Episode 175 · March 11, 2025
Dana Day: Special Two Part Episode - Part One: Living Her Passion as a Home Builder
with Dana Day, Owner, Dana Build and Design
31 min
Dana Day: Special Two Part Episode - Part One: Living Her Passion as a Home Builder
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In this episode
In this episode I sit down with Dana Day, owner of Dana Build and Design in Tulsa, and honestly, her story is one I'd been so looking forward to sharing. Dana didn't set out to be a builder. She was a mortgage loan officer who hired a bad builder for her own home, ended up over budget and over time, and instead of walking away, she pulled up a TV tray and a lawn chair and started learning the job from the inside out. That's where she fell in love with the challenge of it all.
What I love about Dana is how she turned the very thing that frustrated her into a niche. She saw what was missing in the homes around her and started building differently — hidden rooms for the kids, outlets tucked under every vanity, rethinking whether a family really needs three places to eat. That eye for how people actually live caught the attention of HGTV, where she was the only female remodeler out of 25 interviewed across five cities. She shares the wild, gas-leak-on-day-one story of that build, and how her commitment to quality over a quick "Band-Aid" fix shaped the whole project.
This is part one of a special two-part visit, and toward the end Dana opens the door to the deeper purpose she's stepping into this year. Fourteen years ago she lost her sister, Leslie, to suicide, and that loss reshaped the core of who she is. We recorded on what would have been Leslie's 48th birthday, and Dana begins to share how God has been nudging her to speak — a story we'll go much deeper into in part two. Keep going, and stick around for the rest.
Key takeaways
- A frustrating experience can reveal your niche — Dana's own over-budget, over-time home build is exactly what showed her there was a gap she could fill as a builder.
- Earning respect often starts with asking to learn. Dana won over her subcontractors by asking them to teach her and inviting their input, rather than competing with them.
- Design for how people actually live. Small, thoughtful choices — hidden rooms for kids, outlets under vanities, rethinking multiple dining spaces — make a home 'flow' differently.
- Quality over quick fixes pays off. Dana's insistence on fixing problems instead of putting a 'Band-Aid' on them built the word-of-mouth and referrals that grew her business.
- As a woman in a male-dominated industry, Dana learned to be intentional and calculated with her words — pointing out problems positively and offering suggestions.
- There's a real trade shortage coming, and trade school is a legitimate, well-paying path. Dana champions young women entering plumbing, electrical, HVAC and building.
- A grounded daily rhythm matters. Dana starts in prayer, leans on Christian music to lower stress, and credits a close group of friends and family as her support system.
Chapters
- 00:00Doing it before doubting it — being a woman in a male-dominated world
- 00:30Welcome and introducing Dana Day of Dana Build and Design
- 02:30A word from sponsor The Rooted Willow
- 03:30From mortgage loan officer to builder: the bad-builder story
- 06:00Building differently: hidden rooms, smart outlets, rethinking dining rooms
- 09:00The HGTV email she almost ignored — and the interview process
- 12:00Demo day, a gas leak, and honoring quality over a Band-Aid
- 15:00Ethics, work ethic, and building quality even at lower margins
- 17:00Managing emotions and people in a costly, emotional process
- 20:00'You must mean your husband's the builder' — proving herself
- 23:00Advice for the next generation and the coming trade shortage
- 25:00What she loves most: the creative process from glassblowing to homes
- 28:00A typical day on the job sites
- 30:00Investing in herself: prayer, music, friends and family
- 32:00Thriving in 2025 and a first glimpse of her purpose: Leslie's story
“I didn't even think about me being a woman in a male-dominated world. I just did it.”
“I fell in love with the challenge of building because there's a lot of moving parts and you really have to be creative and think out of the box.”
“I am the builder and I will get this done.”
“This is God driven. I give him everything for this.”
Resources mentioned
About Dana
Owner, Dana Build and Design
Dana Day is the owner of Dana Build and Design in Tulsa. A former mortgage loan officer, she built a 20-plus year career as a custom home builder and remodeler, was selected to appear in an HGTV/Lowe's series as the only female remodeler among 25 interviewed, and is known for quality-driven, creative builds delivered on budget and on time. She is highly involved with the Home Builders Association in Tulsa.
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