Gary was one of the youngest California contractors when he got his General Builders License. When he first started his construction company, he just remodeled bathrooms. Gary and one helper could complete a typical bathroom remodel within one week, which included all the trades required from start to finish. Gary Fiehmann is the founder of Craftsmens Guild, Inc., Industry Schools, Home Owners Coach, and the “Design Build Estimator.” Gary has been a Licensed California Contractor for over 40 years and has designed and built hundreds of residential homes and commercial projects. In addition to being a B-General Contractor, Gary holds a C02-Insulation, C20-HVAC, C46-Solar, and D65-Weatherization licenses in multiple states. Gary is also a Microsoft Certified Partner, QuickBooks Pro Advisor, and Master Builder Partner.
Gary got a break in the early 70s and was awarded a project as the General Contractor for the remodel of a famous restaurant in Los Gatos, California. The restaurant turned out to be one of the highest grossing restaurants for over seven years in a row. This gave him a great reputation in the Santa Clara Valley. He continued building restaurants for years then moved from that market to residential construction due to changes in the economy.
In the late 70s, Gary got his Solar Contractors License when the government was offering significant tax incentives to homeowners for adding Solar Systems to their homes. While living in Lake Tahoe, he designed and built one of the first computerized solar homes. Apple computers provided him with the computer to control the home's heating and cooling systems. Later, he became the RMO for Sunland Solar Inc., where they installed over 50 solar hot-water systems per month.
After the government had stopped the tax incentive programs, Gary started one of the first Design and Construction Companies in the States, Craftsmens Guild, Inc. He employed three architects, one engineer, two interior designers, and five general contractors as their crews. The Craftsmens Guild, Inc. is a very successful design and construction company and in operations today in Cupertino, California.
After helping many of his employees get their licenses, he decided to use his knowledge to start ContractorsLicense.Com a contractor's licensing information website. Gary is currently the administrator of ContractorsLicense.Com one of the first online Contractors Licensing Schools in the Country. Over the last 15 years, Gary has helped over 20,000 contractors get their State Licenses in over 43 different classifications and is proud to maintain an (A+) rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Throughout his design and construction years, Gary has been creating and improving a better estimating system. Gary chose to take a unique view of the existing estimating systems and create a "PART" based system versus a "MATERIAL" based. Once the decision to work with PARTS based structure was made, it was easy to create a set of PHASES to address each PART. The overall development of this unique organization has taken over 25 years due to the complexity of the Construction Industry. This transformation ultimately led to Gary creating the “Design Build Index" that provides the final outline for the “Design Build Estimator.“ If you find interest in our Contractors Licensing KITs or in any other of our products let us know.