Whatever It Takes
Caforio Development Group, LLC expands services to meet clients’ needs
Chris Caforio and his employees at Caforio Development Group, LLC (CDG) are so committed to giving their customers what they want that the firm has been adding divisions, services and personnel to meet those needs and keep their clients coming back. As he’s been building out new construction and renovation projects throughout Southern California, Caforio has also been building out the company he first launched in 2015. In the years since, CDG has quickly grown its general construction services to also incorporate design and real estate.
Today, CDG, which is headquartered in Rancho Cucamonga, is made up of nine employees who handle everything from design and drafting to loan origination and project management.
Growth and larger projects have always been part of Caforio’s plan. Want proof? Look no further than the company’s name: Caforio Development Group. The second-generation general contractor has long envisioned doing more than just completing renovations. Caforio, the Owner and CEO, wants to build and develop communities. “He hopes to create neighborhoods in his style with his aesthetic,” says Shana Valenzuela, Chief of Operations. “That’s why he put ‘Development’ in the name of his company when he first started.”
CDG is making progress toward that development goal, with work underway on the first single-family home that has been owned, designed and built fully by the firm. Caforio and team are transforming what was once a 640-square-foot residence situated on a large lot into a 2,440-square-foot, one-story structure. The Southern California home is expected to be completed in 2020.
“Our goal is to make it feel really spacious,” says Valenzuela. “Wide hallways, 10-foot ceilings, lots of windows, pocket sliding doors that extend living space to the outside and a U-shape design to help integrate the outdoor space into the design—all are elements to help create a spacious, inviting home.”
Contemporary Design
That open-concept design is what clients have come to count on from CDG.
With the in-house design team’s help, clients are embracing contemporary elements such a wide-span, glass pocket doors on exterior walls, floating vanities, sleek and simple hardware, a minimal color palette and industrial elements such as aluminum windows and concrete floors.
“Our most significant transition was to become a fully incorporated design-build contractor,” Caforio says.“Our team has several design influencers as well as a draftsman on hand, experienced in plan submittals.”
Having that team in place helps make the inevitable bumps and hiccups that crop up during construction easier to solve.
“As anyone who has worked in construction knows, there are sometimes issues that are out of one’s scope or control,” Caforio says. “Having our design team in-house allows for seamless changes to be made in the moment, rather than being at the mercy of outside firms and waiting for their availability.”
When the CDG design team works with a client, this partnership also helps to set realistic expectations for the building process and final product. “Designing alongside the building contractor offers a realistic vision of what can be done—and how. This results in fewer changes and challenges and more accuracy with budgets and timelines,” Caforio says. “We want our clients to feel at ease knowing their wishes are heard and not lost over multiple points of contacts and teams.”
One-Stop Shop
CDG helps further reduce the number of contractors and service providers that clients need by offering real estate and loan origination services.
While the company didn’t initially set out to provide these professional services, it expanded its offerings to simplify projects for repeat clients.
“Though we have many valued partners and experts in their trades, we are a full-service, one-stop shop,” Caforio says. “Due to client requests, we are able to start from the very beginning with them as licensed real estate agents and loan originators to find them homes worth renovating to meet their lists of wants and wishes.”
Client requests have pushed CDG to expand in other ways, too. The company now provides landscaping and exterior services.
“However we can help our client, we will,” says Valenzuela. “We let their needs dictate the ways in which the company has grown. When they make requests, we find ways to make it work, make it happen.”
The commitment to satisfying clients has kept many coming back. Most of CDG’s clients have completed two or more projects with the company.
CDG focuses primarily on residential builds and renovations, though that too is shifting at clients’ requests. This year, the company will complete more commercial work than ever before, though 70% of its projects are residential.
Earthquake-Ready
Another area of recent growth for the Southern California company has been seismic retrofitting and helping to protect buildings against earthquakes or seismic activity causing major ground motion or soil failure.
“We cannot stress enough the importance of ensuring a building’s structural integrity—especially in Southern California,” says Caforio.
CDG launched a seismic retrofitting compliance division this year to help property owners prevent injury or death caused by structure failure in the event of seismic activity.
“CDG makes the process simple by including everything an owner needs, including compliance assistance with city agencies, structural engineering, permitting, construction and even helping clients earn available credits and rewards for complying,” Caforio says.
Clients Come First
Whether completing seismic retrofitting on a multifamily building or taking a single-family home down to the studs for a gut renovation, Caforio and his team always have the client top of mind.
They provide 3D tours that illustrate the before and after of potential projects and design single-family custom homes with virtual walkthroughs for easy visualizations, accompanied with lifelike renderings.
Two years ago, CDG launched an app to make the process even smoother.
The app keeps clients up to date on progress, provides job logs and photos, and allows them to make design selections and even pay invoices—all aimed to make building and construction simpler for the customer.
“It all makes communication easier for clients, especially those juggling multiple projects,” Valenzuela says. “It helps us out, but it helps them out even more.” Making life simpler and easier for customers is priority No. 1 for the entire CDG team.
“Everyone is willing to do whatever it takes, Chris included. He’ll get out there and dig trenches, no hesitation,” Valenzuela says. “Wherever and however we’re needed to keep things running smoothly for our clients, that’s where we’re at.”