Daniel Barnard began his term as president of the St. Louis Home Builders Association ("HBA") on October 1, 2008...
Dan Barnard, president of Greater Missouri Builders, has been attracted to the building industry since he was four years old. His family had relocated from St. Louis to Kansas City and was in the process of building a large home in the country for their family of 13 when he discovered he liked to watch the construction activity and see the progress.
"I was always somewhat restless and competitive when I was very young and growing up. I remember starting to work when I was nine or 10 years old. At 13 or 14, I was raising my own livestock while helping the neighbors harvest their crops and building fences and barns. I was always pretty industrious and liked solving problems. Making a living and some extra money was always important [to me]," he said.
After high school, he joined the Marines and served in Vietnam. Upon his return, he went to Rockhurst College in Kansas City and became a CPA. He paid for his own education without any help and worked for two accounting firms, specializing in real estate at both companies. In 1989, he helped Greater Missouri Builders acquire some hotels and ended up going to work for the company full-time in 1997 as its president.
HBA Executive Vice President Pat Sullivan said, "Dan's combination of wit and great analytical skills makes him an ideal industry leader. He puts a smile on your face and gives you great advice at the same time."
[Excerpt from Builder News, Home Builders Association Publication for the Housing Industry of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri]
Photo taken by Michael Marxer at GMB's Paddington Hill community in Chesterfield.
2008 People's Choice Winner!
$500,000-$549,999
Greater Missouri Builders
for the Ashley Model at Brunhaven
in West St. Louis County
2008 People's Choice Winner!
$200,000-$249,999
Greater Missouri Builders
for the Barrington Model at Chesterfield Village Townhomes
in West St. Louis County
St. Louis Business Journal (09/04/2008)
No decision hits closer to home than the construction of a new dwelling, so make sure you and your builder are on the same page each step of the way.
The best place to start scouting firms is the local HBA’s Web page, www.stlhba.com, according to the president of the Home Builders Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri. The site features downloadable consumer hints on building a new home, and it can link you with specifics on its member companies.
When building a new home, you’re not just buying a structure. Along with the structure comes a package of services, and the quality of those services will have an important effect on the enjoyment of your home.
Most new buildings need at least minor repairs or adjustments after the sale, he said, so it’s important to make sure your builder defines what services and products are covered in your home warranty.
“Most builders offer at least one year on most of the home,” said Dan Barnard, president of St. Charles-based Greater Missouri Builders. “They do typically offer nine years on structural components like the foundation and load-bearing walls. On windows or roofs, I’m not aware of any who offer much more than one year.” If a problem develops 18 months after construction, some builders may agree to cover it even though the year has expired, according to Barnard.
If your new home does need service, remember that builders keep as busy a calendar as you do. “Clients often think builders can drop everything and easily reschedule a service appointment,” Barnard said. “But most builders use subcontractors, and it can be difficult to shuffle those schedules around.”
Ask what will happen to your budget if material prices rise during construction, said Joe Williams, an independent contractor and owner of the DeSoto-based J.D. Williams Co. construction firm. “Figure that as fuel prices go up, materials will too,” he said. “If you’re building the home right away, get a proposal signed where your prices are frozen. If you’re starting it 18 months from now, you’ll take that bigger risk of prices going up.”
Make sure you have a clear understanding of the construction timeline, said Edward Lott, vice president of sales and marketing for the St. Ann-based C.F. Vatterott Inc. construction firm. “Ask what the build time is from the moment you walk in the door till the home is complete,” he said.
Also look for a builder to counsel you on specialty options available, Lott said. “Everyone has evolving lifestyles, and that can affect everything from electrical needs to energy efficiency,” he said. “Make sure there’s careful planning before construction starts. Early on, catch small needs like special wiring in soffits for holiday lights, or a dedicated electrical circuit for a large freezer. There are many things to personalize that might not be evident in a display home.”
Green building is becoming increasingly important to consumers, and Lott said utility companies such as Laclede Gas can help home builders demonstrate environmental responsibility. He said they can provide verification that new homes are energy efficient, so a responsible builder should seek out that guidance.
Hughes said the best time to visit a builder’s past projects is on Saturday morning when owners are outside doing yard work or chores. Try to talk to three or four of them, he advised.
“Ask if the builder delivered in the time promised, and if the company had workers on site every day possible,” Williams said. “When you build, you don’t want to be told it’ll be six months, then end up in an apartment with your belongings in storage because construction took longer.”
