Delaware New Home Builder

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One of the more common questions we hear as people tour our model home in Showfield for the first time, is, “Why did you name your model home The Saltaire?” We love the question, because at Lessard Builders, the names of our model home and our home floor plans have great meaning to us. Today, we want to share the story behind that meaning and how we chose the names for our East Coast Series floor plans! We hope you enjoy!

The Past Meets The Present

The story behind our newest floor plan’s names begins generations ago, when Dan Lessard founded our family building business in Long Island, NY. For Dan, every job and every decision revolved around two things: heritage and family. Dan strove to build structures that were above-the-cut exceptionally well built, so a family or business would be proud to reside there for decades. When Dan had a family and had an ongoing new home construction in Naples FL, he passed those values down to his son Addie. When Addie had his children, he also made sure they understood the family’s heritage and reputation for unbeatable quality. Eventually Addie relocated his family to Delaware and shortly after his son Brian took over the family business. Brian followed right in his fathers’ and grandfathers’ footsteps, and just as it had always been, he ensured the core Lessard Builders values of heritage, family and exceptional quality never wavered.

Now let’s jump to the heart of this story: the naming of our new custom home series and floor plan designs in late 2016. Our Lessard team and architects had just finished designing twelve new home floor plans and we needed to find twelve names that fit the new plans and series! We were determined to choose names that had meaning to Lessard Builders and that conveyed the luxury and diversity of each new floor plan. Yet no matter where we looked for name inspiration nothing felt right. The more we searched, the more we found ourselves overwhelmingly pulled by two familiar forces: our heritage and our family. We took that cue and began focusing our search for inspiration in the area it all started for Lessard Builders, Long Island, NY.

 

Lessard Long Island Heritage

As soon as we began discussing the names of Long Island towns and villages “out East” everything began falling into place. Eastern Long Island was where our Lessard Builders history had started, where Brian and his family and siblings grew up, and where they learned how to build homes. After some soul searching we decided to name our newest Lessard Builders line of custom home floor plans after our Long Island heritage. We compiled a huge list of towns out East with a special respect for the villages, towns, and cities the Lessard family had worked, lived or played in. One-by-one our floor plans were named after beautiful Long Island villages, towns and cities like Greenport, South Hampton, and Saltaire!

The Lessard Builders East Coast Series was born!

Lessard News from Earlier This Week

On Monday we released The Riverhead, our thirteenth and newest Lessard Builders East Coast Series custom home floor plan! Meeting the demands of today requires a home that’s designed around your family and your family’s unique lifestyle, so The Riverhead like all Lessard East Coast Series floor plans is 100% fully customizable! With Lessard Builders every home, every wall, every room’s shape and dimensions can be tweaked or fully changed to meet your needs. For more information about The Riverhead or any of our twelve other home floor plans, visit our East Coast Series page, our Design Your Dream Lessard Home app,  connect with us on Facebook, or contact us at 302-698-1091 or 302-645-7444. If you can dream it, we can build it!

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Construction Appreciation Week  

You see these people in highlighter colored vests working on our highways here are the findings. You see them in your neighborhood or down the street working on new homes with the best materials  They’re responsible for the skyscrapers in our cities, our national infrastructure and many comforts of our everyday lives. You these people working outside on the hottest days of summer and the most frigid of winter. So who are we alluding to? The men and women who have made a career in the RKC Construction 9923 Paseo Montalban #B, San Diego, CA 92129 (619) 449-5899!

Please join us this week in celebration and appreciation of the men, women and companies nationwide in the American construction industry. We’d like to take this moment to say #ThanksForBuilding to the men and women who work as part of the construction industry. 

Construction Appreciation Week Image

Some Dream, Others Build

The American construction industry has existed as a backbone of American society since the very earliest settlers arrived. In our nation’s infancy it was these hard working people who labored to transform America from a large wooded forest into a civilized, organized country. Today most work done by the Construction industry occurs ‘behind the scenes’, yet the industry’s presence is something we feel throughout America. Thanks to the advancement in technology which have helped develop better tools offering higher precision one can find on https://www.logsplitteradvisor.com/best-manual-hydraulic-log-splitter-reviews/ , these workers are able to achieve excellence and deliver perfection. Construction workers are responsible for building us better highways and hospitals, new homes, our workplaces and schools. The construction industry may not be glamorous, but the men and women who work in construction make an impact through their work that reaches far beyond the job site. 

