Today we’d like to introduce you to Chad Lucas.
Hi Chad, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
The idea for Walk Thru Plans really came from a personal experience. When my wife and I built our house about five or six years ago, I realised she couldn’t visualise the space from blueprints the way I could as an engineer. There was a real gap there, and I figured others must be experiencing the same thing. Then I stumbled across a video on YouTube about walk-through plan visualisation, and it just clicked — this was the solution to that problem. My background is in engineering and consulting, always in technology, so this was a shift into a new industry for me. Since we launched in November, we’ve experienced steady growth, though as you’d expect, being brand new to construction, combined with the end-of-year holidays and Minnesota’s winter season, it’s been a slower ramp. But we’re making real connections in the industry now and getting our name out there.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, to be honest. The largest hurdle I’ve faced is being completely new to the construction industry and not having an established network in the Minneapolis area. Everything — the relationships, the language, the way things work — has been new to me. On top of that, finding the right physical space was incredibly challenging. We need a space with specific requirements: elevated ceilings for projection and an open, clear span with no posts or columns in the middle, since they’d block the projection space. Most warehouses with the correct ceiling height have support columns right where we need them to be. But we eventually found our studio in Elk River, and it’s given me a real appreciation for how the industry operates and where Walk Thru Plans fits into solving genuine problems for builders, architects, and homeowners alike.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m most proud of the moment when clients do their walk-through and actually discover things they want to change on their plans. They’re able to experience the space at true-to-scale, walk through it, and make real spatial decisions — adjusting walls, doorways, understanding flow and layout — all before any construction happens. That’s when you realise the value of what we’re doing — catching issues and improvements before money is spent. It’s not just residential either. We work with commercial, industrial, and landscaping projects as well, so we’re solving this visualisation problem across a much broader spectrum than people might initially think.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I find success on two levels. First, there’s the client outcome. When people do their walk-through, they’re able to experience the space at true-to-scale, make real spatial decisions about walls and flow, and catch issues before construction even starts. That saves them money and helps them avoid costly mistakes on their dream home or project. But personally, it’s about making a difference and doing something meaningful to help others. Being able to solve that visualisation gap that I saw firsthand with my own wife — and now doing it for countless others — that’s what drives me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://walkthruplansminneapolis.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/walkthruplansminneapolis/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/walkthruplansminneapolis
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/walk-thru-plans-minneapolis/
