Dixon Custom Builders
Boutique Design and High-Touch Client Care
By Deborah Teramis Christian
Kevin Dixon of Dixon Custom Builders is passionate about construction and the residents of homes he designs and builds. "It's not just about the quality of the home," he says. "It's about the people who live in them. This has been my approach since starting my business in 1981."
Kevin's focus is squarely on the design-build process, shared in creative partnership with the homeowner. This is a hallmark of Dixon's service. Projects like his current one, pictured here, may well take nine to 12 months to complete, plus several months doing concept and design work. "I've spent over a year with these people, starting out with this bare piece of land, trying to get into their heads and finding out what they want." In this process, Kevin keeps his own ego out of the design work. "I really try and give them what they visualize and want. That's another thing I really pride myself in."
Kevin Dixon of Dixon Custom Builders (Photo by Bruce Schneider)
The personable Dixon has made his sociability an integral part of his high-touch customer care and service - a strategy with a telling payoff, for Dixon Custom Builders is a successful business without doing any advertising. "Everything comes through my reputation and word of mouth," says Kevin, which gives him the freedom to choose the type of jobs and people he wishes to work with. "I want to see that I can get along with them, and they with me, so we can build that relationship. Building someone's dream home is a very personal thing."
Lots of stained wood beams and trim detail, handcrafted by William Swain Builders. Built-in oak cabinetry by Thor Hanson Custom Woodworking. Traditional lighting and glass from Santa Rosa Stained Glass provide the true Craftsman Style. (Photo by Bruce Schneider)
This attitude is reinforced by Dixon's philosophy of client interaction. "My job is to take all the pressure portions of it out of their way, and leave the fun part in," he notes. "I put my heart and soul into it. I think customers find that I'm available. If there's something they're worried about or a problem, I'm there."
This Dixon-designed Craftsman home with detached garage uses cedar shingles, natural stones and slate by Masonry Contractor Installers, Inc. and JC Linnell Tile and Stone. Large solid beams and corbels provided by Mead Clark Lumber, with carpentry by Swain Builders. (Photo by Bruce Schneider)
(Photo by Bruce Schneider)
After attending college for an architecture degree, Kevin abandoned that course when a summer construction job awakened his love of carpentry. In later years, he missed the creativity of design work, and began to design, as well as build, client homes. His business now specializes in middle- to highend, single-family residence design and construction.
"By being a builder first and a designer second - by combining those things - I'm able to visualize all the structural parts that go into a house that you don't see. When I'm designing, I'm thinking of how it's going to come together to build in a simple manner. I don't think there's any better way to design homes than learning how after you've built them."
Kevin Dixon enjoys a relaxing moment with Robert and Eileen Ostroff on the front porch of their new home. (Photo by Bruce Schneider)
Bead Board Cabinets by Precision Cabinets and Trim, with a traditional yet unique look of Marmoleum natural linoleum flooring installed by Hendricksen Natürlich Flooring. Handinlayed design by Eileen Ostroff. (Photo by Bruce Schneider)
To maintain quality and client relationships, Kevin works on no more than two or three new home construction projects a year, with another small handful of remodels and other limited jobs leavening the mix. He surrounds himself with a work force that shares his passion for people and quality craftsmanship. His work has been concentrated in Sonoma and Marin County, with some consulting in the East Bay. "I'm open to expanding the area we service, but not increasing the size of the business." His preference is to keep to low-volume, high quality projects that tap his special talents and allow him to cultivate the long-term creative client relationships he enjoys. Within those parameters, even on multimillion-dollar homes, Kevin thinks of himself as an economical builder. "Everybody has a budget. I try to keep it within what they're comfortable with, and what works for us both financially."
September 2005 Builder Architect Edition Issue