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As Master Plumber, Owner and Operator of Hill Country Plumbing, Wimberley, Texas, Colie Curry has never met a challenge he didn’t take head on. As a teenager, Curry was always excited to go work with his dad at his grandfather’s roofing and sheet metal business. It was then, while working on a 1920’s house to several years of historic restoration—that opened a door that stretched Curry’s skill set across foundation, framing, electrical, drywall and finish carpentry work. “My grandfather with his roofing business always had a cheerful reminder to be efficient with every movement. My dad always had more confidence in my skills and the ability to adapt to new problems then I did; he is a great example of “sticking to the job till done,” says Curry.

The tech bubble of 2001 caused the cancellation of many projects so Curry started working for a family friend at Hill Country Plumbing, and that spring he soaked up as much as he could on the job and took exams for licensing. “My boss and coworkers discussed code during lunch or in the shop after work, debating plumbing code and applications, different ways we could have done the plumbing that day, or even discussions on better ways to plumb,” says Curry.

Fast forward nearly 10 years, after taking his Master Plumber License in 2010, Curry purchased Hill Country Plumbing. And while taking over a business has its own set of challenges, Curry emphasizes that you should never stop learning throughout your career. “Through many commercial and residential new construction structures and full-time service work, my education doesn’t stop. It’s a challenge to keep up with changing codes, city amendments, and the variety of materials and fixtures available. In that same vein it is incredibly rewarding to find these new items and incorporate them, fulfilling codes as we do,” says Curry.

One such challenging project Curry worked on recently was a project called G-pod (https://gpodamericas.com ), a passive house-style build completely off grid, and now featuring PV and rainwater supply, it has a minimal impact on the site. Curry says that president and managing partner, Andrew Seelye, is using it as almost a test facility for working building science systems. “At first it was seeing the vision, as all of the exterior is double-walled and well-insulated. Using wall hung toilets in a tight and well-thought-out layout, we had to be particularly cognizant of all items that needed to be in that tight space. It was the first split-air-to-water heat pump water heater I had installed so a bit of a learning curve. And, speaking of curves, the outside corners are all curves on the build so punching out near a building corner cannot be done. It was a great challenge and I’m pretty sure I would do it all over again,”says Curry. “It has been a real pleasure to see his passion, educate myself, and adjust plumbing styles to adapt,” says Curry.

Geography matters. When most of the United States say it’s hot in the summer in the Midwest, Texas says, “Hold my beer.” Curry acknowledges that many areas across the country have heat, but not at the level of heat and humidity in the Hill Country. “When we get close to 100 F and the humidity is 95-100%, we try to schedule all attic work for first thing in the morning. Making sure everyone is taking breaks and watching for signs of heat exhaustion. I carry two to three extra shirts just because of the massive amount of sweat. I’ve even had trouble caulking a toilet because I was dripping onto the caulk,” says Curry.

Dealing with the heat is one thing, but south Texas has its other set of challenges as well. For instance, Curry says that most of the municipal water supplies start at 20 grains of hardness and wells can be as high as 185 grains. “This takes a terrible toll on plumbing systems and fixtures as our water can be conductive. Clients will look into having rainwater systems but those can be naturally acidic and can eat up copper, which is why we don’t use much down here. Knowledge is key to finding solutions for each individual system. What will work at one place won’t at another,” says Curry.

Another challenge Curry runs into is heat transfer to cold water plumbing when these lines are in the attic, which is uncomfortable when one wants a cold shower and gets lukewarm water. “That can also cause havoc with tankless water heaters ramping up and down their fire rate as temps swing drastically,” says Curry. “Trying to keep those lines as well insulated as possible helps.”

However, being in such a pleasantly warm climate—same latitude as Morocco and Kuwait, and south of Tallahassee—people often forget we swing into cold temps as well, although usually not for very long. “So, a land of outdoor showers, exposed waterlines and poor insulation is a challenge when the temp drops from 80F plus to -13F in 36 hrs. Educating our customers seems to have the best effect when catastrophe has already happened,” says Curry.

Oh, one more thing to deal with down here: the Hill Country between Austin and San Antonio and west is limestone and karst. Curry says that most of the excavation starts with a rock saw and jackhammers. Most slab-on-grade plumbing roughs will have at least some jackhammering to allow the sewer line to be below grade outside the foundation. “The worst rough-in we did took almost three weeks with rock saws, hoe rams and backhoes. A relief once we finished it,” says Curry.

As a small business owner, Curry says that balancing work and family time is incredibly hard so it’s important to make some rules for yourself and stick to them. Putting his phone on silent daily and straight to voicemail after hours, “I’ve always said ‘I work to live, not live to work,’” says Curry.

Curry has tried to maintain Saturdays as his family day, loading everyone up and going on surprise adventures, for example. “In the last 16 years, I’m pretty sure I’ve only worked a handful of Saturdays. Sundays, I lead worship at our church, so unless we are in a natural disaster or a friend’s house is flooding, I’ll leave it until Monday. I want my four boys to see by my actions what my priorities are,” says Curry.

Curry says that he relies on social media (@hillcountryplumb on Instagram) for the connections, and when he needs a helping hand. “My friends joke that I’m a connection guy. ‘You need a hydronic heat guy in San Francisco, Connecticut, Missoulaor Minnesota? I know a guy.’ Truthfully, whenever I can’t get an answer locally for something, my IG contacts are next. I’m not afraid to ask questions of fellow plumbers, manufacturers or anyone I think may have an answer. I’ve had questions come my way as well so that network of knowledge is powerful,” says Curry.

Finally, when asked about his specialty in plumbing, Curry says that he thrives in the unique builds and problem solving, and he receives a lot of messages when he posts the unusual jobs he does. “I mean, how many guys can say they’ve plumbed a caboose, a wine cave, a straw ale house, a hempcrete house, a rammed raft house with dirt floors, a 1769 log cabin, an 1883 storehouse, and so many other unusual things? It’s fun to show the unique things and hopefully explain how the same plumbing principles apply,” says Curry.