Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rebecca Carlson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Rebecca, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you share a customer success story with us?
We recently had our skills put to the test with a bathroom project, of all spaces. Something that seemed small took almost a year to design but the effort and time spent was well worth the result. We got the request to design and reconfigure this Airbnb primary bathroom, to create a 6×6 ft. double shower and add stacked laundry in the bathroom/closet where the old shower was. This was a large undertaking under normal circumstances but the hard part about this project was that it had to be done during a 4 week window, no exceptions because the property was booked as a vacation rental on either side of the construction window. Everything had to be designed and planned to a tee, well in advance, to make the timeline work. The design was intricate with a double shower, 6’ bench seat with a granite top, custom tile hexagon shower pan and hexagon tile accent walls. The scope included adding structural headers and extending the shower drain as far as code would allow, to relocate it to the old primary closet. With inspections and the amount of craftsman custom work that was required, this was a very tight turnaround. Cleanup took until 4 AM on the last day, but it was completed on time and turned out to be our most beautiful bathroom yet. It is one of those satisfying transformations we did last year. The double Jack & Jill shower was what dreams are made of. The ability to exit the shower, walk across the heated floor, just a few feet to grab a warm towel fresh from the dryer, is how we brought daily joy and comfort to our client’s life in just 4 weeks.
Rebecca, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
You could say that design and artistry is in Rebecca’s blood. From the time she was a child, Rebecca was interested in designing clothes, finding attractive ways to arrange furniture, painting beautiful pictures and wall hangings, and innately understanding the best way to make anything shine. She graduated from FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) with a degree in technical design. Rebecca parlayed that knowledge and experience into starting a remodeling company, Carlson Property Solutions (CPS), with her husband Brian. Rebecca quickly learned the construction trade and used her design experience to help clients achieve their dream remodel. Rebecca earned her general contractors license in order to add to her expertise in remodeling and quickly realized that a female general contractor was a rarity, making up only 1% of the construction field. This led to the start of 3 Tree Design House (3TDH). Rebecca wanted to help women and young people build their own skilled trade company as a vocational path, different from the typical college prep path. Her mission is to make 3TDH more than just a renovation service by redesigning how homes are remodeled and by providing a resource for women and young people to learn the basics they need to successfully navigate the construction industry. She helps her clients realize their vision for their home whether they want to build wealth through sweat equity or whether they want to hire a contractor to make their vision a reality.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
In my experience, success in entrepreneurship is all about having the ability to pivot as soon as it is necessary. Supply chain ups and downs, the nationwide contractor shortage and rising home prices are constant pressures on our business. When we started our first business in 2015, our outlook looked much different. We had hoped to grow our service offering by taking on more employees and tackling all projects in-house. But once the pandemic hit, that business model was crushing for our small family business. In our county in 2020, we were shut down for months and especially since we work in people’s homes and must pass city inspections, we suffered . We had to pivot to a different business model entirely to meet the needs of our time. We have limited employees and overhead to reduce costs passed on to our clients. We spend a great deal of time networking with the best local specialists so that we have the best team of people for our clients. Its funny more people working from home has actually led to an increase in demand for renovations in the last few years but material price increases and the lack of contractors, especially in our area, has made remodeling even more out of reach for many in our community. More people have to DIY and need direction on how to do that in a way that protects their investment from rookie mistakes. Our new business model addresses the needs of DIYer’s and homeowners that need a clear plan on a budget. We now, more than ever, consider the homeowner’s needs and try to make the renovation process as helpful as we can for them.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
My cofounder and business partner is my husband Brian. We met on Match.com in 2010 and have been inseparable ever since. He has taught me almost everything I know about renovating a house and I have taught him how to run a business and keep him up to date on the design world. He is the yin to my yang and we are a great partnership for our clients. With him as the project manager and me as the designer, our projects come together in a way that is efficient, well-planned and a craftsman finish. We enjoy getting to work together every day in our family business because it allows us to spend time with our young daughter Olive while being connected to our community and providing a gratifying service to our neighbors.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://3treedesignhouse.com/
- Instagram: @3treedesignhouse
- Facebook: @3treedesignhouse
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RebeccaCarlson-mi3iq
Image Credits
Branding by Bree