Page 5 - Hawaii Renovation - Oct 16, 2022

OCTOBER 16, 2022 HAWAII RENOVATION 5
GRAHAM BUILDERS
BY CAROLINE WRIGHT
ment pieces. I’m glad we did because I can see the quality throughout my home.”
The homeowner’s favorite features in- clude the kitchen island, farmhouse sink, window seat/reading nook with room for two and French doors that lead to the la- nai. Her family noticed with delight that their crew’s master carpenter customized the island, stair bannisters, lanai rails and window seat.
“It is so nice how everything matches,” says the homeowner. “The quality and craftsmanship of the finish carpenters blew our minds.”
She’s certain that the designers’ care- ful study of her property has resulted in a home that is comfortable in any weather conditions — and that perfect- ly suits her family’s lifestyle.
“Once you open the windows, the beautiful cross breeze keeps us cool no matter what room you are in,” she says. “The shared space flows seamlessly from the kitchen through the dining area and living room to the lanai. The natural light is wonderful, too.”
While many older homes have un- deniable charms, they weren’t always built to take advantage of the natural gifts of their surroundings.
That was certainly the case with a home Graham Builders rebuilt for a Pauoa fami- ly this past year. Created in 1958, the orig- inal single-wall home lacked the views of the neighborhood’s peaceful forests and the gentle breezes that channel through the valley.
“The original house had very small bed- rooms and an enormous living room,” ex- plains the homeowner. “The only windows that we could see out of faced the carport. In retrospect, I don’t believe I used to look outside before!”
Though they were confident in their property’s potential, the homeowner and her husband had difficulty finding a con- tractor who seemed like a good fit.
“Then, my friend gave me a list of names that included Graham Builders. Once we
attended their seminar, we were sure we wanted to build with them,” she says.
A presentation by Graham Builders president Evan Fujimoto on the impor- tance of designing for the property had particular resonance for the couple. They were impressed even more at the design- ers’ first site visit.
“Our property had level changes and difficult, sticky clay soil,” explains the homeowner. “The flow of our old house was poor. It was like a big, cut-up box. On their first visit, the designers were checking things like wind direction and the sun/shade paths.”
COMFORTABLE ALLIANCE AT EVERY STAGE
CUSTOMIZED DETAILS AND CRAFTSMANSHIP
“It felt like a true partnership with our architectural designer. She was available at every turn to bounce ideas off — she truly understood my vision.”
That comfortable alliance continued with the construction manager and crew.
“It was so easy to work with Graham Builders!”
She’s already enthusiastically recom- mended the company to several friends.
“It’s funny,” muses the homeowner, as she gazes around her bright, com- fortable home. “I wanted to believe the end product would be as good as I ex- pected, but I didn’t want to set myself up for disappointment. I kept telling myself not to expect much.
As the homeowner recounts, she and her husband were determined to build a resi- dence that their family could enjoy for gen- erations to come.
“We wanted a forever home,” she says. “We looked at items like cabinets as invest-
At each stage of the project, the homeowner and her husband were com- pletely comfortable with the Graham Builders team.
“And now it’s like, ‘I didn’t know it would come out this good,’” she chuck- les happily.
Founded in 1990, Graham Builders remains the only local general contrac- tor honored with Better Business Bureau Hawaii’s Torch Award for Small Business Ethics and was also Oahu’s first general contractor with a certified aging-in-place specialist on staff.
You are invited to register for Graham Builders’ free Building Your Home for Life seminar, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 5, at grahambuilders.com/seminar, or call 808-593-2808.
GRAHAM BUILDERS CONTACT
808-593-2808
WEB
grahambuilders.com