Conversations with Jacqui Angelo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacqui Angelo. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Phil has been building and remodeling homes by word of mouth only for 30 years in the Denver and Boulder areas.

In 2017, after splitting from his business partner, the idea for a new business was developed. Jacqui was a registered nurse for over 30 years. Working through covid and with the undesirable changes in the system, I retired from nursing in 2021 to focus full-time on Blue Leaf. When we came up with the name, it was important to have a name that reflected the quality of work, as well as the beautiful area in which we live. We didn’t want a “typical” construction business name, i.e., Hammertime Construction”. We also didn’t necessarily want the common “Mile High…” or “5280…”

Phil’s favorite color is blue. We are also nature lovers. We were in the kitchen one day talking about the new business and Phil said “I want it to be something unique, you know like, Blue Leaf Design Build, or something like that”. Did I say, well why not that? So it was then that Blue Leaf Design Build was born.

We lived in Wheat Ridge when we started BLDB. In late 2018, after years of talking about a cabin in the mountains, we decided to move to Conifer. With builders in short supply and high demand in this area, we are positioning ourselves to become The Foothills Builder of Choice. We love this community and want to provide them with the same options that those living in Denver have. We still remodel homes in the west Denver area, from Arvada to Littleton.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For so many years, Phil was a microbusiness owner. All of his work was from word of mouth. He had very little overhead. I was a nurse my entire adult life. Neither of us knew anything about running a business. It’s been a huge learning curve and we’ve made quite a few mistakes along the way. The further we go along, we learn of new resources and make new connections to improve our business.

Finding workers, especially since Covid, has been a huge challenge. This is not unique to us, or construction. In particular, finding well-skilled people with the same work ethics as us has been a particular challenge. It’s been improving but we are always looking for people who want to grow and stay with us long-term.

Building relationships with subcontractors. We want to develop relationships that involve mutual trust and keep us and our subcontractors working. We want our “go-to” tradesmen that we know we can call for every project, and know that their work will be of the quality that we expect and that our clients deserve. It’s been a bit of a challenge, again, especially since Covid. Being Chamber of Commerce members, we are beginning to cultivate these relationships.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Phil attended Penn State for aerospace engineering. Towards the end of his college career, he realized he did not want to be an employee and wanted to work with his hands. He moved to Boulder in 1990. That was when he began dabbling in construction. Eventually, it became his career, where he created beautiful spaces with the utmost craftsmanship.

Jacqui became an RN in 1992. She started in pediatric critical care. From there she worked in research, then dialysis. She spent the last 10 years of her career working in end-of-life, first with Donor Alliance, Colorado, and Wyoming’s Organ Procurement Organization, then at Collier Inpatient Hospice in Wheat Ridge. With the business growing and needing more full-time administrative work, Jacqui retired from nursing and began focusing on the business full-time.

Blue Leaf Design Build provides custom remodels, additions, millwork, and furniture. Phil loves creating and making beautiful spaces and woodworking. His work is truly breathtaking, and he is a master craftsman. We’ve had repeat clients when they’ve sold and bought homes. Many of our clients request custom pieces, whether it’s furniture, doors, cabinets, or other touches to make their homes unique.

Our core values are Vision, Passion, Quality, and Integrity. We think this sums up what we do and who we are very well, yet simply. Without integrity, there is nothing else. It is the foundation for everything else we do. We hear frequently “no one will call us back”, or “they don’t show up when they say they will”. Besides the quality of our work, what sets us apart is that we do call back. We do show up when we say we will. We communicate with our clients so they are never left wondering what’s next or if they will ever see us again.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
HGTV and other home improvement networks have led people to a false sense of what their money can buy them, and they often have sticker shock when they discover how much it costs to create their dream cook’s kitchen. We are a cost-plus, time, and materials business. This means that the homeowner pays the cost of the materials, plus a percentage for management and overhead, as well as fixed per-hour labor charges. We provide estimates, but we do not bid on projects. With inflation, these costs have increased significantly.

We caution people to be cautious with people who say they can remodel for cheap, and who can do it right away.

These are the situations that lead to us getting phone calls where things weren’t done well, or in some cases were never even finished. It’s unlikely that anyone can remodel their kitchen for $30,000 anymore unless they are putting in the most basic, off-the-shelf finishes, and even then it’s difficult. Particularly with remodels, which often reveal issues that need to be addressed once the demo starts.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.blueleafdesignbuild.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blueleafdesignbuild
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blueleafdesignbuild
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blueleafdesignbuild/
• Other: https://pinterest.com/blueleafdesignbuild

Image Credits
Ali V Photography and Blue Leaf Design Build