A desire to be his own boss led an Edgerton man to start his own home repair business.
Vaughn Entenman says he has been working on home repair “since I was old enough to swing a hammer.” After working with relatives he began working on his own full time in 2010. He enjoys working on people’s homes and working with the customer to bring their ideas to reality.
Owning his own business allows him the freedom to be creative and flexible.
“I like to be my own boss,” Entenman said outside his home. “This way I don’t have to answer to other people.”
Entenman, 37, offers full home repair, from widows to additions and everything in between. He does it as “a one-man show.”
By working on his own and out of his home, he can keep his prices as low, treat his customers right and still make a nice living.
“My customers can use the funds they saved up to go do stuff too,” Entenman said.
One of his recent jobs was adding a porch onto the house of Forrest and Casey Church. The Churches had posted on Facebook they were looking to put a porch on to their home.
Entenman sent photos of a porch he had built the summer before in response. And since he had a relationship with the family by being an advertiser, contractor and customer connected easily.
The 48-foot long, 10-foot wide structure included a full roof over a concrete stamped slab. Dimming lights were added so the family could enjoy it at night.
The edifice has several wrap columns that hide the 4×4’s and add an elegant appearance to the porch. The job took two weeks to complete.
The job did not come without some challenges as a sewer line was found to be higher than it was supposed to be and that forced him to raise the concrete slab floor higher and reconfigure the design.
It’s the hidden things that present the biggest challenges to projects, Entenman said.
Other than that, the project went smoothly. The weather was nice which helped him complete his work quickly.
Entenman advertises in the Village Reporter and has found that be a winning proposition to get his name out in the community. Satisfied customers help out now through word of mouth.
“I am starting to get repeat customers,” Enteman said. “Once they know I am going to treat them fairly.”
Entenman takes pride in his work and the service he provides. He warranties all his work, he said.
Unless a customer has an idea would severely impact the integrity of the structure, such as moving a load-bearing wall, Entenman will take their ideas and develop a plan to turn the clients’ concepts into reality.
“I listen to my customers,” Entenman said. “What they want is pretty much what I want to give them.”
Entenman tries out the concept with cheaper wood to see if it is going to pass muster. If so, he will go with the higher-end materials.
Vaughn may be reached at: (419) 212-4356
James Pruitt may be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com