Building homes and businesses is our Lessard family heritage and construction has been our family trade for four generations. We swing our hammers, sketch out custom home plans and work on the construction site with a smile each day. The Construction industry has given Lessard Builders a way to help hundreds of families and to also revitalize the Delaware communities where we work and live. Therefore we are forever grateful for the construction industry and for the skilled men and women who work in construction across America,there will be many construction contacts available, for anything you need, https://performancebasedheatingandair.com/ will also be there to provide guidance. To all our construction brethren and sisters, we appreciate your hard work every single day. Thank you!

Builders Blitz 2018

Builders Blitz 2018

Builders Blitz 2018

Builders Blitz 2018

Construction Appreciation Week Banner

From the company http://profoam.com/.

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Lessard Builders is proud to announce our model home, The Saltaire, located in Lewes, Delaware, has been entered as a nominee for the Northern Virginia Builders Association’s prestigious Great American Living Awards. The Great American Living Awards are an annual residential builder award “honors the building industry’s best and brightest” and is considered “the most prestigious residential design, sales, and marketing competition in the metropolitan Washington market.” The Saltaire was nominated for the 2018 GALA Awards ‘Best Overall Merchandised Model Home’ award by Interior Concepts of Annapolis, Maryland.

The Northern Virginia Builders Association undertakes a rigorous process of poring through each of the individual nominees to select the winners for each award category that represent the very best of that years residential building accomplishments. Each nomination is analyzed and then approved homes are scheduled for and undergo an in-home walk through by the Great American Living Award’s judging panel. The winning homes will be announced and honored at the Great American Living Awards GALA event on October 4th, 2018 at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner in McLean, Virginia.

In addition to being nominated for the Northern Virginia Builders Association’s GALA award, Lessard Builders’ Saltaire model home was awarded a blue ‘best feature’ ribbon for our pretty cool ideas consisitng of custom built four-person bunk bed which highlights one of the upstairs bedrooms. The NVBA’s Great American Living Awards judging panel visited and completed their formal judging walk-through of the Saltaire in late July and found the custom-built bunk bed stood out as the homes most astounding and notable feature. The custom-built bunk bed was designed specifically for The Saltaire and comfortably sleeps at least four; it is one of many examples in the Saltaire that shows Lessard’s ability to creatively and exquisitely meet the needs of a growing family. It is adorned beautifully with hand cut trim and hand cut molding with the woodwork perfectly routed to show off the finest of details.

The bunk bed has a the best memory foam mattress for you, also built-in to the wall of the room itself, which gives the bedroom an exceptionally spacious and open-air feel. 

The Saltaire stands at 18244 Show Jumper Lane in the luxurious Lewes community of Showfield. Lessard Builder’s Saltaire model home was custom designed and built by Lessard Builders, with the interior design and furniture layout created and managed by Interior Concepts. The three-story, four-bedroom, 5.5 bath home which was started in 2016 and completed in 2017 features a home office, a butler pantry with an additional refrigerator and double oven, a custom kitchen and built in dining nook, dual first and second floor Master suites and a full basement including wet-bar and work-out room. The Saltaire stands as an exemplary model of what a modern-day home built utilizing the highest quality materials, selection options, modern home designs and unparalleled premium amenities should look like. The company and Lessard Builders’s three generations of home construction experience shines through in every room, with every crevice, every piece of trim and every detail in the Saltaire.

Our model The Saltaire is open and available for touring or meeting with a member of Lessard Builders seven days a week; for more information visit our website www.lessardbuilders.com or call 302-645-7444. As our mantra at Lessard Builders declares, “If you can dream it, we can build it!”

