Why Builders Who Work With Designers Early Build Better Homes
Introduction
Guest: Brooke Coty | Hawkins and Gray Design | hawkinsandgray.com
If you have been building custom homes for any length of time, you already know the feeling. A client comes in with a Pinterest board full of ideas, a budget that may or may not match those ideas, and a floor plan that looks great on paper until someone actually tries to live in it. By the time you realize the kitchen does not flow, or the primary suite feels cramped, or the electrical plan has 52 can lights in a room that should have sconces and a chandelier, you are already in the middle of a framing job.
That is exactly the kind of problem that Brooke Coty, COO of Hawkins and Gray Design, helps builders and their clients avoid. In a recent conversation on The Meridian Pursuit Builders Podcast, Brooke walked through what the builder-designer relationship actually looks like when it works well, how to manage client expectations around budget and vision, and why the decisions made before concrete is poured matter more than most builders realize. If you are a custom home builder, a semi-custom builder, or someone doing spec homes alongside your custom work, there is a lot in this conversation worth paying attention to.
Why Builders Need a Designer Before the Plans Are Finalized
The most common mistake in the builder-designer relationship is timing. Most builders bring a designer in after the client is already in contract and the plans are nearly done. That works, but it is not the ideal scenario. Brooke is direct about this: getting involved during the plan phase is where the real value is.
"A lot of times homeowners don't think through and they just can't see on paper what that actually will look like in real life," she says. "Being brought in on plan phase, I think, is a huge factor. We like to spend some time getting that right."
When a designer reviews plans early, they are looking at things the client may not even know to think about. Does the kitchen flow for how this family actually cooks? Is the dishwasher going to block the refrigerator when it is open? Does the primary suite feel like a retreat or an afterthought? These are not cosmetic questions. They affect how a home functions for the people who live in it, and catching them on paper is a lot cheaper than catching them after drywall.
How to Handle the Budget Conversation Without Losing the Client
One of the most uncomfortable parts of any custom home build is the moment when a client's vision and their budget are not in the same zip code. Brooke does not shy away from this. Her team has developed a straightforward way of working through it.
"We've asked clients, 'Is the budget more important? Is the vision more important? Or is your space more important?'" she explains. "We have to have some compromise."
The good news is that most clients are willing to get creative when they understand the tradeoffs. A client who falls in love with a natural stone countertop at $100 per square foot may be very happy with a quartz option that gives them similar movement and warmth at a fraction of the cost. The key is not just saying no to the expensive option. It is showing them what yes looks like at a price that works.
The Design Decisions That Have to Happen Before Framing
Timing is everything in a custom build, and Brooke is specific about what needs to be locked in before certain milestones. The earlier these decisions are made, the fewer change orders and surprises show up later.
Before concrete is poured, appliance selections should be finalized. This is not about picking a brand for the sake of it. It is about knowing where the ice maker is going, where the water lines need to run, whether there is a pot filler, and where out-of-wall faucets need to be roughed in. These are infrastructure decisions, and they need to happen before the slab is down.
Electrical is another area where early involvement pays off. Brooke sees it happen regularly: a standard electrical plan gets drawn up, and nobody questions it until a designer walks through and realizes the plan calls for a grid of can lights in a space that should have layered lighting with sconces and a statement fixture. Changing that after the wire is run is expensive. Catching it before the electrician starts is easy.
Communication: The One Thing Every Builder Needs to Get Right
If there is a single theme running through Brooke's approach to her work, it is communication. She quotes her business partner Lindsay directly: "Clarity is kindness." The more clearly you communicate expectations, timelines, and decisions, the smoother the build goes for everyone involved.
Brooke's team typically communicates with active clients two to three times a week during the construction phase. That cadence keeps decisions moving, prevents bottlenecks, and ensures that nobody is sitting on a question that is holding up a trade. She also notes that every builder communicates differently. Some prefer a quick text. Some want a phone call. Learning that style early and adapting to it is part of building a productive working relationship.
Building Strong Relationships With Trades and Subcontractors
Brooke is thoughtful about how the design team fits into the broader ecosystem of a build. Designers make the fun decisions. They work with clients on colors, finishes, fixtures, and furniture. But the builder is the one driving the timeline and managing the trades, and Brooke's team is intentional about not creating friction in that relationship.
"We don't want to cause any rifts between the subs and the builder," she says. "We always try to build up our builders and we don't ever want to throw anybody under the bus. It's important that you speak the best of everyone involved."
She also described a small but meaningful thing her team does when tension starts to build on a job: she sends the homeowners a gift card for a night out. Just a small acknowledgment that building a custom home is stressful, that their patience is appreciated, and that the team is in it with them.
