EP #254: Design to Doorstep: How Mae Reedy's All-Female Team is Transforming Home Construction

What makes Mae Reedy with Mae Reedy Design + Build a good neighbor?

Meet your good neighbor Mae Reedy, founder of a construction company that's breaking the mold in an industry traditionally dominated by men. Mae leads an all-women team that combines design expertise with construction knowledge to deliver transformative home renovations from concept to completion.

Growing up as a builder's daughter, Mae initially pursued different paths through business, design, and art before an interior design apprenticeship reconnected her with her construction roots. What began as helping a friend evolved into a thriving business when May was handed a full client roster and decided to lean into complex projects requiring detailed specifications. Her unique approach resonated with clients, generating powerful word-of-mouth referrals that fueled organic growth.

Mae doesn't shy away from addressing industry challenges, particularly the lack of contractor licensing requirements in Texas. She advocates for homeowner education, encouraging potential clients to thoroughly vet contractors by examining their voluntary training, business practices, and testimonials. This transparency has helped her build trust with clients, especially women who've had negative experiences with contractors in the past.

The podcast takes a personal turn when Mae shares how a second-trimester pregnancy loss became a catalyst for professional transformation. Through grief, she found renewed purpose and determination to maximize every day—a philosophy that infuses her business approach. Mae's team combines technical excellence with deep empathy, recognizing that living through construction can be overwhelming. They prioritize client comfort throughout the process while still delivering stunning transformations, creating what Mae describes as magical reveal moments that show homeowners what their spaces can truly become.

Want to experience the Mae Reedy difference? Follow @maereadydesign on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes videos of their process, or visit maereadydesign.com to view their portfolio and connect with the team. Discover how this women-led construction company is redefining the renovation experience through design excellence, technical expertise, and genuine compassion.

To learn more about Mae Reedy Design + Build go to: 

https://maereedydesign.com/

Mae Reedy Design + Build

469-562-4100

Episode Transcript

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

Speaker 3 (00:10):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of aconstruction and design company?
Well, one may be closer thanyou think.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing you to your good
neighbor, may Reedy.
With Mae Reedy, design andBuild.
Mae, how's it going today?
Awesome, we're having a greatweek.
Fantastic, I'm so glad to hearthat.

(00:33):
So, mae, we're excited to learnall about you and your business
.
Can you tell us a bit aboutyour company?

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Yeah, so we are a little out of the norm for
construction, but that's whatwe're so excited about.
So we are a women-owned,women-led, women-operated
construction company that isdesign-driven.
So I started my career indesign and then decided I wanted
to take it into the build spaceso we could execute on

(01:02):
everything.
So we take it from concept allthe way to completion with my
fabulous team of ladies.

Speaker 3 (01:09):
Amazing, and so May.
How did you originally get intothis business?

Speaker 2 (01:16):
So I guess I should have known from a young age that
this is exactly where I wouldend up.
I actually grew up aroundconstruction.
My dad is a builder and it'sfunny because I would just help
him out in the summers withpainting and doing roof repairs
and different odds and ends, youknow, just like pay.
My way through college and Ithought I wanted to do something

(01:39):
entirely different.
I went and got a degree inbusiness and design, so my
background focused then on artand it came back into my life
when my girls were really little.
I was running an Etsy shopwhere I was working with
tapestries and handmade jewelryjust you know, being all artsy,

(02:00):
cute little things.
And one of my good friends is aninterior designer and she was
looking for some additional helpand I thought, you know, this
is a great way to get out of thehouse.
You know, when your littles arethat small sometimes you're
just itching to get out.
So I started apprenticing withher and with my build background
that I was already, like wellaware of how things should be

(02:22):
coming together in a home.
The interior design just camereally naturally to me and I
realized that it was just thepretty side of construction and
it just lined up really well.
I had so much fun apprenticing.
A couple years into this Istarted working more and more
until I was just a full timeinterior designer with her.

(02:44):
I got mycertificationsifications and her
husband had the opportunity torelocate for work and she was
like, may, you're ready?
And she basically handed me theRolodex and she said, take over
.
So I was handed, you know, awhole roster of clients and
projects to run with.
So that's when my company waslike officially under my name.

(03:05):
I was the solopreneur now andin charge.
So I made sure to beef up mybusiness knowledge, my design
training and skills and reallyfocused on that and absolutely
loved it.
I found that I really reallyliked to be so much in the mix
of everything going on on theseconstruction projects because I

(03:26):
knew what it was supposed tolook like from how my dad runs
his build business.
So I found very quickly that Iwanted the big, complicated
plumbing and electricalspecified projects and haven't
looked back.
It's been so much fun andslowly, you know, bringing on
more and more people with mebecause we've had the great

(03:49):
honor that my clients that I'veworked with have really loved
working with me.
And so our word of mouth hasbeen awesome, so we've just been
running to keep up with demandand so grateful.

Speaker 3 (04:00):
That's amazing, and so, Mae.
What is the most common myth ormisconception in your industry?

Speaker 2 (04:09):
I feel like the biggest misconception can be
true if you don't search for theright team, and that is that
you can't trust a contractor.
There are a lot of them outthere that you can't trust
contractor.
There are a lot of them outthere that you can't trust.
I think, especially forhomeowners to be aware that in
the state of Texas, you are notrequired to sit for a state

(04:29):
licensing exam.
The standard is actually prettydarn low in Texas, and so I
think if homeowners are educatedenough to know that a really
good contractor should prove toyou what training they have
chosen to put themselves through.
What is their businessbackground?
How do you run your books?
What are other clients sayingabout this?

