Cypress In the Age of Covid

7/19/20 – Well, here we are in the middle of a global pandemic. And no one ever told me ‘You need to build a business model that will survive a recession depression, DIY culture, and this…’ Yet, 5 months into this new reality, I’m grateful to be able to say we haven’t missed a beat. Honestly, it was only the first week of the Shelter In Place order that we pulled back, and almost immediately the need for essential/emergency work had us back on the job.

Getting used to all the moving parts of this is quite another story, though. Yes, we have and use the proper PPE when working inside or in close proximity, and the crew and I take this seriously. But navigating the unpredictability of our subcontractors, the Building Department, materials vendors, and our clients is my new part-time job. The Building Departments (City and County) are doing their best to re-tool the way they do things, but for now it’s unpredictable, inconsistent, and sometimes frustrating. Materials vendors and their supply chains are taking 2 months to provide an item that used to take 2 weeks. Some have yet to re-open at all. Some subcontractors won’t work indoors, some aren’t working. And each homeowner we work with has different expectations – literally from zero PPE, distancing, or sanitary measures, to postponing work indefinitely. Though I have to say, to my surprise,  only one or two have wanted to wait. In truth, we are busier than we were last year at this time.

Grateful to our clients that entrust their work and their homes to us, to my crew that does what needs to be done (as safely as possible), and to everyone else involved that I know are just trying to do the best they can and navigate this uncharted territory with us.

PICTURED (L to R):  Betto, Forest, Reese, (kneeling) Mark, and Eduardo

Cypress Celebrates 25 years!

12/20/19 - 25 years?!! I was just going to do the handyman thing to get me through school and be a psychologist… And at some point, many employees and clients later, it occurred to me that the world might need an honest contractor more than it needs another psychologist. And here we are, celebrating those 25 years with employees past and present. Feeling grateful (but I still suck at bowling…)

Remodelling & Home Improvement Up 50% Since 2010

11/11/19 Remodeling Stats and Spending Trends to Inform Your Improvement Plans

Thinking about remodeling? You're not alone. According to a report from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, home improvement spending in the U.S. is up more than 50% since 2010. The study found that, "Spending on improvements and repairs to the US housing stock continued on an upward trend in 2017, setting a new high of $424 billion. This represents a 10% increase from 2015 and more than 50% gain from the low in 2010." According to their analysis, 22 million homeowners across the country completed at least one home improvement project in 2017. "The report[…] attributed part of the increase to a shortage of new construction and a reliance on aging housing stock that requires upkeep and repair," said the New York Times. "Other factors include higher housing prices that have increased the available equity for home improvement loans, and a growing population of older homeowners who are financially equipped to pay for renovations." The primary "spenders" fall into three main categories: Homeowners using surging equity to make improvements, homeowners playing catch-up on deferred maintenance and updates, and rental property owners. The average expenditure on home improvement was rather modest; 40% of participants reported spending less than $2,500, and almost 75% spent less than $10,000. Most common improvements The most common project in 2017 was adding or replacing flooring, with 5.2 million homeowners, or 7%, upgrading their floors. The next most common projects were: Adding or replacing plumbing fixtures Built-in dishwashers or garbage disposals New windows or doors New water heaters