Started on Kiawah and Seabrook in 1976 by George Cook and architect Mike Spivey. Rick Bonner joined in 1991 and was made a shareholder in 2000.
General contractor specializing in upscale custom residential and light commercial in greater Charleston, and coastal South Carolina. Projects include new construction, renovations and major additions.
Hollings residence, Motley residence, Vincent residence, Wannamaker residence, Dialysis Clinics, Inc., Renken residence, Angie residence, Berlin Remodeling, Lambert residence.
Averages 6-12 ongoing projects.
Nine full-time staff, including three project managers and two office administrators.
Originally from Florida, George is a 1973 graduate of Clemson University and began his career as a project manager for Sea Pines and Kiawah Island Company. He and his wife, Ginny, have two children, Dan and Julie. Rick grew up on James Island, graduated from The Citadel in 1980, and worked for private shipyards and the South Carolina Ports Authority before joining Cook Construction in 1991. He and his wife, Susan, have two children, Ryan and Katherine.
There are many good builders doing good work in Charleston. There are several ways our business stands out:
- We are closely associated with an architect (partner Mike Spivey) and have an appreciation of details and design that's at a different level than the average builder.
- The firm is financially sound, based on over 25 years of conservative and good business practices
- We have an experienced and loyal staff and have formed some very good relationships with subcontractors, including many who we've worked with for a decade or longer.
- We work well as a team - George handles the office administration, financial issues and client relations; Mike offers architectural expertise; and Rick is in charge of production.
- We tailor the entire process to suit the client's desired involvement.
- And, as corny as it sounds, we really do care... Like everyone else, sometimes we make mistakes. When we do, we recognize the mistakes and take care of them - not everyone does that.
People who are looking for more than just enclosed space, and care about details, design and function.
We are very good at making the project "fun" for the clients. We are good at handholding, and offering options and opinions about the choices to be made. Clients are kept involved throughout the process, including regular on-site meetings. And we give ample lead-time for making decisions.
We do our best to work well with clients. We can even match them with a superintendent to suit their personality. For example, we have one client who is very nervous about the building process - we've matched her with our most genteel superintendent.
We generally use cost-plus with a guaranteed maximum cost. We can do this because we keep good records - and there are lots of advantages to the client. Typically, we're involved early on (over 95% of our projects are negotiated, not bid), and we create a budget and give input during the design process with the architect and owner.
Lowcountry and traditional styles are still most popular, with lots of emphasis on details - hard surfaces, natural materials, distinctive fixtures, molding, everything. There's also an interest in technology, in wiring the entire house into an integrated system - alarm, telephone, computer, television. And lots of geothermal HVAC systems.
No. We have found that not particularly useful. For us, the number of projects or the volume is not important because every project is different and every year is different.
This work is so interesting. Every job has a varied type of architecture and every client is unique. We get to work on some of the most beautiful homes from Isle of Palms, Seabrook, Daniel Island, Kiawah, Sullivan's Island, Wadmalaw, and in Charleston - we don't work in the same neighborhood every week.
We divide up the responsibilities and work as a team. Rick likes deadlines and schedules and keeps everyone on track. George handles the business end and client relations. Family and outdoor activities like hunting and fishing (Rick) and kayaking and golf (George) also help.
It helps when the client brings photographs and examples of houses and features, so we can see the general feeling of what they like. But most important is for the client to bring an element of trust and comfort when they select a builder. It's very complimentary when someone picks you. But when they do, it's important that the client have some confidence that you're going to perform well. If the client is skeptical that's too bad, because building really can be a fun process. We work very hard to earn their trust.
We get work primarily through word-of-mouth referrals and repeat customers. We've been considering trying some additional marketing targeted at newcomers - possibly a brochure.
We're busy making sure projects comply with the new structural and window requirements in the building codes. Also, our clients' awareness of projects and building processes through HGTV and research on the Internet forces us to be more knowledgeable too, which is good.
As for the industry, one of the big challenges right now is finding insurance. Insurers are creating changes in where and how they will insure - in what's included and what's not. It's becoming increasingly difficult to find general liability, or to find builders' risk insurance, and this problem only appears to be getting more difficult.
A couple of ways... one is obviously financial, we make sure we estimate and build on a budget that works for us and for the client. As important is if at the end of the project the client feels they would call us for other work, and then we have succeeded.
About 85% of the time we work with architects. The best situation is when the architect is flexible in dealing with field conditions - providing feedback and real solutions.
Absolutely. There's a lot to be said for experience. New builders may have enthusiasm, but there's no substitute for experience. We've always operated in the same general way, by doing our best work and taking care of clients, but without a doubt our technical knowledge and our skills improve with every project. We're getting better all the time.