shares President Jon Connolly.“We really try to focus on making the custom home journey as efficient as possible for clients, so that they don’t have to go hire an architect or interior designer, and drive around town to make selections. We make it easy because it’s all under one roof.” That in house integration is a point of pride, and part of what makes Gonyea stand out.“It is very different from what a lot of other custom home builders do,” adds Mary Vranyes, Customer Engagement and Marketing Specialist. “Building a home is a really big process. It can be very stressful for clients. So, positioning our company this way makes it a lot easier for people, and it really makes it a more enjoyable process for them.” BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS FIRST For Gonyea, building a home begins with building a relationship.“In a sense, we’re becoming partners in a venture,” Connolly imparts. “So, it’s a relationship that’s going to last a long time, and we want to make sure that we’re doing it the right way.” Trust is not assumed, it’s earned, beginning with a series of upfront meetings that establish expectations, vet feasibility, and ensure that dreams and budgets are in harmony.“That is one of the biggest challenges with custom home building,” he acknowledges. “What happens is people sell the dream, but in the end, the cost ends up being hundreds of thousands over the expectation. We really work hard on the front end to make sure that that cannot happen as we guide you through the process and put you in control, so that in the end, we’ve hit your goals, and we’ve made it to the finish line.” COST TRANSPARENCY AND STRATEGIC PLANNING To ensure that the budget does in fact meet the reality, Gonyea uses a consistent, data-driven approach to pricing every home, whether it’s a $1 million build or a $4 million estate. “We work from what we believe is the right custom specification starting point so that every house goes out for bid the same, and this gives us the power of pricing. We can utilize that for any future buyers to understand price per square foot, which is a good metric for how to guide people on budget,” says Connolly. Clients are brought into the design center early, where they can interact with materials first hand. This not only empowers homeowners but also informs the financial blueprint from the beginning. “We start by doing a full design review of what they want, so that we’re listening to them and not just pushing what we think it should be. We help guide them.” he continues. 23 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 07 GONYEA CUSTOM HOMES
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