Slow market forces builders to diversify

This custom home near Charlotte Harbor is one of the new constructions by High Mark Builders in Port Charlotte. BARBARA BOXLEITNER/FLORIDA WEEKLY The lull in new construction has forced area builders to diversify their services.

Many have been remodeling, while others have been bidding on county and city projects here and in neighboring counties. Still others have tapped into the real estate end, advertising free foreclosure lists and shopping available properties.

These new services have allowed some builders to endure, though others have become casualties of the market fall. Companies have downsized considerably, now a small core headed by the owner.

High Mark Builders is among the longtime area companies still building, albeit at a slower pace. The company, which specializes in custom homes, spent six months building an Old Florida style home near Charlotte Harbor.

“I’ve built hundreds and hundreds of homes over and over again,” said Jeff Burch, High Mark Builders president. “I had to do customs. I’m much happier doing customs. It’s more interesting.”

At left, Jeff Burch, president of High Mark Builders in Port Charlotte, remodeled this master bathroom and another bathroom in a Punta Gorda home. He added a wall to create the arched walk-in shower at the back right. “I haven’t built anything like that in years,” he said of the three-bedroom, three-bathroom home with a breezeway leading to an in-law suite by the two-car garage. The home has a front porch, complete with double and single rocking chairs, the length of the main home.

“This is my dream house. My husband and I designed the place using existing plans we found online,” said college educator Christy Smith. “I wouldn’t change anything.”

Mrs. Smith knew precisely what she wanted for the home she shares with her husband, Ron Smith. She wanted lots of natural light, so she said the home has 22 panes, a combination of windows — including bay — and French doors. She wanted earth tones, so the metal roof is copper, and the décor features an array of browns and mostly hardwood flooring of long, medium and short panels. “I love dormer windows,” she said, noting two above each bathroom.

An outdoors lover, Mrs. Smith filled the home with wall and table decoratives of wildlife images, such as two large frogs mounted on a bathroom wall.

Mr. Burch is designing a home with a budget of $200,000, he said, and another that will be in the million-dollar range. He’s also doing remodeling projects and building pools. “It’s been a steady diet of remodeling jobs,” he said. “Relatively speaking, I feel blessed. I’m still staying relatively busy.”

Builders have been finding out that minor remodels, such as one room, have evolved to more substantial renovations. Mr. Burch remodeled the master bathroom of an older Punta Gorda pool home. He installed 20-by-20 tile, upgraded the cabinetry and countertops and added a wall to create an arched walk-in shower. The homeowners appreciated the remodel so much that they had Mr. Burch update another bathroom and the pool. Other High Mark jobs have involved replacing or adding pools.

Longtime area builders have been able to generate new business, thanks in part to their reputation in the community.

Phil Eason, owner of Bayfront Builders in Englewood, has been building custom waterfront homes in the Englewood area for 26 years. “The new home market has dried up,” Mr. Eason said. “There’s a whole bunch of new projects that appear to be coming out of the ground, and we’re hoping to get our share.”

“We’ve been surviving on major renovations,” he said. “Lately we’ve been going to smaller and smaller renovations.”

Mr. Eason said the renovations often are multiple parts of the home, not single rooms. Most of the projects are for second-homeowners, who have the budget to make sizable investments.

Rodger Francis, owner of R Francis Homes, L.L.C. in Port Charlotte, has been building single-family custom homes for first- and second-time buyers during the past several years. His products are mostly one-story residences with three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Mr. Francis said he hasn’t built any homes this year. “I’ve had to diversify into remodeling,” he said, noting that kitchen and bathroom remodels have been his biggest undertakings, although he has been gutting entire older condos in need of updating.

Though some builders have decided to expand their reach, at least temporarily, Mr. Francis said he wants to keep business here. And Mr. Burch is another. “I don’t want to go to places that I’m not going to stay in,” Mr. Burch said.

The competition for work is healthy, so there is reason to stay put. “Everybody’s fighting for it now,” said Terry Yonker, broker associate for Thomas Ryan Associates in Punta Gorda. “Lee County and Sarasota County are really bidding for our stuff as well. In the long term, they might benefit. When things do turn around, they’ll have a foothold.”

Some builders think the market already is turning. “On Manasota Key I think it’s upon us,” Mr. Eason said. “It’s just a matter of being able to get our share. For the overall market, I think it’s 2011.” 