Horizon Builders has become one of the preeminent custom homebuilders in the Washington, D.C., metro area.

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Joe Bohm and partner George Fritz joined forces to form Horizon Builders in 1982. Before that time, Bohm was an accountant working for a manufacturing company, while Fritz was a Maryland State Trooper. It was when the two neighbors eventually discovered a mutual interest in building homes that the foundation was laid that formed what is now considered one of the premier custom homebuilders in the area.

Bohm says Fritz brought the experience of building his own home to the enterprise, and through the years the company has never lost focus on building homes for the individual. Whereas larger companies build for market segments or demographics, Bohm says Horizon Builders works for people. “We’re in very much a niche market,” Bohm explains. “We’re what I call boutique builders.”

Specializing in high-end, “ultra-custom” luxury homes, Horizon Builders works very closely with owners and architects to create a home that is the ultimate expression of the owner’s “dream house.”

Bohm says the company prides itself on its painstaking attention to detail and quality, setting it above the pack of cookie-cutter homebuilders.

He says the company has to make sure every detail is perfect, because owners expect a certain level of quality and expect the best from Horizon Builders.

“In our case, if you get one detail wrong, people will remember that out of the 999,999 perfect ones,” Bohm says.

Based in Maryland and serving the Washington, D.C. metro area, Horizon Builders is recognized as one of the most prestigious residential contractors in the region, Bohm says. Although custom homes make up the majority of its work, the company also specializes in renovations and additions to existing homes.

‘The Golden Triangle’
The foundation of the company’s success is what Bohm refers to as the “golden triangle” consisting of Horizon Builders, the architect and the homeowner all working together toward the same goal – to execute the architects art and to the homeowners satisfaction Horizon works closely with the architect on the project along with the homeowner. Bohm explains this is because Horizon Builders believes in fully understanding the architect’s intent, and that can’t happen without that interaction.

Working closely with owners is also essential, he adds, because the owner is the ultimate judge of whether or not the project is a success. Many of the owners Horizon Builders works with have never built a custom home before, he says, which can be overwhelming and stressful for them. That’s why it’s so important to manage the project and have open dialogue.

Every week, Horizon Builders presents an action list for the builder, architect and owner that outlines what each party needs to accomplish for that week. Bohm says this weekly meeting, along with the regular outline of expectations, keeps all three sides communicating and up to speed with where the project is headed.

Together, Bohm says, Horizon Builders, the architect and the owner form a triangle that serves as the foundation of every project. “If you pull away any one of the points, the whole thing collapses.”

A Strong Stable
Building luxury custom homes requires a completely different approach from building production homes, Bohm says. The attitude Horizon Builders brings to each project is that everything must be executed flawlessly. “When you’re doing production houses, it’s all about speed and making sure everything’s just OK,” he says. “Our responsibility is to the project; that’s what it’s all about. One bad project could sour our stellar reputation.”

Horizon Builders makes this a reality through its work force, Bohm says. “You develop a stable of folks, a whole array of subcontractors and craftsmen and artisans over time who can do very specific detail work,” he says.

Building that work force hasn’t been easy, Bohm says. “We have a good cadre of folks that we know, but I tell people that we had to hire 10 or 20 people to get each person we’ve got now,” he says.

Cost of Quality
Bohm says Horizon Builders has been slammed with material cost increases over the last year, and there’s little the company can do about it. However, he points out, the company has a very tight estimating process that cuts down on waste and presents the owner with a fair assessment of what the project will cost.

“When we bid our houses, we’re very open with the numbers; we show all the numbers to the client,” Bohm says.

This includes showing clients the company’s overhead and expected profit for each project, which Bohm says establishes trust early on and makes it easier for clients to understand the material cost issues.

“Most owners understand that, and they understand that we might have some extra money in [the budget]” to anticipate potential cost increases, Bohm says.

Continuing On
As Bohm approaches retirement age, he says the potential is there for Horizon Builders to grow as far as it can see. “I see Horizon expanding geographically – its message, its concept, its performance,” he says.

Bohm says he expects the company’s repair and maintenance division to grow as more people decide to keep their existing homes in the aftermath of the mortgage crisis. In all, he says, he expects Horizon Builders to continue to live up to the principles set down in the beginning. “It takes 26 years to build a reputation; it takes five minutes to lose it,” Bohm says.