything is. You'll be able
to get a book on all the different memors.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
I'm calling it renovate I should be more clear. You
get a book and there's a map in there, and
then each of the projects are numbered correct, so you
can route it however you want. Now you don't have
to go to all the projects. I would suggest you
go to as many as you can, because even if
it's not a related project, like if you're thinking of
a kitchen and you go to see a rec room,
you're going to see the quality of the person's ability
(20:04):
and what they.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
Do absolutely and be able to talk to them one
on one and and uh, you know, be able to
talk to the homeowners, you know, and get a feel
for how they felt. But if the homeowners are letting
you come into their home, you know that they're happy
with as what was done.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
That's I I always found that amazing that because you've
just gone through the remodel battle, right and now you're
going to let people come into your house. That's that's
a big testimony to the people that have these projects
on on there. And and you know we should think
the homeowners too, because we know what it is. We
know that Ma's going to run around and get that
house spotless. You've got to prep the areas so that
(20:43):
all those new areas you're going to have protection down
so you're not screwing up any flooring.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Absolutely, and there's there's so many things that they're so
proud of, and they're you know, the clients are asking, hey,
you know, how is this going to go? And how
is that going to go? Everybody's concerned. You know how
many people player coming through here, and how are you
going to manage that? And you know, I just look
at it and say, well, it's just another day in remodeling.
It's the it's managing the chaos that that takes place
(21:10):
so that it's not.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
So bad they have to put just let's think talk
about your project, okay, think about the trust now that
they have to put in you. They're going to let
people they don't know walk through their house, which in
today's today's day and age, I mean, in and of itself,
is a huge deal, okay. And they're trusting that you're
going to keep this under control. And and I think
that that says something about your company as people.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
I've had some some clients in past years they've just
left town for the whole weekend, say hey, we're going
to go and do something, and they just here's here's
the keys. I have a great weekend parties and yeah,
he's not available this year. No, and and so those
(21:56):
things are are just really they they they strike me
as as a whole or a as a company owner
to a new degree. I agree, because they're they're putting
that kind of trust in us.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Now another thing we should mention, and I think most
of the listeners know this that listen to my show.
They know about the National Association of the Remodeling Industry
or NARRY. It is an association of professionals in that
we are all vetted. And so if a NARY professional
walks into your home, they have been vetted by the organization.
(22:33):
And what that includes is how long you've been in business.
You have to meet certain criteria there, you have to
have the proper insurance. They're going to probably check your record,
They're going to check your done in Bradstreet, make sure
that you're functioning financially correct, and they also put another
layer of protection on the homeowners and the contractors from
the perspective that if there is a problem, we do
(22:55):
have a committee that takes care of mediation and arbitration.
So if you get into an argument with the contractor,
and many times you and I have found this out,
it's just communication.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Absolutely, it's always communication.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
And a third party comes in and mediates that. You're
not spending four or five hundred dollars an hour on
a Philadelphia lawyer to sue the person that's working in
your house. You're going to have somebody there that taught
And I think that's so important because that's a layer
protection that many homeowners don't know that the National Association
of the Remodeling Industry provides.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
Yeah, and it's not this is not you know, my
buddy Nick covering my back as far as that it's
it's a separate group of people that do that mediation
and arbitration. And it's Nick you you know as well
as I. It's so important to avoid that through communication
(23:47):
and having a good relationship with your client, not just
in the beginning, but all the way through to the end.
And you know, the trust being able to come in
to use their home for a weekend shows that we
have that relationship, but you want to maintain that with
all of your clients because I tell my clients all
the time, I love my nights and my weekends. I
(24:12):
love my job, but I really love my nights and weekends.
So in order to be able to enjoy those, I've
got to do it right. Yes, during business hours and grat.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Up against the clock.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
So I'm cutting you off on your stories, but I'll
tell you what we can do another show where we
just talk about what you do on the weekends, because
I want to.
Speaker 3 (24:27):
Know about that.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Just give out quickly the dates again on the Narry
Tour Remodel Homes.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Yeah, the dates are May seventeenth and eighteenth. That's this
coming Saturday and Sunday from ten am to four pm.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
Tickets are available at Milwaukeeanary dot org.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
Greg.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
I'm sorry we had to cut it short, but I
really appreciate you coming in and talking about this. If
anybody has any questions, they can certainly call Kursioner Remodeling
or GMH and we'll guide you through this.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
We can help you out get tickets and everything.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Yeah, we can help you out. Okay, Well, thank you
so much for spending Sunday morning with.
