A Remodeler Embracing DIY? It’s Not a Myth
The acronym DIY is likely to send shivers down a contractor’s spine—but not so for Mary Peters. The homeowner do-it-yourself ethos actually plays a part in her mission as CEO of Boise, Idaho-based Sasquatch Contracting. She aims to put control back into her clients’ hands and change the construction industry in her area.
In Idaho, it’s fairly simple to obtain a contractor’s license: obtain insurance, pay a fee, and submit an application. Too simple for Peters who thinks the process has created an environment with too many contractors and too little transparency for homeowners. Her mission with Sasquatch Contracting, which she opened in 2016, is to be transparent when providing estimates and welcoming DIY discussions with homeowners.
“Giving ownership back to the customer and giving them as much transparency as possible and walking them through the entire project, educating them as we go through it, that’s what I want to do,” says Peters.
Opening Sasquatch
Before Sasquatch, Peters worked as a fire engineer for data centers, calculating potential fire risks and developing plans to mitigate damage.
She became well-versed in working with navigating high-stakes customer relationships. As Peters says, once you know how to put out a fire, you know how to put out most fires.
In opening Sasquatch she decided “there’s no time like the present.” Peter’s then 11-year-old daughter suggested the imaginative name.
DIY Isn’t a Bad Word
At Sasquatch, transparency comes first, then education. When Peters presents a line-item estimate, she offers homeowners the option to DIY part of the project. Doing so helps build trust and lowers the budget—two notoriously challenging aspects of remodeling.
“It usually happens at the very beginning of the project when you start talking to the client,” explains Peters. “[They’re] like, ‘I really want to do this, and I want to own part of this and have my own sweat equity,’ which we love, and we encourage.”
Sasquatch then advises the homeowner on how best to approach the DIY portion; however, clients typically wind up leaving the work to the pros.
When they don’t, Sasquatch guides clients through the remodeling process, establishing a set of boundaries and rules to ensure the project remains on schedule and up to high standards.
“We still have a very tight process to make sure we stay on budget and schedule,” says Peters. “We’re doing things to the quality that we can put our name on.”
Yeti Home Services
In January, Peters relaunched Yeti Home Services as the home maintenance division of Sasquatch Contracting. It will be the third attempt at establishing this type of program, which is expected to double the company’s revenue.
True to her commitment to transparency, Peters says “We’ve tried to launch Yeti services two times prior, and they were not successful. It is 100% due to not having the right people in the right place and so we pulled back and said ‘OK, if we’re going to do this, let’s do it right.’”
The difference this time is that the division will have a separate technician team, manager, and salespeople. It will also run on a subscription basis with multiple options, including quarterly or monthly home check-ups. No resources will be pulled from Sasquatch Contracting.
The relaunch will expand Sasquatch’s services and further Peters’ mission to offer high quality contracting to Boise, no matter the project size.
“We really want to be the business that will help any person, no matter the size of the project, no matter who you are, no matter where you’re at or what your budget is,” says Peters.
