Building Memories: Parkinson Building Group Brings Clients’ Dreams to Life

Photos by Lori Sparkman

 

There is nothing more important in this world to Dr. Mike and Terri Calhoun than family.

 

The Calhouns’ pride and joy is their blended brood of four grown children and myriad grandchildren who bring love and laughter to any gathering, so when the couple decided to build their dream home as a kind of family retreat for occasions large and small, notable and ordinary, it had to be something special from the lot to the footprint to the layout.

 

 

“I always said I wanted all four kids to be able to feel like they had a home to come home to, that at Christmastime, there would never be a problem. Everybody would have a room,” Terri said. “I wanted to see the children running around, the adults sitting around and playing a game or having a glass of wine together. That was important to me.”

 

The couple’s search for their ideal patch of land led them to the Waterview development in Roland, a place of yawning vistas and forested serenity. That secured, the discussion turned to what builder could create a home that matched the stunning surroundings and brought their wildest domestic dreams to life.

 

 

That is when Bill Parkinson’s phone rang.

 

“We have built a lot out in the Waterview neighborhood. We were one of the first builders out there and have been pretty consistent in being one of the main builders of the lakeview lots,” said Parkinson, founder of Little Rock-based Parkinson Building Group, which specializes in luxury homes. “We had not worked with the Calhouns before, but Terri was very familiar with our work and knew people who we have built for and was interested in having us build her home.

 

“They’re wonderful people. You’ve never met a nicer couple in your life, who love to entertain their family and friends. They wanted this place to be something really, really special. That excitement was infectious, and we were honored they trusted us enough to bring their vision to life.”

 

 

Any homebuilding project provides its own unique set of challenges, and the Calhoun residence was certainly no exception. Time and experience have made Parkinson Building Group well aware of the many moving parts that go into designing and building a luxury home inside and out. The company takes a team approach to each build, a unique process that helps ensure the requisite expertise is brought to bear at every phase.

 

For Parkinson, the system is not only a more efficient way to work but also ensures the company’s concierge-level responsiveness and white-glove customer service is maintained throughout what is typically a multiyear project.

 

 

“When we meet with clients, we want to be that one-stop shop for them,” he said. “We don’t ever say, ‘Hey, here’s some names and numbers of draftsmen and architects. Go develop a plan and come back to us.’ We sit down with them and do an interview and try to find out what their drivers are, what’s important to them, what their budget is. We want to guide them through that process soup to nuts, beginning to end.”

 

Following the initial interview the process moves through various departments, each with their own in-house experts, who refine the project down to exacting detail. Once that is completed, each project is assigned a four-person construction oversight team comprised of a construction manager, purchasing agent, on-site project manager, and project coordinator who serves as a client liaison and dedicated point of access.

 

 

Parkinson said the system represents the best illustration of the lengths the company is willing to go to ensure complete customer satisfaction with the finished product.

 

“We want every client to understand that we take their build as seriously as they do,” he said. “We sweat it out just as much as they do. We’re worried about the same things they’re worried about. Whatever it is that’s concerning the client, we want them to know that’s concerning us equally.”

 

 

For their part, the Calhouns appreciated the team approach from the get-go, saying they felt heard and understood throughout the planning and building process, even in cases where they did not have a firm vision of what the finished product should be.

 

“I think what impressed me the most is that Bill nailed exactly what I’d just envisioned as my dream house,” Terri said. “There were no plans initially. I just started talking to Bill, saying, ‘I’m just going to bring a whole bunch of different pieces of paper of things that are important to me and where I think these things are all going to fall.’”

 

 

Another attractive element to Parkinson Building Group’s system is how much flexibility it gives for changes and amendments as the build goes along. The company balances that with the kind of construction expertise that offers structural and aesthetic suggestions to bring about the best solution.

 

“The builders were so smart and so good and just lightning fast,” Mike said. “In a couple of places, they made these brilliant suggestions, like on the inside of the entranceway. We had no plan on any kind of woodwork, and one day, our finish guy is there, and he just said, ‘This is what I think you ought to do.’ He drew it out in about five seconds, and it was perfect.”

 

 

The finished home — for which Chad Young served as architect and David Peterson was designer — is a sight to behold. Coming in at about 6,800 square feet and sporting five bedrooms and five-and-a-half baths, the European-influenced design aesthetic is welcoming and elegant, featuring a two-story living room, great room catwalk and double-decker back porch awash in natural light. The symmetry of design allows sightlines from the front door clear through to the back of the home and its unparalleled view.

 

 

Seen through its amenities, the home represents a living photo album of the Calhouns’ passions in life. The large kitchen holds the promise of many holiday dinners to come; the wine cellar houses the couple’s prized collection; large open spaces embrace friends and family in hospitality; and a swimming pool cools off squealing grandkids under azure Arkansas summer skies.

 

“I will tell anybody this: I’m a very lucky girl, and I’m very blessed to have a husband who built this beautiful home for us,” Terri said. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever lived in. It’s like nothing I could ever have dreamed I would ever have in my life. Sometimes I can’t believe it’s mine, honestly. I thank the Lord every day for my husband and for allowing us to have that.”

 

 

For Parkinson, it never gets old to see such reactions from clients as they experience their vision growing up out of the ground. That sustained passion for building homes of distinction has expanded the company’s reputation and spurred its growth, most recently into the Hot Springs market. There, Parkinson hopes to bring many more dream projects to life using the same proven system, enduring craftsmanship and unrelenting customer service.

 

 

“This home is a great example of what we try to bring to every project,” he said. “At the end of it all, when we hand over the keys and turn the house over, our goal is for our client to feel like they made a great investment of their time, of their money, of their energy and effort. We want to be good stewards of that as we bring together their vision for where they’re going to live for the next X number of years. We understand, and we never forget what we’re building for people.” 

 

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