Social Media and Marketing for Builders and Designers
Brooke is honest that social media has been a significant driver of business for Hawkins and Gray Design. Instagram and Facebook are where potential clients see their work, develop trust in the team, and decide to reach out. She also acknowledges that putting your face on camera is uncomfortable for a lot of people, including herself, but that it is necessary.
"They want to see you. They want to learn about you as a person," she says. "Being that person who is trustworthy and honest is huge, but also that you're able to do what you say you can do."
For builders who are not sure where to start, the answer is simpler than it looks. Show the work. Show the process. Show the people. You do not need a production team or a marketing strategy. You need to show up regularly and let people see what you actually do.
What 'Plans to Pillows' Means and Why It Produces the Best Work
Brooke describes her firm's ideal client engagement as "plans to pillows." That means being involved from the plan review phase all the way through furniture selection and final styling. It is the full scope of what a design firm can offer, and Brooke is clear that it produces the best outcomes.
"We're planning from the beginning for that sofa," she says. "And it sounds silly, but if it works in a room, it's gonna make their room feel so much better."
Not every client or every price point supports that level of engagement, and Brooke is realistic about that. But when a builder can offer their clients access to a design team that will walk with them from plans to pillows, it adds real value to the build and creates a better experience for everyone involved.
Key Takeaways for Builders
- Bring a designer in before the plans are finalized, not after framing. Early involvement prevents costly changes and helps clients visualize what they are actually building.
- Have the budget conversation early and directly. Help clients understand the tradeoffs between vision, budget, and space so decisions can be made with clear expectations.
- Lock in appliance selections and electrical plans before concrete is poured. These are infrastructure decisions that affect the entire build.
- Communicate consistently with clients and trades. Two to three touchpoints per week during active construction keeps decisions moving and relationships strong.
- Protect the trade relationships. A designer or builder who creates friction on site makes every job harder. Speak well of everyone involved.
- Show up on social media. Consistency builds trust, and trust drives referrals, even from people who have never met you in person.
- Aim for 'plans to pillows' when the project and budget support it. Full-scope design involvement produces the best results for clients and the best work for the firm.
Conclusion
The best custom home builds are not accidents. They happen when the right people are involved at the right time, when communication is consistent and clear, and when everyone on the team, from the builder to the designer to the trades, is working toward the same outcome. Brooke Coty and the team at
Hawkins and Gray Design have built their practice around exactly that kind of collaboration, and the results speak for themselves.
If you are a builder looking to tighten up your process, improve the client experience, or simply build homes that people are genuinely thrilled to move into, the principles in this conversation are a good place to start. And if you are in the North Georgia or Atlanta Metro area and want to explore what working with a design team looks like, you can learn more at hawkinsandgray.com.
How do custom home builders get more leads?
The most consistent lead sources for custom home builders are referrals and social media. Referrals come from doing great work and maintaining strong relationships with clients, trades, and industry partners. Social media, particularly Instagram, builds trust with people who have never worked with you by showing your projects, your process, and your team. Builders who show up consistently on social media report getting referrals from people who follow them but have never met them in person.
Do Facebook ads work for contractors?
They can, particularly for reaching homeowners in a specific geographic area. Facebook's targeting allows contractors to reach people by location, homeownership status, and interests. The key is pairing paid ads with strong organic content so that when someone clicks through, they find a profile that reinforces the credibility the ad is trying to establish.
What is the most important thing builders can do to improve client communication?
Establish a communication cadence at the start of the project and stick to it. Two to three touchpoints per week during active construction keeps clients informed, prevents surprises, and makes hard conversations easier when they come up. Consistent communication builds trust, and trust is what carries a project through the difficult moments.
How can builders work more effectively with interior designers?
Bring the designer in early, ideally during the plan review phase. Share the budget allowances upfront so the designer can make selections that work within the project parameters. Communicate clearly about timelines and milestones, and treat the designer as part of the team rather than a vendor. The builds that go best are the ones where the builder and designer are aligned from the beginning.
What design decisions should be made before framing?
Appliance selections, plumbing rough-in locations, pot filler placement, out-of-wall faucet locations, and the electrical plan should all be reviewed and confirmed before framing is complete. Catching these early prevents expensive changes and keeps the build on schedule.
Full Podcast Transcript
Brooke Coty (00:31)
Well, I am Brooke Cody. I am with Hawkins and Gray Design. I'm part owner. My business partner and I, Lindsay Hawkins, ⁓ we are a team of six ladies, all with various design backgrounds and skill sets. But we help not only builders in the new construction, remodeling realms, but we also help just the...
local client that's wanting to refresh a living room or hey I need some help with paint colors so it's a wide range of who we can help and all sizes of projects.
Jesse Sampley (01:06)
any particular style that you locked into or you kind of develop that depending on the client.
