Page 16 - Hawaii Renovation - May 30, 2021

16 HAWAII RENOVATION
MAY 30, 2021
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GRAHAM BUILDERS
BY CAROLINE WRIGHT
During his first five years as a design- build contractor,
Danny Graham met numer- ous homeowners who had had disastrous experiences with construction projects.
There was a common thread: None of the home- owners were aware of the fundamentals needed for a successful end result. In some cases, their budgets soared past their threshold. Oth- ers found themselves hiring contractors who didn’t hold to their word. In the most serious cases, homeowners found themselves stuck mid- way through their projects, unable to track down their contractors.
Graham decided that the best community service he could offer was an educa- tional class on planning a successful home construc- tion project. Launched in 1996, Graham Builders’ free “Building Your Home for Life Seminar” covers the essen- tials of residential construc- tion, ranging from budget and finance to contractor
GRAHAM BUILDERS
CONTACT 808-593-2808
ADDRESS 1144 Young St., Honolulu WEB grahambuilders.com
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 ideasonrebuilding/renovat- ing 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 ad- dress 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 advertise- ment for a Graham Build- ers seminar and decided to check it out. The seminar had all the major components of what we needed to know. It
research, permitting, con- tracts and more.
Here, a few homeowners share their experiences.
JANET AND RICHARD HONDA
We attended three semi- nars 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 as- sistance, work ethics, job in- tegrity, attitude, professional workmanship and most of all, service.
KATHIE TAITANO
The seminar was an im- portant first step. We really had very little idea about where to start, and it cov-
ered everything from fi- nancing to what to look for when choosing a builder. Even though Graham Build- ers sponsored the evening, it was not a high-pressure sales pitch; it was truly in- formative 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 pro- cess. We had multiple plan- ning meetings in which the design of the house was cre- ated, with the team explain- ing why things were laid out
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 spa- cious and functional it is. We love it! Thank you, Graham Builders!
Graham Builders’ “Building Your Home for Life” events of- fer expert advice from design, construction, and finance professionals on a host of topics related to building and remodeling a home. Register for the next seminar, sched- uled for Saturday, June 5, at grahambuilders.com/semi- nar, or call 808-593-2808.
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