Speaker 1: 0:30

Anders Herd and we provide custom home building services. So anything from large additions, kitchens and things from the house to a full ground-up custom build.

Speaker 2: 0:43

I love it. Before we get into a deeper conversation about it, I'd like to know your backstory and how you got started in your industry.

Speaker 1: 0:51

Of course, yes. So I tell people all the time that I basically started in construction when I could swing a hammer at five. So I love it. It's been something that I've always done. First things I would do is take my dad's pile of firewood and build forts out of it in the backyard, so we had multiple forts all around the properties we lived in growing up. I'm sure my parents just loved that, but it was what we did. I had a tree house that I built in Colorado that had running water in it when I was like 12.

Speaker 1: 1:21

So I've always been in construction and I've really liked it, and so I was fortunate enough to have usually be around construction people at the projects my parents were having done on their houses, so they would have remodeling projects done and things like that.

Speaker 1: 1:36

So I was always at the feet of those contractors and I'm sure they got really bugged by me. But there was one really awesome contractor that kind of just took me under his wing and you know I was always in his way and always watching him and you know he was always explaining everything to me and just taking the time to really, you know, show me all the different parts and pieces of it, and so I really just kind of fell in love with that. And then I remember specifically one day he took me out to lunch with him and I just couldn't believe that, you know, you could do something that seemed to me like play, you know construction all day and then go out and have lunch at like a restaurant, which we didn't get to do that very often. There's just all this stuff. To me it was like, wow, you can actually get, then get paid to do this, you know? So I was. I was sold, yeah, I was sold. So I really liked that.

Speaker 2: 2:21

That's awesome, and so I guess. So your parents had a background. Did they have a company or no?

Speaker 1: 2:25

they didn't, they just had projects being done on their house, you know, remodeling projects and things like that. So Then I went to school for engineering and got a degree in construction engineering at Iowa State and that served me well. I really enjoyed that. And then after I graduated, my wife lived out here in Virginia and so before we got married I got a job out here so that we could be close together. And then we got engaged and got married. But I worked for a big contracting company, whiting Turner, in Washington DC once I graduated and we built actually a really cool project an underground gymnasium in downtown DC.

Speaker 2: 3:00

Underground when at.

Speaker 1: 3:01

We literally dug out their football field and their lacrosse field and put a gymnasium underneath it and then put the field back on top. Wow, it was a cool project right off of Wisconsin Avenue in northwest DC.

Speaker 2: 3:14

That's awesome. Look at you making little cool construction buildings around here and gyms underground, Something to be proud of. Yeah, I'd like to ask how many people do you have on your team currently and what's the dynamic like, and how do you choose who comes and works with you?

Speaker 1: 3:28

Yeah, that's a great question. I have two field folks that work in the field all the time. Then I have a project manager and then I have in-house kind of she's my do-everything right-hand office gal and she works with people to do selections and things like that with that process. So our team is very curated and handpicked because, as you may know, construction is extremely personal, right, and everybody that we talk to when we do custom building. So, you know, I kind of grew my business into a more custom, rather than being like a cookie cutter, you know, spec home builder or a you know, right, right, somebody that just does.

Speaker 1: 4:13

you know every single three models and that's it. You know, and you do 50 homes or like that. We don't do that. We do custom homes. So you, which means you, bring us your ideas, your thoughts, your plans, we put them together with you and then we go through the whole process of making those come to life, right, all your ideas and stuff. So there's a lot of interaction between us and the client, right, and we want to make sure we maintain that small personal relationship throughout the process of your build.

Speaker 2: 4:44

I love that, like keeping them in the know, letting them know each step, explaining it to them, and it's kind of like a collaboration as opposed to what do you want, okay, we'll get it done. You actually are just like, okay, now pick this and all of that, just making them as involved as much as you are and making them part of their project, and that way it makes it one of a kind, unique and really tailored to their desires. I love it. How important is it to you to make sure that you work with the utmost skill and then the work that you do, that it's of quality, as opposed to just, okay, let's squeeze in as many projects as we can, cut corners, all of that good stuff, right, right or bad stuff.

