Goings Homes builds custom homes for those who want their home done the way they envision it. They can either take the homeowner’s design and provide their structure for it or they can take them through the process of designing it for them, room by room. They use 3D color modeling to show a family what they are building before they move an ounce of dirt. Past the design process, they build a home that is perfect for someone with allergy or asthma issues, someone who wants a home that will last 100+ years, and someone who wants to keep their energy bills at a point where they can stay in that home forever. Goings Homes is owned and operated by Tyley and James Lamb.
What do you think makes you different from other companies similar to yours?
I can’t speak to what other builders do. However, helping our homeowners get exactly what they want is what we excel at. We will spend days or months helping to design every room down to the detail that they envisioned in their minds. Builders look at paper plans all day and can see it in their minds, however homeowners can’t, so when we design the home we are able to 3D render any view so they are able to see what the home will look like before we start. We also do many energy efficient and “green” upgrades in our standard design instead of offering them as an upgrade. It is my job to educate them enough on why they should be doing it standard.
Do you have a business philosophy or mission statement?
Give the homeowner what they want at a price that doesn’t take advantage of the sub contractor chain that supports it. Building someone their dream home takes the best efforts of everyone involved in building it. In my experience if you ask someone to do something cheap, you will get what you ask for. We are always improving our systems of efficiencies so we are giving out high quality for the most valuable price.
What changes have you seen in the industry and your company in the past few years?
The push for more energy efficient homes. We have the ability to build anything for the homeowner, a net zero home, Green Built, LEED Certified, etc. However, for the average homeowner we want to be able to provide them with an energy efficient home that is going to last 100+ years and still provide them the finishes they have their hearts set on.
What is one of the biggest challenges that your company has faced?
Educating buyers on why adding an extra $5000 for energy efficiency/health/durability is a necessity not an upgrade. We won’t build a home we know won’t perform in the long run just so we can build a house. It is on the builders’ shoulders to educate the homeowner enough to make that decision for themselves, a decision their future self will be glad they did.
What has been your most important achievement as a business?
Winning the Energy Star Partner of the Year award in 2010.
What is the most unique or interesting thing about your business that most people don’t know?
The sophistication of our design process (and patience with our homeowners), and the techniques used to build the home. Spending five years consulting on projects, fixing and testing homes we found that there are a laundry list of things people ASSUME the builder does, and all of those items are done in every one of our homes in our standard construction.
What is one goal for your business that you have yet to accomplish?
We are currently working on a home that will cost $250,000 to construct that will cost less than $600 a year to maintain–that is without the use of solar and wind energy.
Additional information about Goings Homes can be found at www.goingshomes.com.