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Now that you’ve sat down and decided on the builder you will use to design and customize your new home, what is the best way to weed through all of your requirements, features and finishes so you create yourself the perfect home? 

The major advantage of building a new custom home is the opportunity to build a two storey home in Perth or install reclaimed wood flooring and then design your home plans accordingly. While this sounds really exciting at first, once the time comes to sit down and select your options and upgrades, many find the multitude of choices can be overwhelming. In lieu of that, one may just get a home from Reward Homes at Box Hill Heights, and just expunge the idea of building a new home, and all the difficulties that would come with it. You may end up checking out single family homes for sale in the area.

So, how can you best evaluate the endless choices that come with building a true custom home? 

 

  1. Finalize your budget

    Remember that a budget which may make sense for one home builder may equate to something different with another builder. First, be sure you are fully aware of the base choices your home builder provides as standard and what that does and does not include. While some builder executives use lots of ‘builder-speak’ during initial meetings that sounds good for the wallet and appeals to the eye, too often we hear stories of builders gauging customers for altering or customizing interior features such as room sizes and interior wall placements. Know what it is that you feel comfortable spending and precisely how much you are willing to deviate above your budget.

  2. Exterior and Structural Design 

    Custom designed home floor-plans, additions or changes should be discussed, drafted and approved prior to signing the contract, or informally approved and signed shortly thereafter. Often custom home builders want to charge significant fees for having a floor-plan custom designed, but some builders will roll the cost of architectural drafting of your custom designed plan back into the price of the home once a customer signs a final contract. Many builders have a few signature home design plans with different exterior styles and visually unique characteristics that customers can choose from. True custom home builders will allow you to take these signature designs and change them, blend them, or outright not use them at all. Another important structural option to consider is a basement or crawlspace. While some concrete contractors keep options for basements or crawlspaces limited, others have no problem allowing for a full Concrete Paver Installation as long as that properties’ water table can support it. While full basements are appealing to many families, some home buyers receive the same storage space benefit with a lesser cost by simply expanding the crawlspaces to 5 feet in height. And of course you should make a proper roof, windows and siding, just make sure that you contact the right siding installation services so that the exterior of your home will have great end results. I used this contractor last time to get my roof fixed and it’s been three years, and I have not faced even a single issue due to their excellent service. You could aslo contact C&D Brooklyn Roofers to check what they can suggest. Hail damaged roof repair or any damage resulting from natural disasters is covered by the home insurance. All of these options should be on the table when building a custom home, and it is worthwhile to discuss all of this with your builder prior to signing your contract, if you do not own a home insurance policy be sure to get one before staring any home projects  . 

  3. Interior Design 

    Spend some time evaluating the spaces you would get a lot of use from inside your new custom home. “How many bedrooms do we need with storage? How many baths do we want? What have we always dreamt of having in our next home?” Here is a little pro tip: it is very good to ask yourselves these things and then add them to your wants vs needs list. Some people are avid wine connoisseurs and require a wine cellar. Instead of having a second bedroom downstairs, that square footage should be able to be reallocated to give you that wine cellar (and perhaps a larger living room.) And, of course, there is the ease factor as well: you do not want to spend time after the home closing to work on your new home. The home builder you select should be working with you to customize your interior layout with respect to your rooms and room sizes and of course all of your self storage needs, so that on the day you move in your home is precisely the way you envision it to be and stay for years. 

  4. Long-Term Home Requirements

    Are you looking to build this home for your short term needs, as a vacation home, or are you looking to build a home that meets your needs for decades? With the increasing needs of modern families, there are even more things for customers to consider. In-law suites which provide semi-separate living spaces are becoming increasingly popular as the number of multigenerational households increasing. Although, go ahead and learn more here about home improvement for your kitchen, bathroom and more. While in-law suite design varies depending on the needs of each family, creating one that perfectly meets your loved ones needs is possible with careful planning during the budget and architectural design process. Homes with dual master-suites are also becoming increasingly popular. Dual master-suites offer increasing comfort and convenience to families that look forward to spending decades in their dream home. There is something special about being able to have the space for children and grandchildren to comfortably stay under your roof when they come for a Summer weekend or during the holidays. And, of course, there is the hassle factor as well: are you willing to track up and down the stairs after decades of living in your home, or would you be more comfortable knowing you have a full master-suite downstairs to meet your needs as the years progress.