Speaker 1: 5:23

Yes, yes, exactly.

Speaker 1: 5:24

So part of the reason that I started my own home building company, my own construction company, was because when I was doing remodeling projects, when I was in construction my whole background in construction I kept running into very shoddy work and just stuff that's embarrassing, right, like I can't believe somebody would leave this behind in somebody's home and you know we would find beer cans behind the walls and you know just all kinds of stuff that was just really, you know, just embarrassing if you were the person that was doing that.

Speaker 1: 5:53

So I decided that one. I know we can do better than that and I know people deserve better than that. Right, this is a home where you have your family and you have your Thanksgiving dinner and it's somewhere where you live and you sleep, and so you should expect your builder and you should expect what's behind the walls to be as important as what you see in front of the walls. Yeah, so I got into the home building business to make sure that any project that we touch, anything that we do, is of utmost quality from the inside out, and it's really a joy to be able to deliver that to people at the end, right when you're finished and you get to see them walk through and they gasp at the beauty and even though they've seen it all along, it's just kind of that end.

Speaker 2: 6:40

Seeing the realization of it physically there.

Speaker 1: 6:42

Yes, physically there and completed, and then all of their ideas come to life and stuff like that. And then to know from my perspective and maybe they appreciate it, maybe they don't, but I know at the end of the day that it was done with the utmost integrity, the utmost quality and craftsmanship that we could basically offer to them. So it's really important for us to have that. I would say that's kind of the paramount cornerstone of what we do. We offer that and we also offer value to a client, right?

Speaker 1: 7:11

I think that the most undervalued, underappreciated part of a good builder is the value that they bring to the table. So if you can pick anybody and a lot of people can, you know, put up two by fours and nail them together and throw a drywall on it, like there's a lot of people can do that. It's a pretty simple process, but the ability to see through that and to see the finished product at the end of the day is what we bring to the table the value that we are the experts in that area and letting people understand and appreciate the value and the information, the experience that we have to bring to the table and having that. The best client relationships we have are the clients who sincerely appreciate the value that we bring to the table.

Speaker 2: 7:54

Absolutely Well said, especially like what you said that there's beer cans sometimes behind the walls. It's good to know that you're going to have somebody who's going to come into your home and respect it Right, take pride in their work and just care and have that integrity. And sometimes you don't really know who you're bringing into your house or who's going to be doing what?

Speaker 2: 8:13

You won't know, you're not going to break down your thing. But and you won't know, you're not going to break down your thing but when someone else comes and redoes something, it's just like oh, that was in my house. They didn't care, they just threw that and hid it on there Like we'll never see it. What do we care? Right? So I think that's super important and a lot of people maybe miss those factors when they're looking for people to be living. You don't want this work to fall apart in like a year and then call again, and then you're going to be spending double what you thought you were Right, and I mean most people.

Speaker 1: 8:46

The home is their largest investment, right? So why would you skimp on something like that? Right, like, why would you try to cut corners? Why would you try to go the cheapest route on something that's the most valuable asset that you probably own and one of the most personal, right, like you literally sleep in it? Right, that's right. Yeah, so it's something to me that's always.

Speaker 1: 9:05

It's a challenge in the construction industry, because you have all the guys who can put up drywall and just throw it together and make it a lot cheaper, but then you have problems, right, and you have issues, and then you have frustrating people, some people that's what they can do and that's what they want and they're ready. Yeah, right, that's their deal. That's not what we offer. Yeah, and we've really, you know, worked hard to kind of set our brand apart from the other people who do that, to make sure that our clients and you know, we make sure that our clients are a good fit for what we want, because it's a different animal. Building a custom home is a huge project. Yeah, it takes a ton of work from the client side. It takes a ton of work from the builder's side and we have to make sure that there's a good relationship, because I joke with my clients. I'm like, look, I'm probably going to see you more than your spouse is for the next nine months of your building construction project.

