Posthuma Homes

A custom home builder with a seamless approach

For this home builder, relationships are key

Josh Posthuma, owner of Posthuma Homes in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin believes that building a new home shouldn’t be complicated or chaotic. Whether a new home buyer wants a custom-designed home or wishes to choose from one of the company’s many models and floor plans, Posthuma guarantees that he and his team will be there every step of the way.

“Through the process of building a home, many things come up and the builder’s team and the customer must be able to communicate through those issues and challenges to provide a successful outcome of the project,” he says. “And we’ve got people in place that allow that to happen.”

First on that people list is Project Coordinator and Design Consultant, Brooke Miller, who is responsible for product coordination with vendors and suppliers, and acts as the first point of contact with the customer throughout the product selection process.

“She provides a pretty extensive walk-thru with the customer,” Posthuma notes. “We offer several featured floor plans that can be used as they are, or they can be modified or expanded, or just used for inspiration and we can start from scratch. When we start from scratch, or when we do revisions to our featured plans, we partner with the drafting department at Oostburg Lumber. They have an architect on staff along with other drafters.”

“From there, we have an onsite product manager position that handles all onsite meetings with subcontractors and the customer and provides support from the onsite level,” Posthuma continues.

“Then we have an in-house finish carpentry team that does all the finish work for the projects. We will be getting to a point where our finish carpenters won’t be on each one of our projects but where some of that will get subbed out. But we intend to have our in-house carpentry do as much as is practical.”

Building a better team

Posthuma came to the home building after a career as a real estate appraiser, a job that was mostly transactional and didn’t provide him with the kinds of relationships he sought. “With homebuilding, the types of relationships that we build, and have maintained over the years, with our suppliers, vendors, and subcontractors, and the customers that we build for — that’s what drives me to continue to do what I do,” he states. “To have the opportunity to serve these people.”

“So it’s all relationship-based,” he continues. “I tell my team that building a home for someone is a very challenging thing, and we want the relationship with our customers to be the same the day that they move into the house as it is when we’re signing the contract. That’s of utmost importance to us.”

“While I don’t want to overemphasize the responsibility of the customer, when the customer is on top of what’s needed, or requested of them, or has a good vision of what they want, it allows the project to progress more quickly and efficiently,” he continues.

“As far as our team goes, we do rely heavily on subcontractors and I feel that they are as much of our team as our in-house employees are. We have long-standing relationships with a lot of them and they’ve worked with me before us being an exclusive single-family homebuilder.”

“Most of those subcontractors are singular to our process,” Posthuma adds. “There are some areas where we have multiple crews.”

“For instance, we have three different framing crews that we rely on; we’ve got a few finish crews, as well, with one of them being in-house. But HVAC, electrical, plumbing, etc. – they’re all subcontractors that we have very close working relationships with. We use Kaat Electrical Solutions as our electrician, Riverview Plumbing as our plumber, Ahren’s Heating & Air Conditioning as our HVAC contractor, Lukens Excavating as our excavation contractor, Roffers Concrete Construction is our poured-wall foundation contractor, and there are many others.”

Emerging from the pandemic

As was the case with many in the real estate industry, Posthuma admits that the COVID pandemic presented difficult challenges.

“We had supply chain issues and we had labor issues,” he recounts. “But demand has remained steady throughout, if not increased. We’ve actually experienced incremental growth every year since 2020. I think that reflects our local market having strong job numbers, as well as there just being a shortage of housing inventory in our local market.”

“Even with inflation, our local real estate market has been appreciating at such a rate, that it’s really remained a viable option for many people to explore new construction — especially when buyers are considering the cost of existing homes and what types of improvements or repairs might be necessary to that existing home, in comparison to a new construction property that is at the beginning of its economic life,” he elaborates.

In addition to a strong local market of buyers, Posthuma says that he keeps his overhead low, yet does enough volume to be able to get very good pricing from suppliers, vendors, and subcontractors. “That allows us to be very competitive in our market while still allowing us to provide our kind of direct customer service throughout each project,” he states.

Land for sale and homes to build

Posthuma Homes also has various lots throughout Sheboygan County that are attractively priced and ready for sale.

“We have a development in the City of Sheboygan Falls that we just started and will be ready for new construction in the spring of 2024,” Posthuma reports. “It’s a 48-lot, single-family development, with lot prices ranging from $59,900 to $79,000.”

Going forward, Posthuma says that the company will continue to focus on the Sheboygan County market, while also covering “the edges” of bordering counties: southern Manitowoc, northern Ozaukee, and eastern Fond Du Lac. “And we’re excited for the upcoming year,” he shares.

“We have several jobs and projects already planned for customers’ homes. And with our Falls Meadows subdivision being constructed at the beginning of next year, we’re eager and excited about getting lot reservations taken and new homes built.”

AT A GLANCE

Posthuma Homes

WHAT: A medium-size, custom home builder

WHERE: Sheboygan, Wisconsin

WEBSITE: www.posthumahomes.com