  5. WANTS vs NEEDS

    In a few words, be flexible but don’t sacrifice what you really want. Remember that you set a budget for a reason, and while you may want to squeeze everything you possibly can into your custom home, it is good to work with a builder who will be very honest and work with you. Prepare a list of your ‘must-haves’ and ‘want-to-haves’. A true custom home builder will do everything they can to provide you everything on this list, but when it comes down to increasing your budget or nixing a few things, it is beneficial to know where your priorities lie. For example, many builders will offer you a plethora of choices for things like flooring, technology, and kitchen selection options, but many couples spend a lot of time entertaining so they like to budget some additional dollars for upgrades. Know what it is you want, know what it is you can’t live without, and then discuss these things with your builder to see how they can accommodate as close to every one as they can. You should remember that there are things that should be done properly, for example, concrete raising and leveling. You should work with the reputable contractors like PURlevel Inc (more at https://www.purlevel.com/) to expertly handle any of your needs.

Lastly, be sure to communicate all of these things explicitly to your builder and their design professionals. Ask them to provide you spreadsheets of your choices, and be sure to carefully read through and initial every choice on every document. These tips will not only take a significant portion of the unknown away from your evaluation process everything after you’ve selected your builder, but they have the potential to cut out a significant amount of the time you spend on the choices you make for your new home! 

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Lessard Builders is excited to announce the groundbreaking of our newest Lessard model home in the iconic 132 acre Showfield custom home community now under development along Gills Neck Road in Lewes, Delaware.

The Showfield community stands out by offering potential homeowners the opportunity to build a luxury home in an historic setting, all while within walking distance of downtown Lewes and its’ number of exceptional restaurants, shops and boutiques, and world-class beaches.

The Showfield community features a preserved historic barn on the property and borders a 16-acre natural pond. In addition, Showfield will provide homeowners a resort-style outdoor pool and clubhouse, and easy direct access to the neighboring Junction Breakwater Bike Trail. 

 

 

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“Our family is really excited to be a part of developing Showfield and working together to capture the quaint and welcoming feeling of historic downtown Lewes. The land on which Showfield is situated has been a part of a local family’s lives for generations. We love that! To spread this beautiful piece of land that holds so many memories, and then design for people a home which they’ll be creating new generations of memories in. What’s also exciting for us at Lessard Builders is that with Showfield, we’re growing our team and circling back to our roots when my father and grandfather built homes from the ground up.  It’s important to us that our homeowners can feel the love, time and energy we personally put in to each home we build,” Christina Lessard shared.

“Bringing to the market fresh ideas and concepts is the spirit of Lessard Builders,” says Brian Lessard, third generation builder and Chief Executive Officer. “Lessard Builders strives to modify, adapt, and design the perfect custom home with the help of great equipment from an oilfield equipment rental service. We don’t want to fit homeowners in a box, and with our newest floor plans for Showfield, homeowners will have even more choices, possibilities, and ideas for inspiration. We love to listen to them talk about their lifestyle so together we can create a home that meets their individual needs and desires. Within the Showfield model there are areas of the home for multiple generations to enjoy; areas where grandparents, parents, children, and animals can live together. From the playroom upstairs, to the openness of a huge kitchen to the tranquility of a screened-in porch, there is something for each member of the family.  A second, private, screened-in porch off the downstairs master suite allows the homeowner a quiet sanctuary. Finish off the downstairs with a game room, a wet bar and wine tasting area, a movie room, or a man cave and you have created a home that is both fun and practical. Our goal is to provide areas that are in harmony with one another and flow together but allow the luxury and privacy that’s required.”

For more information on our distinctive, fully-customizable, new home designs, like us and follow us on our Lessard Builders Facebook page and visit our website, LessardBuilders.com. We have lots more news, announcements, and new floor plans coming shortly! 