Speaker 2: 10:03

So you better like me, let's talk sports or something that's cute. I love it. I love that. What have been some challenges for you?

Speaker 1: 10:11

being your own boss, your entrepreneur, that you have faced and been able to overcome that you would like to share with our listeners.

Speaker 2: 10:14

Yeah, I mean, how long do you?

Speaker 1: 10:15

have Right, so so many it it's been a great experience. I think that if anybody had told me in the beginning that I had to face the challenges of debt, I probably wouldn't have done it. But that's kind of the deal, right, like that's what entrepreneurs do, we just we, we figure out and we make it work. But there's been more joys than than hardships. I think that there's just there's there's the um. There's always a challenge of of balancing the, the delivery of the quality and and the craftsmanship that we want to. Uh, on having a good communication with the client and then balancing that with your family life. Like I have six children.

Speaker 1: 10:55

Um, I've been married to a wife for 15 years, so I have a family and I have a life that exists there, and having the balance between the two is definitely a challenge. And making sure, yes, meet the boundaries. I never work on Sundays. That's something I've always started and I feel like you know, I've been blessed with more work because of that. You know our Lord sees that and he says I get it. So I think that's a hard thing. You'll hear all kinds of stories about entrepreneurs who just go get it in the beginning. They do a wonderful job of one of those two things, and they lose their family and they lose their spouse and it's just, it's so sad. So I always say that I'm doing it for my family. So if I don't, if I'm not there for them and I'm not present, then what am I doing?

Speaker 2: 11:40

Yeah, no, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 11:41

So that's certainly a challenge that we face and it's a constant thing. And then there's just the challenge of building a good team. I feel like entrepreneurs, myself included, have such a hard time seeing what they're not good at, because they're good at so many things right. We feel like we're good at everything. But once you realize that you're good at a few things and you can find people who are better at the things that you're not good at and surround yourself with those people, then you're ready. Then you're ready to go, because that makes you be able to be fulfilled and be fantastic at a few things and allow other people take care of the things you're not as good at and then build that team. So building a really good team that has balance, I think that's really a challenge to do.

Speaker 2: 12:27

Love it. Now you talked about branding a little bit and trying to set yourself apart from the others. I'd like to ask, in the marketing sense, what have you done? What are you doing? I'd like to ask, in the marketing sense, what have you done? What are you doing? Maybe what are you planning to do to get the word out there about what makes you stand out, the type of services you provide, the type of ideal clients that would be a good fit for both of you to work with each other? Are you an avid online social media user? Are you getting out there talking to people? Business cards, what's working for you, what's not?

Speaker 1: 12:57

Yeah, great question, and I don't know the answer. Honestly, I think that it's a balance of everything there's definitely. Construction is a unique animal in the fact that you're not necessarily going to go and pull up the best Yelp review builder, because it's a lot more personal. That's a huge, huge investment, probably the biggest you'll ever make. I think that it really starts with word of mouth your friends, people that you trust, already having a relationship with someone else who they trust in a builder sense, like oh yeah, this guy was really good. I felt really good about him Having that recommendation through that.

Speaker 1: 13:40

And I would say that 95% of our of businesses through referrals. So that's just. You know, a client is happy with what we've done, we, they know what we delivered and then they they give that to us. So I think there's about seven touch points for a person before they actually get to make a decision. So what are those other ones and what do they look like? Who knows Online? Or we do have a little bit of a social media presence, not as much as we should. There's so many different options for that. So word of mouth is definitely our biggest.

Speaker 2: 14:16

Talk to me about your process and what is that like and I guess it can be different depending on the project, but an overall basis of what the process is like working with you guys, yes, so it's different for everyone as far as where they start Right.

