Builders' houses meet homeowners' needs houses reflect lifestyle of customer
The real estate market hasn't experienced record sales for some time, but a small independent home builder in Downers Grove is finding that if you do things right, you can weather any economic storm.
Oakley Home Builders is the brainchild of Steve Sebkowiak, 34, and Ryan Dunham, 36, who grew up in the Chicago suburbs. Sebkowiak began earning his construction chops by working with a mason who was building custom homes in Oak Brook. Dunham worked summer construction jobs in Rockford and continued on during his college years working with various tradesmen. According to Sebkowiak, the two met in their early 20s and "armed with enough knowledge to be dangerous" decided it was time to form their own company a few years later.
"We were somewhere between 22 and 24 years old when we met, and our goal was to do residential construction," Sebkowiak said. "We sort of cut our teeth doing condo conversions and lofts and rehabs. The company we were working for was sold and, long after that, it was sold again and with the restructuring and reorganization, we thought it might be time to get out of it around 2003 and 2004 and the market was beginning to change."
Oakley Home Builders became a reality in 2005 and the two partners have never looked back. Sebkowiak handles the field work and supervising construction while Dunham's task is working with all the "cost" elements, which includes ordering of materials and handling the business end of things. Half a decade later, the company has built 35 custom homes throughout DuPage and Cook County that Sebkowiak said "reflect the owners, not Oakley Home Builders.""The greatest compliment we can receive about our homes is when people tell us that guests will come to a home and say it really reflects the homeowner's style and tastes," he said. "That's the best endorsement there is."
Sebkowiak believes the company's success comes from its business philosophy and long-standing relationships that are built with clients. The goal for owners is to not just have them spend money.
"We sit down with the owner during the design phase and try to provide suggestions and advice about where people should best spend their money," he said. "The biggest thing is we want people to be qualified buyers and to build value into their project and show people where they can get the biggest bang for their buck. We want them to spend wisely."
Downers Grove residents Mike and Jenn DiCosola, who own an Oakley home, clearly found the builder's advice and guidance useful.
"Because we were expecting our second child and undergoing a major job change, we told them at the onset that we had limited time to commit to the project," Mike DiCosolas said. "Oakley made the entire process very seamless and enjoyable. Steve and Ryan worked with us to find an ideal lot for our budget that allowed us to build an even nicer home than we originally had planned. They allowed us to be as involved as we wanted to be along the way. After seeing many of their past projects we felt very comfortable leaving many decisions to them."
A home project generally takes six to seven months, from planning and design to delivering the finished product. Sebkowiak says from the moment an existing house is razed, owners are given a calendar outlining everything up to the final move-in day.
"Out of 35 homes, we've missed the target date only once," Sebkowiak said proudly. "We don't back the client into a corner and make him the project manager. If someone hasn't made their mind up yet about which cabinets to buy, the job doesn't stop. We move on to something else."
Homes have ranged from $450,000 up to $1.2 million, and Sebkowiak notes that even in today's economy, Oakley Homes have sold for 97 percent of their asking price.
"People seem to favor the Nantucket, Hampton-style homes right now, with trim and detail inside that gives them a classic look," he said. "We don't build one style of home. You'll find one of ours in Naperville that looks nothing like homes we've built in Hinsdale. Our goal is to do quality work and people see that in our products."
