Episode 89: The House That She Built with Stephanie Sharp
Today Brad speaks with Stephanie Sharp, General Contractor at her father’s firm Steven Dailey Construction, a full-service builder specializing in custom homes and remodels. She is also President of the Utah Chapter of the NAHB Professional Women in Building which, in September of 2020, broke ground in Saratoga Springs on the first home in the U.S. to be built by an all-woman skilled labor team.
Stephanie speaks on her unconventional journey into the construction industry and how she came to innovate the space through The House That SHE Built project.
Listen in as Stephanie shares how she made the transition from architecture, to the film industry, to construction and the skills that she carried over into each succeeding field; what it’s like to work alongside her dad in a small-scale construction firm; the evolving needs and expectations of clients; and the amazing story behind The House That SHE Built and its unveiling at the 2021 Utah Valley Parade of Homes.
Topics Discussed:
[00:36] Stephanie’s architectural background and doing marketing for Nitro Circus
[05:55] Making the foray into construction with Symphony Homes
[09:11] A typical day-in-the-life for Stephanie working with her dad in construction
[11:09] How today’s clients have changed from yesterday’s
[13:09] Finding clients, setting expectations, and staying hands-on with them throughout
[17:22] Selecting clients
[19:14] All about The House That SHE Built and Stephanie’s lessons learned
[31:07] The search for the women who worked on The House That SHE Built
[34:45] Acquiring donations, and charity efforts following the completion of the project
[38:55] What to expect at the 2021 Utah Valley Parade of Homes
[42:34] Staying on schedule with The House That SHE Built
[45:06] Where Stephanie found the passion to serve as President of the Utah Chapter
[49:09] What most people don’t know about Stephanie
[50:51] What’s next for Stephanie?
People & Resources Mentioned:
Key Quotes from Episode:
Today’s clients require more attention. Customers used to make decisions fairly easily and now they demand more of your attention. That’s what you’re there for: You’re there to help them make the biggest purchase of their entire life and build their dream home.
I probably sent out 500 messages to different tradeswomen I found on Instagram to end up with less than 20 that we actually flew here; but it was the best 20 I could have ever found. It would not have been the same experience with anyone else. It was amazing.
It’s really important to be part of your local home builders association. It’s important to have peers. It’s important to work side-by-side with people and create a good reputation for yourself.