Quick tips
Choose a proactive builder who believes in follow-up phone calls and e-mails.
Ask how long a builder has been in business, and how long its management team has been in place.
Stay on top of local home-building news. The market may be soft in other cities, but that doesn’t mean it is in your region.
Julia M. Johnson is a St. Louis freelance writer.
If you are looking for a carefree luxury living in beautiful Chesterfield, you owe it to yourself to see the two ultra-sophisticated villa displays now for sale at Brunhaven. Greater Missouri Builders' intimate cul-de-sac enclave comprised of 26 maintenance-provided "lifestyle homes" is located along Olive Boulevard, about two miles north of the Highway 40/Clarkson Road interchange and 1.8 miles south of Highway 141.
Right now, both of our villa displays carry substantial $60,000 discounts and are ready for immediate move-in. And we're even picking up the tab for the homeowner association fees for two full years which covers such things as lawn and landscape upkeep, sprinkler system operation, snow removal, and exterior painting.
"It has been our experience that most upper-tier villa buyers want everything outfitted to perfection the day they move-in to avoid having contractors invade their space at a later time to make after-market improvements. And there is nothing closer to perfection than purchasing a display," said Dan Barnard, President. "Not only do our villas for sale come with every imaginable upgrade and extra, but they also include all the window decorations, wall coverings, and paint treatments which were chosen by an interior designer."
Greater Missouri Builders has two new villa developments planned for West St. Louis County totaling $108 million.
The St. Charles-based home builder put a 30-acre parcel of land under contract in Town & Country in recent weeks to build a 98-unit villa development at 1450 Clayton Rd. in Town & Country.
Greater Missouri Builders is buying the property for an undisclosed amount from TNC Investors LLC, which is building a 310,000-square-foot retail development including a Target and Whole Foods Market on 45 adjacent acres at the southwest corner of Clayton and Woods Mill roads. Ted Levis of St. Louis-based Emerald Properties is one of the partners leading the Town and Country Crossing retail development, which is expected to open by the end of the year.
On Feb. 27, Greater Missouri Builders presented its proposal to Town & Country officials for the yet unnamed villa development. The units, priced in the $700s, are part of a planned $70 million gated community.
Greater Missouri Builders has another villa development under construction, located on 10 acres at Clarkson and Clayton roads in Ellisville. The $38 million Villas at Fountain Plaza development has 73 villas priced in the low $500s. Infrastructure work is under way.
Greater Missouri Builders is the eighth largest home builder in St. Louis, based on revenue. The company, which is active in St. Louis and Kansas City, had $34 million in local revenue in 2007 and sold 60 homes in the St. Louis area last year.
"Eventually the bottom is going to whack everybody and it will pick up," said Dan Barnard, president of Greater Missouri Builders. "Then we'll be poised and ready to meet demand."
In the dismal housing market, there are some encouraging signs. According to a new report by MarketGraphics Research Group, an affiliate of St. Louis-based Zanola Co., St. Louis' inventory of new homes for sale is decreasing. There are currently 3,043 unsold inventory homes, compared to an inventory of 3,143 homes in November 2007, according to MarketGraphics.
Zanola Co. President Joe Zanola said that in light of the woes that have hit the housing market nationwide, the decrease in supply is a good sign for the region. "New home inventory has stabilized and turned down. That's a healthy sign."
Zanola said home builders in St. Louis responded quickly to the changing market and didn't significantly overbuild like markets in California or Florida.
MarketGraphics' report shows that building permits for homes and condos decreased significantly in the past three years -- from 14,879 in 2005 to 11,004 in 2006 and 9,983 in 2007. In the nine-county area, only St. Louis County saw an increase in building permits in 2007 -- up to 2,129 building permits issued last year, compared with 1,655 in 2006 and 2,271 in 2005. Building permits in the city of St. Louis dropped to 805 in 2007, compared to 1,048 in 2006 and 2,370 in 2005.
Zanola said home builders are finding opportunity in the current market to meet changes in consumers' preferences. "There are all types of product that were overlooked when the market was so hot," Zanola said. "Smaller, attached units in walkable communities" are in demand, he said.
In the February 22-28, 2008 issue of the St. Louis Business Journal, GMB made #8 on the Largest Home Builders list. Ranking was listed by 2007 local revenue. Scott Campbell, Owner, and Daniel Barnard, President, are proud of the company's progress which bumped us up one spot on the list from the previous year. To learn more about our company, visit the "About Us" section of this website.
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