Sunday, July 19, 2015

Business spotlight - O'Shea Builders - By Michelle Libby



Quality of work and communication are what makes O’Shea Builders stand out against its competition. Warren O’Shea, owner, keeps his eye on making sure his clients are satisfied and that all people who work with contractors are treated fairly. 

O’Shea Builders is known for kitchen and bath renovations. They don’t do a lot of new construction, O’Shea said, preferring to help people realize the potential in their own home. 

“Where we really excel is renovations,” O’Shea said. 

From Freeport to Scarborough and around Sebago Lake, O’Shea builders is interested in renovating homes and vacation properties so owners can take advantage of increased space and value. 

O’Shea had a project where a homeowner turned a three to five bed home into a rental with 14 beds. The home, on the ocean could have rented for $2,000 to $3,000 per week before renovations. After, the homeowner could ask for $7,000 a week with the addition of three more bathrooms a new kitchen and deck. It became an “income generating property,” O’Shea said. “They added value to the property to increase rental revenues.” 

 O’Shea Builders stands out from its competitors with its “transparency and forwardness” of how it conducts business. With really good, accurate paperwork with receipts and documentation in a consistent format, clients know exactly where their money went. 

O’Shea has had opportunities to work on projects like HGTVs Vacation House for Free and Restaurant Impossible, remodeling homes and businesses to satisfy the customer and the television executives. He has also worked with Channel 13 On Your Side to help viewers when they were left high and dry by a contractor. 

“Our quality of work speaks for itself and stands out as does our track record for quality,” O’Shea said. On its www.Houzz.com website, O’Shea Builders has over 21 five-star reviews and is the highest rated general contractor in the area, he said. There are also many pictures of completed jobs. 

“Every job is important,” O’Shea said. From the $400 gutter job for a property in Portland, to a $350,000 renovation brought in by a referral, he never knows where the next job might come from. That $400 job might turn into a larger job when the family needs to remodel its kitchen. 

O’Shea has been doing construction since 1986. In 2002, he founded O’Shea Builders, which now employs six people. O’Shea has multiple accreditations and awards, which he attributes to his professionalism and quality of work. He also uses lead safe practices. A few years ago he was given the Citizen’s Award from the Portland Police Department. 

O’Shea was an EMT for a short time, before leaving the profession to do building on Cape Cod and then antique reproduction furniture and getting fine woodworking experience in Virginia. 

The most important key in a contractor/client relationship is communication. Whether it’s communicating with production, designers, purchasers or a person who want to remodel, but isn’t sure where to start, O’Shea wants to make sure he has the right company for the job. 

“My favorite project is the client who has specific requirements on how the project will perform and meet those requirements.” 

While at the lake house over the Fourth of July, look around to see what upgrades could be made to increase rental value or to make more room for family during the peak seasons. A great time to do renovations is over the winter, when the house is closed. Do check out a contractor thoroughly before hiring someone. There are good and bad contractors out there. 

“I want clients to feel confident they hired the right person so they won’t have to worry,” O’Shea said.
To watch the Vacation House for Free episode featuring O’Shea Builders, download episode 10 from iTunes or Amazon or watch it as it airs on Friday, July 3 on HGTV. For more on O’Shea Builders, visit www.buildwithoshea.com or check them out on Facebook, Houzz, Yelp, Twitter or Linked In.

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