If You Can Dream It… BKC Home Builders Builds Reputation for Creating Spectacular Homes

Photos courtesy by BKC Home Builders

In the ever-more competitive world of luxury homebuilding, consumers have no shortage of ideas about what a dream home should offer. Massive floorplans, multifloor elevators and outdoor entertainment spaces featuring gourmet kitchens are just a few of the items that have moved from wish list to must-have.

Veteran homebuilder Bree Calley is not surprised much anymore at what his well-heeled clientele can dream. In less than a decade in business Calley, owner of BKC Home Builders in Hot Springs, has gained a reputation in the luxury home segment as a highly sought-after craftsman who can make just about anything come to life.

Luxurious extras are par for the course at BKC Home Builders in Hot Springs.

“We have one project right now that’s 14,000 square feet under roof. It has a golf simulator, it has a four-stop elevator, a theater room, a sauna — all the things,” he said. “Outdoor spaces continue to be big. We’re doing innovative things like putting in air curtains, which is a device installed over a door and it blows a stream of air that allows you to keep the door open while keeping the bugs out and maintain heat and cooling.”

Never one to have a lot of slack in his production calendar, Calley has had a steady stream of business following last fall’s national elections as people gained some confidence in the nation’s economic picture.

Lakefront views making building in Hot Springs different than building in other areas.

“We start talking to people a couple of years out before we begin building their project,” he said. “The clients we’ve been talking to are now energized and ready to go. We’re about to start several new projects where the owners were waiting around to see what was going to happen in Washington. Now everybody’s thinking, ‘Hey, we’re going to have a stable or a good next four years,’ and they’re ready roll.”

Calley worked his way up from remodeling projects, which he still takes on from time to time, albeit on a much bigger scale. Word of mouth from delighted clients proved a powerful thing.

“We have really been blessed in this business,” Calley said. “We went from having a couple of houses going to now where we’re carrying multiple projects at a time. I give God all the credit that our work has been recognized and led to the success we enjoy today.”

The bulk of the company’s work comes in between about 3,000 square feet and 9,000 square feet in size and costs from about $800,000 up into the $2 million neighborhood, not counting the land.

Given the surge in demand, project management ranks right up there with the company’s level of craftsmanship, Calley said, enabling the deployment of people and materials in a way that keeps projects on schedule. Communication is also of critical importance, especially when dealing with homes of such size and complexity.

“I’ve often said we are a hired gun,” Calley said. “Sometimes I’m presented with a set of plans that aren’t the architectural style I am accustomed to, and often there are site challenges of one kind or another that have to be managed. When that happens, we simply adapt.

“Other times, a homeowner might have a hard time squaring what they see in their mind with what they see on a job site. One special talent we have as a company is keeping the homeowner abreast of where a project is at any given moment. We excel at showing them how the plans on a page are coming together and, in some cases, even showing the customer how changing the plans slightly can actually work better in the finished product.”

Calley does the bulk of his work in Hot Springs which, with its pristine lakes and emerald mountain backdrop, is a magnet for luxury homes and a top notch roster of builders who create them. Projects there demand the highest in design, features and skilled craftsmanship, three things for which BKC Home Builders is especially known.

“Hot Springs is the perfect platform for us to showcase what we do,” Calley said. “Our client base is far-reaching with second home and out-of-state retirees seeking the residence they’ve dreamed about all their lives. Our total focus is to build homes with that in mind, lending extraordinary touches throughout and delivering a low-stress experience for the homeowner start to finish.”

That mantra is a tall order for any builder to live up to in a market where maximizing the surroundings and upping the wow factor are standard expectations. BKC Home Builders’ skilled staff incorporates each client’s wants and desires into the overriding goal of delivering a dream home that lives as good as it looks.

“A luxury build is never what I would call easy, but there is a big difference between building in a typical gated community somewhere and building lakefront in Hot Springs,” Calley said. “A lake lot focuses on being aesthetically pleasing both from the front and rear view of the home, which are two totally different perspectives.

“The front design is meant to lend street appeal while building on Lake Hamilton or Lake Catherine demands emphasizing the waterfront view. That means we have to give the same attention to detail in design to create a blueprint that satisfies both.”

Calley, a Benton native, was born with building in his blood after his great-grandfather and great-uncle. His love and talent for the art of luxury construction takes some of the edge off of juggling as many as six projects at once, and his intuitive sense of customer service and deep pride in his work makes it clear that he is doing what he was born to do.

“We recognize that, ultimately, what we do comes down to the client’s decisions. However, they appreciate our ability and willingness to draw from our well of experience,” he said. “They empower us beyond being mere builders; we are their trusted advisor.

“The anchor of our company philosophy is a desire to build the very best. My greatest satisfaction is met when a finished product exceeds the expectations of what the client had envisioned.”