During his first five years as a design-build contractor, Danny Graham met numerous homeowners who had had disastrous experiences with construction projects.
There was a common thread: None of the homeowners were aware of the fundamentals needed for a successful end result. In some cases, their budgets soared past their threshold. Others found themselves hiring contractors who didn’t hold to their word. In the most serious cases, homeowners found themselves stuck midway through their projects, unable to track down their contractors.
Graham decided that the best community service he could offer was an educational class on planning a successful home construction project. Launched in 1996, Graham Builders’ free “Building Your Home for Life Seminar” covers the essentials of residential construction, ranging from budget and finance to contractor research, permitting, contracts and more.
Here, a few homeowners share their experiences.
JANET AND RICHARD HONDA
We attended three seminars of general contractors, and Graham Builders was one of them.
The seminar was very informative and we were given an honest picture what to expect — getting all the right permits to start construction, financial assistance, work ethics, job integrity, attitude, professional workmanship and most of all, service.
KATHIE TAITANO
The seminar was an important first step. We really had very little idea about where to start, and it covered everything from financing to what to look for when choosing a builder. Even though Graham Builders sponsored the evening, it was not a high-pressure sales pitch; it was truly informative and helpful.
LYNETTE AND JARED HANAOKA
Lynette: I chose Graham Builders because I liked what I saw and learned at the seminar. Everyone was nice and easy to talk to. My biggest takeaway is to find people you are comfortable working with, as it will make the experience easier.
Jared: They helped us throughout the whole process. We had multiple planning meetings in which the design of the house was created, with the team explaining why things were laid out a certain way. They listened to our ideas and gave their own input on how to make them work better. During the actual build, any issues we had were quickly sorted out.
BRUCE MIYODA
My aunt was looking for ideas on rebuilding/renovating a house that was passed on to her from her father. She went to one of the seminars and liked what she heard. We didn’t know anything about building a house, how to fi-nance or design it, how the permitting process works, etc. It was very comforting to have one place to go to address all phases of the build.
ALLEN KIMURA
We originally had three reputable builders in mind and scheduled a meeting with two of them. To our amazement, both did not show. One didn’t even call to say they could not make it.
We noticed an advertisement for a Graham Builders seminar and decided to check it out. The seminar had all the major components of what we needed to know. It didn’t take us long to decide that Graham was going to be our choice for making our dream come true.
Our home has become the rave of our neighbor-hood. Many people have been in awe of how spacious and functional it is. We love it! Thank you, Graham Builders!
GRAHAM BUILDERS
CONTACT 808-593-2808
ADDRESS 1144 Young St., Honolulu
WEB grahambuilders.com
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