Today we’d like to introduce you to Andee Parker.
Andee, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I worked as an actress in Los Angeles in the late 80’s/early 90’s. I became a mother and decided to move back to where I was from…Houston, Texas and be near family. I was an at-home mom for my son’s early years, volunteered as a Room Mom, volunteered at church as a children’s teacher once a week. When my son was too old for needing a Room Mom, I decided to dust off my educational skills as a designer and start my own business. I was designing homes and offices and got tired of seeing my designs not being built as I had intended so I took the leap and decided to not only design but build. My business grew rapidly as we became a one-stop shop for anyone that wanted to hire someone to design their home or commercial property and then build it! We handle everything in-house from inception to completion. We generate our own blueprints, drawings, etc., get all permits and then break ground. We also do extensive remodels/rebuilds. I love the whole before and after concept. Over the years I have accrued my own trades and we work like a true team. They are my second family. We do a wide variety of projects….residential and commercial. During Covid, we built an office building for a law firm as well as renovating an RV!! We always have a wide range of projects going on. I have had to do continuing education classes as technology continues to change as well as construction products, etc. It is a constant learning process to build and design in our ever-changing world.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When I first started construction, it was difficult getting trades and inspectors to realize I was truly the onsite supervisor of my projects and that I knew what I was doing. They all genuinely thought my husband was the builder and I was just the office manager. My husband is not even in this industry! With time, I have earned respect from my trades, seeing that I am versed in what they do and that I have a constant stream of projects. We still laugh on our job sites when an inspector asks me when the project supervisor will be there! I now belong to several builder associations in the U.S. and have won some awards for our work.
As you know, we’re big fans of Casa Bella Design Build. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
I think I have already covered this but one thing about Casa Bella is that in our office, we are a group of Moms….we work hard but have many laughs along the way. While we are a small company, we do very large projects so everyone in my office wears many hats. Some days, even my bookkeeper is on the job site helping to count cabinets for hardware, etc. All of my clients know us very well from the get-go as we have multiple meetings with them to get a feel for what they want and then we design it and build it! We have some clients that want us to not only build their home or office, but when complete, to furnish it, and provide the artwork, window coverings, etc. so that they can step into a complete setting. Over the years, we have won the trust of clients so much so that some do not even want to see anything until it’s completed. We feel very honored and blessed. We are very detail-oriented at Casa Bella. We take the approach of providing not only a beautiful place for our clients but a practical one that fits their individual needs and lifestyles for them to create incredible memories forever.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My grandfather in Texas worked as a builder many, many years ago. He passed before I ever started working as a builder but I feel him smiling down on me from the heavens. As a kid, I was always fascinated by what was behind the walls of a home or how the home got put together. I was always getting in the attic to look down between the walls and check out the underside of the roof. My parents were always telling me to get out of the attic! To this day, attics fascinate me. There is a lot to know about the construction of a building by how the attic was built. It speaks volumes about the builder and their attention to detail and quality. Casa Bella Design Build is definitely successful due to the hard-working trades and office staff I have.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.casabelladesignbuild.com
- Instagram: @andeethedesignerbuilder
- Facebook: Casa Bella Design Build