Speaker 3 (24:59):
The Gurupreciate it.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Thanks, now, appreciate your work again, right, yes, we do
all right.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
News Talk eleven thirty w i S.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
And we will return again next week
When you need wisdom and advice. Seek out a guru
when you need wisdom and advice about remodeling and design.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Lock on and listen right now to Nick the construction Guru.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Here is award winning remodeling expert Nick Kerzner.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
We s Talk eleven thirty WSN. Good morning, Wisconsin. It's
Nick the Construction Group. I have a special guest today
and a special event coming up. I have Greg Perkins
from Nary Milwaukee, and he is on the Tour of
Remodeled Homes Committee and he's going to be talking about, Well,
this is cool, Greg, because here's what happens. Everybody looks
at before and after pictures, and I always say that
(00:43):
everybody's got nice after pictures because of a little app
called photo Shop. Right, Yep, you can't photoshop the real
deal here. This is like the Tour of Homes where
people are actually going to be able to walk through
remodeled homes and look at the miters, look at everything right,
tell us about the tour.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Close, look at everything that we've done. And so we've
got a number of companies that have their their special
projects that they've done and then they they are able
to show them off to their future clients. And I
love it because at that time they get to meet you,
they they know us, they know the people that are
(01:21):
going to be working on their home, and they see
the work and it's a to me. It's a privilege
to be able to show a home that I've worked on,
knowing that the client.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Is excited to me.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I know, I know, we've had many conversations. We served
on the ethics committee together. Yeah, you know, this business
there's I think there is that crew of people who
you know.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
I say this a lot.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
I haven't looked at a I haven't looked at a
balance sheet or a P and L in probably a
year at my company. But I've been out and looked
at I looked at a job yesterday. My tile guy.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Did it just kicks ass beautiful?
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, And you know when you do it, when you
come in to a house that's been remodeled, I think,
and I don't know how it works today. I haven't
been on the tour for a while, but I know
that when somebody comes through, many times the homeowners are
there too.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Is that still the case? Absolutely?
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Yeah, the homeowners being there is just a great thing
to watch them smile and get excited about the fact
that people are seeing what they did and what they're
enjoying and the way they're living. That is a real
special time and for us here at GMH Construction, we
do that a lot. We love to make it just
a great time. We'll be playing games and doing stuff
(02:33):
and having a great time while where they're sharing it
with the people that come through the tour.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
I was going to have you give your information out
at break and we can do that again. But not
only are you a volunteer at Narry, but tell us
a little bit about GMH Construction.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Sure.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
I started GMH Construction over thirty years ago. It's now
a family business. My son and daughter work with me
and they take it just as seriously as I have
for my lifetime. And we have a great team of
people that do some great work. We've been remodeling homes
and just turning stuff into some beautiful places to live
(03:13):
and enjoying every minute of it along the way because
we've got some great clients. And that really is the
exciting part, is being able to share that this weekend
with people.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
You know, with all the volatility that's going on in
a new home market, I mean, you know, a lot
of my builder friends are telling me, you know, it's
getting harder to find land, it's getting harder to help
people with mortgages because of interest rates. So I'm seeing
this trend and I'm sure you are too, that more
and more people are taking a home that they've had
(03:46):
for years and thinking, you know, I wish I had
an extra bedroom, I wish the basement was finished, I
wish that we had an addition, I wish we had
a new kitchen. And we're getting a ton of calls
like that. I know you guys are too. Tell us
about a couple of the projects that are going to
be on the Let's talk about yours first. You have
a you have a project on the t Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Our home is in Delafield. We've done a number of
homes in that subdivision and it just nuts and this
particular client, we've worked on their home over the last
eight years a number of different times, and this is
now the first floor remodel and so it's a full kitchen, laundry,
(04:25):
powder room, mudroom. We redid the stair railing. A lot
of people are tired of that old heavy wood look,
and so we did some real nice iron balusters in there,
replaced windows and really it's a it's a great place.
