How My Construction Background Paved the Way to NS Builders
In this episode of NS Builders Podcast, I talk about one of my favorite subjects—me! Just kidding… well, mostly kidding…
But seriously, viewers have asked about my construction background and how it led me to NS Builders. So I’m going to share some details of my journey and how my childhood fascination with building things has steered me to where I stand today.
AS A LITTLE GUY…
When I was a little kid, I loved working with my hands—figuring out how to fix things like my bike or putting stuff together for my Dad. He owned a fence company that was handed down to him from my grandfather. So I guess you could say construction and building runs in my blood.
Like most Dads, there was always some project around the house that he was busy working on. Some of my earliest memories of working together are in the garage, building storage cubbies and things like that. Of course, I had the very important and stressful job of holding the flashlight. Now anyone who has ever worked alongside their father and asked to hold the flashlight just right knows the kind of stress I’m talking about.
Although I like to think of myself as being pretty adept at handling power tools, I didn’t always possess such finesse. I remember one time that my Dad asked me to screw together a couple of pieces of plywood with a Makita drill. My hand slipped, and I threw the drill bit right through his fingernail (I felt horrible and nearly died from embarrassment). Happily, I’ve progressed in my tool-wielding abilities.
So growing up, I was surrounded by construction, tools, running a business, and becoming familiar with the trades. And when I was 11, I started working for my grandfather and father in their wholesale fence business. They also had an installation division, a wood fabrication shop, and a metal fabrication shop. I just loved being in the shop—filling the bins with fence fittings, sweeping the shop, just doing whatever needed to be done. I even got to work out in the field with my two uncles installing fencing, which gave me more experience. I worked part-time, especially in the summers and weekends, and when I got my license, I could work more hours after school.
VOCATIONAL SCHOOL AND COLLEGE…
I was really excited to apply to go to the vocational school. Unfortunately, when I approached my school counselor about the application and my chances of getting in, he surprised me with his negativity: “Don’t worry about it. You know that’s usually where the bad kids go anyway.” I was irritated by that, but I got into the school, and I don’t regret it one bit. The first year I was there, I bounced between cabinet making and house carpentry. And I quickly realized I wanted to build houses. So that was my focus during my sophomore, junior, and senior years. In my senior year, I had the opportunity to split classroom time with working off-site at a real job. I actually took on some of my own small jobs, including a basement remodel. I was hooked.
Although Dad would have been happy with me skipping college and just going to work for him in the family business, Mom wanted me to go to college and explore all my options. I eventually ended up at Fitchburg State and focused on construction management. (An unexpected bonus to living on campus for four years—I met Doug, the digital media guy behind the camera, and we ended up living together our final year. Our friendship has grown into a partnership, and we work together every day.)
I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Construction Technology/Management. And although I don’t regret going to college, I can honestly say that the education I received there didn’t provide what I truly needed to break into the industry. There’s so much valuable information that I could only learn from working for someone else, starting my own company, and struggling with growing a construction business from the ground up.
STARTING MY OWN COMPANY…
After college, I planned to work for Dad for a while, but two weeks out of school, I landed an interview for an assistant superintendent for a company building high-rises in Boston. I got the job, started making more money than ever before, but more importantly, I got to see some really cool things being built and gained a ton of experience. I worked my way up to an assistant project manager. I realized this was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life—work in construction and own my own company instead of working for my Dad. That was a tough decision—and it took time for my Dad to adjust—but we moved on and now have a great relationship.
I began to do more side work. I worked my day job and then worked late into the night on my own jobs. It was a crazy time. I even started building cabinets in my shop. And these 100-hour weeks were taking a toll—at one point, my girlfriend Meg (now my wife and the mother of our three beautiful children) presented me with an ultimatum: It just wasn’t going to work for our relationship—me working around the clock at both jobs. Something had to change.
Ultimately I gave a month’s notice at my job. They offered me a ton of money to stay on for another 90 days; I seriously thought about it, but in the end, I declined. I needed to start NS Builders—my little carpentry company. I took on jobs, hired some subs, lost some subs, worked my tail off, and tried to find balance in managing it all.
When I look back on the subsequent growth of NS Builders and how it has continued to evolve into not only homebuilding, but remodeling, cabinet making, and even a digital media company—I’m humbled. And filled with gratitude—for my parents, my childhood experiences, the lessons I learned on the job, the unfailing support of my wife and family, and the people who have joined forces with me and share my passion for making NS Builders the absolute best it can be.
It’s time to discover what NS Builders can intentionally craft for you! Contact us today to get started on your custom dream home. Together, we can make it happen.
—Nick Schiffer