From Laborer to Founder
I learned this trade one step at a time: on job sites, at the estimating desk and behind a lumberyard counter. Every job photo on this page is mine.
How I Learned the Trade
- 012018 to 2020
On the Tools
I started on job sites in 2018. I worked customer service at Home Depot, and in my other hours I was on a timber-frame crew. We cut every mortise and tenon by hand, numbered each piece, and raised the frames on site.
At the same time, I was in school at Kennebec Valley Community College. I finished my associate's degree in sustainable construction in 2020.
- 022020 to 2022
Running the Job
From 2020 to 2022 I worked for a Maine home builder as a carpenter and estimator, and I worked up from laborer to project manager. I was on historic renovations where the old sills had rotted out from under the house, and new builds from the foundation up.
Estimating taught me how a price gets built, where the padding hides, and why a vague contract turns into a fight in month three. All told, I've built more than 50 garages and 30 homes.
- 032022 to 2025
Behind the Counter
Then I spent three years in inside sales at a Maine lumberyard. I priced material packages for contractors every day, so I saw how a job comes together from the other side of the counter.
One day a woman walked into the lumberyard in tears. A builder had taken her money and vanished. She asked me for a referral, and one of the good builders I knew stepped in and finished her job at a deep discount. She later sent him a referral that turned into a $1 million addition.
The Milestones
- 2018
Started on Maine job sites on a timber-frame crew, while working customer service at Home Depot.
- 2020
Finished my degree at KVCC and went to work as a carpenter and estimator for a Maine home builder.
- 2020
Started Blueprint Web LLC to get good contractors found online. I still run it.
- 2022
Moved into inside sales at a Maine lumberyard, pricing jobs for contractors every day.
- 2025
Started Garage Builders Maine in January and Seth's Home Pros in May.
- 2026
Started breaking down real Maine prices on YouTube and the podcast.
What I Stand For
Ask anyone who's tried to build in Maine lately. They called a dozen contractors, and two called back. One gave a price, then went quiet.
I've seen this from both sides. I know how a good crew runs a job, and I've watched jobs go wrong because a homeowner trusted the wrong price.
- Homeowners deserve a straight answer on their budget, even when it's not the answer they want.
- Good contractors deserve to be found first, ahead of the ones who don't show up.
- Nobody should hand a deposit to a contractor they haven't checked out.
Outside of Work
I live in Waterville with my wife and our two kids. Family comes first.
I have a background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I also run my life and my companies on extreme ownership. If something I'm part of goes wrong, I own it and I fix it.
I'm always learning, too. Every call, every job and every dispute teaches me something, and I write it down.
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