Noticing The Modern Design Gap

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Hi, my name is Farzan. I'm the founder of The Big Builders, and I started the company, uh, back in 2016, like, uh, less than 10 years ago, four years after I immigrated to US. And I was working for a construction company for four years, and then after that I decided to start my own company. I was working for a construction company even though I studied architecture, and, um, in the beginning I was, um... When I moved to Virginia, I was seeing all of these nature, like natural landscaping and greenery and beautiful landscape, and I was kinda disappointed by the architecture here. Like, um, I was seeing all of these cookie-cutter houses, small windows, and very little connection between the house and the exterior, even though we have this beautiful landscape outside. Very dark interiors and I was surprised that, uh, why people here are not, um, interested on big windows and like modern architecture. And, uh, I asked this question from some of my clients, and, um, most of the time I got the same answer. And while people were-- they, they were emotionally in love with modern architecture, they were financially afraid to take the risk and invest on, um, modern architecture because they were always afraid of resale values, and they were thinking that if they build like a modern house, they're not gonna be able to sell it later. I'm gonna tell you the rest of the story later if you have any questions in the, in the middle. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. It seems like, you know, you found something that you saw could be worked on, you know, within architecture in northern Virginia and, you know, you kinda went in and you filled that gap. Yeah, I tried to. Yeah. So when you first launched the company, what was your original vision and how has that ev- how has that vision evolved over time? Uh, um, when I started the company, I was technically starting a construction company because I never thought that I'm gonna be able to work here as an individual architect to start like a design firm. So actually the name The Big Builders has a funny story because when I originally chose The Big Builders name originally it was a very optimistic name. I thought that I'm choosing this name because I'm gonna work as a builder, as a small builder technically, doing a small like remodeling and addition project, and if I'm like g-gonna be lucky after like so many years, I'm gonna do some, uh, like new designs. And I chose it with a completely different mindset. And even though I've studied architecture, I never thought that eventually I'm gonna lead like a design base like boutique firm in, in Great Falls. Um, it really, um, I-- it's really everything changed after five years. I mean, after five years of doing construction, after COVID, I mean, things changed after I-- we bought actually my first, after I fir- bought vir- my first, um, spec home in Arlington. We bought a very small lot And I risk the investment myself, the thing that people are not able to risk it. I designed a very small triangle house with, uh, no basement and a third floor because I was always thinking that with the amount of the rain that we get here, a basement is really not suitable here. It's very prone to leaks and mold, and we have-- It's a dark space, and why don't we have, uh, all the spaces that we have in the basement, why don't we take it and put it on the third floor and connect it to a rooftop? So I designed a weird shape house. It was modern. It was, um... It has like floor to ceiling windows with no basement, with a third floor, and we, uh, listed the house before the construction was started. And, um, within a week, the house was-- went under contract, and we got a huge positive feedback from that, and everything kind of changed after that. So, also at the same time, I was able to convince a couple of clients to allow me to design modern houses for them in McLean and, um, from those projects also, I got a lot of new clients. So at this point-- So between after 2021 we got a lot of new clients that between 2021 to 2025. Now within a radius of a mile, we have like 12 projects with no advertising or it just by, um, word of mouth, actually, all of this happened. So everything changed pretty quick. I mean, everything changed in the past, um, five years. Yeah. So it looks like even though you weren't able to, you know, start out in architecture, you know, starting out with that construction and then taking that big risk with that modern house that you built in Arlington, you know, it w- you-- it paid off. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It was a... I mean, when you believe in what you do, things happens. Yeah, exactly. So The Big Builders offers a wide range of services from remodeling to full renovations. What do you feel truly sets your team apart from other companies in the industry? I mean, because we do A to Z design and build, and what we do is different from most of the companies because our design trend is very different. What we design is very different from the other companies. And, uh, what we design, we build it, and we usually design a lot of details during the construction. We change a lot of details. We add a lot of details during the construction that enhance the whole process, and that, uh, makes the cu- the client also feel comfortable because they think that we own the project since the beginning. And, uh, I think that's something that is b- different because a lot of, uh, companies, they only do design, and a lot of companies, they only do, uh, build. So, uh, we are one of the few companies that they do design and build. And, uh, modern design and build, probably we are just, um, maybe one of, uh, top five, I guess, or top three, let's say- Yeah I believe. Yeah. That's awesome. And I love how you're