I was built back in the early nineties.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Okay, you know I have some history with Delafield, even
I live out in Oconowak now, and it's the lumber
in there. I'm sure you know the lumber in We
hit that place probably three or four times a week
between my crew and my wife and everybody else. But
I went to Saint John's Military Academy, so on the
weekends when they let the cadets escape, we would go
in downtown. That was that community was always a quaint
(05:08):
little community, but it was nothing compared to what it
is now. You're seeing these older houses and people updating them,
and they're gorgeous. I just drove through there yesterday and
I'm looking at a couple other houses that have been
done right over there by zen Yep, and man, I
can't believe old old Milwaukee bungalows and things like that
that have been modernized. And you guys have been instrumental
in a lot of those projects.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Yeah, there's a there's a number of really cool older
homes there in Delafield, and you know, even along the lake,
there's some really cool stuff that we've been able to
work on. And it's a great little town. It's a
great place to visit. So you know, when people want
to come out and see our project, well they should
plan on spending some time in Delafield before.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
I got a little boutique shops, Yeah, cool places for lunch, yeah, absolutely,
And if.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
You stay in the evening.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
My favorite stake joint in the whole world, and I've
been a lot of places.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Kurts right down the road is great.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
It's right, it's right around the corner from the house
we're working on and or that we're showing this weekend.
But it's a great little town, and that's the important part.
You talk about how expensive it is to build a
new home, to find a new lot in such there's
some great areas in Milwaukee to be able to, you know,
settle your family in and expand your home and make
(06:24):
it what you really are thinking it's going to be.
And it's easy. I'm sure you tell people all the time,
we can do anything you want. As long as we
got the space and we can we can make it happen.
And there's there's so many opportunities to really make some
great improvements on homes.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
So if somebody's thinking about a project Greg and they
want to take a look at maybe a kitchen or
even I always I always told my clients this, even
if you're thinking about a kitchen, the tour is a
great place to go and look even at rec rooms
and things like that bathrooms, because not only because of
the future concerns, but also gives you kind of an
idea of the quality of the contractor that you're getting.
(07:05):
Let's talk about a couple. Well, give us the dates
first of all, because I want to make sure that
we get that out there.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Yeah, it's Saturday the seventeenth and Sunday the eighteenth. It'll
be from ten to four each day. We've got a
number of kitchen first slory models. We've actually, for the
first time this year, we've got some showrooms that are participating,
so they're open so people see some ideas and they
want to stop into our places that's available. We've also
(07:33):
got some whole entire homes that are being displayed, a
couple of new construction homes that are going to be shown,
as well as basements and some outdoor living space. There's
a lot of different options if you're thinking about it.
Between all of those projects, everything's been done, and you'll
(07:53):
be able to get some great ideas as to how
we can bring that into your home.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
And if somebody really wants to do the whole gamut here,
it's probably a two day project for them, right, It's
probably going to be Saturday and Sunday for the people
that are going.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
To absolutely absolutely there. There's a number of different areas.
We've got them. Like I say, our project is in Delafield,
We've got some in New Berlin, in Tosa, We've got
them up in Greenfield, in Greendale, Elmgrove, Milwaukee, we've got
them in North Prairie even So, Yeah, there's a Yeah,
(08:29):
there's a number of places to go. You can just
go to neary Milwaukee, dot org, slash tour, get your tickets,
get the map, start it all out, do that before
you hit the road on Saturday or Sunday, and you'll
be able to see a lot of great projects.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
So that you're going to have the Renovate book with
the maps and it's going to talk a little bit
about the projects, what went into them, a little little
history on them. Then you get to the project and
you're going to be able to talk to probably a
rep reresentative of the company and maybe maybe an owner.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
Right, there's going to be some owners.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
