E60: The Contractors Who Love the Jobs Others Won't Touch

What happens when you combine Alaska-tough craftsmanship with Colorado-sized heart? You get Hale Home Doctor, the comprehensive home service professionals bringing genuine problem-solving expertise to Northern Colorado homeowners.

David and Heidi Hale's journey from the rugged Alaskan construction landscape to becoming trusted local contractors offers a masterclass in perseverance and adaptation. Having started their business in 2006, they strategically relocated to Colorado seeking both greater opportunity and a chance to fill a critical gap in the market: reliable, high-quality remodeling and repair services. Their two-year process to secure proper licensing wasn't just bureaucratic hurdle-jumping—it was laying the foundation for a truly full-spectrum service where they could confidently handle everything from simple door installations to complete basement transformations.

What truly distinguishes the Hales is their appetite for challenges other contractors avoid. David lights up when describing projects involving century-old homes with concrete issues or basements with complex flooding problems. This problem-solving spirit stems from deep personal experience overcoming obstacles, including David's journey to educational achievement despite limited formal schooling, and the couple's successful navigation of a two-year legal battle to secure access to their own property.

Behind the professional credentials (including specialized lead paint certification for historic homes) beats the heart of a family-centered business. When not transforming clients' homes, the Hales tend to their 75-acre homestead with their four children, raising their own milk, meat, and eggs—a self-sufficiency that mirrors their professional approach. Their commitment to clear invoicing, punctuality, and treating customers "just like we'd want to be served" isn't just good business—it's their family values applied to every project they undertake.

Ready to experience what makes Hale Home Doctor different? Connect with David and Heidi at 970-232-8488 or visit www.halehomedoctor.com to bring their unique blend of craftsmanship and integrity to your next home project.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Nick George.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a homedoctor who brings family values,
craftsmanship, integrity andpeace of mind to every visit?
A full-spectrum home healthpractitioner that spans handyman
work, home alterations andremodeling, bathroom remodels,
tile work, home sale repairs andbasement remodels.

(00:32):
One might be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbors,
david and Heidi Hale.
With Hale, home Doctor, david,heidi, how's it going?

Speaker 3 (00:44):
It's going well.
Thank you for having us on.

Speaker 2 (00:46):
Thank you.
How did you get into thebusiness?
Tell us everything about yourorganization.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
Well, I actually started in the business back in
2006.
We were from the wonderfulstate of Alaska and did a
variation of commercial work andbuilding houses from ground up.
We moved here to Colorado for alittle bit of industry and just
having a little bit morecustomer base and we were trying

(01:14):
to refocus our business to tryfor how we were going to serve
it and what we were going to do,and we really felt like there
was a strong need here forquality work in the remodeling
repairs side.
So we took us about two yearsto formulate the business to
where we could pull permits andso we had to get our general

(01:36):
license to be able to pullpermits.
Um, and so that allows us to bea full service business where
we can hire qualitysubcontractors, you know, for
the electrical work, the HVACwork, those type of things.
So it's taken quite a few yearsto put it together and I'll get
all the licensing.
But I feel like we've workedhard to be a good service to the

(02:00):
customer, service to thecustomer and pretty much we're
able to be a one-stop shop andserve people from putting in a
new door and pulling a permit toadd a garage door or whatever
it might be that people need,and then we also do full
basement finish outs and we canmake our own plans and help

(02:20):
people to be able to do that.
And we've really tried to workwith people.
We've done a lot of projects,two at a time, so we'll do half
of their basement one year, comeback and do the other one so we
can really try to work withpeople.
So that's our goal is to be agood service.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
And you've been doing this for a while in much
harsher climates than Colorado,right?
So how did you get into thebusiness in the first place?

Speaker 3 (02:44):
Well, I was working for another contractor and I
felt like that there could beroom for me in it, so my brother
and I started it together.
A smaller business.
My brother and I started ittogether a smaller business.
I come from a larger family, sowe had four other brothers that
wanted to work for us.
We employed all six of us forabout six or seven years.

(03:12):
Yeah, just a lot of trial andlearning.
I didn't have a lot ofeducation growing up, but I had
a lot of experience of workingwith my hands, and so I bring
that more to the industry, Ithink.
So it was kind of a career thatI was trying to find as well.

Speaker 2 (03:26):
So what do you like about the Colorado environment
better than Alaska?

Speaker 3 (03:30):
There's more people in smaller areas so it makes it
a little bit easier to run abusiness and to be focused In
Alaska.
We are quite spread out so wewere driving hours to work.
I can focus on smaller parts ofcommunities like Wellington and
North we service this area alot and then Fort Collins,

(03:51):
especially Northern Fort Collins.
We serve quite a lot and thenwe send out postcards and try to
be attentive to the needs incertain local areas.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
David or Heidi.
What are some myths ormisconceptions in your industry?

