Step 1: The Planning Process:
December 16, 2008

The following is the first of several personal testimonials that I am planning to provide about my experience with Watson Brothers Construction as we move through the process of building my family’s custom home in Pine Mountain Club, California.

By way of background, the reader should know that I am a Vice President of Construction Lending at a major California based bank. I have provided financing for almost 5,000 homes to homebuilders over the last 30 years. Although I know the homebuilding process very well from a financial perspective, its one thing to provide capital to finance a homebuilder, but quite different when it’s your own personal custom residence. After all, there are over 2,000 steps and components in building a custom home; so unless you’re an expert in the field, you need to find dedicated and honest professions who can guide you through such a complicated process.

I have selected Watson Brothers to build my custom home because they have earned my trust and respect. Please bear in mind that trust and respect are not just words that I give lightly; trust and respect are earned by outstanding performance and positive results over time. For example, several months ago, I was intending on purchasing a lot with a rather steep slope. Mike Watson, the President of Watson Brothers, took the time to inspect the lot to determine to suitability of building on that lot. After inspecting the lot, Mike immediately advised me of several potential pitfalls of purchasing that particular lot. As it turns out, the lot was too steep for a conventional foundation, plus there was a creek bed, which would have run right under where the house was to be plotted. By following Mike’s advice; and by not buying that particular lot, Mike saved me several thousands of dollars.

A few months ago, I located another lot in Pine Mountain Club. Once again, Mike Watson took time to inspect the lot to determine the overall viability of building on the new lot. Mike inspected the lot to determine access, the slope of the lot, general soil condition and the availability of the utilities for the home. Following Mike’s advice, I closed on the lot and we completed our detailed conceptual drawings. Shortly thereafter, Mike personally presented our conceptual plans to the local home owners association and gained their approval without a hitch. We are currently proceeding with the completion of our final architectural plans and will begin construction shortly. Once again, Watson Brothers was right there to assist and guide me through the whole process.

In summary, if you are truly building the custom home of your dreams, you need an experienced team of dedicated, honest and forthright professionals to guide you through the entire process. My wife and I are so blessed that we chose Watson Brothers to build our dream home.

Step 2: The Building Process: (Coming in early 2009)

- Michael Ripling