Dan and Pam McGee
Caledonia, Michigan

"Before deciding on a builder, we visited several Parade homes that Rich had built. We knew he was committed to building green, which was important to us. We also wanted someone familiar with structural insulated panels (SIPS). Rich had built with these before and was quite excited about doing it again.

One of the first steps was to sit down with him and design our new home. We had a rough idea of what we wanted, but did not have all the details worked out. As we worked with him, he was very insistent that we get exactly what we wanted. He stressed that it was easier to move walls on paper than to move walls later. Using computer aided design; we moved a lot of walls back and forth until we accomplished what we wanted. The design process could not have been easier.

Early on in the building process we had problems with the developer of our subdivision. Rich handled our developer with diplomacy and professionalism, and managed to get the house approved just as we had envisioned it.

Once we decided to build, Rich supplied us with a large notebook called a Homeowners Manual. This valuable resource keeps everything organized including our selections for the house. It is also a great tool for figuring out exactly when things are happening and what needs to be done when. Rich is very organized and likes to keep things on schedule. At the end of the building process he provides another book, the Homeowners Guidebook, that lists materials and paint colors used, subcontractors' telephone numbers and photographs of the rough-in stage. If for some reason we decide to change things later, we'll know right away what's behind the walls.

All of Rich's subcontractors were professional, polite, and respectful of our time and our home. Every one of them was more than willing to stop what they were doing and explain their part of the process to us. We never were made to feel like we were in the way.

Rich employs an interior designer to work with you in picking out selections. At first we were hesitant about using a designer, thinking that she would want to spend more money than we budgeted, but it was just the opposite. She was great at keeping selections within our price range. If we liked something that was over budget, she would have ideas for something similar that was more in line with our original target. She was great at making all the components of our home work together as one. She excelled at choosing ceramic tile and arranging patterns that looked great on the walls and floors.

Selecting paint colors was something that we thought would be difficult. While we had a general idea of the colors we wanted, Jennifer made sure we ended up with shades that made the walls look their best. Looking back, we could never have made all of the many design decisions necessary without her help. But at the same time, she never forced her tastes on us.

If we were to ever build again, which we cannot imagine right now (since this house is everything we want and need), we would absolutely use Rich again. We would recommend him to anyone who is considering building a home. Not only did Rich do what is expected of a builder, he went above and beyond, never happy until everything was done right."