Williamsburg's Michael C. Brown Custom Builder strengths lie in their corporate philosophy of delivering more than is expected and providing outstanding value in all aspects of the construction process . . . even the parts their clients can't see!
The following areas set Williamsburg Builder, Michael C. Brown Custom Builder, LLC. apart from the competition ...
Over the past 16 years we have assembled a superior team of employees, subcontractors and suppliers. Our success in the custom home building business is due to our ongoing commitment to building the premier quality homes and client satisfaction. Our attention to detail is what enables us to take what would be an ordinary custom home and turn it into an extraordinary home.
This process starts at the design phase of the project. We are one of the only custom builders in Virginia that has an in-house design team who also supervises the actual daily construction of what they have designed. The president of the company, Once we have captured our clients’ dreams and put them on paper, we try to build a structure that will stand the test of time. This process starts with the foundation. We are the only builder in the Williamsburg area to exclusively use an insulated concrete foundation system. Structurally this system is far superior to the standard cinder block foundation used by other builders. It combines an insulated shell with a solid poured concrete wall that also contains steel reinforcement. In addition to its superior structural qualities, it also possesses excellent insulation and air infiltration benefits.
Unlike most builders, we use steel “I” beams for all of our girders and engineered wood “I” beam joists for all of our floor Now that we have created a solid structure, we need to make it perform efficiently and comfortably. We start by “sealing up” the house in order to minimize air infiltration and eliminate the “drafty” feeling that plagues so many homes. This is accomplished by caulking all cracks, joints, and seams in the framing and then using a “blown-in” cellulose wall spray insulation. This product is much more dense than standard fiberglass batt insulation and is able to tightly seal around all pipes, wiring and penetrations.
We also concentrate on sealing all of the HVAC lines in the house. It is not uncommon for a standard home to have as much as 30% duct leakage. This would essentially turn a 90% furnace into a 63% furnace. Our systems are required to be around 3%. Next comes the fun part, developing and installing creative trim work. We have assembled an in-house crew of master trim carpenters that are incredibly talented. Each one of our trim carpenters takes great pride in the finished product. Their capabilities are limited only by your imagination. We do try to suggest unique features in all of our homes; but ultimately, we look to you our client to “push the envelope” in creating/requesting us to create such unique features. Another specialty of our homes is the trim used in our closets. Each closet that we build is customized for our client. You will not find the same level of detail or quality in any other home.
Delivering a beautiful home to our clients is only the beginning of our job. We realize that in building a new home there are We feel it is imperative that each of our clients realize that we can be counted on (reliability) when a problem arises and that our work, all of it, is guaranteed over and above they typical industry standards. |
Jeff Clark, is a Certified Professional Building Designer and he works with our clients from the beginning to put their dreams on paper. However, the design process does not stop when the plans are complete. As the home begins to take shape in the field Jeff continually reviews the job with the client in order to see if there are any areas that we can make adjustments to further improve the home. This true design/build concept allows us to eliminate design problems which typically occur in most custom home projects. With this we are able to eliminate costly change orders before they arise.
systems. This system helps to eliminate floor squeaks and gives you a more consistent, stable floor that is much less susceptible to settlement problems. We also incorporate engineered wood lumber beams in as many places as possible in order to maintain structural stability & consistency.
When our homes are complete, we use both a blower door test to check the amount of leakage in the house, and a duct blaster test to confirm that the ducts are within our stringent specification.
bound to be parts or products that break down and cause problems. It is our job to take care of these issues. We treat our past clients like family and enjoy maintaining an ongoing relationship with all of them.