Barberry Homes, Inc.

Barberry Homes has been practicing the art of custom home building for fourteen years. Since its founding, Barberry Homes has built over 400 homes in the suburbs west of Boston. Barberry is currently completing two neighborhoods located in Sudbury; Cutler Farm located off Woodside Road, and Greenhill Estates located off Old Lancaster Road

Home building is a business where buyers entrust a builder with the single largest purchase they may ever make. This formula of responsibility and satisfaction keeps Barberry Homes in the home building business. The company believes that the responsibility of carrying forth people's dreams is second to none. Not even the stock market can provide the type of exhilaration home builders get when a house is complete and the people who own it are as proud of the finished product as the people who built it.

Barberry prides itself on providing discriminating buyers with upscale, one-of-a-kind dream homes. After 14 years and over 400 custom homes, the company remains focused on plans for continued growth. Over the years, as the economy grows, so does the size of homes. Fourteen years ago, Barberry Homes averaged 3,000 square feet. Today the company builds homes from 4,000 to 8,000 square feet. Families today want more room, more independence. They are looking to spread out into study areas and media rooms. "To accommodate this need and optimize space, we are finishing third-floor space and lower-level space or basements. We have done a lot of home theaters." One of the biggest attributes of these home theaters is the "stepped area" in a basement floor, which allows a person to see over the person in front. Some people have their basements stepped to accommodate future expansion. Barberry knows a home has to be more than a pretty picture? it has to be both functional and practical.

As homes become larger, the amenities that support it become more complex. Using higher technology is a key part. A significant amount of time and energy is spent on the "guts" of the home to ensure only state-of-the-art heating, cooling, electrical and plumbing systems are installed. Each project is reviewed at the beginning, working through each system to ensure it will operate correctly and integrate into the overall layout. It is critical to plan around every detail. "From small electrical outlets to large pipes for plumbing, we know where every trunk line, pipeline, and chase is and how it is going to integrate into the home to ensure everything works correctly."

The interior is the personality of a home. From built-in bookcases, media centers, fireplace surrounds to studies, hutches, and stairways, these amenities are the character of a home. These custom finishes are as important to Barberry Homes as they are to the owners. "We cater to every whim. We go out of our way to make a house a unique home and not just a collection of sticks and bricks." This is the reason every piece of millwork is built from scratch by in-house carpenters. Having the ability to work with any idea sets Barberry apart from other home builders. One customer wanted to replicate a hutch her mother had in her home for generations. She took a picture, presented it to the carpenters, and they began to work their magic ? creating a mirror image of the hutch in the picture. Now, every time she sees that hutch it creates fond memories of her mother. These custom features are what turn ordinary houses into dream homes.

Adding the finishing touches completes the picture. When building a home, it is the trim that provides the finishing touches. Barberry's experienced in-house trim department makes this process simple. They spend time going through an entire house, room by room, to cover all the finest details. "Even before a house is plastered, Barberry's trim department is pulled into the planning process to ensure frames are set up correctly to accept the type of trim being put in and to make sure the electrician has plug switches away from places with trim." Good interior detail is the difference between a room that is finished and a room that is "complete."

Even if a house has the perfect design, the land it sits on can make or break the final product.

The best architect and construction are no match for a poor piece of land. Barberry takes extra care to ensure homes are placed carefully on spacious lots that fit in aesthetically with their surroundings. "We have a full-time person who does nothing but look for and purchase land. That tells you how important a quality piece of land is to Barberry."

Spec homes also play a major role in home building. At Barberry Homes, spec homes are built and designed to fit a particular lot. Each one is unique to its surroundings with consideration to the wants and needs of the marketplace. Even if building is in progress, it will be the buyer who makes the final decision on layout, design, and rooms. The objective is to make sure each buyer is completely satisfied and each home lives up to the expectations of its owner. To accomplish this, Barberry interviews each owner after moving in. Questions like "How is the 'livability' of your house? Is there enough elbow room? How does the laundry room and kitchen flow?" are all important.

Feedback is the key to growing any business, especially in the building industry where there is continuous change. Barberry meets these changes by continually refining and perfecting existing plans. "We want to understand what is working and what is not so plans can be improved." Nothing is more rewarding to a home builder than hearing customers say "I love everything about my new home. I wouldn't change a thing."

None of this success could be possible without the dedication and commitment from the loyal employees at Barberry. What keeps these individuals motivated? Pride. Pride in themselves; pride in their work; and pride in fulfilling the mission Barberry Homes. The company has worked hard at hiring, training, and keeping good people and it is evident in the work they accomplish. From the trim carpenters, to the warranty people, to the sales guys, everyone is very, very proud to be associated with Barberry. "We are proud of what we do and proud to separate ourselves from the rest." Because everyone shares in these dreams, everyone shares the success of the company.