How is Porreca Design & Build structured?  What does this structure mean for your clients? Porreca Design & Build is a full service design, management, and construction company specializing in the building of residential homes.  Our work with clients often begins with preliminary conversations centered on their vision of an ideal home constructed within a wide range of budget options.  We have designed and built 17 homes in New England and as a result offer potential homeowners a high degree of experience.  We have developed solid working relationships with a great number of talented tradesmen and craftspeople, well-informed suppliers and dependable subcontractors.  This combining of dedicated people and dependable supplies ensures that we can provide a homeowner with a high quality home of lasting value.

What is your philosophy when working with clients?

We find that it is critical to listen carefully to the clients’ needs, to embrace their vision, to respect their budget considerations, and to not impose our own preferences with regard to design.

Why should a client choose you?

Largely, one should consider our services because of the breadth of experience from which this business has been built.  During our 15 years of experience, we have developed a portfolio of skills that includes hands-on experience in carpentry, project management, general contracting, architectural home design, and furniture & cabinet making.  This experience enables us to grasp the entire house building process from beginning to end and to help clients envision the finished product before design and construction begins.  We can guide the homeowner through the entire design-build process providing personal, professional and comprehensive design and building services.  We personally oversee every aspect of the project, and our clients have unparalleled access to Mark and his entire team.

What do your customers say about you and your work? 

Clients have characterized our work with the following:  worry free, trustworthy, responsible, amiable, knowledgeable, talented, and dedicated.

What is unique about building in this part of the country?

Building a home in this part of New England offers some challenges that one may not find in other parts of country.  The climate requires the responsible builder to be fully cognizant of the weather extremes we experience.  Unlike many parts of the country, a builder has to be ready for anything from sub-zero temperatures to the hot, humid days of summer.  New England geography can mean a stark encounter with some of the most challenging building sites one can imagine.  Therefore, it is important for a builder to be able to make the complexity of site preparation and ideal scheduling of a project something understandable to the potential homeowner.  If one is considering buying land to build on, we can also provide consultation services to help clients understand the land and how it would translate into a home site.  

I love the barn conversions you’ve completed.  How does this process work?

Our first barn conversions were dilapidated barns that were already on the property and had been there for decades, sometimes centuries.  The most recent barn conversion we completed involved the careful disassembly of the barn, transport to its new site (100 miles away), and reassembly on a new foundation.  All of our barn conversions result in homes that possess all the modern conveniences and energy efficient amenities available, while still celebrating and embracing the lovely and historical charm that the original barn had to offer.  It’s very exciting to save and restore a building with a rich past.  Old barns that can be converted to modern homes are becoming scarce.   Nevertheless, we have a limited inventory of existing convertible barns.  However, if these do not meet our client’s needs, it may be possible to find a barn that does.

Can a client bring you plans from an architect and have you manage the project?

Yes. We have built homes and managed projects designed by some of the best design teams in the country, with a proven record of success.

Can clients who live beyond the typical range of your work have you design a house and then have a local builder complete the work? 

Yes.  We have designed homes beyond the southern Vermont region and cooperated with building construction teams while monitoring the whole progress from beginning to end.