The Eleven Percent: Meet Gabriela Narvaez, General Contractor

Gabriela Narvaez, owner and operator of Guild Properties, a high-end real estate development and construction firm in Washington, D.C., was born in Nicaragua to a civil engineer father and an architect brother. Despite her family's background, her career path initially diverged from construction. She moved to Virginia for business school, then worked for the Nicaraguan Foreign Service in Washington, D.C., followed by a role as events director for a nonprofit supporting Nicaraguan children, and ultimately spent a decade in Georgetown University’s finance department. The passion for construction, however, remained ingrained in her, stemming from childhood experiences visiting job sites with her father. Narvaez's journey into contracting began in 2008 when she and her husband purchased a townhome requiring extensive renovations. With limited funds, she sought guidance from her father and brother, embarking on the renovation herself. This experience, despite its chaotic nature involving a new baby, a dog, and a makeshift kitchen, ignited her love for the work. She subsequently started renovating and flipping houses for friends. The onset of the pandemic in 2020 served as a catalyst, prompting her to pursue her passion more formally. She obtained residential and commercial general contractors licenses and secured her first client by December 2020. Guild Properties specializes in renovating older, smaller Colonial homes, focusing on transforming existing structures rather than new builds or additions. Narvaez emphasizes making existing houses functional and beautiful while preserving their character and unique design sustainably. Her approach includes reusing materials whenever possible to minimize environmental impact, acknowledging that working with existing spaces can be more challenging due to unforeseen issues, but she relishes these challenges. As a woman contractor, Narvaez has encountered some unique challenges, such as clients requesting discounts, which she perceives as devaluing her work in a way they might not with a male contractor. However, she notes that her crews have always been respectful, and she herself often doesn't recognize her unique position as the only woman on a job site until others point it out. Notable projects include remodeling a house for a client with mobility challenges, which required thoughtful design considerations for accessibility and safety, and building a custom cat closet to conceal litter boxes. She finds it difficult to pick a favorite project because she develops strong relationships with her clients, often becoming teary when projects conclude, particularly missing their pets. Narvaez observes that material changes have significantly impacted the industry over the past decade. She highlights the evolution of luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring, which has transformed from an inferior product into an aesthetically pleasing and affordable alternative to more expensive options like tiling. She advocates for clients to personalize their homes based on their own tastes rather than following fleeting trends, encouraging them to create spaces that genuinely reflect their identity. For aspiring young women in the construction field, her advice centers on passion, resilience, and embracing mistakes as learning opportunities. She acknowledges that the work is often difficult, with only a small fraction being glamorous, but stresses that the rewards and personal growth achieved through the challenging process are substantial. Her essential tools include a laser measure for efficiency, a traditional tape measure for precision in tight spaces, and Excel for meticulous financial tracking. She also prioritizes investing in high-quality paintbrushes and using proper primer before painting, believing these steps significantly enhance the final appearance of a project. #ConstructionIndustry #WomenInConstruction #GeneralContractor #HomeRenovation #SustainableBuilding #Entrepreneurship #Tradeswoman #CareerJourney #ConstructionIndustry #WomenInConstruction #GeneralContractor #HomeRenovation #SustainableBuilding #Entrepreneurship #Tradeswoman #CareerJourney

16 months ago

Read Full Article