From House Flipping to $2.5M in Coastal Construction with Grant Smith | F&D Mastery Podcat # 42

Grant Smith, a civil-engineering grad, quit his commercial construction job after realizing a single house flip could match his annual salary, then learned residential construction from the ground up before getting his general contractor's license and founding Simple Side Construction.

Building on the Outer Banks — a barrier island less than a mile wide in spots with saltwater on all sides — demands materials most builders never consider: 316 stainless (not 304, which rusts) fasteners, joist tape, and careful vetting of warranties that often exclude anything within five miles of the coast.

Homes there are built like docks on 8x8 pilings embedded up to 16 feet deep (jetted with high-pressure water or tamped through sand), because the sandy soil offers no bearing until roughly 40 feet down — code mandates an 8-foot blanket embedment.

Despite the harsh coast, about 99.9% of Grant's framing is still treated wood because the area is a short-term-rental tourism economy; renters abuse the spaces, so owners often won't invest in composite even though treated decking realistically lasts only about eight years.

Owens Corning WearDeck fiberglass composite framing is emerging as his most viable warrantied alternative to wood, installed much like lumber but still requiring correct 316 stainless fasteners.

Selling maintenance-free versus treated comes down to understanding the client's plans for the home: turnover investment versus family heirloom, and their tolerance for painting and restaining — advise honestly and match the material to the goal.

After a rough Q2, Grant launched his first real marketing budget (Google and Facebook ads) in June, but word of mouth through realtors and property managers — plus simply showing up on time and doing what he says — still puts him in the top 5% in a beach-mentality market.

Five-star reviews are hard-won but invaluable: with an older clientele, the surest method is collecting the final 2% payment in person after a completed punch list, then walking the satisfied client through the review link right there.