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Gaby Narvaez|| General Contractor and Bathroom Renovations

@guildproperties

6.4K

followers

1961

following

Full Service Home Remodeling & Design
VA, DC, & MD
Featured in AD, Domino, Wall Street Journal, Remodelista, House Beautiful, Apartment Therapy

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Gaby had us cacklingg

Ep.3 link in bio 💃🏼
@guildproperties @laurametzlerphoto

#motherhood #workingmom #businesspodcast by @guildproperties

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3 days ago

Episode 03: Gaby Narvaez on grit and hustle out now on Apple, Spotify and YouTube. Would love for you to hear this one, she’s incredible. 🤍
@guildproperties @laurametzlerphoto taken in Fostr Collaborative by @guildproperties

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6 days ago

🚩 RED FLAG: Your contractor can build it… but can’t explain how they’re going to build it.

Before you sign a contract for a large-scale renovation, ask questions. Lots of them.

How does the contract work? What exactly is included—and excluded? What happens when something unexpected is uncovered? How are change orders priced and approved? What is the construction sequence? Who is managing the project? How will schedule changes and delays be communicated?

Your contractor should be able to explain these things clearly and confidently, in language you understand.

Construction is complicated. Your contractor’s explanation of it shouldn’t be.

And if the answer to reasonable questions is consistently “Don’t worry about it, we’ll figure it out”… 🚩🚩🚩

A well-run renovation starts with clarity before construction begins.

Because when you’re investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into your home, you’re not just hiring someone to build it.

You’re hiring them to lead you through it.

🎥 @housoftrades taken in Arlington, Virginia by @guildproperties

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12 days ago

Haters gonna hate. Some people will love what you’re doing. Neither one should be driving the car.

One of the most freeing things I’ve learned in business—and honestly, in life—is to stop making decisions based on how they’ll be received.

I want my decisions to be intentional.
I want to build the company I actually want to build.
And I want everything we do to be focused on creating as much value as we possibly can for the people who trust us with their homes.

That doesn’t mean I don’t listen. I do.

But praise doesn’t determine my direction. Criticism doesn’t determine it either.

I started really living when I stopped needing everyone else to understand or approve of what I was doing.

Build something you believe in. Do it intentionally. Do it well.

The rest is noise.

🎥 @housoftrades taken in Arlington, Virginia by @guildproperties

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25 days ago

The lowest bid can become the most expensive contract.

One of the oldest strategies in construction? Bid low to win the job, then make up the difference in change orders once construction is underway and switching contractors becomes incredibly difficult.

A lower number isn’t automatically a red flag. But a number that is significantly lower than everyone else deserves questions.

Is the contractor licensed and insured?
Is the scope clearly defined in the contract?
What’s excluded?
How are change orders handled?
And most importantly: why is this bid so much lower?

A good construction proposal shouldn’t just give you a number. It should give you clarity about what that number actually buys.

Don’t compare totals. Compare scopes.

🎥 @housoftrades taken in Arlington, Virginia by @guildproperties

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a month ago

POV: your general contractor cares equally about what’s behind the wall and whether that tile layout is going to piss her off forever. 😂

We do all the builder things.

Framing. Electrical. Plumbing. HVAC. Waterproofing. Inspections. Codes. Structural details. All the very unsexy things that make a renovation actually work.

But then…

move that tile over ⅛”.

Because we also understand design. Like, really understand design.

Proportion. Sightlines. Material transitions. Tile layouts. Lighting. Cabinetry. Finishes. And all those tiny details that are the difference between “nice renovation” and “holy shit, this is beautiful.”

Basically, we care about what’s behind the drywall and what ends up on your Pinterest board.

Marriage of beauty & building science.

That’s Guild.

🎥 @housoftrades taken in Arlington, Virginia by @guildproperties

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a month ago

10 things you need to do before renovating your home:

1. Call us.
2. That’s it. There is no #2.

Because you really shouldn’t have to become a part-time architect, designer, estimator, permit coordinator, purchasing agent, scheduler, or construction manager just because you decided to renovate your house.

That’s literally our job.

We plan it.
We design it.
We price it.
We coordinate it.
We build it.
We manage the approximately 4,738 decisions that happen somewhere in between.

You get to make the decisions that actually matter to you and let a team of people who do this every day handle the rest.

Renovating is complicated. Hiring the right team shouldn’t be.

🎥 @housoftrades taken in Arlington, Virginia by @guildproperties

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2 months ago

Luxury isn’t only what you see. It’s also what you don’t hear.

In a condo renovation, sound control is one of those details that can dramatically change how a space feels, but it has to be considered long before insulation ever arrives on site.

True soundproofing is a system, not simply “adding insulation.” We’re thinking about how sound travels through walls, ceilings, floors, penetrations and adjoining spaces and then specifying the appropriate wall assemblies and materials to reduce both airborne noise (voices, televisions, music) and impact or structural noise.

But here’s the important part:

Those decisions don’t begin during installation.

They begin during architectural design.

Wall thicknesses, ceiling assemblies, mechanical locations, electrical penetrations and even seemingly small construction details can affect acoustic performance. By the time we’re standing on site installing insulation, the strategy should already have been worked through on the plans.

That’s why we spend so much time in preconstruction.

Because some of the most important details in a luxury renovation will eventually be completely hidden behind the drywall and you may never see them.

But you will absolutely live with them.

🎥 @housoftrades taken in Arlington, Virginia by @guildproperties

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2 months ago

Them: How much can you safely carry?

Me: Every tile sample, cabinet door, plumbing fixture, and unresolved feeling this renovation throws at me.

Tiny hands. Mighty grip. Unlimited emotional load.

🎥 @housoftrades taken in Arlington, Virginia by @guildproperties

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2 months ago

Luxury condo renovations: where even the plumbing needs a strategy.

When you’re working between concrete slabs, existing building systems, structural limitations, and neighboring units, moving a pipe is rarely just moving a pipe.

Another day in the wonderfully complicated world of luxury condo renovations.

🎥 @housoftrades
#LuxuryCondoRenovation #CondoRemodel #LuxuryRenovation #DesignBuild #BehindTheBuild taken in Arlington, Virginia by @guildproperties

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2 months ago

POV: You’re the Project Coordinator and slowly realize the plans everyone is discussing involve you making it happen today.

Stan: 👀

Us: “So we’re all in agreement. Great.”

Behind every smoothly running job site is a Project Coordinator receiving information he absolutely did not ask for.

Sorry, Stan. We love you.

#ConstructionLife #GeneralContractor #DesignBuild #BehindTheBuild taken in Arlington, Virginia by @guildproperties

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2 months ago

Meet Stan.

Every successful project needs someone who can keep all the moving pieces moving and that’s exactly what Stan does.

As our Project Coordinator, Stan is the connection between the field, our team, our trade partners, and our clients. Whether he’s coordinating schedules, tracking progress, solving day-to-day challenges, or making sure the details don’t slip through the cracks, he’s always one step ahead.

Stan brings a calm, positive attitude to every job site and has a way of making even the busiest days feel manageable. He’s dependable, thoughtful, and always willing to jump in wherever he’s needed.

Behind every well-run project is a team working together, and we’re incredibly grateful to have Stan as part of ours.

He’s also the snack master and ensures we always have the best snacks in our projects 😂🤗

🎥 @housoftrades taken in Arlington, Virginia by @guildproperties

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2 months ago