Speaker 4 (04:04):
I would say that I think the permitting process is
probably one of the biggest ones.
It's kind of a confusion ofwhat can be permitted or what
what requires a permit, and soI've done my best to study a lot
of the the international codebook and what is required, um,

(04:25):
just in building in general.
David and I work together onthat, but I'm more the kind of
the studious type in it, and soI would say, getting permits
what's required, what's not ispretty.
So a lot of times you have togo to the city itself and kind
of dig in a little what isrequired for your project.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
Who are your target customers?
Like what's your favorite kindof work to do?
I know that you do everything,spanning from handyman work to
full remodels and moving wallsand building decks, but what's
your sweet spot?

Speaker 3 (05:01):
I actually really enjoy tackling projects that
four or five of the contractorssaid they couldn't do, like
putting a door in a 100-year-oldhouse that's got concrete that
needs to be expanded.
I had one a basement thatflooded and it had large holes
that we had to come up withsolutions to fix.

(05:23):
To do those kinds of things.
I really enjoy it.
I'm pretty confident, so Itackle stuff.
Sometimes I come home and havea half a night of no sleep
because I'm worried about thatI'm not going to be able to
actually achieve it, but it's alot of fun and I enjoy the
construction side.
I enjoy solving people'sproblems.

(05:45):
There's a lot of old housesaround here, so we're lead paint
certified so we can get in andget our hands dirty with a lot
of old houses around here, sowe're lead paint certified so we
can get in and get our handsdirty with a lot of different
things.
But that kind of may hopefullyanswer your question have you
ever thought about doing yourown podcast?
I noticed you didn't have anyvideos on your uh, on your
facebook or our website yet, butyou do have a youtube yeah, we

(06:06):
have a blog on there we weresupposed to keep up with and I
am so busy in the field most ofthe time I don't have a whole
lot of time for this.
We honestly should.
It would be.
It'd be fun we were gonna takeand put together a whole thing
of all the problems we find, howwe solve them, and we've never
really put that together, but atsome point I'd like to make

(06:27):
that into it.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
Outside of work.
What do you guys do for fun?

Speaker 4 (06:32):
well, we live out in the country, so our fun is spent
with our four children and welive on 75 acres, so we get to
spend a lot of time in theout-of-doors.
We have a few animals and it'sjust.
We have a great time together.
We like last night.
We have a great time together.
We like last night, we took abike ride down our mile long

(06:53):
driveway.
So it's just, it's a great life.

Speaker 3 (06:56):
I really enjoy it.
I enjoy farming.
We raise all of our own milk,meat and eggs, and so we have an
egg delivery route that we do.
My daughter kind of startedselling eggs, so we do that too,
but that's kind of my hobby.
When I get away from work I canusually hear playing on the
farm, so that's cool.

Speaker 2 (07:12):
I've always been interested in something like
that myself.
Let's switch gears.
Can one of you guys describe ahardship or a life challenge
that you overcame together andhow it made you stronger?
What comes to mind?

Speaker 3 (07:25):
That's a good one.
I can answer that, or you cango ahead.

Speaker 4 (07:32):
I would say probably one of the biggest ones is when
we moved here.
We bought a piece of propertythat didn't we thought had
access road access to it andwithin about a year of
purchasing the property it cameto our attention that we did not
have legal access to ourproperty.
So we went through about atwo-year legal battle with some
neighbors and some differentfolks and it was it was a

(07:54):
challenge to work through.
Um, I'm very thankful to saytoday that we were able to get
access and it was it kind oftested our patience together,
but it's it's all come out goodon this end I would say.

Speaker 3 (08:08):
One of the things for me is I didn't have a lot of
education growing up um, almostzero and so it's been a
challenge in the constructionindustry, but it's caused me to
dig in deeper and to really uh,push through and achieve things.
I actually got my high schooldiploma here a few years ago, um
, but it was quite a lot of workand it still has its challenges

(08:31):
, but ai does help some.
I'm more of a hands-on person.
My dad didn't have much for um.
He didn't really like theschooling side of life.
He liked us working.
So we lived on a farm andthat's how I grew up.
But it's brought a lot ofchallenges, a lot of learning to
overcome.
It.
Take tests, take, do things,and it's.

(08:51):
I've got a lot invested intothe industry because it's been a
lot of work to get to where I'mat.

Speaker 2 (08:56):
So well, AI doesn't help with being well-spoken and
you are well-spoken.
Thank you, David and Heidi.
What's one thing that ourlisteners should absolutely take
away from Hail Home Doctor?
What's one thing they shouldabsolutely remember about Hail
Home Doctor?

Speaker 3 (09:18):
They can really remember that we're honest and
they'll have clear invoicing andthat we do our absolute best to
be on time and to serve youjust like we'd want to be served
.

Speaker 2 (09:32):
How can our listeners learn more about Hail Home
Doctor and a phone number?

Speaker 4 (09:39):
Yeah, you can contact us.
Our phone number is970-232-8488.
And our website ishailhomedoctorcom.

Speaker 2 (09:54):
Well, Heidi and David , I really appreciate you guys
being on our show.
We do wish you and yourbusiness the very best moving
forward.

Speaker 3 (10:02):
Thank you.

Speaker 4 (10:03):
Thank you for sharing this time with us.

Speaker 1 (10:07):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast To nominate yourfavorite local businesses to be
featured on the show for sharingthis time with us.