Editorial
Front Page - Friday, October 30, 2009
Builder says a job worth doing is worth doing right
David Laprad
Cary Bohannon stands outside a house on Rose Terrace Drive in Chattanooga, looking at the results of his handiwork. The owners had purchased the 85-year-old home “as is” in early 2009 but were unable to move in until September, after Bohannon and his crew had spent six months on renovations.
The work was extensive. Six months ago, the exterior of the house consisted of dirty stonework and aging windows; today, the outside of the home is spotless, while the new windows look as sturdy and energy efficient as they come. Impressively, they also suit the look and feel of the home, which embraces the architectural stylings of the early 20th century.
Inside, the once dilapidated living quarters now sport pristine wood flooring, immaculate new walls and tidy, yet warm and inviting furnishings. From a completely new bathroom, complete with luxurious tiling, to a refurbished kitchen, which sports refurbished cabinets and new countertops and appliances, to a restored mantle in the living room, Bohannon and his crew rebuilt and touched up almost every room in the house.
They even replaced the original plumbing and electricity, a job that involved removing a large stone from a central pipe that, after 85 years of service, had finally accumulated enough debris to back up.
Bohannon looks proud of the work he’s done, but there’s a matter-of-fact tone in his voice as he describes the all-embracing work he, his team and his subcontractors performed. Remodeling high-end homes is what he does, and he doesn’t leave until he’s satisfied.
Yes, he’s in business to serve his clients, but he won’t do something he believes won’t work out in the end.
“You don’t ever want to get to the end of a job and not be proud of what you’ve done,” says Bohannon. “I don’t ever want to catch myself saying, ‘That’s what they asked for, so I gave it to them.’”
To make sure that never happens, Bohannon listens to what his clients want and is then honest with them as he shares his thoughts. “They tell me what they want,” he says, “and then I say, ‘Let’s talk about what’s going to make the most sense and is going to work when we’re done.’”
Sometimes, a client will give Bohannon a blank slate, telling him they know they need something done but they’re not sure what. In those cases, Bohannon will start by showing his clients pictures, hoping to stir up a vision in their minds.
“They might say, ‘Our bathroom is terrible. What can we do with it?’ I’ll look at what they have and then say, ‘If you’re willing to lose this closet and this corner of your bedroom, we can take that space and redo it into a master bath that’s two or three times the size of what you have in the hall.’”
Bohannon does the same thing with the higher-class custom homes he builds. “Sometimes, people will tell us they want a new home but they haven’t found what they want. So I’ll start with showing them some pictures and asking them what they like and don’t like.”
From there, Bohannon specializes in quality materials and superb workmanship.
“We push the quality and make sure we’re doing everything the way it should be done,” he says. “We’re not going to go in, slap something up and leave. I take too much pride in my work to do that.”
The level of detail on the Rose Terrace renovations and the way the changes mesh with the original architecture appear to support what Bohannon is saying. Still, Bohannon does leave certain jobs, such as plumbing and electrical work, to his select group of subcontractors. “You have to have guys you know and trust, and who know what you expect,” says Bohannon. “You can’t low bid out that kind of stuff.”
Bohannon grew up in Memphis, obtained bachelor’s degrees in business and architecture in the ‘90s at the University of Tennessee Knoxville and then practiced architecture at an Atlanta firm for several years, designing small offices and public projects.
In the late ‘90s, Bohannon returned to school, obtaining an MBA in real estate and finance from the University of Georgia, and then jumped into full-blown commercial office development with a large company, also based in Atlanta.
During that time, Bohannon’s family moved from Memphis to Cleveland, Tenn. Since his wife’s family lived in the Chattanooga area, moving to the Scenic City made sense, and in 2004, Bohannon did just that.
“I always laugh. I came in at a high point in the market, which isn’t the best thing to do because once you get moving, things start going downhill,” Bohannon says.
The lows in the housing market have provided a steady stream of work for Bohannon, however, as people have decided to remodel their existing homes rather than purchase a new residence.
“People are sitting on homes that have lost 10, even 20 percent of their value, and
they’re reluctant to lock in that loss by selling and buying a new home across town,” says Bohannon. “That’s why remodeling is doing well. They realize it’s going to be a few years before home prices come back up, so they’re replacing windows and redoing their kitchens and master baths.”
Today, Bohannon works a crew of three on jobs within the Chattanooga area, which he says includes surrounding counties.
He’s also active within several professional organizations, serving on the board of directors of the Homebuilders Associations of Southeast Tennessee and on one of the professional development committees of the CAR.
In addition, Bohannon is a licensed Realtor with Keller Williams, a member of the National Association of Builders, the Better Business Bureau and the Cleveland/Bradley County Chamber of Commerce, an Energy Star Partner and a certified EarthCraft homebuilder.
Bohannon values his affiliation with every one of the organizations of which he’s a part, but his proudest moments are those in which he’s able to admire a job well done. “The most satisfying part of a job is at the end, when I step back and it looks awesome,” he says.
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