Brooke Coty (01:13)
We do, there are designers out there that kind of lock into a certain aesthetic, but we really try to bring our clients' vision to life, and that's where we've landed, and we help people who are very modern or...
very traditional. And sometimes our design aesthetic personally doesn't quite flow with that, and that's okay. It's just kind of getting out of that comfort zone. And I think that's why it's important to have a team that you can kind of bounce ideas off of because we all have different styles amongst the team as well. So get some insight when you're kind of stuck on that.
Jesse Sampley (01:49)
Yeah. Well, tell me about the process. a client comes to you. What does that process look like? And then is it different for a builder too?
Brooke Coty (01:58)
It is different for a builder. If a client comes to us, just their local person will kind of have an introductory conversation, get to know what they're looking for, run through our rates and our timelines, and then start that process from there.
vision board is kind of the starting my Lindsay always says, I can get you to the finish line, but I need a starting point. So it's not like I'm just gonna pull ideas out of the air and hope you love them. Like we've got to have a starting point to know, all right, here's our direction. And here's the playbook for, so to speak, for this design.
Jesse Sampley (02:20)
Yeah.
We do the exact same things when we do a branding project is we need to know how you want to be perceived first. what is the feeling that you're wanting to accomplish? Because then you kind of build around that feeling or the visual side of if you want it to feel cozy, then that affects the lighting that it, affects the height of things that the colors, all of that, but
Brooke Coty (02:45)
Yeah.
Yes.
Jesse Sampley (02:55)
First, let's start
with how do you want it to the overall feel, the is a little high end sometimes. I don't really know how to articulate it. then like you said, the mood board is so helpful put a visualization out there.
Brooke Coty (03:04)
Mm-hmm.
Yes.
Yes, I think so many times I hear, I need to see it, it, I need to visualize it. Because we can talk about ideas, but until we put a picture with it sometimes, it's like, okay, that's what we're talking about.
Jesse Sampley (03:21)
Yeah. Are you using AI more and more just to help on side?
Brooke Coty (03:26)
⁓ Some of the renderings, they are 3D renderings that some of the ladies do put together on the team. I don't personally do them. But yes, I would say the renderings is what we refer to them as and so that you can get a visual of the space. It's extremely helpful.
Jesse Sampley (03:42)
are some of these trends to embrace that you're seeing? What are the ones to stay far, far away from?
Brooke Coty (03:48)
Okay,
that's a great question. actually just put this out on a group, our team group text last week and I think five, 10 years ago it was very much farmhouse. It was very much a stark white and black contrast. So we're kind of moving away from that. And I think as people are looking to feel a little bit more collected, a little bit more...
hey, I went thrifting and I found an item that I love and I'm working it into my design now. So staying away from start.
harsh contrast, kind of moving away from minimalism. There was this whole movement of just like cleaned off everywhere and a little bit more little styled moments, little intentional moments throughout the home that feel really inviting and really nice and moving away from gray and switching that up for warmer, I would say beige tones and warmer whites. And I...
Jesse Sampley (04:24)
Hmm.
Brooke Coty (04:44)
and pattern on pattern, a lot of that. So when you get into the soft design side. On the construction side, we're seeing a lot more stone coming back. yeah, natural stone, pairing it with brick. And again, moving away from that bright white exterior and black windows. Yeah.
Jesse Sampley (04:52)
I love natural stone.
There is a lot of that. We're in North Florida and there's still a lot of farmhouses being built with that exact same design. has a place for it. And if you love it, then great. But probably the what can change, was kind of going into a renovation side. You're not locked into anything.
Brooke Coty (05:09)
Yeah,
Yeah, exactly.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Jesse Sampley (05:22)
if five, 10 years down the road, you want to switch stuff up, that's, it's your home.
Brooke Coty (05:26)
Right, and that keeps us in business, so we love it.
Jesse Sampley (05:29)
some of these builders I'm talking to, some are full custom, some are semi-custom. Some people are doing, spec homes in addition to what they're doing in their custom home builds. Some are doing renovations just to, pay payroll and keep their guys you say are some of the most important design things to look like for someone that's building a spec home?
Brooke Coty (05:49)
So definitely the kitchen. The kitchen, hear that, that's where you'll get the most, a buyer will get the most return for their money. If there's a great kitchen, a great entertaining space, outdoor space, and definitely the primary suite. I did hear an architect say.
⁓ just recently, like lot of people go small on their primary suite, but you spend a lot of time there. You spend a lot of time in that space daily. make that what you want it to be and that is inclusive of the bathroom and the closet spaces too.
Jesse Sampley (06:15)
Yeah.
Brooke Coty (06:22)
And I think definitely once you kind of hit that million dollar price point, if you're building in that price point, the outdoor area and entertaining outdoors becomes a huge factor in whether or not, a potential buyer may like it or dislike it. I think at that price point, they're looking for an outdoor fireplace or a gathering place or a pool or something of that nature.
Jesse Sampley (06:47)
Yeah.
