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Steve Young paid a Fiverr developer $21K in 2022 to build him an AI proposal tool. Three years later he scrapped it and started writing his own stack in Claude Code—and his close rate climbed from 13% to 20%, with a forecasted 25% on $300K average projects.
Most $5M builders are stuck on SaaS that almost-fits. They pay $30K/year for software vendors who build for the average user, then patch the gaps with manual work. Steve scrapped the entire approach. He learned about Cursor at IBS, switched to Claude Code on a coach's recommendation, and spent 45 days building a Next.js operating system that does what no off-the-shelf tool does: pulls Plaud transcripts, parses scope by room, renders before/afters in Gemini Nano Banana, and auto-prices off the JobTread API by zip code.
Here's the part that should keep every remodeler up at night: Steve is 54. Hadn't written code in 25 years. If he's building it himself, your competition is too.
This episode is the playbook. Watch the demo, copy the principles, then go build.
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OTHER STEVE YOUNG / HHI BUILDERS RESOURCES 🔗
- Visit HHI Builders: https://www.hhi-builders.com
- Try the Cost Estimator: https://www.hhi-builders.com
- Read Their Story: https://www.hhi-builders.com/the-story-of-our-company
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🎯 Get in Touch with Beyond the Bid
- Instagram: @beyondthebid
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- Website: www.beyondthebid.co
- Email: [email protected]
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TIMESTAMPS
[00:00:00] The $21K Fiverr Tool That Started Everything
[00:01:30] Meet Steve Young: HHI Builders, Hilton Head Island
[00:03:00] From Retail Fit-Ups to a $9M Remodeling Forecast
[00:05:30] The "Bored to Death Retirement" That Built a Company
[00:07:00] Why Coaching Was the Best Money They Ever Spent
[00:09:30] BBA to Win Rate: When to Switch Coaches
[00:11:30] The Project Manager / Project Director Sales Process
[00:13:00] The 8% Design Retainer System ($200/hr Billed)
[00:15:30] How CQC Home's Process Saved Their Margin
[00:17:30] The 5-Year Database That Prices Bathrooms by Square Foot
[00:21:00] Why JobTread Beat CoConstruct (And Why It Mattered)
[00:23:30] The PowerPoint → ChatGPT → NotebookLM → Custom Stack Journey
[00:27:00] Tracked Close Rate: 13% → 20% → Forecast 25%
[00:30:00] Why Gemini Nano Banana Beats Every Other Renderer
[00:32:00] Why Cursor Got Him Stuck and Claude Code Set Him Free
[00:35:00] The 3-Way AI Debug Check (5-Person Meeting → 15 Minutes)
[00:39:00] Trade-Perspective Plan Review (Carpenter, Plumber, Electrician)
[00:42:00] Demo Begins: The Plaud-to-Proposal Pipeline
[00:46:00] Render API Integration: Floor Plans from the Walkthrough
[00:50:00] AI Estimate Generation: Catalog + Allowance + Zip Code Pricing
[00:55:00] Photo Processing and the Zillow Scraper Chrome Extension
[00:58:00] Live Demo: Bathroom Render in Gemini Nano Banana
[01:05:00] Pricing Breakdown With AI-Explained Allowances
[01:10:00] The Vibe Board Slide Deck Builder
[01:18:00] Style Presets, Branding, and the Integrations Stack
[01:25:00] What's Coming in V2: The Virtual Designer
[01:30:00] Steve's #1 Advice for Builders (Hint: It's Not AI)
[01:33:00] How to Interview a Coach Like a Hire
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Disclaimer: This episode is for educational purposes only. Beyond the Bid does not provide financial, legal, or business advice. Consult a qualified professional before making business decisions. © 2026 Beyond the Bid. All rights reserved.