Geoff has recently completed the training, and received certification from the Federal EPA for Lead Based Paint Safety for Remodeling, Repair and Painting. These new rules take effect April 23, 2010, for remodeling in all residences built prior to 1978.
Geoff has been elected to the Board of Directors for the Builders and Remodelors Association of Greater Ann Arbor (formerly the Home Builders Association of Washtenaw County. Geoff has served with the Board since 2003, and was President of the Association in 2006.
The Perkins Construction Company has
had a wonderful eight year affair with Peter and Eva Meek.
Peter and Eva came to Geoff in the fall of 1998 with preliminary
plans to build a house on property they had recently purchased
in Superior Township. As Peter stated in the initial interview
“I want to build a house capable of lasting a thousand
years.” Eva being from Germany certainly grew up in
a land where buildings date back at least that many years,
and Peter didn’t see why buildings in America should
be designed to “only last out the mortgage.”
Peter describes his reason for choosing
Perkins from amongst the other candidates by saying: I knew
I would be heavily involved in this project, and I wanted
people to know that things might need to change during the
process in order to meet my goals. When I described this to
others, arms became folded, and chairs edged back form the
table. But not Geoff. The more I described what I wanted to
do and how I wanted to do it, he would lean forward put his
elbows on the table and nod his head with enthusiasm.
Groundbreaking took place in August of
1999, and construction will wrap up this Fall. Why has it
taken seven years to build a house? Consider the following
lines penned by Mark Twain, sent out by Peter to all team
members very early in the project:
"On this up trip I saw a little towhead
(infant island) half a mile long, which had been formed during
the past nineteen years. Since there was so much time to spare
that nineteen years of it could be devoted to the construction
of a mere towhead, where was the use, originally, in rushing
this whole globe through in six days? It is likely that if
more time had been taken, in the first place, the world would
have been made right, and this ceaseless improving and repairing
would not be necessary now. But if you hurry a world or a
house, you are nearly sure to find out by and by that you
have left out a towhead, or a broom-closet, or some other
little convenience, here and there, which has got to be supplied,
no matter how much expense and vexation it may cost."
Seven year houses are not going to come
along, but maybe once in a lifetime, and Geoff or any of his
crew will tell you that this project taught them how to do
things that no others currently know how to do, and the knowledge
can be applied to any project no matter the actual duration.
It boils down to a mindset to do it right the first time,
and never accept the phrase “Well that’s the way
we’ve always done it.”
It’s been a grand seven years and
the Meeks and Perkins have become fast friends.
The Perkins Construction Company has been honored in 2008 with six awards by Detroit Home magazine for our work in the following categories: Exterior Use of Stone, Foyers, Conservatories, Landscape Water Features, Wine Cellars, Fireplace Installations. Detroit Home, a subsidiary of Hour Detroit magazine, holds its regional design competition annually.
Geoff recently became one of the select group of 400 professional builders nationwide who have earned the Graduate Master Builder (GMB) designation, identifying him as one of the building industry’s top professionals. Administered by the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) University of Housing, the GMB Program is sponsored locally by the Home Builders Association of Washtenaw County, where Geoff recently served as President. After earning GMB credentials, program graduates are required to maintain their designation through completion of an additional six hours of training annually.
As aging baby boomers continue to drive housing changes, contractors are responding to market demands with more specialized training and knowledge than ever before. Through the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Joe is now trained and ready through its Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) designation program to help homeowners who need to improve the accessibility of their homes.
CAPS is the only national program that teaches contractors the unique home modification skills for those who wish to “age in place” or continue living safely, independently and comfortably in their homes regardless of age or ability level.
Other Certification of Team Members:
Carl Wurster: Certified Graduate Builder
Joe Antis: Certified Graduate Remodelor
Rodger Cole: Certified Graduate Remodelor
Obtaining these designations requires diligent study and classroom instruction. They add knowledge, expertise and credentials to the team. Perkins Construction is committed to continuous self-improvement.