able to provide both the the designing and the building to really personalize that experience for your clients. Yeah. And so you work on spaces that people spend their everyday lives in. What do you enjoy most about helping homeowners bring their vision to life? I mean, uh, all of my life I've designed, um, and built homes. Uh, there have been a lot of opportunities to also design commercial spaces, but I really des- enjoy design homes because always when I finish a home, people invite me to their homes, and it's really crazy when you just draw some lines on the paper and in the end you see those lines, they're becoming to... I mean, they're becoming to reality, they're becoming to life, and people are re- really living in those houses. And the connection that the people, they have to the house, and then it's, it's really, it has a special kind of feeling. And, uh, you really deal with the people who own the property and who live in the property, so it's a, it's a very long-term relationship that we have with the owners. Yeah. And I think that's great that you're able to bring-- to build those long-lasting relationships, you know? It is. You're with them from the beginning of the process to the end of the process, and you're able to kind of see, how your vision was laid out. Exactly. Yeah. And then what are some of the most common mistakes homeowners make when starting a renovation or remodeling project? Uh, to be honest with you, for the past five years, we have just been doing new construction, so I've been far from remodeling and renovation projects. Let me think about that. Mistakes in remodeling. And, uh, mistakes in remodeling. I don't remember. The last remodeling project I've done was like- Six, past six, seven years ago Okay Yeah. And how important is communication and trust when working with clients through a major home project? It's very important because I got the best results from the projects that the owner trusted me, you know? We have projects that ha- was published in, like, Architectural Digest, in like big magazines, and all of those projects are the projects that the client, like, they had, like, 100%, uh, trust in us, and they just let us to do everything from like the design phase to construction phase. There were just, there are just stages that they seem like crazy and seem very, very like, um, problematic, and I just ask the client to just stay calm and let me handle it. And usually the clients, they trust me and let me handle things, and in the end everything turns great, and, um, so that trust is really, really important. And, you know, construction, it's a frustrating process and it's a long process. It's like, it's something that takes, uh, one or two years. So, um, something that really makes it easier, it's trust, and I think it's very important. Yeah. You know, letting... Your clients are putting their full trust in you, and you're building their home, and a home is, uh, it's so personal to each client. Exactly. Yeah. They should. Yeah. And so you've built a reputation around quality crafts- cra- quality craftsmanship and attention to detail. Why are those standards so important to you personally? Because I'm an architect, and not a lot of architects build homes. Usually the architect, they just design homes, and they just hand it to the builders, and builders, they build the houses. But as an architect who build the projects, you know, we are very detail-oriented, and I think, I think every little detail is like, uh, it's gonna have a huge impact on the, on the like overall quality of the house. So we really, really pay attention to all of the details, and I think in general every architecture student over, over time we develop some kind of OCD that like lives, like, with us in our daily life and in our like projects, uh, which is very, very important. It's sometimes annoying f- for our, the people who work with us, for our family, but I really love it, and my clients, they love it too. Yeah, I bet you're fine. And the result is great. Yeah. I bet they really appreciate that you- They do pay attention to all the little details. Exactly. Yeah. Sometimes it becomes annoying, but, uh, we really need that in our work. Yeah What is one project or transformation you've completed that really stands out to you, and why? One project that it really, I think, um, I recently designed and built one house that it was, it is on top of a hill, and it's very, very private. I was always thinking and I was always imagining a house to have a swimming pool in front of it, instead of having it in the backyard. That house is very private that finally I was able to put the swimming pool in front of the house. So every time that actually you pull in, you enter the house, you see the swimming pool, and I think that's one of the unique projects that, uh, that was like a long, long dream that I had, and finally it happened, and I think it's one of my unique projects. Yeah. I think that's awesome that, you know, you had that long-term dream and you were able to, you know, put that in one of your clients' homes. I think that's cool. Yeah, I still have a long list of dreams that needs a lot of time, but yeah. Yeah. Some of them really happen. Yeah. And then what are some current trends or shifts that you're seeing in the home design industry that homeowners should be paying attention to? I think the trend is changing. Luckily, I think the trend is changing from traditional designs to modern designs. We having, um, more open concept homes, bigger windows, you know, floor to ceiling windows, more connection between inside and outside. A lot of my designs, I design houses around a courtyard in order to get more light inside of the house and having more connection between inside and outside of the house, and that's becoming a trend, at least in, I think, northern Virginia or McLean area. And I