Diamond in the Rough
Custom design firm Diamond Built brings luxury to commercial structures
In 1981, Kurt Dys was a young man with dreams of a career in professional golf management, so one day he packed up his belongings and moved from Michigan to Florida—a rather appropriate relocation for his aspirations.
He couldn’t have known it at the time, but life had other plans.
Kurt just happened to arrive during a building boom along Florida’s beaches, and he recalls standing on the shore of his new state, looking around in awe at the high-rises towering above him in various stages of development.
By chance, his friend’s dad owned a drywall company at a time when drywall hangers were in high demand; and so it was with a promise of good money and a talent for working with his hands that Kurt was lured in a different direction.
Thus, with a newfound love for construction, his career shifted course and he spent the next four years working and taking college classes in the evenings to pursue a degree in construction.
From there, Kurt went to work for Nohl Crest Homes’ estimating and purchasing department, and then moved up the ranks as a Purchasing Manager at a custom homebuilder in Pinellas County called Costanza Homes (now known as Constanza & Salm Homes) until he was just one level below ownership.
By the time 2000 rolled around, Kurt felt he’d hit a ceiling and was ready to start his own company. John Costanza of Costanza Homes encouraged him to obtain his general contractor license. “They were 100% behind me, and that support really jumpstarted me into opening my own company,” Kurt says.
As he pursued his license, Kurt began working for his former employer as a subcontractor, and in 2001, he achieved his dream of incorporating his own company: Diamond Built, Inc.
Today, Kurt’s company is a state-certified general contractor and custom design-build firm that’s capable of taking on midsize commercial projects and light commercial construction, such as office buildings and build-outs, as well as high-end custom homes throughout Florida’s Tampa Bay area.
In partnership with his wife, Trish, who serves as Vice President, the two have developed a loyal customer base and a long list of rave reviews and testimonials by taking a personalized and hands-on approach to every project, from estimates to architectural designs to completion.
“Diamond Built’s slogan is ‘Engin-eered for quality, built with pride,’ ” says Kurt, who serves as President of the company. “That’s who we are and we’ve stuck with that from day one. When you buy our services, you buy that.”
Getting in the Zone
Kurt is the first to admit that it’s been a journey to get where he is today.
When he first incorporated the company, he took on custom home projects and specialized in Zone A construction, which relates to FEMA-designated flood zones.
“In the beginning, I did a ton of waterfront homes,” he says. “It’s a tougher foundation and is not your standard ‘put boards in the ground and start building.’ You have to know what you’re doing and there’s a lot of engineering involved.”
While impressively qualified for those jobs, Kurt would soon realize something consequential: in developing a niche specialty, he’d pigeonholed himself.
“In 2010, when the area was experiencing an economic downturn, we were a very strong custom homebuilder, but because we hadn’t fully expanded into the true commercial market, we got stung,” he reflects. “We never went out of business, but we quit selling work and my partners and I dissolved Diamond Built, Inc.”
In the years that followed, Kurt worked with other builders in the area, focusing on larger commercial projects in Tampa and North Florida.
“I kind of felt like I was being brought out to do big work for people,” he says. “The blessing in all of that was that I was meeting architects, and they got to know who I was. When I decided to get back to my business, it was through those relationships and the help of The Blue Book Network® that I got back in the game.”
In 2017, Kurt proudly resurrected the Diamond Built name under an LLC—and with a renewed approach.
“Today, we’re not making the mistakes of the past,” he says. “We want to be as diversified as possible to balance our workload. Our custom homes work is booming right now, but we’ve hired additional help to focus on working with architects to pull in commercial work as well.”
From Land to Luxury
That shift should be no problem for Diamond Built.
After all, one of Trish’s favorite Diamond Built showcases is a luxury commercial project that the team oversaw for the Lucas & Magazine law firm in New Port Richey, Florida.
“It really has a wow factor,” Trish says. “It’s like walking into a gorgeous home with high ceilings, crown molding and travertine floors. Even 14 years later, it still looks like the picture of when it was first built, which speaks to its quality and sustainability.”
The ground-up development involved building three buildings on 2 1/2 acres of land, and it sticks out in Kurt’s mind as well, not just because of the beauty of the final product, but because of the challenges he encountered along the way.
While it was no easy task to develop the land, get a stormwater pump in and build the office buildings and parking lot, the biggest hurdle was unforeseen.
“Gopher turtles,” Kurt says. “If you’re in Florida doing a project, pray you don’t see gopher turtles. When they show up, the minute the county, city or any jurisdiction sees them, they shut the job down because they are protected.”
The team had to bring out a licensed professional to set cages and safely relocate the gopher turtles, which stopped work for two months. Yet, the company persevered and got the project back on track. The final product—a stunning 18,000-square-foot luxury office complex—received a rave review from the customer.
It also represents the type of work that Kurt wants to do more of in the future.
“That’s how we want people to know us: builders of luxury office buildings,” he says. “We use the same quality materials in our office buildings as we do in our luxury homes.”
Kurt and Trish’s renewed strategy is working. Kurt says that when he looks back to where he was 20 years ago, the company is experiencing much greater growth.
“I can look back at the infancy of Diamond Built and we’re probably growing two to three times faster than we did in the 2000s,” he says. “I think a lot of that has to do with Trish and her marketing and rebranding of our company.”
The couple also attributes this success to a loyal team of subcontractors.
“What’s unique is that we have relationships with our subs that go back decades,” he says. “I still use the same flat mason, block mason, drywaller and framer that I used in the 1980s and ‘90s. They are a core group that I consider family and like employees of this company.”
Community Commitment
The Dyses also consider their clients family, and the two are deeply committed to community work and fundraisers that supports their clients’ interests.
“It’s important that the people we’ve built for, if they have fundraisers or any types of events going on, that we get involved too and give back,” Trish says. “Without a community, who are we, really? As we continue to grow, it’s time to take our blessings and give them back.”
Whether it’s their involvement in Joshua House, a safe haven for abused, neglected or abandoned children in the Tampa Bay area, or the Oasis Pregnancy Care Centers, which offers an array of services, education, resources and supplies to support first-time mothers, or bowling or golf fundraisers for various causes, Kurt and Trish are there to lend support.
“Plus, Kurt gets to play golf, so it’s a win-win,” Trish laughs.
Kurt ties that support back to the business, stressing how important it is to be a part of the community they’ve worked to help build.
“We’re an up-and-coming company that is faith-based, honest and well-respected,” he says. “We’re here to stay and anticipate doing nothing but good things for the community and for our clients.”