BUILDER OF THE MONTH – MAY 2010
Tony Zahn - Zahn Builders, Inc.
Question: Do you design your own homes or rely on architects and designers? Do you have an architect or designer on staff?
Tony: We enjoy working with independent designers and architects. It makes for fresh ideas and new challenges as different architects bring a variety of novel plans to the table. I also think it is important to have some checks and balances going on between the builder and the architect.
Q. How large is your company? Do you sub out your work?
T. We have 17 people on staff and we do all our own carpentry work internally. We do not use subs for areas such as: framing, cedar siding installation, cabinetry installation and interior finish carpentry for many reasons, but two of them are:
- With using our own internal staff, it allows us to have much needed schedule control. For instance, if a client wants a cottage completely rebuilt and wants us to start the day after Labor Day, we need to be able to have control of the timing and not be at the mercy of other’s time frames so that the project is complete by Memorial Day when the client wants to move back in.
- Since we carry a 3-year warranty on our homes, having our own craftsmen gives us a consistent standard of excellence that we can be sure of.
Q. What percentage of your business is new construction as opposed to remodels?
T. 70% new home construction and 30 % remodels.
Q. How many houses do you build or remodel per year on average?
T. We do 6-8 building projects per year.
Q. What style of home do you prefer to build?
T. Zahn Builders, Inc. has built styles from log homes to the ultra modern. We are a custom homebuilder meaning, we build whatever style home the client wants. What I prefer to build is a variety of styles…I enjoy the challenge that variety provides.
Q. What exterior products do you prefer to work with (cedar, shingle, cement board, vinyl, brick/stone) and why?
T. I prefer a natural, timeless product like cedar shingles and lap siding. I use a lot of pre-stained cedar products from Rivershores because it has many advantages.
Q. What sets you apart from other builders? How do you differentiate yourself from your competitors?
T. I feel there are several ways that we set ourselves apart:
- As I mentioned before, we do all of our carpentry work in-house, which keeps our customer’s time frame on schedule. This gives us a very hands-on management approach, and allows us to give clients a short construction schedule.
- We have project managers who never say ‘no’ to our clients. If the client has specific desires in mind for their home, we will find a way to make that idea work in the plan.
- We pride ourselves on great communication with our customers. We’ve had 2 clients recently that were living out of the country while we were building their homes. We actually installed a web cam at the project so that the customer could observe the progress daily and, beside that, we also sent a weekly cost analysis and written report of the progress.
Q. What is your best advice to a prospective homeowner when it comes to choosing a builder?
T. My advice is that the person interview several builders, architects and designers, decide on which ones seem to meld best with their specific ideas and dreams for a home. Then, get those three people together for strategy meetings on building their home and stay the course with that team.
Q. Where do you see exterior design trends heading?
T. It seems like there’s been a move toward the more modern or contemporary style of home over the past 2-3 years. I have also seen more appreciation for natural materials.
Q. Interior cabinetry…Modern vs “Old World” look?
T. Honestly, for every client there’s a different style…it’s all over the board.
Q. What species of flooring are you using the most? How about flooring colors?
T. Clients seem to be looking for the more practical and natural looking flooring. For instance, the hand scraped and distressed look is big, and with the tung oil finish process that Rivershores utilizes, the floors are incredibly durable and forgiving. They’re especially seen in the lakeshore homes we build with the high traffic and sand tracking in, etc. As far as colors, I’ve been seeing a trend to a darker stain as opposed to the lighter natural color.
Q. And, finally, where do you see new construction going in today’s economic climate?
T. Well, it’s hard to see builders fail, but the good news is, it has made those of us left really ratchet up our performance and add more value for our clients. It has also separated out those who may not have been as committed to home building as a profession. All in all, the winner has been the homeowner.
For more information on this Lakeshore builder, check out their website: www.zahnhomes.com.