And then how do you tell me about how that relationship that you have with builders, what does that look like as far as, when do you guys come on board? What is kind of that ideal scenario look like?
Brooke Coty (06:59)
that's a great question. usually by the time a builder brings us a buyer, they are in contract with the builder. So that
allows us to help several different builders and not just one because they've kind of formed that contract and they're now making the introduction to us. And we really enjoy being brought into that process just as soon as possible, really even before plans are finalized because
A lot of times homeowners don't think through and they just can't see on paper what that actually will look like in real life or they didn't think through, hey, this area may feel really tight. Did you think about that? Did you think about, the kitchen has all the appliances, maybe it doesn't flow for you and how you use your space. So being brought in on plan phase, I think, is a huge factor.
We like to spend some time getting that right.
Jesse Sampley (07:50)
So you guys are helping interpret these 2D plans a little bit sometimes and just helping give a good visualization of, if you're in the kitchen and here's kind of your workspace and you've got your dishwasher here and you open that, now you've kind of blocked yourself from the refrigerator, just kind of giving some insight as far as what all that looks like.
Brooke Coty (08:05)
Yes.
Yes, because you've never built a custom home before, you don't know what you're on paper. I mean, you might know some things, but you may not think through all of the aspects of ⁓ a plan.
Jesse Sampley (08:18)
Yeah.
And even, these builders will tell me if it's a true custom home, this is the first time that this plan has ever been built too. So sometimes even the translation between the architect and the builder, sometimes there's a disconnect there too, to where, yeah, we all thought it looked great on paper, but then once we were actually in here, it's like, yeah, we forgot that this is going to adjust the, trusses that we have. So now we've got, to adjust this some way. I was actually talking to a builder yesterday.
Brooke Coty (08:34)
yeah. Yeah.
that.
Jesse Sampley (08:46)
it was a custom home, but he was part of a franchise. they've got like 30 plans that they build. So this was the first time that he was building this plan, but more than likely he would build this plan again. And he said, there's already things that, on a utility closet side, to where I can save an extra so many square feet, if I move the utility closet over here and I can hide the duct line and things like
Brooke Coty (08:56)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Jesse Sampley (09:08)
you can blueprint blue in the face, but you sometimes to what's built, doesn't really, you can't really ⁓ be in that space.
Brooke Coty (09:11)
Yes. Yes.
Yeah,
right. There's certainly an advantage of building a home for the second or third time that I have planned because I'm not doing that this time. And even on the second go round, you're like, I want to change that too. know, making those tweaks for sure.
Jesse Sampley (09:30)
Yeah.
how are you
guys working as most of the time with these builders, got an allotment for what the choosing as far as their finishes. How are you helping guide these people from their vision board and the pictures they're pulling off of Pinterest or maybe their AI generated, wherever they're pulling their inspiration from. How are you translating that into, well, this is your budget and this is what we're trying to work within. How are you helping choose those alternatives?
Brooke Coty (09:49)
Right.
All
Yeah, we work with a range of budgets and sometimes we're there's a little bit more liberty to make some really nice selections and the vision board aligns with the budget but sometimes it doesn't and sometimes that is a difficult conversation but we've asked clients okay
Is the budget more important? Is the vision more important? Or is your space more important? Like, can we have all of those things? Maybe, but maybe not. So we have to have some compromise. And usually, I would say clients are very open to getting a little bit creative. Like, hey, I've seen this natural stone countertop and I love it.
Jesse Sampley (10:24)
Mm.
Brooke Coty (10:40)
Well, that's double the budget and it's not going to work. So what about a quartz option or what about maybe a granite option that still can give you some beautiful movement, but it's not in that hundred dollar per square foot price point.
Jesse Sampley (10:54)
Yeah.
Brooke Coty (10:55)
just sometimes it's hand holding and sometimes it's going back to the drawing board and saying, we've got to reselect. But I think the more that we do this, the more that we can kind of get that vision board up front and say, OK, I have some good ideas here. And I have some thoughts on how we can keep it at a happy price point and not keep going back and say, high, too high.
Jesse Sampley (11:17)
What is the communication look like you've got a builder, you've got you guys? does that look like as far as bringing the news if something needs to be changed? Are you going back to the builder checking with them first just to get budgets?
Brooke Coty (11:31)
We like to have our budgets prior to making any selections really. So we've got kind of those allowances for tile, for flooring, for countertops. And we are taking our customer to the builder's preferred vendor at that point and having that conversation with them if there are overages or it's out of stock or.
We can't get it for six months and we need it yesterday. We're kind of relaying the majority of those conversations when it comes to the type of selections that we're kind of in charge of, so to speak.
Jesse Sampley (11:54)
Yeah.
often are you guys communicating with the client?