think it's a good thing because, um, because architecture here was very, I think, uniform, and it was... the trend was really not shifting for decades and decades. But now, uh, things are changing, and now we see that there is a market for that. And now the homeowners, they see all the f- they feel like that there's a market for that, and there's a resale value for those houses. So, uh, now they have the courage to build modern homes, and I think that that's something that people, they have to have in consideration to just have the, If they love modern contemporary homes, they are gonna be able to have it. Yeah. So let's go for it. Yeah, so kind of staying with the trend. Exactly. Yeah. And then how do you help clients- balance functionality, aesthetics, and long-term value when designing a space? I mean, functionality, um, you know, for example, in most of the houses here, we have a... When you enter the house, there is a living room and a dining room, and that living room that we have, it's always useless. There's just- we put li- just like a piece of furniture there and, and people, they never use it. So, uh, we are eliminating, eliminating that living room and just, uh, making the family room bigger, and we are connecting the family room to the kitchen. We are making the kitchen open and connecting it to the family room and making the whole space bigger and making that open concept like, uh, so I think that's more functional and also, uh, using the most of the space because the older homes, they had, uh, spaces like library and most part of the basement, which is useless. So we are eliminating those spaces and adding them to the spaces that people, they actually use. And I think that's something that, uh, it creates, uh, more fu- more functionality to the house. Yeah. So just being able to create a space Where- It- you actually use- Yeah on a daily life. Yeah. And then connecting all the rooms together. Yeah. Exactly. And so entre- entrepreneurship comes with a lot of responsibility and pressure. What has owning and building this business taught you about leadership and perseverance? Um, it's not easy. You know, people, um, my friends, they always tell me that, uh, you're your own boss, so you can travel whenever you want. You can go to work whenever you want. You can stay home whenever you want. But it's not like that. It's a lot more difficult. But, um, it's very interesting. You feel like you're achieving things, and you feel like that you are creating jobs for a lot of families. And then you feel like you cannot stop because if you stop, then there is a lot of families and there's a lot of other jobs that they are they have to stop with you. So it gives you more energy to work, to wake up, and just to, um, work like long shifts every day. So that's somehow very difficult but also kinda interesting. Yeah. And you're, you know, you're creating opportunities for yourself and other people. I think that's great. Mm. Yeah. Yeah. That's the nice part of it. Yeah. And as someone who works closely with families and homeowners, what does it mean to you when a client fully trusts you with their home? The more they trust me the better I work for them. The less they trust me, everything gets more difficult. The less they trust me, then I have to spend more energy on the, on the trust part, and it distract me from the, from the actual work. The more they trust me, actually, I can concentrate on the actual job, and I don't need to worry on the clients, and I don't need to worry on the, on the, uh, client-architect relationship. I can just concentrate on the construction. I can just concentrate on the design, and the result is always better. So it makes everybody's life easier. Yeah. So getting, getting that trust and being able to focus fully on the designing process. It is. Mm-hmm. And as you continue growing the big- The Big Builders, what is your long-term vision for the company, and what kind of experience or reputation do you hope clients associate with your brand when they hear your name? You know, some days I think that I should grow the company. Some days I think that I should stop where I am. Some days I should-- I think that I should plan my retirement in five years. Some days I think that I should grow the company and give it to my son in, like, 20 years. So it's really, it really changes every day. But, um, I feel like I would like that, um, when they hear my name, even now that when they hear my name, they know me, even now that when they hear my name, they feel like that this house has been made by quality, that The Big Builders now it's a brand name. I love it, and I feel I, I'm working more to make The Big Builders more like a brand, so when they feel like this house was designed and built by The Big Builders, they feel like this is done by a luxury brand. And then they feel it's, uh, good quality, and that gives me a good feeling too. Yeah. So having that, uh, that good reputation that people, you know, they think of good quality and good craftsmanship when they see your homes. Exactly, making it like a quality luxury brand. Yeah. And for anyone interested in learning more about your services, starting a project, or connecting with your team, where can they find and reach out to The Big Builders? thebigbuilders.com. Okay. That's the best, and also Instagram. But, um, yeah, thebigbuilders.com is the best. They can find the phone number and the email there. Okay. As we wrap up, is there anything you'd like to add that I haven't touched on today? Work hard, believe in yourself- and I think there is a karma that always pays back. Thank you so much, Farzin, for joining me on the podcast and sharing your knowledge, creative passion, and inspiring story with us. I wish you the very best in all that comes your way in the future. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for having me.