Speaker 1: 14:31

Some people have plans that are complete, some people have no idea. They just have some ideas and some pictures in their head. So we kind of meet them where they are in the beginning and say, okay, well, this is the pathway forward and we can help you through that. We have architects and drawing folks that we recommend to help them get the drawings to permit, and so once we get the drawings done and the design is complete from an architectural standpoint, then we begin the construction and we have, uh, found that having some in-house help with selections is a huge, huge thing for folks, because a lot of people can pick out a floor not a big deal, but picking out your kitchen cabinets, picking out your countertops, maybe your light fixtures, things like that.

Speaker 2: 15:15

Making sure there's like a balance to everything.

Speaker 1: 15:18

Right Couldn't be super overwhelming to people right, and I mean my wife. I always joke with her I'm never going to build her a house because she can't make a decision right. There's so many things to do. But it just goes to show you, and even me as a builder, having all of the information, it's still difficult for her to make those decisions and be, you know, cohesive and have that. So it's a big lift. And so one of the gals in my office, dana, has been fantastic at just being kind of the selections manager, and so we have a few large selection meetings that we got with a client and we said, okay, well, let's go today and talk about cabinets and then we'll go talk about your plumbing fixtures and kind of set that up in a chronological order so that we need them.

Speaker 2: 15:58

I would say that I like that because it can be overwhelming when you're just like, okay, here's all of this and just chronologically, I feel like, okay, one thing at a time, it's going to be okay.

Speaker 1: 16:05

Right, that's exactly what we want to do. We want to take this huge list of things that they have to pick, you know, for their biggest investment ever and bring it to a bite-sized pieces where it's manageable, right, and then we're going to help you through that process so that you're not lost, right, and it works well. People appreciate that Some people need a lot more help than other people do, and so we offer you know, we have, I think we have 10 hours of design services that are already thrown into the proposal when you start, and then after that you can buy more if you want it. So, hey, I just need you for a couple more hours to finish this tile selection or whatever it is. So it's been working well for our clients and we've seen the homes come together pretty and they look good, and so it's been good.

Speaker 2: 16:48

Sweet and I want to talk to you about move-in and warranty.

Speaker 1: 16:53

Talk to me a little bit about that and what that's about. Yeah, move-in is great because everybody's happy and everything looks great and it's brand new and all that we offer. Obviously, our standard is a one-year warranty on everything that we do. You can opt for two for a small fee. Basically, we build our houses to last forever. So once you build with Faber, then you're in the Faber family. I like that. You need something, just call, We'll take care of it. At that point, if we've done our job correctly, we have built a relationship of trust with the client so that there's not this finger pointing oh I have to go to warranty, Just ask us If something's a door sticking, no problem, We'll just come over. You're part of the family at that point. So that's what we want to have at the end of our projects. Yes, you know, we want people to be family. I have a client that is up in Leesburg that we built a house for probably six years ago and every time I see her she used to look at me and hug.

Speaker 2: 17:50

That's what we want, right? Yes, like that's what we're after, like okay, it's a job, cool, thanks Bye. But taking that step or just that time or care to want to build a relationship and be like, oh hey, samantha, how are you, how's the house going? Like, come over here, give me that, like that's kind of lost sometimes.

Speaker 1: 18:07

It is In any industry. Sometimes it is.

Speaker 2: 18:09

Because everybody is so busy and it's just like get it done, go. What's the next thing? But just stopping and getting to know people and knowing that you did a fantastic job and that these people rely and trust on you and you have like a family member, a friend, a client, whatever you want to call them. But for life is incredible and I think that that's very commendable, that you work hard to do that.

Speaker 1: 18:33

Yeah, thank you. It's, it's been, it's been a. It's a hard, it's a hard lift, right For sure. But I think that you know we've been blessed with a really good team and you know our objective is to be super upfront and have a ton of honesty so people automatically feel comfortable, and that's what we want, right? We want it from the beginning. I want you to feel super comfortable from the beginning until the end of the project and not to say there's going to be, you know, up and down emotions throughout the thing. It's an emotional process. Building is emotional, right, it's super emotional. But at the end of the day, we want to know that you know we have your back, we're on the same team and we're going to complete this together, and so that's really our goal of the whole process. Of course, we're going to build a beautiful home. Obviously that's part of the package, but we want to also maintain that relationship and trust throughout the whole process.

