Building Beauty From Simplicity
KB Custom Stair Builders, Inc.’s legacy of professionalism
For most people, stairs are simply a way to get from point A to point B, and not much else. However, for Kevin Boyle and his team at KB Custom Stair Builders, Inc., stairs are a passion fueled by beautiful design and decades of experience.
While Kevin started working in the home construction industry by focusing on remodeling projects, he discovered that he wanted to do things that were more “high-end and technical.” So, he began to devote his time and energy to custom stairs. KB Custom Stair Builders, based in New Haven, Conn., began in 1989 and serves clients in New York and Connecticut. Kevin estimates his team has served upwards of 1,000 customers in the last 28 years.
While they have experience in the commercial space, they focus primarily on residential work. So, whether its customers are builders, architects or contractors on the residential side, or hospitals, schools or churches on the commercial side, KB Custom Stair Builders works to provide the best-built stairs in the northeastern United States. After all, everyone needs stairs … well, everyone except for Kevin Boyle. He was injured in a construction accident 14 years ago and is in a wheelchair.
Because his role shifted from project management to more administrative duties since his accident, Kevin surrounds himself with a highly trained team of five.
“While our computer design work is quite specialized, most of our team members are cross-trained, so anyone can jump in to help our customers if an issue arises,” Kevin says.
State-of-the-Art Tech Helps on High-End Projects
In addition to cross-training, Kevin believes KB Custom Stair Builders’ use of the latest technology sets it apart.
“Our projects are all 3D-modeled on the computer and we use a robotic router to ensure our work is as precise as it can be,” Kevin says. “All the parts and geometry are exact and the machine cuts all the parts.”
Working to Exceed Expectations
When you’re working with high-end clients, they often have high expectations. That was the case with a grand townhouse rebuild on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The only thing that remained from the initial structure was the exterior façade, as the entirety of the four floors was gutted and rebuilt. Many townhouses are dark in the center, because of a lack of interior light. However, the architecture and design teams that KB Custom Stair Builders collaborated with wanted to create as much light in their client’s new home as possible.
The addition of a skylight “makes the experience of walking through that center space a lot more joyous,” architect Brian Boyle says. The stairs became more visible thanks to the light from the skylight, so that made the beauty of the stairs just as important as their functionality.
“We were able to play with the stairs, sculpturally,” townhouse interior designer Sarah Magness shares.
In addition to working on this large-scale project, with several floors of stairs, KB Custom Stair Builders had to navigate the logistics of working on a busy residential street in Manhattan, as well as secure the necessary code approvals, which can be a special challenge.
But Kevin and his team seek out those difficult projects, like another one they did for the Ferrucci family, a husband and wife who are both architects.
“My wife and I were remodeling our own house and one of the concepts we focused on was being able to see through the whole house,” Joe Ferrucci explains. “That meant we wanted a see-through staircase. I had hired someone to complete the project and he backed out at the last minute. That man had worked for Kevin Boyle before and recommended him to me. Kevin’s name had come up before since he has an excellent reputation, so I called him right away. I met with the KB team and they were genuinely excited about taking on our project. They said they love to do this kind of work … work that would require them to think creatively to deliver what we wanted.”
Larger-Scale Projects
The design of the staircase would pose a challenge to many builders, but Kevin and his crew readily tackled it. Through several meetings with Joe to sort out the details, KB Custom Stair Builders plotted strategies to deal with the complexity of the project. The staff built the entire staircase ahead of time, then laid it into place with a special winch. Additionally, they also navigated the necessary codes and permits for the staircase to be built in the Ferruccis’ home, which Joe knew could pose a problem. Even years later, Joe says that people who visit their house always admire their stairs. “They did an absolutely fabulous job,” Joe says.
KB Custom Stair Builders doesn’t just work on individual homes. For example, the company is currently building and installing staircases for a subdivision in East Lyme, Conn. So far, KB Custom Stair Builders has completed stairs for almost 40 homes in that subdivision. When the project is complete, the total will approach 100.
KB Custom Stair Builders is Relationship-Driven
“We manage our workload carefully,” Kevin says. “If we are working with many individual homeowners, we delay working on a larger project so that we can give all our customers the right amount of attention and problem-solving capabilities they need.”
Kevin says that the relationships built with customers over the years have sustained the company—relationships with clients like the Ferruccis.
“It’s people like Joe who help us succeed and thrive,” Kevin says. “We are so grateful for recommendations that we have received and word-of-mouth recommendations our long-time customers have given us.”