There, absolutely, So homeowners will be there in a number
of the projects. For for our project, we're going to
have our our design team on site. We're going to
have my son and daughter, myself will be on site,
so'll be able.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
To even with I know, sometimes these things, especially during
certain hours, get pretty crowded. Yeah, so you're going to
have enough people there to staff it, and I would
assume that everybody else is too. So people have questions.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Absolutely, and we even have snacks and drinks available at
our place. You can come and have a have a
good time with us and see what's going on there
and how to live in a in a really beautifully
renovated home.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
You know.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
I think that this lends a little bit more than
the shows, Like you go to a home improvement show
and you get to talk to the owners and that,
but now you're standing in their creations, which is cool
because you're going to be able to ask specific questions
of people. I know, I had a theater on the
tour and people were asking me, you know, how did
you do everything? From how did you do the sound
system to what kind of wood is this? And it's
(10:07):
really cool to be able to walk around and look
at It's almost like being curated at a museum, if
you will, right, absolutely everything.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Yeah, there's there's so many times when you're walking through
a show and it's great to meet the people because
that's kind of like a dating game thing when you
meet people at the show. But this is now really
getting into the opportunity to meet the individuals that do
the work, the people that you're going to be, you know,
kind of married to for several months or years as
(10:36):
the warranty period goes on, and you just see the
kind of workmanship that they do and and what type
of personalities you're going to be dealing with for a
long period of time.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Yeah, I know how important it is to develop that
that that personal relationship with your remodeler, because I always say,
your remodel is going to have access to your children,
your files, your computers, and your wife's lone of rag
or so you better customer, right, Yeah, you have to
trust them. Okay, so we're going to take a short break,
but check it out at Narymilwaukee dot com. The Tour
(11:08):
of Remodeled Homes is taking play Saturday May seventeenth and
Sunday May eighteenth from ten am to four pm. We're
going to talk a little bit about how to maneuver
that at after the break, and we're going to tell
you about some of the projects are going to be
on there on News Talk eleven thirty WISN thirty WSN
(11:29):
Returning from Break, Nick the Construction Grow listen new developments
in the last few weeks. We now have a podcast
on the iHeart app. You can take a look at
shows from the past. You can even look at this show.
If you miss some of the information, it will be
on the iHeart app under Nick the Construction Grow Take
a look at that if you're just tuning in. I
have a returning guest, good friend of mine pere in
(11:49):
the industry, Greg Perkins from GMH Construction, who in his
other life is a volunteer at Narry Milwaukee and works
on the tour of remodeled homes. I think most of
you know about the tour of remodeled homes. At break
Greg and I were talking a little bit. Greg John
and I were talking a little bit about he said,
(12:09):
the pary to homes and so if you remember that
old BF good Rich commercial they said, if you see
the blimp in the sky, remember where the other guys.
So we're just remember we're the other guys. A tour
of remodeled homes, which is there is some new construction
on there this year though. Yeah, there's a couple of
new homes. Yeah, I was really surprised when those came through.
But it's again, it's an opportunity for people to see
(12:33):
the workmanship and what goes into and the pride that
goes into the work and the pride that the homeowner
has in their projects too. And good Kate good good
case in point here is is Greg you bring that up.
It takes a lot for a homeowner who's just gone
through the remodeling process. Man, which is, I don't care
(12:55):
how tough you are, it's it's it's a battleground going
through a remodeling project. Sh a kitchen, it's what I
call it, in your face project. These homeowners have weathered
that storm going through that had all these people in
their house, the dust, everything else. Let's let's not sugarcoat it, right.
Everybody's kind of the same with that, and now they're
willing to say, Okay, Greg, you can have people march
(13:16):
through my house and take a look at your work.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
They got to love you to do that. That is
that is such a great feeling to know that. You know,
you tell them, hey, the first thing you're gonna lose
is your kitchen sink, and the last thing you get
back is your kitchen sink, and everything in between is
going to be what's going on, and they never know.
