A homeowner’s dream

With interest rates low and holding steady, there’s never been a better time to start thinking about your dream home.

And with Oahu’s average median residential purchase price at about $538 per square foot for a new home, you’ll want to choose your contractor carefully, too.

“There’s only so much land on this island, and only so much new development that can happen here,” observes Bruce Kim, president of Atlas Construction. “Asking the right questions as you go through the process of selecting a contractor, and building a picture of how your family might live in your home today, tomorrow and in the future, has never been more important.”

A fourth-generation builder in Hawaii who began working for his family’s award-winning construction firm as a laborer three decades ago, Kim has personally been involved in the construction and renovation of hundreds of homes over the course of his career. And as part of a team that includes members of his own ohana, Kim helped develop the protocol through which a family can successfully identify and define its own needs and expectations — both short and long term — for a new home.

“We actually have a four-step process that we developed over 10 years ago,” he says. “We educate families on everything from a real estate standpoint, to make sure they’re doing the right thing for themselves and their family at the right cost. We firmly believe that no matter what type of project — whether it’s a $225,000 ADU or a multimillion-dollar build of a multigenerational family home — that’s hard-earned money these families are investing into our company. We want to ensure they have adequate information before they make decisions.”

As a full-service design-build contracting firm, Atlas Construction has the personnel and expertise to handle all aspects of each new project, from start to finish. The company’s team includes specialists certified in subjects like aging in place, universal design, and green building science to help families with specific needs and desires for their home designs. Atlas also hosts monthly open house events consisting of recently completed projects.

“Every month we show a new house,” Kim says. “It’s like test-driving a car before you buy it. You can see up close how we build, the type of materials we use and the quality of our work.”

Atlas’ monthly seminars cover general topics like how to plan and budget to build a new home, and what to expect during the construction process. They also cover specific areas of interest, like accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which have proven to be tremendously popular with Hawaii homeowners who want more living space on their properties.

“Because of the economy and the pandemic, a lot of people are combining households and adding units to their properties, so their family members can come home,” Kim says. “We’re doing new builds, rebuilds and plenty of additions and renovations, all to accommodate multiple generations of the same ohana.”

Through its careful planning process, the Atlas team becomes intimately familiar with each client, which paves the way for design that anticipates, accommodates and facilitates the lifestyles of all family members.

“I think we are experts in understanding how people live, and how homes should be built to accommodate families for long periods of time, with the least amount of maintenance,” Kim says. “We get to know our clients well; they become our family. We want the best for them and it shows.”

ATLAS CONSTRUCTION
CONTACT 808-951-9500
ADDRESS 2222 Kamehameha Hwy., Honolulu
WEB atlasconstruction808.com