Today we’d like to introduce you to Whitney Hill.
Hi Whitney, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve called North County San Diego home for about four years now. Originally from a small town in Kansas, college took me to the east coast. I graduated with a degree in psychology from Yale University, where I focused mostly on business management for my all-female a cappella singing group, back before the movie Pitch Perfect made that a cool thing to do.
I then worked as an operations manager at a large industrial supply distributor where I learned the ins and outs of process, people & project management and went to work in steel-toed boots. I also earned my MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business where I studied Management of Technology & Entrepreneurship. After that, I relocated to Copenhagen and worked for Bain & Company as a management consultant, which afforded me opportunities to work closely with blue chip companies and travel regularly.
Things shifted when I became a mom, and I ultimately left the corporate world to pursue interests in real estate development and enjoy greater flexibility & control over my time. I spent several years as a developer of high-end homes, and in that time our family relocated from New Jersey out to San Diego. I continued working remotely on the development business, learning more about residential construction & general contracting in the process.
In early 2020, I learned about accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which are small homes of 400–1200 sqft on residential lots with an existing primary residence. Regulation changes were making it far easier to build ADUs, and I was excited about the concept of more efficient housing as an option for intergenerational living or for generating rental income.
All my professional experiences to that point had prepared me to understand how to develop, lead & grow a tech-forward construction company that could serve this new increased demand for ADUs.
But I wasn’t going to do it alone. Within a month or two of researching ADUs & thinking about how to make an entrance into construction in San Diego, I was working in a coffee shop. I overheard a conversation between two people who were clearly in development, and they also mentioned ADUs. They left before I could muster the courage to introduce myself, but when they walked by again 20 min later, I knew it was time to step up. One of them later introduced me to his good friend Mike Moore, a general contractor and the future co-founder of SnapADU.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The transition from working a W2 job in corporate America to finding my path as a business owner in a new industry has been tumultuous. I’ve had more than a few moments where I’ve wondered if I made a mistake leaving an extremely promising career to forge my own way. Near the beginning of COVID, I considered returning to a previous employer. The uncertainty of being a one-person show – especially during a pandemic – was constantly nagging at me.
It was around that time that I met Mike Moore, who operated Moore Construction in Oceanside since 2013. Mike has spent his lifetime in construction, working for both larger commercial builders and small custom home builders before starting his own business. His experience in small business ownership & construction meshed perfectly with my strategic & operational skills, and together we set out to make a difference in the San Diego ADU market as co-founders of SnapADU.
We recognized that the design, permitting & build process for ADUs required specialization to reach the level of expertise needed to meet the growing demand. To get there, we’ve spent thousands of hours making mistakes and fixing them. We’ve built jobs at a loss. We’ve had to weather the storm of COVID-induced material price & availability fluctuations. We’ve gone through growing pains of taking new parts of our business in-house to ensure we can deliver what we want to for our clients.
We’ve had to set up the infrastructure for a growing company while also continuing our day-to-day operations. And we’ve had to constantly navigate how to engage with our family & friends as much as we’d like to, while also achieving the business goals we’ve set.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
SnapADU is a general contractor focused exclusively on designing, permitting & building accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in Greater San Diego.
SnapADU has over 40 ADU projects currently in design, permitting & building phases throughout San Diego. All of our experience in the ADU space means that we have had many opportunities to uncover the “watch outs” so that we have a clearer path for clients from day 1. We have a sound understanding of the overall ADU process and are excited to bring that expertise to the table on every job we complete.
We offer build-ready standard ADU plans, which homeowners can choose as-is or customize to best suit their unique property & interests. We also work tirelessly to streamline our processes so that we can avoid unexpected costs & delays. For example, we work with supply houses to secure standard finish materials that we can consistently get on time and on budget. Our tech-forward approach means that we are constantly getting more efficient and effective at building ADUs.
We pride ourselves on promoting transparency, pioneering innovation, prioritizing people, and providing flexible lifestyles. We are excited to share information to help homeowners make a decision about their potential ADU. Our pricing is readily available alongside each of our standard plans and our blog includes articles on the most frequently asked topics regarding ADUs. We are early and avid adopters of technology, giving our clients a streamlined experience while ensuring our team and subcontractors are all on the same page & operating consistently. We have assembled & invested in an intensely qualified & bright core team of 14 employees who care deeply about getting the job done well for our clients; many of us own or live in ADUs ourselves. We offer a hybrid work environment to allow our employees to design the lifestyle they want, while offering homeowners flexibility with innovative housing that adapts to needs of evolving families.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
For the ADU industry, COVID has been an accelerator. People want their families closer, but also want to provide them with their own independent living space. Much of our feasibility & design work is done remotely, which has also been accelerated by COVID. Our clients are also comfortable interacting with us via our app, which gives them visibility & ease of access to all their project details so that we can keep their project moving more quickly. And lastly, COVID has wreaked havoc on supply chains, so we have had to become much more diligent and forward-thinking in how we source & secure material to make sure we keep our jobs moving forward.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@snapadu.com
- Website: www.snapadu.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snap.adu/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/snapadu
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeq8zPndvyRewiZU6oVw-qA
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/snapadu-oceanside
- Other: https://www.houzz.com/pro/moore-construction/moore-construction
Image Credits
Classic Commercial
Ollie Paterson
