Today we’d like to introduce you to Thom Bouis.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Thom. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I enjoyed a near 35-year federal civilian career mostly managing federal buildings, workplace safety and health and injured worker compensation, alas, my own repetitive motion bilateral carpal tunnel injury necessitated my early disability retirement in 1999. My hand surgeon instructed me to find something diverse to do with my hands to maintain flexibility and strength without incurring much repetitive motion.
On a trip to Maryland to visit my eldest brother, I observed that his girlfriend’s house main floor squeaked everywhere. I inquired and was informed that to fix it would cost maybe $40K. I offered that I could fix it for less than $40, nowhere near $40,000.00. Somewhat is disbelief and somewhat in challenge my brother said show us. So, in one day, I glued the entire floor to the floor joists from underneath and there were no more squeaks. The now believers said I ought to be in the home improvement business.
Soon after, I founded A to Z Home Services, originally titled My-Guy.Biz, a local attorney couple hired me to crate about 500 pictures for a move and to re-hang them all. That gave me a nice starting project. Over the years, I have completed many unique projects such as fabricating in an attic a 25ft beam to restore integrity to a sagging garage door opening with zero tear apart and zero client disruption. Another client hired me to install a subterranean rebar curtain every 2″ to a depth of 6’’ to prevent Nutria from undermining his dock apron.
A to Z Home Services has evolved to be a very well-equipped company providing an ever-expanding array of home services. We now have several niche products that we sell and install including Trim-A-Slab manufactured in Houston and American Brickweep Screening which we manufacture on site. Most people give little thought to typically about 40-80 brickweep openings around the exterior base of their house often wide enough for snakes, mice, rats, scorpions, spiders, bees and more to get into and then into your occupied dwelling. Houses retrofitted with our brickweep screening almost never need pesticide treatment ever again except for termites. So it’s really a money saver avoiding the recurrent fees for monthly pesticide treatment and avoiding insecticide poison inside your home.
Our company also services WaterRower brand exercise equipment and we are a frequent contractor with Wayfair.com to complete assembly of their most challenging to assemble items, from huge chicken coops to exquisite complex design furniture.
Through extended family we are planning to expand operations to include southern Michigan and central Maryland and then open the business to nationwide franchising. Currently 95% of our business is bid work from ww.thumbtack.com, where our company maintains a consistent 5-star consumer rating and we are consistently in the top 5% of all pros on Thumbtack.
Our focus is to do a complete project as correctly and durably as possible. If we feel that a project is moving too slowly, we voluntarily reduce our invoice in fairness to the client. Barring unexpected traffic disruptions, we strive to always be on time and if not to text the client with an estimated delay, To avoid timekeeping issues when hourly rates are used, we text the client our arrival and text the client our completion, thus Verizon is used as our timekeeper to avoid disputes.
Our parent company Hygeia Group LLC based in Rockwall, Texas, offers professional dispute mediation services across the USA, construction contract dispute arbitration services, and a wide array of other professional services such as safety training, inspections, photo documentation, computer repairs and written scopes of work and technical descriptions for contracting.
Has it been a smooth road?
The most challenging aspect is learning how to skillfully handle clients whom want to renegotiate terms at project end and those whom want more services than I wish to provide, sometimes its awkward telling a client to hire a roofer, that we don’t do roofing, yet the project must be integrated with the roof.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Logistics is our daily challenge to assure that the right tools, the right expertise and correct materials arrive at any given job site relatively simultaneously.
Our primary business focus is sales and installation of our American Brickweep Screening (copyrighted). It’s a product we researched and designed in anticipation of the tiny Crazy Any migrating northward from Houston.
Our company is known for its attention to detail, notably really secure fastening of whatever we do, if we build your master bedroom clothes closet, it will never collapse from ordinary clothes as all weight is transferred directly to the floor, we eliminate side stress wall loading.
When we are on your project, we refuse calls from other clients keeping our focus on your tasks. Most people consider us as professional problem solvers and walking encyclopedias of knowledge with lots of tools.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, the greater DFW metroplex and its satellite cities are perfect. In fact, Thumbtack tells me that I have about 2,500 competitors, so I think that alone is proof. However, these competitors are not equally nor randomly distributed.
Any business just starting should consider utilizing www.Thumbtack.com. Its not free, but can be a very low cost means to reliably find new clients.
Pricing:
- Minimum rate $65phr + trip fee $45 Dallas / $55 Ft. Worth + materials 31.25% markup + tax if applicable.
- All bath and plumbing related services $85phr+ trip fee+materials markup + tax if appropriate.
- We utilize apprentices whenever possible at additional $35phr. However apprentices typically reduce journeyman time by 1/3 essentially same cost and 1/3 quicker completion.
Contact Info:
- Address: A to Z Home Services
a division of Hygeia Group LLC
POB 1614, Rockwall, Texas 75087 - Website: www.my-guy.biz
- Phone: 972-768-6160
- Email: a-to-z@mail.com
- Other: www.thumbtack.com
Image Credit:
All images owned by Hygeia Group LLC, POB 1614, Rockwall, TX 75087
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