Celebrity Contractor Stephen Fanuka on Building a Brand and Summer Home Renovation Tips

Stephen Fanuka has made a career out of getting his hands dirty (though he makes an effort to advocate for cleaning one's hands after a hard day's work of manual labor). The host of HGTV and DIY Network'sMillion Dollar Contractor began his contracting career as part of the family business and saw an opportunity to increase the square footage of his business prospects. As a result, he's appeared as an expert across a variety of television shows, was nominated for an Emmy, published a book, and became a contractor to the stars. He's worked with several notable clients across his storied career, including Beyoncé, Bruce Willis, Michael J. Fox, and Bethany Frankel. No matter who he's building for or what he's building, he makes sure to bring the same level of enthusiasm, care, and talent that he had starting at the age of 13, crafting cabinets with his father.

Fanuka sat down with Parade to talk through his journey as a contractor, some of his most memorable experiences, how Gold Bond is a life saver for his business, and what homeowners can do to service their houses during the summer.

What are some of the projects you've been working on recently?
I'm lucky. Every job I have is nothing short of awesome. Right now, I'm currently wrapping up a job with Annie Leibowitz, who is fantastic. She was so happy that she actually offered to take my family portrait. So I waited a year—there's still a waiting list, even if they like you—and she took my family portrait two weeks ago. I'd say that's one of the top 10 [coolest] things to ever happen to me when working with clients. We [also] recently finished Tina Fey's home. And we're building townhouses. We have a townhouse that's being built where the staircase is six stories, and the stairs are circular. So they curve, and they're made out of steel. When you're done with it, the staircase is $1 million dollars. And it takes a year to build.

On that note, I'd love to hear about your general timeline. On average, how long does a project typically take from concept to execution?
These days, New York City and the big cities are getting a lot tougher. Which is good, regarding DOB permits and giving permission. I have to give myself almost four to five months. I can start in two weeks, get my paperwork going and be ready. But between the permits and the approvals, and then the buildings, these condos with co-op boards that are very strict and require a lot of insurance, it's getting longer and longer.

I feel bad because [other] people are not as lucky as I am. These smaller businesses, I feel like they could go out of business. If you have to wait four months to start a job you have, but you need a weekly payroll and this job you're doing ends in a month, that means you're three months in the hole. I like to think I'm one of the leaders in the industry, so I'm always going around talking with contractors [about] how to expand their business and consumers [about] how to protect yourselves from people like me. But at the end of the day, I still have a soft spot. I remember how I started and when I started and I remember how hard it was.

RELATED: DIY Network Star Rachel Street Shares Low-Cost Tips to Help You Update or Sell Your Home 

Let's talk about how you started. You, for lack of a better term, built your company up from custom cabinets to full home renovations that are known across the country. How did you first get involved in the industry, and what prompted you to expand?
I started out as a cabinet maker. My dad was born in Croatia. He came here poor and didn't know English. He started working for an antique guy who was re-finishing antiques. He eventually went to work for himself. He was building little cabinets because he couldn't he afford a car. He would take his little tools and his cabinet into the subway! So he would take the cabinet first, hope that no one steals the toolbox still upstairs, then bring the toolbox, then put the tools in the cabinet and roll it onto the train on a dolly. That's how he started. When he started apprenticing me, I was about 13 years old. He would bring me to the shop, make me sit down and watch. By the time I was 16, I was a Master Craftsman; I could build anything out of wood. He had a 30' x 20'; it was me, my father, and another guy. We would make the cabinets to order, go in and install it, then start another job. So you can't do a lot of business when you're doing it that way. But he put food on the table and put me through college. He was a great father. Still alive by the way, raises chickens in Queens.

A painter came to me one day while I was installing and said, "Stephen, I see something in you." I didn't know what the hell he was talking about. He was like, "I think you have something special. It's your personality, the way you carry yourself. The way you work; if it's your hands, you're not going to leave until it's right." He said, "I know somebody who doesn't want a contractor. They want someone green; someone she can push around. Would you be interested in getting a contractor's license?" I said, "Sure, why not?" It ended up being for the Imelda Marcos family from the Philippines. That was my first contracting job. I built a shoe cabinet, and she busted my balls for it. To this day, she's still the toughest client I've had in my life 25 years later.

