Starting a home renovation company at the height of a recession isn’t advice I’d give to others, but that’s exactly what Mina and I did in 2008. We knew we had the passion and determination to make it happen, but we needed more than that. What was going to make us different from any other home remodeling business? That part was simple: we knew there was a better way to help homeowners remodel and we were committed to creating the best home remodeling experience we could. We knew to accomplish that we needed to adapt an innovative approach and be an industry disrupter. So, we created the Renovation Roadmap™ as a way to guide homeowners through the remodeling process by providing a transparent roadmap they could follow, coupled with embracing technology to help us provide a better customer experience.
Twelve years in, I look back at those early years and our against-all-odds success story to becoming an award winning home remodeler. We started out small, working out of a windowless basement. A key part of our success was always being thoughtful in our growth strategies. Before long, we moved to our first office space on Bowman Green Drive in Reston and began to grow our team. Having our own in-house team of experts has also been central to our success – our Interior Designers, Carpenters and Project Managers are all Synergy employees. This ensures we can deliver a seamless experience to our clients with no handoffs between designers and construction crews.
We always felt Reston was a great place to build a company for a number of reasons – great community, small enough to get to know others (we frequently bump into our clients at local restaurants and events!) and easy access to service other areas of Northern Virginia. We quickly determined, however, that we needed to more clearly define our service areas. So much time can be wasted sitting in traffic so we chose to work on home remodeling projects outside the Beltway, with most projects concentrated in Reston, Herndon, Oakton, Vienna, McLean, Ashburn and surrounding areas. We moved to our existing Reston location right beside Reston Town Center on Sunset Hills Road and celebrated the grand opening of our office and showroom in January 2017 – a big step, but a proud moment for all of us.
As business owners, we knew we had to clearly define what we were as a home remodeling company – and what we weren’t! We decided early on that there was no “one size fits all” approach with Synergy. We provide a full service experience and only work on design-thoughtful home remodels – no flips, no pull and replaces, no ‘doing up’ homes to sell. I think that’s one of the reasons for our success: each and every project we work on is customized to our client’s home, design aesthetic and personality. Our clients typically intend to stay in their home for the medium to longer term, so their home remodel is all about how they will use and enjoy their space. We only work on four or five projects at a time, and each project has a dedicated Lead Carpenter. Working in the way we do allows us to deliver home remodeling projects on-time and on-budget, but provide a personalized experience along the way.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, like many others, we didn’t know what the future would hold for home remodeling. However, as always, our talented team pivoted and didn’t skip a beat. Our use of technology paid off – we were easily able to adapt to the new environment in which we all found ourselves and provide virtual consultations and meetings. Our Carpenters ensured additional safety standards were implemented immediately to keep them and our clients safe. We were fortunate that construction was considered an essential business and were thankful we could complete projects that were mid-way through when the pandemic began. In fact, one of our clients at the beginning of the pandemic was a healthcare provider and we take great pride in her praise of our approach to ensure safety in her home and even finishing up her project ahead of schedule!
In the home remodeling industry, there is a 65% company failure rate within the first five years. I attribute Synergy’s success to focusing on providing an exceptional client experience with predictable results: on time, on budget while maintaining high quality standards. No matter what the circumstances, whether it’s an economic recession, a global health pandemic (or both at the same time!), one thing remains a constant: our clients and their experience comes first. Now that’s something to celebrate!
If you’re looking for a home remodeler who is committed to a more personal and customized approach for your home remodeling project, give us a call. Let us show you why ‘renovating happy’ is what we’re all about!