Brooke Coty (12:05)
Client communication, some clients and builders use our service to the full capacity. Others are like, hey, I'm gonna bring you in when I have questions.
If we have a client who is using us to the full capacity, that communication, I would say two to three times a week, especially as the project is ramping up and really getting out of the and in construction phase.
Jesse Sampley (12:27)
it's going to kind of some of the big decisions that should be made before Sheetrock. So in the framing side, builders, we're doing a walkthrough, we're really, even though a little bit easier to visualize, still when things are framed, it's still a little hard to, you're not in these boxes, you're still a little abstract. So the real key things that you're focusing on to make sure that gets right before?
they're putting those boards on.
Brooke Coty (12:51)
Yeah, even before concrete is poured, we like to go ahead and have our appliances nailed down. So that's really one of the first design selections that we'll make is going to the appliances and getting those nailed down so the ice makers going in the right spot. We've got water lines in the appropriate place.
and then we're identifying whether we want a pot filler or not. Just thinking through all of those items and then plumbing any out of the wall faucets that we need to plumb for where we want to land those things as quickly as possible. then moving into electrical.
Because a lot of the times the electrical plan just gets thrown out, I think. Because we don't want 52 cam lights in a room. We want to add sconces. We want to add chandeliers, different types of lighting. if the electrical plan calls for something different, we've got to notate that pretty quickly.
Jesse Sampley (13:31)
No.
Yeah, a builder
was telling me, he said, one thing that I changed that he said, this has just been a game changer for me is he has his electrician go ahead and nail up the boxes and can lights before they run the wire. And then they do a final walk. They do a walkthrough just to make sure, okay, is this too much lighting, where the switches are. And just so they get a good visual on He said, my electrician loves me.
because now he's not having to, re-pull wire or do any of that. He said it has really solved. even if it's just a couple changes still redoing any kind of wiring is just not, that's not a good place to be.
Brooke Coty (14:07)
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's not fun.
Yeah, and the electrician and subcontractors are just like, it's a happier relationship. We can just do it right the first time.
Jesse Sampley (14:24)
Yeah.
Exactly.
And they're always trying to, have a, do things that, the trades will look back on and say, Hey, thank you so much for kind of taking care of me. when you need something, especially when these guys for, some of these people are working for the same trades for, 15, 20 years. view, these builders as, ⁓ take care of me and I'll take care of you.
Brooke Coty (14:35)
⁓
Yeah.
Oh, for sure. And that goes a long way. And you kind of learn their working style too. And you know what's going to push their buttons. And you know what's going to be OK. He'll be OK with this. But I think having that in mind, that relationship goes a long way. And on the design side too, because
We don't want to cause any rifts between the subs and the builder. it's very important to us. think that we always, we're kind of a good guy, so to speak, with our client. We're making the fun decisions. We're doing the fun stuff. And the builder sometimes has to have the hard job of pushing the timeline along or whatever it might be, decision making.
Jesse Sampley (15:10)
Yeah.
Right.
Brooke Coty (15:29)
We always try to build up our builders and we don't ever want to chunk anybody under the bus, to speak. It's important that you speak the best of everyone involved. ⁓
Jesse Sampley (15:40)
Yeah, I was going
to ask how do you position that, that relationship just so that, it is just some of these builds, will go on for, a year six, seven months. It's a really long, relationship time. Some romantic relationships don't even last that long. it's, when you bring so many people to the table, it's important that everyone feels valued.
Brooke Coty (15:53)
you
Jesse Sampley (16:00)
like, the design team and the client that are just constantly hounding me to try to get this stuff done. Do they not realize what we're trying to do here? are there other intentional things that you guys are doing with the different trades or with the builder just to build a good rapport early on?
Brooke Coty (16:14)
think just trying to be as clear as possible and another saying that Lindsay has coined is clarity is kindness and the more clear that we can be the more we can pull information out and make sure that we're saying exactly the same things the better off we're gonna be and you gotta get your groove too because every builder is different they all communicate differently and you've got to learn their style
Jesse Sampley (16:21)
Mm.
Brooke Coty (16:39)
I know several are, they're in the field, they're not behind a desk checking their inbox every moment. So a phone call is typically easier, a quick text, don't get offended if it's just a simple yes, no answer, it's just they're in the field, they're moving, they're going, they need decisions to push along. So.
I think having the decision, being in front of the decision making process, so to speak, like having the documents as early as possible and not waiting until the last minute is something that we really try to strive to do. a timely decision
Jesse Sampley (17:10)
Is
there anything that you're doing on site helps that?
Brooke Coty (17:14)
clarity.
Jesse Sampley (17:15)
like on a design side, like I've
seen some people that, put up some sort of a printed something where a fireplace is going to go just so that, know, as the electrician's there, got a good concept of, what is actually going to be in this space if it's something a little unusual or something like that.
