North Atlanta Homies

The North Atlanta Homies is a group that we have created for home owners of North Atlanta that are frugal, wanting to get work done right the first time and to code, but at the best price possible without that quality of work suffering.

Many members are our past clients, accountants, ex-builders, engineers, woodworkers, hobbiests, DIYers and just regular home owners who are interested in learning how things really work in the real estate, construction, remodeling and home improvement spaces. The want to “hack” the system to the best of their ability, why?…so when they eventually sell their homes they spent the least possible on good lasting work, so they end up with the most profit in the end. The see their homes as investments and each decision about it is a business decision!

At Affordable Craftsmen, we started in banking & finance, then became investors, including house flippers, then since the neighbors always had tons of work for us, we became remodeling contractors, then in 2002 we finally became lot developers and custom new home builders. Over the last 30 years we’ve whole house remodeled, flipped or built nearly 1,000 homes, giving us a vast pool of experience in all these related areas. You could say we’re the ultimate “insider source” on how to find, get quotes and work with contractors, sub-contractors & builders…but even more, potentially how to become contractor of your own remodel or builder of your own new home.

Doing our “day job” we primarily do medium and larger remodels and additions, but also develop lots/land and build custom new homes, both very small all the way up to multi-million dollar. But we do not have the time to do handyman work or what we call single trade jobs, by the time we come out to do the estimate and mark-up our trades person or sub-contractor, we’ve already lost money and our price is no longer the lowest, so why bother…

So, we stick to our bread and butter work, as we should, but via this group, we offer a series of very special opportunities, chances for us to teach or help you to get smaller stuff done very, very affordably without all the drama and having to get a zillion bids over weeks or months. Also, via our Coach to Build program, we’ll even partner with you, using all of our resources, and doing and the “in house” work to get your remodel, addition or custom home build done at 1/2 the normal fee, but more importantly, saving you 20-50% on much of your material & labor costs as well!

Of course you would have to be the “field manager”, running your own job, meeting our crews at your home/project. You would pay for the material & pay the trades people or sub-contractors directly. Why? If we pay them then we get charged our insurance based on their money going through our books, that means we have to mark them up the full amount, but by you paying them directly, we only pay insurance on the actual percentage fee you pay us for our half of the work in running your project. It’s a win-win for all of us.

Of course you get access to a lot more than our trades people and sub-contractors, you get access to our supplier and our discount, including using our pro account at Home Depot that saves 2-20%. Additionally, some of these suppliers are 30-65% less expensive than Home Depot or Lowes. Also, most of them, we get free delivery, as opposed to paying $80-120 at Home Depot.

You also get access to us inside the group and via email to ask questions related to our subject matter, with answers typically coming within 1 business day, but occasionally 2-3 days, particularly over a weekend or holiday. We’ll also have live trainings, coaching calls that you can ask questions on live and events to hang-out and meet other Atlanta Homies in person!

Not only do we live in North Atlanta & have some in common by default per the group, but you may can make a friend or two to swap work with, meaning you give them a day on their project, they give you a day on theirs… This is what trades people & sub-contractors do with each other all the time in our business, helping each other trade services/time and avoid spending cash on everything, but instead a little sweat equity 😉

This can be like a “lab class”, meaning if you help another member put down click down vinyl on their basement floor, you’ll learn to do that & may end up doing your own one day now that you know you can.

We also have trainers available at $400/day for cabinet install, trim carpentry, flooring, tile and painting. So if you and your partner, sons/daughters, buddies want to do a project, let’s say 1,500sf of click down flooring in your basement. The going rate for that is $2-3/sf, we would be closer to $1.50/sf, so $2,250 but you could hire my flooring trainer for $400 to come, bring all of his special saws, help you choose the best layout, stage the material properly, show you how to use the various tools needed, make the tough cuts under/around the doorways and perhaps get 25-50% of the floor done that first day. Then you and your team spends the 2nd, maybe 3rd day finishing. You only invested $400, not $2,250 saving $1,850 by doing the rest yourself. But you didn’t have to watch youtube and fumble through it, taking way longer and possibly making some rough mistakes, instead you hit the “easy” button and invested $400 in coaching/training 😉

Best part, you can do your own click down flooring for the rest of your life, so can your partner, kids or friends. Not bad for $400 instead of paying $2,250 but even that would have been better than paying $4,500 for the same flooring install. The point is, we are highly creative, not worried about making a lot of money off you, want to help & our goal is to get your project done affordably but correctly/safely!!!

So, either Text Me with your name & email at 770-231-0002 or submit your name, email & cell # through the Contact Form on our Main Page to join the North Atlanta Homies!

If you don’t like it, you can always leave, but if you think you would like it, you should give it a try and join right now before you get busy and forget about it. A week, month or year from now, when you most need it, we’ll be there as a resource to help you save money & headache, maybe even have some bonus fun along the way…and what’s better than that???

Gary McCormick

Founding Homie