Today we’d like to introduce you to Pedro Hernandez.
Hi Pedro, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Working in construction has been a part of my life from a young age. Throughout my childhood in Mexico, I worked by my father’s and family members’ sides as we hand-built two of our family homes. Once we immigrated to the United States, we built our home again in Socorro, Texas. As I grew into adulthood, working in construction became the skill I had to provide for my family. I frequently accepted out-of-state construction jobs that took me to the Carolinas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Colorado. As all the traveling took its toll on my time with my family, I decided to learn a new trade. Within a period, I became a certified welder and permanently relocated to the Austin area. My welding got me hired by a prominent builder in the Austin area. I utilized my welding and construction skills throughout my time working with that builder. As time went on, my work got noticed by a reputable inspection company in Austin. My name made a referral list, and the calls started regularly. Before I knew it, my oldest son was by my side, learning what I had to teach him. All these years later, we pride ourselves on being a family-owned and operated business with a consistent customer base that helps us grow every day.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
It has only sometimes been a smooth road. As with any new business, the struggle to find projects and get our name out in the industry was genuine. For many months there was a learning curve to manage payroll and make sure all the bills got paid, but it was worth the struggle to build the company correctly. My son, spouse, and I stayed firm in our commitment to building the company, believing that our custom work would speak for itself. It did, and the calls started coming in consistently from professionals in the real estate industry. Realtors and inspectors became familiar with our work and our competitive pricing, and the company was beginning to grow through word-of-mouth referrals. The company continued to grow project by project, and the fear of not having work was no longer constant. It is always a challenge to ensure there are enough jobs scheduled to keep my employees working and to keep the bills paid. This industry is cyclical. Just like any area of real estate, there are times of year when work will slow down for a period. I must always look weeks and months ahead to schedule jobs accordingly to get through the slower times of the year. In recent years, the rising cost of materials has been a significant struggle in the industry. I always strive to be competitively priced so my clients come back to me for every remodeling project they have. I cannot do a bathroom or kitchen remodel for the exact pricing as I could do them several years ago. My expenses for materials, insurance, gas, and employee wages have all gone up. I must accommodate those higher expenses, but for every project, I strive to make my clients feel they have been given a fair and competitive price for work that has ultimately exceeded their expectations.
As you know, we’re big fans of Head 2 Hammer Remodels. What can you tell our readers who might need to be more familiar with the brand?
We are a residential remodeling company. We are proudly family-owned and operated. My spouse and I founded the company approximately 8 years ago, and with our blended family of 8 children, we always have more employees. The core of our crew consists of myself, my oldest son, my daughter-in-law, and one of my daughters. Our experience allows us to run multiple job sites at a time. I take so much pride in teaching our kids these life skills and watching them grow into their talents in this industry. As a company and a family, we have worked hard to earn our professional reputation.
We can handle all remodeling work, whether painting and replacing flooring to get a house ready to be listed on the market or hand-crafting a dream kitchen for one of our realtor’s forever homes. We pride ourselves on our craftsmanship and artistry. We are very detail-oriented and go into every project like we are creating art in our own homes. We are especially known for our custom fireplaces and mantles, our custom carpentry work, bathroom remodels, kitchen remodels, and the addition of outdoor kitchens. Our goal is always to take what a client imagines in their head and use our hands and tools to craft artwork in front of their eyes.
We take pride in doing all the work ourselves. I am a general contractor, so I subcontract out very little work. I want every client to feel completely comfortable trusting us to understand their needs and wants and then exceed their expectations. Our client’s satisfaction throughout the whole process is vital to us. We know that we are working in peoples’ homes. Our clients may work from home, or they may have small children, or they may have animals. We must always be professional, respectful, clean, and safe while we are in our clients’ homes. Every day, we should leave a job site in a state that would be safe for people, kids, or animals to move around in that space. Our clients trust us to be in their homes and around their families; we do not take that kind of trust for granted. Our greatest joy is finishing a project and knowing our clients have become part of our family as much as we have become a part of theirs.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some changes you expect to see over the next five to ten years?
I see the industry continuing to grow exponentially over the next 5-10 years, especially in Austin and the surrounding areas. With the exceptional rate at which the Austin area is growing, there are plenty of established homes that need a new life and newly built homes that need the homeowners’ personal touches added to them. People enjoy modern, open spaces with natural light in their homes. Kitchens and bathrooms will always be favorite spaces for these remodeling projects. Homeowners want to add their touches to their kitchens by adding islands, new countertops, new flooring, beautiful backsplashes, custom cabinets, and natural lighting. Bathrooms are also one of the most popular rooms in the house to remodel. People want spacious, beautiful walk-in showers. Heated floors are becoming a favorite upgrade as well. Beautiful vanities, sinks, and lots of natural light will always be in demand in remodeling bathrooms. We will start to see a shift away from homes being saturated with gray color schemes, and we will see people leaning more toward natural and earth-tone color palettes. We will also see more natural wood features in homes. Custom carpentry wood features always add a natural, elegant touch to homes. We will continue to see a shift of people remodeling rooms into home offices. Many employers allow their employees to work from home now, and being happy in an office space is vital to employee productivity. People are looking to make the space that they spend so much time in a warm, inviting place in which to work. Lastly, one of my favorite new trends is the outdoor kitchen. They are increasing in popularity, which I see will continue. We enjoy allowing our clients to add an entire living space outside their homes.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/h2h_remodels/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100065119058194