Speaker 2: 19:20

For sure. Now, what do you like to do on your free time? You said you like your boundaries, and that is important for your mental health, for your family, for stable life. What do you like to do?

Speaker 1: 19:30

Free time. Yeah, I don't have a lot of it, but all of my time is free time is with my family and my kids. We love to hunt. You know we have some places we go hunt with the kids. We go camping. I have four boys and two girls, so the boys and I are always going out camping and then I do. If I have actually have free time, I'll do woodworking. I love making furniture and crafting any type of fine carpentry. So I love to have a little shop in my basement. I haven't used it in way too long, you're busy, that's why.

Speaker 1: 20:01

So those are kind of my free time things, that's awesome.

Speaker 2: 20:04

That's so cool. Wifey's just going to be like oh, I really want this table. I wish I could have it. You're like One sec, babe, I got you.

Speaker 1: 20:10

I know that she wishes I did it more often, but yes, I love to do that stuff.

Speaker 2: 20:13

Okay, I know, sometimes you got to do the work first and then. Okay, I've got to this point, Now let me make you that table you wanted honey.

Speaker 1: 20:21

That's right. She's super patient, so I love it Good.

Speaker 2: 20:24

Awesome, awesome. Is there anything that I have not touched on that you would like to share, whether it's about your business yourself? Maybe you've got a new service or product coming in the works, maybe any goals coming up for your business?

Speaker 1: 20:34

Yeah, we do have a really exciting home that we're about to complete in Great Falls. It's our first ever ground up spec house that we've done and we're really excited about. The completion of it should be done just around March, so it'll be ready for sale then. So that's a super, super awesome project and we'll have it on our website for everybody to view. It's going to be really great and we're really excited about it because it's again not a cookie cutter, not a production builder home. It's a custom home that's offered in a really nice established neighborhood in Great Falls, so we're really excited about that coming up. That's awesome.

Speaker 2: 21:09

Yay, hood and Gray Falls, so we're really excited about that coming up. So, yeah, cool. Do you have a favorite project that you've been able to work on, or one that stood out where you're like dang?

Speaker 1: 21:21

I don't know if I'll ever see that again. We have had so many unique projects I think it's hard to say which one's favorite. Um, there's definitely features of different projects that um, we really like. We did a project um out near Hillsborough, kind of on a mountain, and the original concept behind the project was the owner wanted to take an old barn and move it to Loudoun County and then finish it out and live inside of it. So cost prohibitive to do that, actually take the whole barn and move it. So what we did is we took the barn down and then we used components of it and put it back up inside the house. So inside the house looks like a barn, Like it's got the beams, it's got the trusses and the ceiling.

Speaker 2: 21:58

That's very unique.

Speaker 1: 21:58

It's super cool. It's super cool and I love that. You know I moved here from Iowa. We did in Iowa we took down a lot of corn cribs and barns and stuff and reclaimed beams and beams and so we always have a lot of reclaimed stuff in our projects. So this barn was from the 1800s and it has some beautiful features in it and so we put it up inside the house and so it's a very unique looking home and turned out really cool yeah.

Speaker 2: 22:20

I hope you're sharing this online so other people can see that, because I'm curious when I'm going to your website or Instagram.

Speaker 1: 22:27

It's the mountain. I think it's Mountain Views Mountain something is the name of it, but it's a pretty sweet project, nice.

Speaker 2: 22:32

Love it and I want to go back to the team For entrepreneurs it's been hard sometimes to find that dream team. There's no retention. Sometimes it looks like they align, but then at the end of the day it's like I don't think it's working out. What have been your experiences with that, and could you give any other entrepreneurs maybe some advice when it comes? To hiring people.

