When Bill and Brian Welsh walk through their new headquarters on Heckle Street, they see a labor of love.

The brothers and owners of Welsh Brothers Construction Services built it themselves -- just as they did their business.

The Stables, which they have named the spacious complex, required extensive work when they acquired it, but they were up for the challenge. There are not many projects the Welsh brothers will shy away from -- from properties damaged by storms and car crashes to fires, they've got it covered.

In fact, they probably owe their success to a major ice storm.

Robin Raymond, the owner of Red Door Designs Inc., has worked with the Welsh brothers since they started the business five years ago. She designed their logo, and just in time, she said.

"We had just gotten their logo completed, trucks painted and shirts made for their employees, and we had a terrible ice storm here," Ms. Raymond said.

Trees were down everywhere, and the brothers were ready for the calls -- which started coming immediately.

Ms. Raymond said the storm "catapulted them into society."

"We ended up doing 225 jobs in the first 12 months," Bill said. "We've done over 1,000 jobs since we started the business."

"I always laugh at them because their timing couldn't have been better," Ms. Raymond said.

The Welsh brothers now are transforming their Harrisburg neighborhood -- one building at a time, Bill said.

"The whole neighborhood is glad that we're here because this place was nothing but a hangout for homeless people and people hanging out in parking lots," he added. "It has potential as office and rental space. We've already got it half full with tenants, and we haven't even advertised."

The property is named after the horse stables that once were on the grounds of the former Bon Air resort hotel. Brian's office is actually located in a former stable.

Their vision is to attract quality tenants and revitalize the Harrisburg community.

Ms. Raymond said the brothers "are hard workers and have a good work ethic."

"It's fun to see local guys who have grown up here work hard and become successful. I'm really happy for them," she said.

The Welsh brothers grew up around the construction business. Their father, who works as a plastic surgeon, was an investor in Welsh Construction, a company that he owned with his brother.

They learned the ropes of the construction industry during their childhood at their family's business and at Bowles Construction Inc.

"Every summer during high school and grade school, I worked for a construction company," Bill said.

A good foundation

The Welsh brothers grew up in an Irish Catholic family with six children. They have two brothers and two sisters, all of whom still live in the Augusta area.

Their mother, Teresa Maguire Welsh, stayed at home while her children were young. She had come to America from Ireland as a young girl with her parents and four sisters. Her father, Bernard Maguire, became the caretaker of Westover Memorial Park across from Surrey Center.

Their father comes from a military family -- their paternal grandfather, Jack Welsh, was an Army colonel who retired in Augusta.

Though their parents are divorced, the children were taught the importance of having a strong family life. The brothers are accustomed to being surrounded by family and have more than 40 first cousins.

They see their mother and sister, Bridget Detchemendy, every day at their office on Heckle Street.

After college, Bill took a job at Bowles Construction Inc., where he worked from 1998 to 2003. His initial goal was to attend medical school, but he was also interested in the construction business.

"They had a need for someone to do mold remediation, which is getting rid of mold in houses. With my biology background and construction knowledge, it just fit," he said.

The company sent him across the country for training and certification in fire and water damage restoration, mold remediation and odor control.

Brian was already working at Bowles Construction when Bill came on board.

When Brian graduated from high school, he moved to France to play rugby for several years in Biarritz. The city, on the southwest coast of France, is Augusta's sister city.

He played for a couple of seasons and returned home to work in the restaurant business. After a two-year stint in the food industry, he decided to enroll in college and major in French.

He was married with two children at the time, so it was quicker for him to earn a French degree.

After graduation, he flew to Paris to attempt to bring a company to the United States, but things didn't work out. Greg Bowles at Bowles Construction asked for his assistance with a six-month project.

Though he was initially reluctant, Brian took the job and ended up working at the company from 1998 to 2003.

"After six months, I really liked it, and I just stayed there and worked my way up from project manager to the director of operations," Brian said.

Five years later, the brothers had some experience under their belts and desired to branch out on their own.

The perfect storm

They got their start in the insurance restoration business with the winter storm of February 2004.

"It damaged hundreds of homes. That really helped to propel us into where we are now," Brian said.

Stovall Walker, a family friend and partner at Financial Solutions and Income Design, remembers how the storm aided their business.

"All of the destruction in the Country Club Hills community made them prevalent," Mr. Walker said. "They got my attention by the growth they were experiencing."

He offered to help the brothers with their insurance and financial planning and now provides these services for their business.

"Their growth was phenomenal. I've never seen anything like it," he said.

They set up their offices in the top floor of their father's medical office at Augusta Cosmetic Surgery, which they intended to use only for a few months. When they learned the Richmond County Board of Education was selling its Heckle Street building, they immediately expressed their interest in purchasing the property.

It took two years for the deal to be approved, however, and they had to wait at their father's medical practice while the building was being severely damaged by rain. When they moved in, they had to completely gut the complex and rebuild it from the ground up.

Their brothers, Tommy and Richard, agreed to participate in the venture and today all four brothers share ownership of the 25,000-square-foot facility.

Among their many initial challenges, the brothers had to learn how to strike a balance.

"The most difficult part of it was getting the right number of jobs and the right number of employees at the right time," Brian said.

One day, Brian called his brother and said he had good news and bad news.