You've certainly had a storied career, with many different clients. Any memorable moments come to mind from years past? 
[One time], I was with a client, and I was cleaning out a room, getting ready to do a renovation. I found a little pencil sketch, not much bigger than a postcard. It was a giant fat man holding the head of a woman, sitting in a chair. I gave it to their butler—not housekeeper, butler—and I was like, "I found this." He was like, "Where'd you find this?" I said, "Under the couch." He goes, "We've been looking for this. Do you know what this is? It's a Picasso. We thought someone had stolen it. You could have stolen that and you'd be a very rich man." I was like, "That's not the way I roll." Then I got a call from the owners saying, "You will be my contractor until I die. Your honesty has surpassed yourself."

RELATED: HGTV Star Mina Starsiak Hawk on the New Season of Good Bones and a Very Brady Renovation 

You mentioned before that you lend your expertise to consumers and contractors alike. I know you've also partnered up with Gold Bond to alleviate some of the aches and pains that your work brings to your hands: your main tools on the job. Can you elaborate on that? I can only assume you have barrels of it on hand in the office.
You know what's great about Gold Bond, since you said by the barrel full? It's 0.75 ounces, and it has a precision tip tube. So when you apply it, you apply it just to the areas that are bothering you on the cracked skin. I'm always washing my hands because I'm always touching something dirty, something not good to put in my mouth. So I'm constantly washing my hands, and you don't have to keep re-applying it. One tube can last me a month, depending on the situation. The other hand creams are like lip balm; you're constantly applying it. Gold Bond is looking out for you. You're not paying a lot of money, and it's going to stay for a while. I'm using my hands all day long, and if my hands are dry, chapped, and bothersome, it makes it difficult. It's almost like a chapped lip. If your lips hurt, it's hard to move your lips around. It's not like that with this. When I put it on, I can keep working.

I'm speaking from the heart because I really do use this. Some people keep lollipops in the office; we keep Gold Bond. I have 40 guys [working], so I keep hand sanitizer and hand cream. I filled an empty five-gallon water bottle with Gold Bond. They just grab it, and they go. If my men are happy and not in pain or experiencing discomfort because of their chapped skin, I'm all for it. Happy workers keep me in business.

Do you have any tips for what people can do around the house during the summer season?
I always tell people the backyard is the extension of their home. If you have a patio door, make it nice out there. Put a barbecue, a patio table, an outdoor weatherproof TV. You're adding square footage to your home. The first thing I prioritize would be the barbecue. You've got to clean the barbecue; you've got to make sure it's safe to use. I tell people to heat up the barbecue for 10 to 15 minutes, close the cover, and let it heat up. Then take one of those scouring brushes and go to town on it. But don't stop there; that's where everyone stops and puts their tools away. Let it cool down, then take those grates off and bring them inside. Fill up your sink with hot water, the kind of water where you're going to want to wear rubber gloves. Let them sit in there for another 15 minutes, then pull them out. Then, with a scouring brush, clean them off. Before you put the grates in, take one of those wire brushes and clean the tubes where all the gas is coming out. Make sure there are no bugs or clogs because anything like that could be hazardous or could not cook the meat the way you want it. Once you're done with that, if you have a deck, clean all the loose boards. You'll want to do some staining if you can. I highly recommend power washers. They make anything look brand new.

Is there anything you shouldn't power wash?
No! All power washers have different ranges that can put [out] different pressure. So make sure you set the pressure for what it's supposed to be: brick, a car, pavement, patio furniture. Use your discretion.

I don't like in the winter time when water gets into brick or concrete, and when the water freezes, it expands. The bricks will start to get loose, and the concrete will start to crack and come up. I tell people to get a tube of concrete caulk and fill the cracks up. Do your due diligence. Aside from your health and your family, the most important thing is your castle. And you have to treat it like one. And if you don't want to spend the money having someone else do it, you can do it on your own and feel like the king of your castle.