Brooke Coty (17:31)
Yes, we do. put in the bathroom, we've got here's the countertop, the whole countertop take off. Here's the edge style, here's the profile, here's the sink shape. Is it one hole, two hole out of the wall faucet? So putting those in that information on in the correct room we've done when there's a tricky paint take off. We've got
Jesse Sampley (17:49)
Mm-hmm.
Brooke Coty (17:53)
every color paint going on a different wall will put it on the wall or write a pencil on the wall with the builders permission of course. But putting those things up just especially if it's not a cut and dry situation with selection there. Yeah.
Jesse Sampley (18:08)
Yeah. And then what KPIs are you guys tracking for the success of a job? And what do you think that builders should be doing to maybe implement some of those same but maybe something they don't normally think of just because they're not in your shoes?
just a metric to say like, hey, we started this project, we ended the job. Are there some things that we are making sure, hey, this was a success if these different things happen?
Brooke Coty (18:32)
Yeah, I would say success happens when decisions are made on time. There's not a fire drill to be like, we missed this and now we need a selection now. So keeping on top of the timeline, having clear communication really helps the overall experience for everyone.
I'd have to think about some additional things. I'm sure they'll come to me,
Jesse Sampley (18:54)
A lot of people just say communication. say, doesn't matter if it's good news, bad news, indifferent news, as long as you've got consistent communication, it is so much easier than to say, I haven't talked to this person for 30 days. They've been out of town or they're an out of country buyer or something like that. now the first time I'm talking to this person in a while, I've got to deliver bad news and it's in a much more challenging place to be than saying, yeah, I'm checking in with these people two to three times a week. I'm sending them progress photos.
Brooke Coty (19:13)
Yeah.
Yes.
Jesse Sampley (19:21)
you a there's a consistent communication channel there. Everybody has said the same thing is this communicate, communicate, communicate and everything, no matter what it is, it will just be a lot easier once you've got that good rhythm in place.
Brooke Coty (19:32)
sure. That's
for sure. And I think some clients are able to communicate better than others and you can definitely tell a difference in the way that the job flows when they can communicate. They can be on site maybe once a week or just talk through a decision instead of trying to type it out. But communication is key and I think
Jesse Sampley (19:45)
Mm-hmm.
Brooke Coty (19:56)
Sometimes even when it's hard news, you got to say it and you got even if it's a direct conversation, my husband will say, hey, sometimes I'm direct, you're going to get the truth from me. And that's the goal.
Jesse Sampley (20:01)
Yeah.
Yeah,
yeah. There was another builder that told me, I didn't always make my clients happy, but I always did right by them. And I thought that was a good perspective to have is that, I'm going to have these hard conversations. It may not make you happy that you can't have this product in no fault of my own, just I'm going to be the one to deliver this news, but we're going to figure it out together and having that kind of like, are together in this. It's us.
Brooke Coty (20:15)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Jesse Sampley (20:31)
against
the build and we're going to solve this, this is a problem we're going to solve because there are so many decisions to make. And I think that lines up a good relationship for the build to say this isn't fragmented. This is all of us, all of us as a team, no matter who is on our team, the trades, the designer, the architect, the builder, all of us are going to accomplish this thing that we can be real happy with at the very end of the day.
Brooke Coty (20:36)
Right.
Yeah, starts well and ends well. There's a lot that goes on in between, we got to start well and end well. one of the things I do, what I started seeing on the build side is during grading, framing.
Jesse Sampley (20:58)
Yeah.
Brooke Coty (21:10)
That's an exciting time because things are going up. The project is starting and then we kind of get into it and then drywall hits and then the bills are stacking up and the decisions are being made and maybe a product's not available. Sometimes when I kind of felt maybe some tension arising, I would send that homeowner a gift card like, hey, here's a little night out from us. You two go and enjoy and just have a great night out. Just a little thank you.
you for your patience because there's a lot of frustration that goes on with a custom build. not always intentional. It's just it's a decision making. It's a lot of it's an investment from a money standpoint and a time standpoint and sometimes attention just gets a little high.
Jesse Sampley (21:54)
Yeah, not to even on the client side, they're internal, my wife and I have built three homes together and it will try you.
Brooke Coty (22:00)
Yes.
Yes,
well, sometimes we feel like marriage counselors. We really do. Somebody wants this, but that person doesn't want it, and we're having, sidebar conversations like no, no, no, we're keeping this in the group conversation. So we've experienced that for sure.
Jesse Sampley (22:19)
We're actually building a house right now. not a custom home, but it's kind of like a semi we a couple options to choose
and we didn't have a whole lot, but it was a, like a six hour session where we went through the whole house and picked everything. I thought we were all a hundred percent agreed on like what we wanted, but once you start getting into it, and they, and you start choosing, here's all the color.
for the cabinets and here's all the finishes and it was just like yeah obviously this my wife's like no not obviously that I'm like wait a second so over the course of six hours but it was really fun and it's nice when you have someone organize the lady that we worked with she was like you said she was kind of playing you
Brooke Coty (22:45)
I'm not.
