Guildmaster Award Winner 2008 Guildmaster With Highest Distinction
2009 Guildmaster With Distinction
2010 Guildmaster With Distinction
2011 Guildmaster With Distinction

GuildQuality Partner Affiliations Remodelers Advantage Remodeling's Big50

Affiliations GuildQuality
National Association of the Remodeling Industry
National Association of Home Builders
Builders and Remodelers Association of Northern New Jersey
New Jersey Builders Association
American Institute of Architects

Guildmaster Q&A

Company History

Kevin Frasco, President of Craig Custom Builders started the company in 1986 specializing in framing high end residential homes. Kevin had already spent a decade of hands-on framing for both residential and commercial projects. His knack for leading and managing projects led him to transform the company into a general contracting firm in 2000 specializing in large scale home renovations and new custom home building.

Scope of Work

We are a full service general contractor specializing in upscale custom residential and light commercial work in New Jersey. Projects include renovations, additions and new construction.

Typical Workload

We average 9-11 projects a year. Our projects are underway in different stages of construction on any given day. This approach enables us to stay focused and on schedule for each successive phase of work.

Team Makeup

Kevin focuses on Project Management, coordinating the different phases of the construction process so that our projects are in constant motion and on schedule. Rosemarie is our Project Coordinator who helps our clients with product and finish selections to ensure everything works well together to reflect the client's unique design sensibilities. Our field employees have been with the company for over 10 years and we have a close knit team of tradespeople, many who have been working with Kevin for over 20 years.

More than 90% of your clients would recommend your firm to a friend. How do you earn such high praise from your customers?

Each team member is proud to be working for Craig Custom Builders and makes every effort to strive towards excellence on all projects. We aim to make our clients happy and will go out of our way to make the experience easier than expected. During construction we offer creative design solutions to make each project even more exciting for our clients. Our quality of materials and workmanship is well above average and enhances the overall finished product as well as our appreciation for fine custom details. Our clients trust that we will follow through on our commitments and that our company delivers a good value for their investment.

Client Profile

Our clients have an appreciation for high quality craftsmanship with custom details. They are sophisticated and desire a high level of service and communication. They primarily live in affluent neighborhoods and represent a mix between single and duel income earners. These neighborhoods are typically within an easy public transit commute to New York City, where many of them work. Several of our clients own more than two homes, average two school age children or are empty nesters.

Approach to Working With Clients

We respect that every client is unique. Our staff takes the time to get to know each client so can meet and/or exceed their expectations. We communicate often to keep them informed and have regular jobsite meetings. We pride ourselves in offering options about choices to be made so that it is easier to arrive at a final solution that meets both their design and investment goals. We carefully document changes to the original scope of work with the proper paperwork protocol.

How do you use technology in your work?

Our clients find the use of email communication a huge benefit and time saver for updates, scheduling, confirming decisions and just simply checking in. Our management staff is wirelessly connected sharing project scheduling, contacts and email so they are readily accessible to each other and our clients.

Ongoing Staff Training and Development

Craig Custom Builders belongs to Remodelers Advantage, an internationally-acclaimed business improvement and peer group organization exclusively for remodelers. Our managers attend interactive meetings and workshops that provide in-depth information on a variety of practical proven business strategies used by award-winning top remodel companies in the country. These meetings fast track the educational process for our people and give us the opportunity to sharpen our competitive edge. In addition, we belong to local and national homebuilders associations for continuing education and keeping up with industry trends.

What should clients bring to the table and contribute during the construction process?  What can they do to help make the relationship a success?

To get a feeling of their personal style and preferences, clients should bring us photographs from magazines and our company website project portfolio that provide examples of homes and features that they like. They can prioritize their wish list to better enable us to fit these items into their investment objectives, of which they should be up front about as early in the process as possible. Be available for meetings on the jobsite and be flexible during construction. We work hand in hand with our clients guiding them through the selection process by sharing our experience, knowledge, and resources so providing us with answers to questions and selections in a timely manner helps keep the project on schedule and makes the process easier. Most importantly, clients should enjoy the process as it can be both exciting and fun.

How do you market your company?

Most of our work comes from personal referrals, repeat clients and architects. We maintain a website with photographs of our projects and customer testimonials that have been gathered through GuildQuality's third party customer satisfaction survey service and/or personally written, unsolicited letters. In addition we use a professional company brochure and direct mail photo postcards in neighborhoods surrounding a current project to attract newcomers. All of our company vehicles, job signs and work clothes are consistent as they have our logo and our contact information clearly visible.

What are the biggest challenges facing companies like yours in the building industry?

Communicating the value of selecting a professional company in an industry that has a reputation for being unprofessional. Giving the industry a bad name are unprofessional companies that may not be licensed, are underinsured and hire undocumented workers putting homeowners at risk. These companies offer lower prices which may seem appealing at first until they fail to complete the project as specified or go out of business and leave the homeowner with no recourse or warranty for their work. The value of hiring a professional company far outweighs the horror stories that abound in our industry. "If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better." John Ruskin, Author-Economist

What's next for your company

Craig Custom Builders wants to further develop it reputation as a professional, full service general contractor providing high quality workmanship, excellent customer service and value. We desire to be the builder of choice in our communities by setting a high standard for the industry.