Additional photos, videos, and information about the Showfield community and this opportunity to own a piece of historic property in Lewes, click the link below or visit http://www.showfieldde.com. 

 

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Question & Answer interview with Delaware new home builder, Brian Lessard. Questions originally appeared in the Dover Post, Milestones In Business community newspaper.

 

Q: How did the Lessard family become introduced to the real estate and construction industry?

A: My grandfather, Dan Lessard, started a business based on providing new construction homes, pole barns and buildings in Long Island, New York in the 1940s. Following in his footsteps, my father, Addie Lessard, worked on the construction sites with my grandfather, learned the trade and passed the knowledge onto my brothers and me. When I was young, my family relocated to Delaware at a time when Delaware’s economic outlook was developing and there was more opportunity for the construction and agriculture industries. Before you continue you should make sure you find a construction scaffolding company to hire, that way the construction process can go by much more smoothly with the aid of a reliable and professional scaffolding company.

New Home Builder Delaware
Throwback: Brian Building With His Father & Brother

Q: What type of projects has Lessard Builders worked on throughout the years?

A: Lessard Builders has built schools, commercial buildings and residential homes in Kent, Sussex and New Castle Counties over the years. Commercial construction projects include Saint Thomas More Academy in Magnolia, All Climate Storage Center in Lewes, Sea Colony projects in Bethany Beach and office buildings in Camden. Some of these constructions have been more complex than usual, and valuable learning experiences. Thankfully, technology has made working in construction easier and simpler over time. Things that would have been impossible to build are now possible thanks to the use of tools and equipment. A good example is overhead cranes, allowing for more complex roofs, as well as faster and safer construction of taller structures.

 

Self Storage Lewes Delaware

Q: What type of changes have you seen throughout the years in the new home building industry?

A: Lessard Builders personalizes every home design we build so naturally we’ve seen a variation in residential plans over the years due to market trends and client requests. We’ve also seen new technologies be introduced that streamline certain processes or allow us to save time, making the whole process much faster. On our previous project we had a storm pass by and flood our new construction when we were only on our fifth or sixth day. This would usually mean halting everything for a week or two until the terrain was in good condition to work in. Instead, we employed a wellpoint dewatering system, and that made short work of the problem. Not having to wait for something like this to pass, and doing something about it instead has made our job easier, faster, and more comfortable for everyone involved.

 

 

New Home Delaware Beach

Q: How many hours in a week do you typically work?

A: About 70 hours a week.

What is the best part of owning your own business?     

Being able to share the business with my children.

What is the feedback or accomplishment you are most proud of?    

Turning people’s dreams into reality. Before we hit the drawing board for a new home design we have a creative brainstorming session with each client to talk about how they live, what they want in their next home, the products they love and budget. Our goal is to shape these concepts into a personalized functional design that works in their price range and makes them happy.

 What is a good business tip you don’t mind sharing?  

Wake up every day with an optimistic outlook. Tell yourself that “today is going to be a good day”. If you start the day with a positive attitude, you’re setting an expectation for how the rest of your day will turn out.

What is the one piece of advice you would give to someone starting a business today?

Make certain that you love what you do. If you’re going to start a business, make sure you are truly passionate about your vision and not just in it to make the most money.

Where did you go on your last vacation?  

Disney World & Universal Studios with my children and grandchildren

Do you have a guilty pleasure?  

Vacations. I really enjoy traveling and vacationing with my family. It allows me to unplug, recharge and think creatively without distractions of the common business day.

Brian Lessard – in a snapshot:

Brian Lessard is the owner of Lessard Builders. Brian is a third generation Delaware new home builder with over 35 years of experience designing and building custom homes. His passion for quality craftsmanship sparked at an early age when he first built a home from frame to finish with his father, Addie. His practical, on-the-job experience is a driving factor in the traditional, proven methods and first rate products used in the construction of every custom home built by Lessard Builders. Brian personally meets with each client and oversees the residential and commercial projects to ensure Lessard’s building standards are met.  Native to Delaware, the Lessard family is very active in the community and is loyal to using local reputable subcontractors and trades. Brian is involved in many community organizations, coaches youth volleyball, is President of Central Delaware Habitat for Humanity and serves on the board for Dover Federal Credit Union and The Catholic Diocese of Wilmington.