Jesse Sampley (22:56)
guidance counselor as far as, that's a good, let me just introduce a little thought here, fast forward five years down the road and, think about this side. sure it can be kind of a fun, experience to just working with, if you love people, just working with those people and helping them and ultimately seeing them at the end of the project with, something that they're extremely happy with.
Brooke Coty (22:58)
Mm-hmm.
Yes.
Yeah. ⁓ for sure.
Yes, that they're moved in happy and live in what they've created. That's the happy moment for sure. selections can be done differently. it sounds like with you guys, you were kind of just able to nail them out, within the half a, a little over half a day, but sometimes it's several meetings and it's long days. And so,
Jesse Sampley (23:21)
Yeah.
Brooke Coty (23:35)
Lindsay has the capacity to just keep going. And I'm like, hey, we got to build in some snack breaks. We got to build in some, I need a mental break. Like your customer may not be able to hang with you that long. And so splitting them up or even just breaking for lunch is just, that's been beneficial too.
Jesse Sampley (23:53)
guys place where you already have some of stuff that they picked out or are they picking stuff out in with you guys in that meeting?
Brooke Coty (24:03)
So it's different for every customer so to speak. We do have a studio in town here and we have a lot of selections and samples kind of if we've got a smaller home like it it's a pool house or an in-law suite we can simply have all those selections there and we can knock out everything there but usually we're going to the tile vendor and the flooring showroom and the light showroom.
lighting is tricky because need to sometimes see how these are actually looking when they're up in the air. So lot of times it's beneficial to go and take the client to those meetings.
Jesse Sampley (24:33)
Yeah, it's loose.
let's switch gears a little bit to the marketing side, how people perceive you, what's important for, this is across the board for, for anyone, not just builders, just the importance of putting yourself out there so that, someone that wants to work with you has a familiarity around like who you are, what type of projects you work on, some of your style.
What have you guys done? what do you focus on just to kind of keep that reputation moving forward?
Brooke Coty (25:09)
Yeah, so I think at first when we kind of, social media is huge for us. Instagram, Facebook, kind of getting into TikTok, I don't really know much about it, but that's the way people get their information. And staying consistent and showing up there is a huge, we get a lot of, I would say leads from social media.
when we can showcase projects that we've done and say, they actually did this project and they're seeing the finished picture and that we worked with a builder, maybe a local builder and we've built that relationship I think there's some building trust and.
putting your face out there, which is difficult too. better at that than I am. And we would, put our faces out there. We need to be seen. They want to see you. They want to learn about you as person. And we live in a pretty close, I would say tight knit community in Jackson County here. And, building that, cause you're going to see people at the ballpark and the
Jesse Sampley (25:54)
Yes.
Mm-hmm.
Brooke Coty (26:07)
restaurants
in the grocery store. that person who is trustworthy and honest is huge but also able to do what you say you can do. We can design a home, we can help you remodel the home, we can help you refresh your space, we've got the capabilities to do so.
Jesse Sampley (26:22)
And that's where social media comes in with the social proof that portrays that and also communicates that we're saying that we can do all this stuff, not just because we've listed it out on the website, but here's what we're actually working on. here's some of the challenges that we work through, showing all aspects of it rather than just, highlight reel after highlight reel.
Brooke Coty (26:35)
Yeah.
Jesse Sampley (26:42)
I think the word of year, maybe this year or last year, I don't remember, was, people want more of that authentic feel. And that is just showing up and showing, talking to camera, because it is the person on the very end, on the other side of the screen. And, that is kind of the virtual way of connecting with people. And I've heard a lot of builders now say that.
Brooke Coty (27:00)
Mm-hmm.
Jesse Sampley (27:02)
Instagram, it being more the visual storytelling side of social media channels. They're getting these virtual referrals. So people that have never even met them, they're seeing what they're putting out there. They're seeing the projects that they're working on and what they pay attention to. So they're getting people that are referred to them from people that just follow them on social media and be like, Hey, I know that you guys are in the Phoenix area. You guys look great. I'm going to go ahead and send work your way. They're like, we don't even know this person.
Brooke Coty (27:27)
Yeah,
yeah, that's great. Yeah, for sure. So being consistent there is huge, for sure. And spending and investing into, we're kind of looking to get into kind of the commercial realm of designing out spaces. And so we want to show up there as well and put some money towards marketing there. But that's kind of word of mouth,
Jesse Sampley (27:31)
Yeah.
Hmm.
Brooke Coty (27:51)
So if we build a positive relationship with others, you never know what that might lead to and who these folks are connected to.