From day to day. You try to inform them, but
it's an experience they've never had. And then after they're
(13:40):
done with it, they're like, heck, yeah, let's let's show
people this because we had a great time with this
and we love it.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
You know.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
I always I always compare it to a cruise, like
when the demo crew comes in and they're starting to
get ready, they're putting the lay around your neck when
you're getting on the ship and and you know, and
now you're thinking about you're looking at the brochures and
all that, and you're thinking this is going to be
really cool. But inevitably, I always tell people, as you
go through the cruise, somewhere along the line, you're going
to get seasick because the water is going to get
(14:08):
rough and sometimes you're going to be puking over the
side of the ship, let's just face it. And that
happens in remodeling projects right around drywall.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Yeah, and it does. It does. And what's really really
awesome is in the end, you know when when your
your homeowner tells you, I'm really going to miss you. Guys,
your your people are just great people. They're not just
good at their job. They're good people. And it's really
important to realize that, you know, nary professionals. They they've
(14:38):
spent the time, they've been vetted there. They're good people,
not just good at their job. And you should be
able to trust everybody that comes in the door. And
that's that's something I know you you and I talk
about and are are concerned about all the time.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
It's why we worked on the ethics.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Absolutely absolutely stay stay true to to what's right and
do the right thing, and your clients are going to
love you and call you back. The client that we
were working with this time, I mean, I can't can't
even tell you. It's probably four or five different projects
we've done for them over the years that all of
(15:17):
a sudden I get a call from them and it's like,
it's not a warranty thing. It's not a oh, this
is falling apart. It's like, hey, we've got something else
we'd like to do. When can we get together And
to be able to then show that that's awesome even.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
If it is something falling apart and you're back there
to fix it, I can't. I always laugh at the
guys that don't go do their service because I will
tell you that I'm going to guess sixty percent of
the time I go fix a latch on a window.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Or I get a door to close correctly, or.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
A just a patio door, and they'll say, you know, Nick,
while you're here, can you give us a price on
that basement remodel now right? I mean, and these types
of things, And like the tour, The tour is case
in point. When you can actually interact with the people
that are going to be doing the work, I think
that's so key. And then you can talk to somebody
who has interacted with these people and gone through this
(16:06):
whole project, which is a difficult one. I'm not I
always say that it's not easy to remodel.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
No, it's it's not easy when you when you build
a new home. It's just like you go visit it
maybe nights and weekends, and you really don't get to
meet the people that are working on your home. You
don't really know what's happening during the day. They're just
stuff seems to happen. You're living in it in a.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Remodel, right on the battlefield with us.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Yeah, and it's a whole new way of doing things,
making sure that the family can be comfortable in the
home as much as possible while you're making noise and
dust and kind of a man.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
They're trying to make decisions and they're writing checks. And
it's a tough goal of it because people aren't prepared
for it. But when they go through it and you
can talk to somebody, you can get both perspectives at
the tour because you're going to talk to the contractor,
who I always make it sound worse than it is.
I know a lot of contractors want to sugarcoat it.
I make it worse so I can be a hero
(17:05):
rather than a chump. Right, But a lot of them
are saying, Oh, it's not going to be that big.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
It is a big deal.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
It's a big invasion in your home space and it's expensive,
and so foremost, first and foremost, you've got to trust
the people that are in your house and trust that
the people that are bidding your job are treating you fairly,
that you're getting a value for your dollar. And this
is where you can not only talk to a contractor
who's interested in obviously selling a project, but you can
talk to a homeowner who's just gone through that whole
(17:31):
fresh project that it's fresh in their heads, they know
what's happened.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
Greg.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Let's talk about some of the companies and some of
the projects that are on there real quick, so people
know if they're looking for a particular project that it's available.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Yeah, we've got change A Construction. They're going to be
in Greendale, Lifetime Renovations in New Berlin. Callen has got
a project in Sussex Refined Renovations and Wawatosa AB and K.
Their showroom is going to be open MK Design Build Okay,
(18:02):
and then MK MK E Design Build they're going to
be open Blifford Lumber and Design. They'll be open Kellman
Homes Greendale remodeled by J and J Contractors. So they
got two projects in the in the tour this year.
A Layer has got a home in elm Grove Dimension
(18:23):
Design they'll be out there, and then m k E's
got another they're one of the new home builds. And
then in North Prairie D S H Design has got
new constructions.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
So what types of projects do we have? What do
you got kitchens?
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Yeah, there's there's a number of kitchens. There's three whole
home remodels. Then there's two new construction projects. There's basement projects,
outdoor living. There's some exterior remodel in Milwaukee, and a
bungalow by Home Guard exteriors. So there's there's a lot
(19:00):
of different variety to look at and.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
See, not only not only companies and projects, but different architecture.
So you've got older houses, you got newer houses.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
A wide gamut of stuff to look at in something
that's going to fit what you're living in today.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
So May sixteenth and seventeenth, ten am to what time
is it over?
