Bid The Drawing vs. Bid Reality

In this episode of the In The House Podcast, a construction podcast hosted by Lonnie and Michael, they sit down with Corey Claunch, VP of Rehme Architectural Systems, to dig into fenestration — the window and door systems that are often the first thing to fail in a custom home, and the first thing a client judges. Rehme started in Spicewood, Texas, when founder Peter Rehme, a welder by trade, built his first steel door and learned a hard lesson fast: knowing how to stop a 200-pound guy from breaking a handrail doesn't mean you know how to stop wind and water. Corey walks through how that one lesson grew into three companies — manufacturing, installation, and a client-facing dealership — all built in America, in Texas, around getting genuinely great at one hard thing. They get into two ideas that apply far beyond windows and doors: the gap between bidding to what's drawn and bidding to what will actually get built, and the difference between what a product can do and what it should do. Corey's example — a flush, overhang-free sliding door threshold that photographs beautifully and leaks the first time it storms — is a conversation every builder, architect, and homeowner chasing a "look" should hear before they sign off on it. They also talk about building trust with clients under strict NDAs, why Rehme only takes on heavily design-driven projects, and how automation is freeing their team to say yes to harder, more interesting requests instead of cutting corners. Corey closes with a personal story about his son's asthma and a water-intrusion issue in his own home — a reminder of why getting these details right matters well beyond the photograph. Whether you're a builder, architect, designer, or homeowner trying to understand what you're really signing up for in a bid, this episode will change how you read a set of plans. 🎙 Guest: Corey Claunch | VP | Rehme Architectural Systems 🎧 Hosted by Lonnie & Michael | In The House Podcast inthehousepodcast.com Sponsors: Artisan Hardwood Floors Captivate Elevated Home Technology Dalgleish Construction Precision Roofing Inc. Rehme Architectural Systems #construction #fenestration #steelwindows #customhomes #homebuilding #podcast #generalcontractor #builderlife #constructionbusiness #architecturaldesign #madeinusa