Who are we?

The Details Difference:

Details is a builder of well-designed and detailed customized homes for a new and more discriminating group of developers, builders, and homeowners.  The Details home is an answer to:

• America’s changing demographics, which show that families are smaller and that couples and singles are now the most common household types and,
• A growing homebuyer willingness to exchange a large home for good design and detailing, honest materials and sophistication in a reasonably sized home.

Our History

Details grew from its founders’ roots in custom homebuilding and small neighborhood development along the California coast.  Through years of experience with highly detailed custom finishes, and their interest in and subsequent development of award winning small traditional neighborhoods, they developed a passion for building highly crafted, authentically detailed homes.  Concurrent with this growing passion, demographic changes began to suggest that homebuyers in increasing numbers would prefer a smaller home if they were not sacrificing the aesthetics, quality, design, and the amenities they were expecting in their “dream home”.  However, building a “move-down” house with “move-up” qualities comes with certain challenges:

• Could we maintain reasonable pricing while working on a smaller economy of scale?
• How could we ensure consistent craftsmanship over a broad geographic area? Often the best subcontractors are in high demand in their local area and prefer not to travel.
• How much flexibility could we give architects and developers to create their own distinct products?   Would we be able to work efficiently with architects?

For all these questions, Details team found resoundingly affirmative answers in the off-site construction process.
Details recognizes that the best way to meet the rising demand for high-quality homes in small niche markets is through off-site construction (also known as prefab, factory-built, or modular home construction).  Our homes are precision built in a climate-controlled environment, subjected to rigorous quality inspections, and are approximately 90% complete prior to being transported to a home site in sections where they are set on a foundation and final connections are made.

Our Manufacturing Process (and how we arrived there)

As the Details team got out and looked at the home manufacturing industry, talked to consultants, and toured factories on the East Coast, we were generally left less than inspired.  We determined that if we were to commit ourselves to this process, our homes must be able to pass a simple test:  are Details homes so well designed, detailed and appointed that given a choice between a Details home and custom level site-built home, home buyers would regularly choose the Details home, even if budget were not an issue. 

Obviously this is not the normal expectation for factory-built housing today.  Some would even question whether such a standard is possible.  But the Details team believes that all the pieces are there to meet this standard.  We became convinced that it is possible if we are willing to do things in a strikingly different way from the industry norms.

The home manufacturing industry has made huge construction quality strides in recent years.  Factory-built UBC and IBC code constructed homes are structurally stronger than their site-built counterparts and their interiors are indistinguishable from those in site-built homes.  FEMA recognized their structurally superiority in numerous reports that were published in the wake of hurricanes Rita and Katrina.  Yet, factory-built homes are still considered by most Americans to be substandard.  Why?

At Details, we are convinced the problem isn’t the manufacturing process.  Assembly lines are used to create the world’s most valuable products: from computers to automobiles to airplanes.  Factories make precisely what the designers tell them to; so the fact that most people still reject factory-built housing tells us that the problem is a design problem.

So that’s where Details starts:  with great design.  Building and selling highly sought-after designer homes begins with establishing relationships with outstanding designers and constructing with good materials. 

Our Philosophy

Great home and great neighborhood design coupled with thoughtful execution will not just endure—it will actually improve over time as the neighborhood matures, brining value to the community and inspiring all that experience it.  We believe that quality buildings and well-designed neighborhoods can move people just as well disciplined work in music, the visual arts, writing or drama does.  That is our goal and our responsibility as builders and developers.