Jesse Sampley (27:58)
who do you guys look for for inspiration? Things that kind of pour into you guys that then inspire you on the day to day. They're books or podcasts or other companies.
Brooke Coty (28:05)
Yeah.
Yeah, definitely other companies, I think just on social media, what they're liking, what they're designing. It's fun to see that all the different styles and our vendors too. Our vendors like will have us out. We got to visit the new here in Atlanta, the SubZero showroom that just opened last fall. So It's great to see what's out there as far as,
boring as it sounds, refrigeration and cooking, but it's incredible. mean it's a high dollar decision that you're making and so it's good to see their new technology. Tile suppliers too, they'll have new samples or what they're getting in there's always the markets that we could go to as well. We've not yet done any big shows but I think it would be beneficial and exciting at the same time.
Again, I mentioned earlier, my husband is a builder and just everybody has their gift and their talent. And if you're driven towards that gift, you can really see that in a person. And it's very honest and genuine and they love what they do. ⁓
Jesse Sampley (29:09)
Yeah.
Tell me more about his building company what are things that you've taken away that have helped you on the design side.
Brooke Coty (29:14)
Yeah.
builds custom homes. And again, I do have a foot in that business too. So when my business partner, Lindsay, and I did meet, she first came to me to the building company. And so we got to work together in that capacity, just kind of building out a process.
Jesse Sampley (29:27)
well.
Brooke Coty (29:33)
kind of talked and we were like, a better way to do this. There's a process. things that can be put in place to minimize just confusion and frustration for the homeowner and the builder. how we kind of met. But anyway, that's when we started.
So bringing that over to the design side, okay, here's what we need first. And here's what the builder's really thinking and living and knowing him, he doesn't care about the design board. He doesn't care about all the colors that are going in. He just wants to know the selection is there and everything is ready for me to just press go.
But there's such a collaborative effort, I feel, that has to happen between builder and designer. And it goes so much better when the two can just kind of blend. And especially when you're trying to pull off an intricate trim wall with tons of detail. And you've got to talk those through and work together. really go hand in hand.
Jesse Sampley (30:29)
it makes it easier on the builder side too. like you said, they're not wanting to have to think about this. And I would say even, on a custom side, usually someone's dictating, what they want and helping that decision making just depending on how they, how their construction or building company is, if they've got someone on their team that handles some of that. like I said, a lot of these guys are also building spec homes.
they're saying this was the first time I was having to choose everything. And I'm like, I don't know. I've never thought about all of this, side of it before, when I'm having to see what fixture goes with this countertop and all of these other decisions, it's like, this is a little overwhelming.
Brooke Coty (30:55)
Yeah. Right.
Yeah, for sure. And no two specs are the same. We can't just have a copy and paste for every single spec. The home's different. The ceiling heights are different. The lighting is different.
Jesse Sampley (31:12)
Right.
Brooke Coty (31:15)
we do help in that realm as well. There's picking out spec packages and it's nice because there's no customer really involved. Just the allowance is the customer, so to speak, and we're staying within that and maybe we're coming under. We've got to win.
Jesse Sampley (31:29)
Yeah.
Well, tell me what's the future look like for you guys fast forwarding five, 10 years down the road.
Brooke Coty (31:35)
Yeah, great question again. think stepping into this year and kind of building out the commercial side our business is something that Lindsay and I would love to begin to see taking shape. We don't really know what that's going to look like. And, as designers, try to take on all that we can, but
we've kind of learned over the past couple of years that our...
best client is the one that lets us be involved from start, from plans to pillows is what we say. They want us there for the plan phase, the build journey, and then we're working on getting all of the furniture and finishing touches in place. We would love to be able to offer that whole package to more and more of our clients and find those clients because it's not every price point that that works and that's fine.
Jesse Sampley (32:03)
I love it.
Brooke Coty (32:23)
But when we can, it's very effective and it's some best work, honestly, because we're planning from the beginning for that sofa. And it sounds silly, but if it works in a room, it's gonna make their room feel so much better. ⁓
Jesse Sampley (32:35)
Yeah. Well,
how can people find more about you guys and learn more if they wanted to do work with you?
Brooke Coty (32:42)
So we are online. have Instagram as well. So if we go to our website, we've got a button where you can fill out just a quick connect and it will send an investment guide. And we it look like working with Hawkins and Gray? What are the costs? What's the commitment, so to speak? a great first step.
Jesse Sampley (33:02)
Awesome, yeah.
And this is hawkinsandgray.com. Wonderful. And we'll be sure to put it in the show notes and in the description below. Brooke, thank you so much for this conversation. I'm excited to follow along with what you guys are doing see how you grow into the commercial space. It'll be exciting to see that.
Brooke Coty (33:06)
Yes.
Yeah. Thank you.
Yeah,
all right. Well, thank you for the time. I really appreciate it.
