Based on self-reported Builder 100/Next 100 data for for-profit, non-franchised companies. Figures based on total revenue divided by total number of employees.
This focus on productivity is apparent on the jobsite, where many of the most effective builders keep their construction processes streamlined and efficient.
For instance, Saint Aubyn Homes in Colorado Springs offers a small range of floor plans with little customization. “We took the top options selected in our market and made them standard in our models,” says Jared St. Aubyn, president of the firm, No. 71 on this year’s Builder 100 list. “In addition to making life easier for our construction staff, it eases the burden on our office staff and sales team.”
The firm also has simplified its building practices by using Ready Frame pre-cut framing materials from Atlanta-based distributor BMC, St. Aubyn says. With help from El Paso County’s unusually quick permitting process, the builder can produce a house in under 100 days from contract to close, which enables it to compete with the resale market. “We have established a culture with our construction management team and trade partners that a house must progress every day,” St. Aubyn says. “When a concerted effort is made to make progress in every house, every day, it isn’t difficult to minimize cycle time.”
At Great Southern, floor plans are created by the firm’s five-person in-house design team and value engineered so they can be built more efficiently and with less waste, says Satterfield. The company has a goal to target 70% of a particular submarket in both price and product. “This had led us to develop popular model homes for first-time buyers, first and second move-ups, and empty nester buyers which can easily be adapted to new submarkets,” he says.
To keep delays to a minimum, Classic Homes prohibits changes to a plan after the permit is pulled and has weekly conference calls or meetings with each homeowner throughout the build process attended by superintendents and sales counselors to catch any concerns early.
The company is focused on finishing projects strong, too, says Stimple. Since the recession, Classic has changed its walk-through policies so that houses are 100% complete at delivery, cutting down on post-closing punch list headaches.
