Today we’d like to introduce you to Hector Velasquez.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Hector. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
At the time, I was working for a company called Oklahoma Installations back around 1996/97. We were doing remodels for Foleys, the last job I worked with them was Saks Fifth Avenue club in the Galleria area here in Houston.
But then one of my cousins recommended me to one of their friends who was married to a person who had a bunch of apartment units all around Houston. They wanted me to fix balconies for them and give them a quote for painting and all sorts of repairs. So right there, I realized right then and there that I had an opportunity to start my own thing and stop working for companies. So I pursued my dream to become a contractor.
So I went and talked to this person, and they asked me to do a bid per balcony, and he said “Okay, when can you start?” and I realized that this was the moment that I would begin my own path. I told him I could start the very next day, a Monday. He asked me what I needed to which I told him that I needed materials, I’d make a materials list and I’d need a lump sum of money to buy both the materials and my first set of tools because I had none of my own. So he gave me $2,500 and I gave him a list of the materials we needed for these jobs.
And that’s how the whole thing started, and from that point, at that time, I never went back to work for anyone else.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s actually been a pretty smooth road because I’ve always been very persistent and I tend to visualize things before things actually happen. Whenever I get a new client, I always see ahead to what they need and I place myself in their shoes as a homeowner.
That’s why my recommendations on what to do with their homes is very helpful for them; it makes them feel comfortable. So it’s been a very smooth road, not too many struggles.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Houston Remodeling – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Well, I know a lot of trades; painting, exterior painting, hardi-plank siding, electrical, fences, windows, plumbing, concrete the list goes on. Even welding! Because I had done some gun stores before which involved a lot of welding to make sure these stores were incredibly safe.
The real thing that I love the most is hardi-plank siding; I can design the houses in my mind and then put it on paper to show to the clients. They get intrigued, like my work, and they can see some of my older jobs. I also love remodeling old homes, revamp them and make them look really good with new siding, new painting, and new windows and doors.
The difference from me and the other companies is rather simple. A client will always seek the best price and quality for their remodeling project. What set’s me apart from say, a larger more “prestigious” company, is the mere fact that I have both a strong portfolio and a strong set of recommendations and references of previous clients. The clients who come back to me for the quality of my work, which makes for a strong reference.
My prices compared to my competitors tends to be astronomically different, my prices tend to be much better for clients compared to the larger companies in Houston area.
The quality of work is also what sets me apart from my competitors since I’m the one who is hands-on in each of my client’s projects. Most larger companies will send a supervisor along with a group of people, sub-contractors, who will go to the actual location and do the job.
I don’t do any of that, I do the work my self.
I’m a one-man show, which makes a big difference because I can control the quality of my work. I used to have people work for me, but I couldn’t control the type of work they were doing around the house, so I reduced the amount of people I would take with me to work to just one or two people along with myself.
I like doing quality work rather than fast work.
That’s the difference between me and a larger company.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I don’t have many big plans. I’ll probably work until I’m quite old, can retire, and live with my wife next to the beach.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://thehoustonremodeling.com/
- Phone: 281-827-7588
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehoustonremodeling/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheOfficialTheHoustonRemodeling
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