Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Carlson. Them and their team share their story with us below:
You could say that design and artistry are 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 at its best.
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 contractor’s license 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. She can do it all!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has been smooth regarding our continued belief in our mission as a company that we are more than just a renovation service. We are redesigning how we remodel our homes by providing a resource for women to learn the basics they need to successfully navigate the construction industry. We help our 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.
However, there have been struggles along the way that we are working to overcome. To begin, construction is traditionally a male arena. The 10% of women in the trade typically work in the office. As a woman trying to break into the industry, there have been struggles with being the rare female who is a general contractor as well as a designer.
Even with these credentials, the tendency to be viewed as “just a decorator” is a frequent occurrence, necessitating a need to “pay our dues,” on the job site, with subcontractors; even buying materials from Home Depot involves the need to constantly prove a familiarity and knowledge of the business. In addition, construction is a competitive industry to break into that can carry a lot of liability. As a small business; dealing with regulations, liability, overhead, and community connection can be an overwhelming task.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about 3 Tree Design House?
We are a company made up of women that are experts in design, renovation & education. Because we have lived the female perspective, we understand this vastly underserved market from a personal and fundamental level, allowing us the unfair advantage of knowing how to help them solve their home-related problems. We are
proud of our partnerships with groups and businesses that share our vision and want to educate our clients about their expertise.
This includes local and national partnerships with electricians, plumbers, roofers, solar installers, carpenters, material distributors, real estate agents, women’s groups, etc. We understand all sides of the remodel industry & want to empower more women through education and skills-based training that is hands-on and meets industry
codes and standards.
Founded by a General Contractor and Designer herself, 3 Tree Design House offers support to an underserved market of female household decision-makers. We host renovation workshops that provide knowledge and training for everything from tackling a first project as a DIYer to becoming a construction professional. Women understand the power of a beautiful room.
We understand that when a home is functional and nice to look at, it has a positive effect on our mood and lives in general. We know that homes are sacred and when we can take care of them, they can improve our lives every day, instead of being a cause of stress and a drain on our time & money. Women are also a drastically under-represented market in the remodeling industry. We are here to help change that.
At 3 Tree, our optimistic design strategy encourages using innovative solutions to create sensible & lasting improvements that have a meaningful impact on our clients’ daily lives and pocketbooks. We provide priceless resources to our clients, like recommended specialists for the installation; high quality/sustainable materials that
stand the test of time and are sourced from partners with integrity.
We understand that the best clients are educated about the design & renovation process, so they can be confident in making the right decisions for their homes. Renovation does not have to be a stressful experience. With the right plan and support, it can be a wonderful, empowering & educational process. Our goal is to continue to grow and set big goals for ourselves. We want to be able to create a beautiful space where women feel welcome and catered to when it comes to the remodeling industry.
The space should make us feel come and be inspired, purchase well-sourced material, learn about the industry, and gain skills that measurably improve our lives. The space would be a renovation inspiration itself including a meeting room for staff with a large round table to encourage open communication and collaboration.
The showroom up front would offer a display of key partner’s product lines to allow our clients to design their projects, purchase their materials and even rent the tools necessary to complete their projects. The main feature of the 3TDH space would be the renovation workshop classroom, complete with worktables, tools, and presentation technology.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
What differentiates, 3 Tree Design House (3TDH), from our competition, is our focus on perspective-taking. 3TDH intentionally sets aside our ideas and mindfully opens ourselves to our client’s viewpoint. We set aside our presumptions and engage with our client’s personal experiences, desires, and ideas and bring their proposals to life.
3TDH takes each client’s plans and makes them a reality through customized, realistic design mockups, allowing the customer to further narrow down their project for remodeling. We recognize our internal biases as we engage, observe and adjust their design; communicating our suggestions through a collaborative model. 3TDH connects with our clients through estimation, discovery, imagination, and empathy, making the customer’s dream a reality.
Pricing:
- $500 – Initial 3-D Design Mockup (1 Small Basic Room)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.3treedesignhouse.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3treedesignhouse/
