Today, let’s get to know Tana Mitchell, our Project Coordinator at Hardwick General Contracting. Tana is a fixer, planner, and problem-solver. If you ask anyone at HardwickGC what Tana’s greatest strength is, they will tell you ‘she gets things DONE’! We’ll find out a bit more about Tana, including her passion for architecture and design.

Where do you reside in Central Florida?
I recently moved from South Florida to Maitland for this opportunity.

Why did you get into the homebuilding field?
It all started with architecture. When I was in high school, I took some drafting courses and fell in love with the career path of architecture. When I went to college, I discovered that I prefer the actual building aspect of the industry, so I focused my education on that sphere.

Do you have any education or certifications in the field?
My BA is in architecture and I am also a certified paralegal and project manager.

What does your job entail?
I handle a lot of the paperwork aspects: applying for permits, obtaining drawings, and making sure we get the permits that we need. I handle some of the client selections, helping our custom home clients to select things like the floor finishes, wall colors, shingle materials and such. I help the homeowners to make their design choices, and then I get proposals, and we make sure that we execute each aspect according to plan. Once materials are approved, it is a long process with a lot of details. I help get that information, manage it, and then allow the project manager to execute it and get it installed in the field.

What is a typical day like?
I am usually into the office by 8:30. One of the good things that we do here is our every morning touch base, which is an internal meeting to go over every project. Greg shares what is new and vital on the agenda, and after that, we each start knocking out our own personal to-dos.

Do you spend most of your time in the office or in the field?
I would say 75% of my time is spent in the office. Still, I do get opportunities to go to the job sites for tracking the progress and meeting with the clients in the field alongside Greg or the Project Manager. Sometimes I will meet with the trades, and I’ll walk beside them to give them measurements and things like that. I also am in communication with vendor showrooms to keep up with their latest product offerings.

What is a common question that you get from customers?

Sometimes people as, ‘How do start to renovate my home?’ Before working with a custom builder, you must have an idea of the size of your project, the type of work you want to be done, and to get started we must have a set of drawings. For the drawings, our clients work with an architect and an engineer. After that comes the permitting process, which we would handle for you, but you will need to have your drawings prepared first.

What do you like most about your job?
I have been in this industry from beginning to end, and I just think it is such a flexible industry with so many components. I love the artsy aspect of it, seeing all the new materials and how they come together. We are making beautiful things that will be there for a long time.

What advice do you have for prospective home clients, custom home clients?
One important thing is to allow some buffer room in your budget, both financially and timewise. Projects often extend a little bit longer than expected, and you will want some buffer in the budget as well, to allow for any changes you might desire as the project develops. I genuinely enjoy getting creative with our clients and helping them create the homes of their dreams!