Contractors Q&A

Twin Minds Think Alike

Ben and Andrew Schoonover are 22-yearold twin builders who were introduced to construction at an early age by their father, and went into business together after high school. Now they work together, as part of a four-man crew, to build unique deck designs.

Ben and Andrew Schoonover

Q. How did you get started in the construction industry?

A. Early in our lives we were in awe and amazed with construction and we couldn’t ever get enough of it. Our father received a construction management degree and has been building commercial construction projects for the last 35 years. When we were little, we were present for a lot of our father’s projects, and this is where we began wanting to learn everything about construction. We knew that we wanted to run our own business someday after high school and we have always had a love for the construction industry. We knew that creating this business together would be the best for both of us, because we learned so much about construction growing up and we both enjoyed it together.

Twin Brothers Construction, Inc.

Service Area: Farmington, MN., and the Twin Cities metro areas Specialty: TimberTech/AZEK’s capped polymer decking Owners: Ben and Andrew Schoonover Year Founded: 2019 Website: tbconstructioninc.com Instagram: @twinbrothersconstruction YouTube: @ThoseTwinBros

Q. What does it mean to work together with your twin? Do you share a unique connection as many twins often do?

A. Collaboration is in our blood from building blocks as kids to building decks years later, it is what we know best. We love working together as we can bounce our ideas off of each other and figure out what makes the most sense and what will be most effective for our business, etc. We do share unique connections which are our goals and interests. We do not force on one another, but that’s what makes it most enjoyable and unique.

Q. What are your individual strengths and weaknesses?

A. Andrew: My strength would be project management. I oversee our projects and make sure things go smoothly throughout the process from start to finish. I love answering questions and taking care of the hands-on portions of our projects with the crew.

Ben: My strengths are business operations, sales and project estimating. I love meeting new people and looking at new projects. I am huge on communicating which helps make the business be successful and it keeps my customers and I on the same page—prior, during and after the projects. I always have something to work on and love being swamped with work.

One weaknesse that we share is not giving ourselves a break from work. Since we have started the company, it has been hard to put work down and be present outside of work. If we could work seven days a week, we would, but it is

A STEP ABOVE: This deck was constructed with TimberTech AZEK Harvest decking in the Slate Gray color. It has AZEK column wraps and upgraded posts. (All photos provided by Twin Brothers Construction)

important for us to make time for family, friends and our hobbies.

Q. Tell me about your decking projects.

A. Our deck projects begin with Ben meeting with the customer and educating them about the Twin Brothers Construction team, the products we recommend and how we operate as a business.

Ben goes over the customer’s needs and wants for the project and then the plans. He makes sure all questions are answered and that the customers are satisfied with the plans before scheduling takes place.

Once plans are finalized, Ben gets the customers on the schedule and materials ordered.

Once materials are delivered on site, Andrew takes the reins with our crew’s help and starts to craft the project. Andrew makes sure everything is built properly and the project goes smoothly from beginning to end.

At the end of our projects, we clean off the entire deck, take pictures and walk through the project with our customer making sure they are very happy with their completed project before we leave.

Deck projects are our favorite part of what we do. As a team, we enjoy the outdoors, so working on outdoor living projects is easy for all of us to bring our enthusiasm and excitement to projects. It’s hard to believe at 22 years old we have completed over 60-plus deck projects and we have only been in business for two-and-a-half years!

Q. Are there any specific strategies that you apply to your business that have made it successful?

A. Effectively communicating with our team and customers. Making sure our customers understand the entire scope of work and questions are answered before, during and after the project is important to us. We want to make sure our customers are comfortable throughout the whole project.

Also, making sure our crew has what they need to construct the project efficiently and effectively is also something that has made us successful.

Q. What makes your projects truly unique?

A. Something that makes our projects so unique is the craftsmanship. We pay close

ABOVE: Twin Brothers Construction Team Ben Johnson, Ben Schoonover, Andrew Schoonover and Brady Sullivan.

AT RIGHT: Castle Gate decking from the Landmark Collection was used to build this 12 ft. by 20 ft. deck. It was constructed with white AZEK fascia and stair risers, Tuscany rails and TimberTech DrySpace Underdecking. ABOVE: The bar above was built for TimberTech’s booth at the Minnesota Home and Garden Show. It is wrapped with TimberTech AZEK’s Vintage collection decking and porch boards in Dark Hickory and Coastline colors. A TimberTech LED sign and under counter LED color changing lights were installed under the curved deck bar top.

attention to details and make sure our customers get more than what is asked for. Communication and building a strong relationship with our customers are other things that makes our projects so unique. We love to keep in touch with our customers after finishing their project.

Q. What are some challenges faced by your business and how do you overcome them?

A. Weather can be a challenge for us since our work is mainly outside. We always make sure to plan accordingly and be prepared for weather that may not be in our favor. We do this so we can continue to stay on schedule and not fall behind.

Q. Tell me about your team.

A. Andrew S. (co-owner and project manager): During work Andrew loves learning new things about construction and answering questions for the team and customers. Outside of work he enjoys learning about different cultures, languages and foods, building miscellaneous things and being outdoors.

Ben S. (co-owner, estimator and business operations): Ben’s favorite part about work is when a project is finished, and the customers are satisfied. It is extremely rewarding when everything is finished, and customers are happy. He enjoys being outdoors, learning about new things and being active outside of work.

Brady Sullivan (carpenter): Brady’s favorite part about work is the finishing touches and fascia. Outside of work he enjoys fishing and spending time with his friends and family.

Ben Johnson (carpenter): Ben’s favorite part about building a deck is cutting stringers for stairs. Outside of work Ben enjoys exercise, cooking and snowboarding.

Our team is dialed in based off who does what “best” and we all seem to have a different niche about each of us as well which is cool and helps towards our success and being efficient!

It sure is satisfying and amazing how much we accomplish everyday with us being a four-guy team.

Q. What is it like to be young business owners in this economy?

A. It is awesome. We enjoy inspiring other adults and even kids to do what makes them happy and that you can make anything happen if you put in the work and go outside your comfort zone. You can’t grow if you stay in your comfort zone!

This economy has been wonderful for our business, we continue to hit our monthly milestones and continue to grow by the day.

Q. What is your strategy when it comes to choosing your suppliers?

A. We believe we have the best supplier, which is Dakota County Lumber, Farmington, MN. This company has amazing communication skills and operates better than any other supplier we have dealt with. We are TimberTech AZEK Platinum contractors, we love AZEK’s capped polymer decking. It is our personal favorite, and our customers say the same! We still use TimberTech’s composite decking but tend to stick more to the AZEK collections.

TimberTech/AZEK hands down is a wonderful company that is a huge addition to our success.

A STEP ABOVE: This deck features 3" by 3" white aluminum posts with black aluminum railings, AZEK’s white fascia and risers, TimberTech AZEK’s Harvest Collection decking board in the Slate Gray color.

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