Black Mountain Development
Building Quality and Experience
By Greg Howard
JEFF WOODS BRINGS CONTROL, QUALITY AND EXPERIENCE TO CUSTOM HOME CLIENTS
Jeff Woods offers a powerful advantage to clients seeking custom homes: The ability to understand where they are at every step in the complicated, stress-filled process.
Jeff and his Black Mountain Development firm build custom estate homes, develop residential subdivisions and facilitate land acquisition and development opportunities. Services include financing, lot selection, architectural design and precision building. Jeff himself personally attends preliminary design meetings with the architect, formulates realistic budget schedules and continues a thorough "hands-on" management style throughout the project.
Lighting, lines, form, flow and details equal beautiful living space in this Oakland Hills home, constructed by Black Mountain Development of Pleasanton, CA (Photo by Douglas Johnson)
Clients benefit from this approach because they never feel as though the process is getting the better of them. Rather, Jeff works to ensure that they always feel comfortably situated in the middle of an undertaking that can often seem overwhelming and chaotic.
"My team understands that the process of buying and building a home is incredibly stressful for our clients," Jeff explains. "I've certainly done it for myself and my own family, and I believe that it ought to be required for every builder to get a new home once every five years! That empathy is necessary in order for the job to be done in a way that doesn't just result in a quality product, but a positive experience for the buyer." Jeff continues, "It's probably the most expensive investment our clients will ever make in their lives, and we don't want them waking up in the middle of the night because they don't understand what's going on. We strive to make the process as easy for them as possible."
Built as a replacement home in the aftermath of the 1991 Oakland Hills fire, the owners wanted a contemporary look that lent itself an identity all its own among the many new houses being constructed in the area. The result is a residence that blends into the hillside location and will age gracefully. (Photo by Douglas Johnson)
Extensive use of glass, windows and soaring ceilings provides breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay that can be enjoyed from every corner of this great room. The distinctive flooring-finish highlights the fabulous use of natural light that enters the room. (Photo by Douglas Johnson)
To that end, Jeff works to meet and exceed the needs of his clients. For on-the-road doctors or lawyers without a lot of time, he's able to e-mail weekly status reports. Clients are constantly updated on how much has been spent to date, new modification agreements and all the information they need to feel confident about the work in progress. This degree of confidence begins with the preplanning sessions, so clients truly understand the degree of quality they're receiving for the money they're willing to invest.
"Surprise at the million-dollar level is never fun," Jeff grins. "We take surprise out of the equation. For example, maybe a client will want an 'authentic' Mediterranean style. I know exactly what that means: I can definitely do a barrel style roof with mortared edges, which costs 45 percent more than a typical rounded style. So maybe a client, upon realizing that, opts instead for semi-authentic Mediterranean. Either way, we've worked together to understand what they really want out of the finished product." Jeff did land and home sales before becoming a developer, a professional beginning that was important, because it taught him what people wanted - what they liked and disliked. "I've learned to build what people want, not necessarily what I would prefer personally," he says.
A disciplined and orderly space that brought a sense of comfort and calm was what the owners wanted in their master bath. The panoramic skyline view of a San Francisco sunset over the marble topped cabinetry created a stunning effect to complement the feelings of this retreat. Custom- designed pull-out mirrored medicine cabinets were installed on each side of the picture window. (Photo by Douglas Johnson)
The back view of this beautiful hilltop home shows off the elegant slate roof, the extensive use of used brick as pavers and the diverse styles of windows, sliding glass and French doors. This reflection of style and purpose guarantees that the sights to see, whether looking inside or out, are fabulous. (Photo by Paul Getz)
The resulting decades of experience have afforded him with another competitive advantage: A deep, rich history in the industry that's enabled him to understand immediately what works and what doesn't. Whether it's a traditional home, Italian style or a timeless European look, Jeff has done it all.
"Between my firm's superintendents and myself, we probably have 100-plus years of experience," Jeff says. "And frankly, in this industry, experience is the key. Kids out of college with a degree may be incredibly smart and talented, but what works in their textbooks may not work in real life."
This custom-designed, climate-controlled wine cellar holds nearly 3,500 bottles. The racking is made of Honduran Mahogany, and the ceiling, floor and walls are finished in limestone to provide beauty, durability and temperature consistency. (Photo by Paul Getz)
Knowing the difference between theory and practice becomes doubly important, because clients expect people like Jeff to make up for their own lack of experience. Home buyers may not know all the ins and outs of the complicated building process, and they trust Jeff to cover their backs. In addition, this degree of experience allows Jeff and his team to constantly refine their already high-quality work to keep in step with the times. "We're always learning what's changing in the industry. For example, right now it's important to build houses that look better every day that they get older. People want a classic, timeless feeling to their homes like you might have previously only seen in Europe. We've learned this, and now we're applying it."
Jeff adds, "It's sometimes easy for a development firm to focus on the business end of things and forget that this is supposed to be a passion. If you're able retain the passion for what you do and make it a part of your business, that's when you truly become successful."
Country French elegance epitomizes this soaking tub designed specifically to meet the homeowner's dream. (Photo by Paul Getz)
Country French elegance epitomizes this soaking tub designed specifically to meet the homeowner's dream. (Photo by Cai Fang)
March 2005 Builder Architect Edition Issue