(04:51):
Because there isn't an exam toshow that you know what you need
to know.
So I think asking a lot ofquestions is going to help
someone get away from anuntrustworthy contractor.
When you can look for a companythat is running itself properly
, that they've gone out of theirway to be educated in what code

(05:11):
is and what the proper processis, and focus on someone that
has really achieved excellencewith other clients, then you can
trust that contractor.
We find that a lot of ourclients are wonderful females
who have not had goodexperiences with contractors in

(05:32):
the past because they've gottenripped off.
They collected a deposit andthen disappeared, didn't do good
work, a number of things and sofor a team of women to come in
and sit down with you in yourhome to decide, like, what is
your project going to be, and totalk about what it should look
like and what it can look like,is really a breath of fresh air.

(05:54):
We want to earn people's trustbecause we're not a fly-by-night
company.
There are a lot of them outthere, but if you do your
homework, then you really reallycan trust a good contractor,
and I think it comes down toprocess.

Speaker 3 (06:09):
Let's go ahead and switch gears for a second.
Can you describe a hardship orlife challenge you overcame and
how it made you a better andstronger woman today?
What comes to mind for you?

Speaker 2 (06:22):
That's a really good question.
I think one of the hardestthings that I've gone through
have been kind of right in themiddle of my business getting
larger.
We were blessed with a surprisepregnancy and I got myself like
really excited for that andreally amped up for that.

(06:44):
I got myself really excited forthat and really amped up for
that.
I thought I can figure this out, I can do it.
I already had two older girls.
I'm like they're going to begreat helpers.
I'll figure it out.
We actually lost that pregnancyin the second trimester.
It was really hard.

(07:04):
I think people don't talk enoughabout pregnancy loss and how it
really transforms you.
It's it's such a deep grief andit was a struggle for quite a
bit of like what am I doing withmy life?
And to experience like that bigof a loss and then like a shift
in our family really quick oflike, oh, here's what we're

(07:25):
doing, and then oh wait, that'snot what we're doing.
It really made me step back andassess am I where I want to be
at in my life right now?
And I decided that I was notpushing myself as hard as I
could.
I was kind of coasting and andI wanted to be more in control
of my future.

(07:47):
Um, you know not to be cheesy,but I was like YOLO, you know,
if I'm only here once, I want torun.
And so I came out of that lossand processing that grief with a
desire to just like ampeverything up.
I felt like it made me realizethat I wasn't getting the most
out of every single day.

(08:07):
And when you're going throughthat process of dealing with
grief and kind of try to comeout the other side a better
version of yourself, I justwanted to hit the ground a lot
harder every single day.
No excuses, I'm in control of,like, how awesome each day can
be, even when bad things happen.

Speaker 3 (08:31):
Well, I certainly understand all of that and I am
so sorry for your loss, but I'mglad to see that you made it
through.
I think losing a baby can bevery, very difficult.

Speaker 2 (08:49):
Yeah, it's a crazy time.

Speaker 3 (08:53):
So, Mae, please tell our listeners one thing they
should remember about May ReedyDesign and Build.

Speaker 2 (09:02):
I think our hallmark and the thing to remember is
that, in the same way that a momcan like shuffle so many things
on a daily basis, everyone onour team is so addicted to that
before and after just beautifultransformation that will happen

(09:23):
in the home, but also mindful ofwhat that experience is on the
daily basis for the homeownerthat is making all the decisions
living with construction intheir home.
It's just such a high empathyapproach to such a big project
in someone's life.
I would hope that ifconstruction feels scary, that I

(09:46):
agree with you and we're hereto take the fear down 20, 30
notches, because we're here toserve you.
We're not going to be everputting you in a position where
you feel uncomfortable oroverwhelmed.
We try to break it all down.
So if anyone could justremember that like we're real

(10:08):
people too and we respect thevery real people that are going
through construction.
We think your home is a reallysacred space and we honor the
difficult process that it is tojust make it easier to get the
beautiful outcome.

Speaker 3 (10:24):
Well, may I agree with you, and I think anytime
you're building something new,it can be scary in the process,
but usually we end up happierthan we think we would be right.

Speaker 2 (10:35):
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
My favorite is when someonegets their like project reveal
at the end to finally see astyled space, especially when
it's been like a flood client orsomeone who's had like a fire
or you know some type ofdisaster in the home to bring
them back in at the end and say,like did you ever think it

(10:56):
could be this beautiful?
And it's just such a wonderfulmoment to show them what their
home can really be for them.

Speaker 3 (11:06):
And where can our listeners go to learn more about
May Reedy Design and Build?

Speaker 2 (11:11):
So our favorite, where we're always hopping, is
on Instagram.
You can see a lot of greatvideos of our week, what it
looks like for us, you know, asdesigners and as a general
contractor.
So on Instagram we'remayreadydesign.
You can also check out ourportfolio and you can select the
button on the top of the pageto work with us.

(11:32):
To fill out an interest form atmayreadydesigncom.

Speaker 3 (11:38):
Well, may I really appreciate you being on the show
.
We wish you and your businessthe best moving forward.

Speaker 2 (11:45):
Thank you so much.
It's been great to be here.
I appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (11:50):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnpfriscocom.
That's gnpfriscocom, or call469-221-9345.