A Business Built On Love
Pre-Construction Phase
High school sweethearts, Tim McDermott and girlfriend Debby decide to tie the knot.
1973The Foundation is Laid
Tim heads to community college, majoring in culinary arts and all things creative. Debby becomes an internal medicine physician. In the summer of 1972, Tim is introduced to the world of construction and immediately sees it as a creative process he can enjoy. In 1984, he enters into a home building partnership with Bob Foppe.
1970-1975A New Addition
Baby Josh is welcomed into the family. Tim does the day-to-day parenting as Debby continues her work as a physician. Five years later, little sister Caitlin, who grows up to be a family law attorney, arrives.
1981The Framework of a New Business Put in Place
Tim starts doing his own remodeling work. A good “people person,” his amazing level of integrity soon earns him the reputation that remains the foundation of our company today. Tim continues to gain new customers through word of mouth, sealing deals with a handshake. During this time, young Josh is taking lots of truck rides with his dad. To this day he has vivid memories of dirt piles, trips to the lumberyard, and the smell of sawdust. He may not recognize it yet, but remodeling and construction is becoming a part of him.
1984Built to Last
Dave Dermody and Dean Huston join Foppe-McDermott Remodeling, beginning their over 25-year relationship with both the company and our countless clients. We couldn’t do it without them!
1984Construction Begins
Bob Foppe retires and Tim McDermott establishes today’s company, setting forth three principles to guide it:
- Quality: Never sacrifice it
- Communication: Speak openly with the customer and listen to them
- Follow up: Ensure total customer satisfaction has been achieved
Learning the Trade
Josh is now a teenager, helping out on jobsites and in 1996 “graduates” to roofing. He continues to work with his dad throughout high school and college. In college, realizing he loves the “family aspect” of the business more than doing the actual construction, he works towards a management degree. After college, not certain that he wants to spend his life in remodeling and construction, Josh works in regional and national pharmaceutical sales, at which he excels. He wins awards, has fun, and earns a good living, but his career lacks the satisfaction of seeing projects come to life. He also realizes he misses the family feeling of a small business.
A New Home
Out of space for the expanding business Tim purchases an existing building that he renovates and adds a 40’x40’, 3-bay garage and storage area.
2005Laying the Groundwork for Design-Build
In order to bring a better experience to our clients, and to better support our team, we hire our first in-house, degreed design professional. Today, we have two degreed design professionals on staff. We also convert a carport and part of the existing building that later becomes Selection Suite, our in-house showroom.
2006Selection Suite Opens
This is where our designers and clients meet to preview colors, textures, surfaces, and more that might be suitable for their home.
2009Present: New Construction + Josh and Ron Become Certified Graduate Remodelers
Tim realizes it’s time to take the company to the next level. Knowing that Josh is passionate about remodeling and misses being involved in the family business, Tim asks him to return as Business Manager. In April 2010, Josh returns and the rest, as they say, is history.
Josh and estimator Ron Mifflin complete all requirements and earn Certified Graduate Remodelers status. CGR is a designation offered by the National Association of Homebuilders to show a person’s professionalism and commitment to quality and excellence
2010Maintenance Program Introduced, GuildQuality Premiers and Buildertrend™ Offered
Ever since we started, many of our customers have relied on us to perform routine upkeep such as weatherization, gutter cleaning, caulking and more. We have such a bond and trust with our customers that dozens have given us keys to their homes. In 2014, we formalized our maintenance program, offering annual or seasonal packages in addition to our regular handyman services. The program is headed by legacy craftsman, Dave Dermony.
Buildertrend™ is a web-based program that offers clients personalized logins to review the status of their project, upload or view photos of the work in progress, and communicate directly with all members of their remodeling team. It is the modern version of one of the tenets on which the company was created: Communicate openly with the customer.
We become members of Guild Quality, a third party service that surveys our customers about our performance and publishes the results – good, bad or indifferent – for all to see.
We earned the first of three consecutive years of “Best of Houzz” designations for Service or Customer Satisfaction.
2014The Transition From Father to Son is Completed
In the fall of 2015, Tim hands over the reins of McDermott Remodeling to Josh. Not that interested in a kick-back-and-relax retirement, Tim decides to take his motto “Don’t let the grass grow under your feet” literally. After a tragic car accident occurred near his home due to too-high grass, he now spends 10-12 hours per week using his push mower to cut back the overgrowth along the shoulders of a road in his west Belleville neighborhood. He likes that he’s been an inspiration for neighbors to get more involved, but his two favorite perks? He’s lost about 50 pounds since he started the weekly routine, and he gets plenty of girls honking at him as they drive by!
2015
