4evr Homes, LLC

Talk! Tell me your desires, plans, wishes, dreams... I will ask leading questions and listen to you.                                      Phone first, then if you are comfortable with me and I with you we can meet and work together on your plans for your future home.                                                                      I firmly believe in creating a partnership with my clients to achieve the goals we establish together.

Grew up around wooden boats learning how to care for wood                                                                          US Coast Guard Viet Nam Veteran                                    AAS in Environmental Technology                                      Designing and building since 1975                                    Certified SIPs Installer from The SIPs School                      Attend as many training classes as possible at regional Home Builders shows                                                      Constant research in the latest building sciences                Certified Energy Star, Air Quality, Water Quality Builder      Built a home in Old Fort, NC that scored 50 on a HERS index - amongst the top 5% of HERS rated homes in the country. If it had a Solar PV system it would be rated about 5% to 10% - very close to Passive House results at 1/3 less cost!                                                                        NC Licensed Contractor; license number available by just asking!              

Every individual home that I have built is unique and highly custom and in my experience they are not at all like tract built homes in cost per square foot or quality. Large builders purchase large tracts of land, subdivide and provide small lots and negotiate national suppliers' huge discounts on materials and equipment by purchasing in large quantities and require their sub-contractors to provide their services at similar huge discounts. Those homes are still being constructed at around $150 to $175 per square foot whereas custom homes are often typically $250 to $300 and more. It truly is a phenomenon of "You get what you pay for". I figure cost and add a percentage for overhead and profit. My books are open to my clients. I also will do consulting for design and specifications for new homes and act as the clients' inspector/liason to the builder.

When I was about 13 I spent hours drawing houses and always thought I wanted to be an Architect. After 4 years in the Coast Guard I was pulled toward our environment and a concern of protecting it (early 1970's). I worked as an Assistant Plant Engineer after graduation from college at a paper board manufacturing facility with the promise that I would be in charge of the construction and operation of a state of the art effluent treatment plant (never materialized), went to work at a County Health Department reviewing realty subdivision plans, designing and inspecting specialty sewage systems and always thought that I could install septic systems better than any of the contractors did whom I inspected their work. So I did! That quickly morphed into remodeling and then designing and building custom homes. I do feel that I have been sucessful at helping to protect our environment by building highly energy efficient homes.

Several retired couples, affluent couples with 2 to 5 children, a retired FBI Special Agent, doctors, lawyers, an accountant  and just plain folks like me!

More than once: seeing the look on customers faces and their smiles when they see the finished result of our efforts!          Being greeted by my 2 grandchildren when they visit with their huge smiles and screeching "Gibbi" (my name given to me by my Granddaughter when she was 1)!

You have to feel that the person can be trusted. Trust your own "gut feeling" - I started doing that many years ago and it works.                                                                                A "Design-Build" construction arrangement can work very well. DO NOT hire a designer or Architect first. Find the right builder then see an Architect if one is needed.

That's a tough question to answer and tougher to find out how much a "Pro" knows and "should I trust them?" and everything else associated with building a new home.        Usually people are told to ask for references but so many clients are very reluctant to get calls from strangers. Ask to see pictures if a built home cannot be seen.

1. Be honest about your budget. KNOW how much you CAN spend, how much you WANT to spend.                        2. Sit down with a lender which does new home construction lending to permanent loans. You can get a very good preliminary idea of how much they will lend and the costs. You do not need a builder, or plans or a contract to take this step.                                                              3. Often a builder will have good contacts in the banking industry which he/she can introduce you to.