BUILDING differently

words by ALICIA UNDERLEE NELSON and TAYLOR BELK, contributor photography by DAN FRANCIS PHOTOGRAPHY and DENNIS KRULL, 5FOOT20 DESIGN LOUNGE

Epic Homes does things differently. The builder creates unique custom homes that truly reflect a homeowner’s individual tastes. They’re redefining the customer’s experience by maximizing communication before, during and after construction. This minimizes surprises and makes the homebuilding experience as stressfree as possible, and often times even fun, for Epic Homes’ clients.

That might sound like a lot of extra work, but for Taylor Belk, who runs Epic Homes in partnership with Parker Pladson and Tom Seifert, it just makes sense. Houses by Epic Homes in Fargo-Moorhead and Bismarck-Mandan are anything but cookie cutter because they spring from the imaginations of the people that call them home. “Every home we build is designed for a particular client,” says Belk. “From the inside to the outside, we are geared to take someone’s vision and bring it to reality.”

The homes Epic builds are visually striking. They blend timeless architectural elements with modern, eye-catching details. With styles ranging from ultra-contemporary to rustic farmhouse, and everything in between, the common thread running through each finished home built by Epic is a one-of-a-kind personality.

“We don’t want to go after a certain style. We want our homes to be completely different,” explains Belk. “Even when we are building a modern farmhouse or Craftsmen styled home, there’s usually something added that sets it apart. When using an architect, we are able to blend styles to showcase unique exterior features.”

This incorporation continues both inside and out. Epic Homes primarily uses LP SmartSide products to offer clients a striking exterior that goes well beyond simple siding. “It’s an upgraded product that allows us to offer our clients several different color options and architectural details,” explains Belk.

Epic dedicates additional time and attention to the exterior of their homes, providing features that add personality and curb appeal. That extra “wow” factor matters. “When you pull up to a house, the exterior of the house is the first thing you see,” Belk says. “We want every house to look different. Even if a client likes a plan we have built before and just wants to make some minor changes to it, we will still change the exterior to make it appear like a completely different house.”

This creative collaboration with homeowners starts early on. It’s a key part of the Epic Homes building process and it starts with an initial meeting. “We’ll have them bring a ‘top 10 list’ of the things that are most important to them,” says Belk. “From one to ten, we try to incorporate the most important things into the house design.”

Epic Homes brings the clients’ top 10 list to architect Jan Mevold of Fargo’s Mevold Studio. The Epic Homes team works alongside Mevold Studio, offering practical insight and a project manager’s oversight. This spirit of collaboration helps unify the concept of the home, but also helps prevent a common stumbling block in the building process — going over budget.

“Often if people go to an architect directly, they’ll design a house they want, but it’s way over budget,” explains Belk. “We give the architects the parameters based on the budget and the client’s wish list. This way you’re not going way over budget before you even start the design and build process.”

When people talk about building their own home, the most common pitfalls are often budget related. Because most homeowners aren’t familiar with the costs of labor and raw materials and don’t frequently budget for a project of this nature (especially if it’s their first build), the process can come with lots of surprises and hidden costs if the home builder isn’t good at communicating these details to the client.

Epic Homes aims to eliminate surprises for the customer by engaging homeowners in every step of the process by using hands-on, interactive technology that allows the clients to monitor the project’s progress and budget from start to finish. To make sure each project stays on track, Belk and his associates engage customers in a comprehensive exploratory phase well before the project breaks ground. During this discovery phrase, clients explore not just the style they want but many of the finishes and custom features they want it to contain.

Belk says its common for clients to pick a familiar brand or product without having a sense of the actual cost of those things. Seeing all the major costs in one place can prompt a discussion about what’s truly important to the project and where the money is best allocated. The clients’ top 10 list is referred to often and Belk’s goal is to make the allowances for major expenses as grounded in reality as possible. “Once something is selected during the build process, our clients can accept or reject their choice,” says Belk. “They can see updated project pricing based on the selection being reviewed, so there is never a surprise when it comes to the overall project cost. In addition to the transparency during the project, when we initially price it out we can determine some of the big ticket items ahead of time, so they’re known prior to the build process. Clients just understand where their pricing is coming from when we do it this way.”

Being straightforward is clearly important to Epic Homes. “Honesty is a big one for us,” says Belk. “Sometimes the construction industry has a poor reputation in that category. To avoid that, we make the process transparent.”

To take its commitment to honesty, transparency and customer involvement to the next level, Epic Homes enters every detail of the project into a project management program called CoConstruct. “That’s where we upload all of our pictures, pricing, change orders — anything that’s relevant to the process is uploaded to the cloud-based software,” explains Belk. “We use it for estimating, scheduling and project management during the entire project.”

Customers can use CoConstruct to monitor every detail of their build, eliminating the need for clients to keep a running total of allowances. They can also see how their build is progressing without dropping by the site or picking up the phone. The system streamlines communication and makes the details of each project clear.

“It’s better to have everything in writing,” says Belk. “This allows the process to be more black and white. It’s very user-friendly from the client’s perspective.”

It also puts everyone at ease. “Allowing the client to have access to the project and see what’s going on allows them to feel like they’re a part of it,” Belk says. “It helps them have a much more enjoyable process of building.”

Once the contract is signed and construction has begun, Epic Homes brings in Lindsey Grace Interiors to help guide the next phase of the project. Fargo-based Grace offers another point of contact for customers as the build progresses.

“She’ involved with each client regarding what will fit the style they’re going after,” Belk says. “Building a house can be overwhelming. She brings that confidence to the table, to help the clients feel comfortable that the final product is going to be what they envisioned.”

What clients want today can be as unique as they are. Although some clients gravitate toward a particular style and may respond positively to a house in the Epic Homes portfolio, Belk still emphasizes that the specifics of a customer’s top 10 list and a home’s unique location will help determine the house’s final look, ensuring that it will be distinct and stand out.

“We are able to take a similar floor plan and totally change the exterior, from roof lines to window locations, to give it a totally different style,” Belk says. “One advantage of designing the house from scratch every time is that we make the most of the lot and where window placements should be so we can take advantage of natural light and breathtaking views. We aren’t just plopping a generic house on a lot without first thinking and planning on our clients’ behalf.”

Every house Epic Homes builds is different, but there are some design signatures you’ll notice if you look closely. Windows are one of them. “We incorporate considerable amounts of windows,” Belk admits. “Windows add so much to a house. Natural light is a big one, but they can help a space feel larger. I’ve never heard someone say that a house has too many windows.”

Nearly every home Epic Homes constructs features large windows to bring the outdoors in and neat rows of elevated windows just above eye level to flood every room with natural light. But the effect is subtle, so you notice the feeling of space and light rather than the windows themselves.

Garages are another Epic Homes design signature. Although in this case, Belk hopes that the garage, which is often pushed back or tucked away, will be the last thing you see. “We try to not make the garage the focal point,” he says.

But that doesn’t mean that the garages they build are small. In fact, the opposite is true. “Our garages tend to be much larger than an average garage because we hear people complaining about not having enough storage space or not being unable to park their vehicles inside,” says Belk.

During the consultation process, Belk and his associates interview clients about what type of vehicles they have, what kind of storage space they need, and how their long-term plans might change both of those estimates. It’s just another way that Epic Homes creates truly custom homes for their clients. It takes time and effort, but the team at Epic Homes wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We are not the builder that builds the same thing over and over,” says Belk. “We enjoy using our creativity and interactive process to deliver a unique home to each and every client.” [ aw ]