Speaker 1 (19:21):
It's ten to four, actually the seventeenth and eighteenth.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Okay, ten to four, the seventeenth and eighteenth. Now, when
you contact Milwaukee through their website, you're going to get
a renovate. I assume when you go to the first
project they're going to give you a renovate.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Yeah, all of the sites have all the information to
be able to see where everything is. You'll be able
to get a book on all the different memors.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
I'm calling it renovate I should be more clear. You
get a book and there's a map in there, and
then each of the projects are numbered correct, so you
can route it however you want. Now you don't have
to go to all the projects. I would suggest you
go to as many as you can, because even if
it's not a related project, like if you're thinking of
a kitchen and you go to see a rec room,
you're going to see the quality of the person's ability
(20:04):
and what they.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
Do absolutely and be able to talk to them one
on one and and uh, you know, be able to
talk to the homeowners, you know, and get a feel
for how they felt. But if the homeowners are letting
you come into their home, you know that they're happy
with as what was done.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
That's I I always found that amazing that because you've
just gone through the remodel battle, right and now you're
going to let people come into your house. That's that's
a big testimony to the people that have these projects
on on there. And and you know we should think
the homeowners too, because we know what it is. We
know that Ma's going to run around and get that
house spotless. You've got to prep the areas so that
(20:43):
all those new areas you're going to have protection down
so you're not screwing up any flooring.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Absolutely, and there's there's so many things that they're so
proud of, and they're you know, the clients are asking, hey,
you know, how is this going to go? And how
is that going to go? Everybody's concerned. You know how
many people player coming through here, and how are you
going to manage that? And you know, I just look
at it and say, well, it's just another day in remodeling.
It's the it's managing the chaos that that takes place
(21:10):
so that it's not.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
So bad they have to put just let's think talk
about your project, okay, think about the trust now that
they have to put in you. They're going to let
people they don't know walk through their house, which in
today's today's day and age, I mean, in and of itself,
is a huge deal, okay. And they're trusting that you're
going to keep this under control. And and I think
that that says something about your company as people.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
I've had some some clients in past years they've just
left town for the whole weekend, say hey, we're going
to go and do something, and they just here's here's
the keys. I have a great weekend parties and yeah,
he's not available this year. No, and and so those
(21:56):
things are are just really they they they strike me
as as a whole or a as a company owner
to a new degree. I agree, because they're they're putting
that kind of trust in us.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Now another thing we should mention, and I think most
of the listeners know this that listen to my show.
They know about the National Association of the Remodeling Industry
or NARRY. It is an association of professionals in that
we are all vetted. And so if a NARY professional
walks into your home, they have been vetted by the organization.
(22:33):
And what that includes is how long you've been in business.
You have to meet certain criteria there, you have to
have the proper insurance. They're going to probably check your record,
They're going to check your done in Bradstreet, make sure
that you're functioning financially correct, and they also put another
layer of protection on the homeowners and the contractors from
the perspective that if there is a problem, we do
(22:55):
have a committee that takes care of mediation and arbitration.
So if you get into an argument with the contractor,
and many times you and I have found this out,
it's just communication.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Absolutely, it's always communication.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
And a third party comes in and mediates that. You're
not spending four or five hundred dollars an hour on
a Philadelphia lawyer to sue the person that's working in
your house. You're going to have somebody there that taught
And I think that's so important because that's a layer
protection that many homeowners don't know that the National Association
of the Remodeling Industry provides.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
Yeah, and it's not this is not you know, my
buddy Nick covering my back as far as that it's
it's a separate group of people that do that mediation
and arbitration. And it's Nick you you know as well
as I. It's so important to avoid that through communication
(23:47):
and having a good relationship with your client, not just
in the beginning, but all the way through to the end.
And you know, the trust being able to come in
to use their home for a weekend shows that we
have that relationship, but you want to maintain that with
all of your clients because I tell my clients all
the time, I love my nights and my weekends. I
(24:12):
love my job, but I really love my nights and weekends.
So in order to be able to enjoy those, I've
got to do it right. Yes, during business hours and grat.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Up against the clock.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
So I'm cutting you off on your stories, but I'll
tell you what we can do another show where we
just talk about what you do on the weekends, because
I want to.
Speaker 3 (24:27):
Know about that.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Just give out quickly the dates again on the Narry
Tour Remodel Homes.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Yeah, the dates are May seventeenth and eighteenth. That's this
coming Saturday and Sunday from ten am to four pm.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
Tickets are available at Milwaukeeanary dot org.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
Greg.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
I'm sorry we had to cut it short, but I
really appreciate you coming in and talking about this. If
anybody has any questions, they can certainly call Kursioner Remodeling
or GMH and we'll guide you through this.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
We can help you out get tickets and everything.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Yeah, we can help you out. Okay, Well, thank you
so much for spending Sunday morning with.
Speaker 3 (24:59):
The Gurupreciate it.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Thanks, now, appreciate your work again, right, yes, we do
all right.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
News Talk eleven thirty w i S.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
And we will return again next week
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