Speaker 1: 22:54

Yeah, that's a great question. I think that it starts with aligning yourself with people who have the same values. You can train technicality pretty well, but you can't change somebody's character. I mean you can, but it's much easier to start with a baseline of sharing the values. So I've been successful in, and blessed in, having people who share those values with me and then we find within the team where their best fit is.

Speaker 1: 23:28

We know we have a need and it's been interesting to see some people that I've hired haven't been the fit for what I thought they were going to be for, but they've actually been a better fit for something else. So having the flexibility as the owner and the boss to be able to see the top qualities of those people, I think that's going to keep them content and happy and with you, and then it'll also add value to your business For sure. I think it's hard as an entrepreneur. We get stuck in filling the slots and checking the boxes right and not having, if you can see past that and see the person and for who they are and the values that they bring to the business and be flexible in what you think their roles can be. I think that will go a really long way for you.

Speaker 2: 24:13

Yeah, thank you. I kind of have a. Maybe it's a dumb question, I don't know, but forgive me if it is so. I saw with the fires going on in LA and I saw a lot of people saying it's because the houses are all built with wood or like they need to be built with cement, and I think. Correct me if I'm wrong, but has that changed over time? Did the houses more were like brick, cement and then it just started becoming wood? What are your thoughts on that?

Speaker 1: 24:38

Yeah, that's a great, great interesting question and the answer is that it depends on the locality. You know, if you go down, we did some, we have done mission work down in, like El Salvador and you know, south America and those areas and a lot of those homes are built with straight up concrete. It's all concrete. It's really about what's available in the locality where you are. So, for example, here in Virginia we have a lot of trees and locally, like around Canada isn't that far so we have a lot of lumber available. So it's kind of it goes back to the beginning where we were talking about you know what do you value and you know where are you going to spend the money on your home and your project. Like, you know, I can sure I can build from stone, you know, with stone for you, but the cost just quadrupled, right. So some people are like, yeah, that's fine, I want to do that you, that's their prerogative, but it's a cost-driven thing for sure. Building with concrete is definitely more expensive than building with two-by-four or something like that.

Speaker 1: 25:41

Yeah, so there are things you can do on the exterior cladding to help with the fire suppression, the fire rating. Hardy Siding has done a really good job with a cementitious fiber board and it's basically fireproof. You know, it's a concrete board that goes on the outside house looks really nice, so those things help too. I don't know if we're ever going to get to a, you know, brick and mortar type construction again.

Speaker 1: 26:05

You know, I mean schools are built that way. Yeah, so you know, that's that, that exists there. Uh, homes it's's just, it's a cost thing. Yeah, really is what it is at the end of the day.

Speaker 2: 26:14

Okay, thank you for sharing that. I was, like he seems, very informed. I'm going to ask him that because I always wonder, I'm just like, why did we change it? Of course, the labor with concrete versus the wood, and all of that and the materials, so it makes sense.

Speaker 1: 26:26

And it's a time thing too, right, like it takes much, much longer to do a block wall or a concrete wall than it does to slap up some two by fours and plywood Got it.

Speaker 2: 26:35

Thank you, thanks for answering that question. We appreciate it. My final question Do you have a quote, a saying, maybe a mantra that you've come across, or maybe somebody has mentioned or said to you that has stuck out and has inspired you, and would you mind sharing it?

Speaker 1: 26:50

Yeah, that's a really good question. I don't, I don't know if there's any one specific thing that stands out. Um, I think that the um what I always come back to is is you know what is good, what is true, what is right, you know, and, and that kind of centers you on what you're doing right, like if that gives you you know if it's good and it's true and it's beautiful, that kind of centers you on what you're doing right, like that gives you you know if it's good and it's true and it's beautiful, that kind of centers you on okay, does it fit into this?

Speaker 2: 27:19

Okay, yes, then we're on the right path. Yeah, I love it. Simple, but so true. I really appreciate you making time to be here again, of course, and it was great getting to talk with you, get to know a little bit about you and the Faber group or.