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Builder Profile
said Chumbley. “I’m in constant contact
with the customer.” He believes customer
service is paramount in this industry. Just
recently, USI renovated two bathrooms for
a repeat client. As they were putting the
old toilet back, the homeowner realized
he should have replaced the toilet, too, but
he felt he’d already spent too much and
figured he’d just take it one thing at a time.
After leaving the house, Chumbley sent an
email to his plumbing rep to request a new
toilet, and USI installed a $250 toilet at no
charge to the customer.
“He spent $100,000 last time, $60,000 this
time,” Chumbley said of the client. “You're
telling me I can’t give this guy a toilet?
In a year, we do millions of dollars
worth of projects, so what’s $250? What’s
$5,000?” Another customer recently had
water damage on his laminate floor occur
during the remodeling process. The client
called Chumbley and said, “We’ve got a
problem.” Chumbley responded, “No, you
don’t have a problem; you’ve got me.” USI
turned a bad situation into something
good, tore the floor up, and updated it
along with the other renovations, making
the entire space all the better for it. The
customer expected to pay something for
the extra work. Chumbley told him not
to worry about it. “The guy’s spending
$340,000; I can’t afford $800 worth of tile
and labor?”
Chumbley doesn’t view these costs as an
extra expense in terms of service work.
To him, it’s just marketing. Loyalty and
excellent customer service are key to
reputation management. He knows those
customers are likely to do more work
down the road now. He’s seen it time and
again with USI’s large list of serial clients.
“You just become the family builder. I’ve
worked for multi-generations, the parents
and now their kids.”
USI Design & Remodeling has won
numerous awards. Last year they were
named “Remodeler of the Year” by the
Dallas Builders Association. Chumbley
insists, “The only thing that qualifies it as
remodeling is I had to tear something out
of my way to build something new.” USI
operates much like a new construction
company. They subcontract everything
out, it’s all trade specific, and they’re
working off of new substructures.
In terms of inspiration, Houzz.com is the
bible. “It’s the best thing that’s happened
in the past five years,” said Chumbley. He
uses the site as a catalog for his clients,
allowing both parties to have a clear
understanding of what they’re working
toward. With the costs what they are
today, a clear goal really helps give people
the ability to purchase with confidence.
For Chumbley, he’s always shooting for
the “wow” factor in creating unforgettable
spaces. “We concentrate on engineering
strong focals in our space design.”
So what’s Chumbley’s personal favorite
room in the house? “The master bath,”
he answered. He values peace and quiet
and has turned his own bathroom into a
home sanctuary. “I live what I sell. In my
bathroom I’ve got a steam shower, I’ve got
music, I’ve got TV, so I can’t go anywhere
in the world and have a nicer bathroom
than the one I have at home. I’m a person
that can’t concentrate without silence. In
that bathroom I can shut those doors and
it’s like a spa.”
