Hardwick GC is a nationally recognized, award-winning custom home and renovation company that is known for customer-centric service and building spectacular custom homes like this one — which is also shown on pages 12 and 14.
The warm and woodsy great room of this custom home by Hardwick gives the feeling of an elaborate hunting lodge.
How to renovate a home is something Greg Hardwick learned as a youngster. He grew up in a military family that moved often, and almost every home he lived in became a remodeling project for his family.
His father, now a retired Air Force fighter pilot, and his mother, now a retired nurse, always wanted to put their personal touch on the family homes. “So home remodeling was nothing new to me,” says Greg Hardwick, founder and president/owner of Hardwick General Contracting in Maitland.
After graduating Florida State University — where he was a swimmer — with a degree in civil engineering, Hardwick began his career in the construction industry as a project engineer. Later he went on to earn a master’s degree in engineering from the University of South Florida while working as a construction manager for a Fortune 250 utility company.
However, having his own company was always his goal. “As a construction manager and engineer early in my career, moving toward more of an ownership role in the industry was a natural transition,” says the builder.
Hardwick started his business in June 2004. Over the years, his remodeling projects led to building large custom homes with seven-figure price tags. In 2012 his wife, Donna, a CPA, joined as vice president of finance and accounting, and the company grew to a team of nine.
From the beginning, Hardwick General Contracting’s mission has been to provide what he calls a “client-centric” building experience. The team focuses on delivering cutting-edge processes and products, exceptional home quality and unparalleled customer service throughout the design and construction of the home.
“We’re organized to take a team approach to every project, creating transparency, rapport and respect with our clients and construction team,” says Hardwick.
Known for building impressively large, high-end, luxury homes, Hardwick says that most of his projects range in size from 6,000 to 12,000 square feet and are usually priced at $2 million-plus. And his homes cover a gamut of styles: traditional, transitional and contemporary, depending upon what his clients want.
Hardwick has built everything from modern masterpieces with three-level roofs to stone-and-wood Tuscan-inspired farmhouses with turrets and porticos.
Details such as wood-beamed two-story ceilings, floor-toceiling illuminated window treatments and ample kitchens with finely crafted cabinetry and well-equipped islands are attention-getters you’ll see in most homes built by Hardwick.
And his projects are loaded with technology. “We specialize in lighting control, home automation and proven green-building principles,” Hardwick says, with an emphasis on energy efficiency, indoor air quality and overall environmental impact of the structure.
Hardwick knows his stuff in that regard. He’s a National Association of Home Builders Master Certified Green Professional (CGP) and a U.S Green Building Council LEED Accredited Professional.
Not surprisingly, Hardwick General Contracting is no stranger to awards. The company received the 2020 Remodeling Excellence award from the Greater Orlando Builders Association and the 2020 Builder of the Year award from the Master
Custom Builder Council. (Hardwick was also past president of both organizations.)
The company has also won a dozen Parade of Homes Awards as well as 10 Aurora Awards from the Southeast Building Conference. In addition, Hardwick has been an officer in the Florida Home Builders Association and the National Association of Home Builders.
As Orlando and the surrounding area are built out, homeowners wanting to build a dream home from ground up are faced with either tearing down an old home in an established neighborhood or heading outside the urban core to find communities where generously sized lots are available.
Dr. Phillips in west Orange County and Mount Dora and Eustis in Lake County are areas where Hardwick is currently building large custom homes. “We’re looking forward to 2023 and have an ideal number of new custom homes and whole-house renovations in our pipeline,” he says.
When it comes to working with clients, Hardwick says, “I explain the process as much as possible and then proceed as transparently as possible.” His advice to those seeking the right custom-home builder to bring their vision to life is summed up in his five simple tips.
• Assess their overall reputation. How much experience do they have? What are their certifications? Have they earned industry awards?
• Ask for references; that’s the best way to get first-hand accounts of what it’s like to work with the builder.
• Investigate their previous projects, particularly those built in the style you prefer, and assess quality and craftsmanship.
• Gauge your personal compatibility, since you’ll be spending a great deal of time with the builder you choose.
• Finally, interview several potential builders and note how clearly they explain the process and set expectations.
After running his own company for almost two decades, Hardwick still finds joy in his profession. “Mostly I enjoy partnering with homeowners to achieve their dream home, and also the friends I’ve made in the industry.” n