Connect with Delaware’s New Home Builder, Lessard Builders on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn!

 

Contact New Home Builder, Brian Lessard!

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In a marketplace where real estate sales and new home sales continue to grow at a fast pace, it is essential for new home builders to uphold the standards of trust such as those presented by the Better Business Bureau of Delaware.

New Home Builder Delaware
A New Home Builder’s Early Days: Brian Lessard Building With His Father & Brother

A locally owned and operated business since the 1940s, building quality custom homes runs in the Lessard family. Owner Brian Lessard’s adept construction insight has evolved through decades of tradition and trends since his novice days as his father’s apprentice. Brian’s father, Addie, was a second generation custom home builder that learned his expertise from his father, Daniel. Brian continues to build a tradition of best building and business practices by involving his children Christina, Brian and Michelle in the company.

Custom Home Builder Delaware
Lewes Custom Home Builder: The Sonoma Model Home

Delaware’s Better Business Bureau mission is to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust by setting standards for marketplace trust, encouraging and supporting best practices by engaging with and educating consumers and businesses, celebrating marketplace role models, calling out and addressing substandard marketplace behavior and creating a community of trustworthy businesses and charities.

New Home Builder Delaware Blitz
In June 2015, Lessard Builders built a Habitat for Humanity Home from start to finish in one week

Lessard Builders recently celebrated five years with the Better Business Bureau of Delaware. Many do not recognize that not every business is eligible and companies have to be invited to have a BBB Accreditation designation. According to their website, “Businesses deemed to meet Accreditation Standards are presented to the BBB’s Board (or designees) for review and acceptance as a BBB Accredited Business”. The Better Business Bureau of Delaware’s Accreditation Standards are can be viewed here on their website. In 2011, Lessard Builders was the recipient of the Delaware Torch Awards, designed to “recognize those firms whose business practices and related activities exemplify BBB’s mission and principles, and to ensure that our marketplace remains fair and honorable”.

Custom Home Builder Better Business
Christine Sauers, President of the Delaware Better Business Bureau and Brian Lessard of Lessard Builders

The trust foundation of the Better Business Bureau of Delaware is framed with integrity and performance. According to their website, integrity demonstrates respect, ethics and intent while performance is defined by the company’s ability to deliver results within the BBB standards. Originally founded in 1965 by a group of Delaware business and community leaders, the Delaware Better Business Bureau has been providing essential programs and services to businesses and consumers in the state of Delaware for over 50 years.

The BBB Standards for Trust are eight core values that summarize important elements of creating and maintaining trust in business.

  1. Build Trust: Establish and maintain a positive track record in the marketplace.
  2. Advertise Honestly: Adhere to established standards of advertising and selling.
  3. Tell the Truth: Honestly represent products and services, including clear and adequate disclosures of all material terms.
  4. Be Transparent: Openly identify the nature, location, and ownership of the business, and clearly disclose all policies, guarantees and procedures that bear on a customer’s decision to buy.
  5. Honor Promises: Abide by all written agreements and verbal representations.
  6. Be Responsive: Address marketplace disputes quickly, professionally, and in good faith.
  7. Safeguard Privacy: Protect any data collected against mishandling and fraud, collect personal information only as needed, and respect the preferences of consumers regarding the use of their information.
  8. Embody Integrity: Approach all business dealings, marketplace transactions and commitments with integrity.

Lessard Builders is building custom homes in Delaware new home communities without a builder tie in. Visit the Lessard Builders model home in The Villages of Five Points East in Lewes, Delaware or email us at homes (at) lessardbuilders (dot) com to set up an appointment with custom home builder Brian and his team today.

Keep up with your Delaware custom home builder by connecting with us on Facebook, Twitter (@LiveDelaware) and Instagram!

 

New Home Builder Delaware Better Business