Chagrin Home Improvements has perfected the deck restoration process

By Mary Malik

This is a story about how to build a successful local business. At Mimi, we could start just about every story we tell this way. But there’s one local business, Chagrin Home Improvements, with a particularly inspirational story.

But before we get started, Joe Jacobs suggests not getting caught leaving your deck exposed to the elements next winter without a cleaning and staining by his Chagrin Home Improvements. It’s a small investment that will save costly repairs and replacements down the road. There’s still time to get on the schedule before the cold weather arrives, so it’s best to call now. The schedule is filling up fast. Keep reading to find out why.

The Beginning
Joe started Chagrin Home Improvements almost 10 years ago now with the idea of helping homeowners in the community where he grew up maintain their outdoor living spaces.

“After college in Florida, I returned to Chagrin Falls with the idea of starting my own business using the trades I learned working summers throughout high school and college,” Joe says. “I decided to focus on deck restoration in the spring and summer and interior cabinet painting in fall and winter. I was experienced at these trades and had trusted friends and family who had the same experience and were ready to work with me.”

In Florida, Joe realized the damage Ohio winters can do to decks.

“Our outdoor living time is pretty brief,” Joe says. “We need to make sure our decks are ready for us when it’s time to get outside, then prepared properly to survive the winter months. We dedicated ourselves to maintaining these extensions of your home and doing it the right way.”

Chagrin Home Improvements got busy making a name for itself in Chagrin Falls. Fast forward a year or two and homeowners in the surrounding communities were hearing about the business, the expertise and efficiency of the crew—and the satisfaction of customers. Business was booming.

“A growing business is great, of course,” Joe says. “But first and foremost, we want to provide the highest quality product and services for our customers. Growing too fast can compromise quality, so we consciously made the decision to take things slow.”

The Middle
Instead of hiring strangers or seasonal workers like other companies, Joe took the time necessary to first perfect both the skills and the process involved with deck maintenance and restoration with his original crew before adding anyone new.

“We took the next couple seasons to perfect and streamline our process in order to serve customers in a timely manner with the best possible outcome,” Joe says. “This ensured the crew was prepared to train new employees in our way of doing things. This was the only way to control the quality of our process and our results.”

That process involves an initial visit to your home, when Joe or his brother John take photos and measurements of your deck and get back to you with a written quote. The job usually takes two days, depending on the weather. And don’t worry about being home. Go about your day and come home to your beautiful, like-new deck.

“The crew arrives on time and works like a well-oiled machine,” Joe says. “Your beautiful deck should hold up for two or three years with minimal maintenance.”

The crew began to see the fruits of its labors through return customers who were satisfied the first time, turned to Chagrin Home Improvements once again, and were telling friends about this local business.

“This was a great sign that we were gaining the reputation we were working so hard to achieve,” Joe says. “Word of mouth is a powerful thing that works for you or against you. The only thing we can control is the quality of the job we do and the level of service we provide and let the rest take care of itself.”

The Future
Joe likes to say that the right way is the only way the folks at Chagrin Home Improvements know how to do what they do. And they are taking that mantra into the future.

“In the past six months we’ve doubled our number of trucks, doubled our workspace in Chagrin Falls to better serve our fast-growing cabinet painting business, and grown our team—still with friends of friends and family,” Joe says. “We’re learning all the time, looking for ways to improve and grow. It’s definitely not the time to rest, but I’m cautiously optimistic about the future.”

For more information and to get a spot on the schedule, call Joe Jacobs at 440-247-6700 or check the website ChagrinHomeImprovements.com.