"The good news was that I got us our first big addition. The bad news was we were going to have to frame it up ourselves. We didn't have any employees to do it," he said.

They ended up finding crew members and successfully completed the job. Today, the company has 20 employees for its commercial, residential, remodeling and additions and insurance restoration projects. Their clients stretch within a 60-mile radius.

"We've got great crews who can handle whatever we throw at them," Brian said. C.J. McCollum, who supervises their field employees, is a valuable asset, they said.

They consider their most noteworthy project to be the Wild Wing Cafe building, formerly the Oldenberg Grill restaurant, on Washington Road.

Four years ago, their crews worked on the building around the clock for 10 weeks. There was no door -- they removed the revolving one and a new door was on special order.

When the painters ran out of paint during the middle of the night, they called the company to watch the building.

Cafe co-owner Tricie Scholer has known the brothers personally for 25 years. She said they completely renovated the building, including adding new floors and walls.

"We spent four months pretty much together everyday. We appreciate what they did for us," Ms. Scholer said. "I would say Brian is more of the businessman, and Bill is more of the hardworking, quiet type. They're really great guys, and we love them to death."

Smashing successes

"You'd be surprised how often people drive cars through buildings," Bill said.

A drunk driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed into their Heckle Street building after they had completed about half of their renovations.

The driver slammed into the room where the school board used to hold its meetings.

"He drove through two brick walls and pulled into the driveway across the street," Bill said. "We had to do our own insurance restoration."

The culprit had brick, insulation and paneling on the back of his truck as evidence of his feat.

Though difficulties in the housing market have affected their business, insurance restorations have kept them busy.

"We've picked up a lot more insurance work because it seems to be something that never stops. People are always running into houses with cars. Trees are always falling on houses," Brian added.

Customer Walker Penland hired the Welsh brothers when someone crashed into his property on Central Avenue. A woman accidentally drove her car into the home in a fatal accident and took off the entire front porch in April 2007. The home had $40,000 in damage.

Mr. Penland said he knew he wanted Welsh Brothers Construction Services to complete the job after Bill made a visit to his home.

"He's very sincere and down-to-earth. I felt very comfortable with him," Mr. Penland said. "I felt like talking with one of the owners rather than a representative of the firm that I had a better rapport; he knew what I expected."

And there are plenty of other examples: An elderly woman driving home from a bridge game accidentally hit her accelerator rather than the brakes and drove into a family's den. The husband was sitting in his La-Z-Boy and she hit the back of his chair, knocking him into the wall.

The brothers are currently working on a job for State Farm Insurance in which a man's brakes went out and he ended up driving into the bottom of someone's home.

"It happens all the time. That's why people have insurance," Bill said.

The work isn't all tragic. They've got two preservation jobs for Historic Augusta.

"You have to work hard and when you get overwhelmed, you've got to work harder," Brian said.

Building a business from the ground up isn't easy.

"There are a lot of companies which are successful that are multi-generational. For this company, we're the ones who are plowing the field for our children," Brian said.

"It's difficult to be the ones to start. It makes you appreciate the things in life that some people take for granted."

Augusta Commissioner Joe Bowles has known the Welsh brothers since fifth grade. He also started a business recently and knows the "scary feeling" of branching out on your own.

"I think they were nervous at first, but it's paid off," Mr. Bowles said. "It's always nice to see two guys like that start their own business."

Mr. Walker believes the brothers have a brilliant business strategy.

"They're growing so fast and making good, solid conservative moves to make the company grow. I think that will make them very successful," he said.

Finding time to relax

When they have time for leisure, there is hunting and fishing, hobbies that were introduced to them by friends.

They both belong to a hunting club in McBean which allows them to bring their children along.

"Every time I do, I go with my kids. I would rather go with them than anybody else," Bill said.

Brian hasn't given up rugby. He is a member of the Augusta Rugby Club, which allows him to continue his love for the sport. In a way, he owes his marriage to the game.

"I had played in a rugby tournament and ended up collapsing a lung and breaking some ribs," Brian said.

He was hospitalized at then St. Joseph's Hospital and was going "stir crazy." He begged the doctor to release him after a few days, and the physician agreed if he could find someone to pick him up.

Brian called his entire family, but couldn't find a ride. He finally called a friend who was driving to a party on Central Avenue.

She agreed to pick him up and asked if he wanted to come along to the party. The festivities were at the home of a girl named Beth. They became friends, started dated and got married one year later.

Bill knew his wife, Kim, for a long time before they dated.

"We never dated until college, but we've known each other since kindergarten," he said.

They were in the same class until third grade. Kim went to a different school during the remainder of elementary and middle school, but they attended the same high school.

Brian also loves to cook, which started during his days in the restaurant industry.

"My wife and I had dinner at his house for probably four years every Sunday night until we started having children. He's an excellent chef," Mr. Bowles said.

Despite their busy schedules, the brothers don't regret their decision to start the business.

"I'd rather work for myself and have the freedom to make choices," Bill said.

"I think we're on track for what we want to do. We're trying to shoot farther and higher and continue to build on the base that we have," Brian said.

Someone once told him that "overnight success" takes 15 years.

"So that's kind of our goal. To see where the first 15 years will take us," Brian said.

Reach LaTina Emerson at (706) 823-3227 or latina.emerson@augustachronicle.com.