By Kathy Bowen Stolz
When Lafayette’s Ron Gauthier built his first three homes almost 40 years ago, he had no idea he would become a highly respected builder with a second-generation company now headed by his son Stephen, who joined the company 10 years ago.
“We’ve been through ups, downs and all-arounds since 1978. We think our longevity speaks volumes about our quality, customer service and commitment to our community and industry and, most importantly, our reputation,” Ron said.
Stephen added, “A majority of our sales come from word-of-mouth referrals. To us there’s no higher compliment than someone trusting us enough to recommend our company to a friend or family member.”
Ron did not set out to be a builder. After graduating from Louisiana State University in 1968 with a master’s degree in economics, he worked out of state for seven years. In 1974 he and his family returned to Louisiana, where he joined O.J. Oubre Lumber Company, his father-in-law’s business in New Iberia.
While working there he talked with contractors and developers regularly and soon got the opportunity to buy three lots in a Breaux Bridge subdivision geared toward first-time homebuyers. In 1978 he built his first speculative home and signed contracts to build presold homes on the other two lots. Ron Gauthier Homes was born and began building in St. Martin and Lafayette parishes.
“I thought, this is kind of fun! From the first three properties, I have enjoyed taking a piece of property that had nothing on it and creating something desired and appreciated by others,” Ron said. “It’s very rewarding to say ‘I built that house!’”
Not only does Ron find building itself to be rewarding, but he also finds working with his fellow builders and community members to be rewarding. Ron was very active for many years in industry matters, serving twice as president of the Acadian Home Builders Association, vice president of the Louisiana Home Builders Association and earning the State Builder of the Year award. He later served as president (chairman) of the Lafayette Board of Realtors as a broker. Ron has also been active in many other civic and charitable organizations throughout his career.
Stephen also finds being active in the community to be rewarding. He has worked with organizations such as The American Cancer Society, Our Lady of Fatima Foundation board of directors, Louisiana Youth Seminar board of directors and Ducks Unlimited, where he served as the local chairman for several years and was elected the 2013 Louisiana State Chairman. While his son was growing up, Stephen volunteered as a baseball, football and lacrosse coach for eight years. Now that his son Austin is a senior at St. Thomas More High School, Stephen has turned his attention to the Acadian Home Builders Association.
Stephen said he and his dad always dreamed of working together, and the stars began to align in mid-2007. Stephen had established Hard Copy, Inc., a copy and printing service, in 1993 immediately upon graduating from the University of Southwestern Louisiana. After owning and operating Hard Copy for 15 years, he accepted an offer to sell his printing business and joined Ron Gauthier Homes, Inc., in the fall of 2007.
According to Stephen, he was fortunate to be around construction while growing up. “Some of my fondest memories are of going to the lumber yard” (where his dad worked). His grandfather would allow him to take home scrap lumber and a handful of nails. He said he’s always enjoyed working with wood and working with his hands.
“Starting at a very young age my dad would employ me through his subcontractors. I worked on framing crews for three summers, with an A/C contractor for one summer and then with a millwork contractor. My dad exposed me to a lot of the trades.”
Stephen added, “My favorite part of the job is framing. It is the most important part of the home. If the framing is not done correctly, problems can arise later in the project. I feel very confident with my knowledge of framing and use my experience to oversee the process. I really like to be active in the framing of all of our houses.”
At one time Ron was building 15 to 25 homes per year, many of them speculative homes. Now Ron Gauthier Homes focuses on custom homes, light commercial projects and occasional remodeling jobs and speculative projects.
The custom homes are typically 2,500 to 6,000 square feet of living area and range from $300,000 to more than $2 million in cost. In the larger custom homes, the construction process may take over a year because of the many intricate details, specialized materials and unique finishes.
Both Ron and Stephen said they work well together. Ron concentrates on sales, estimating, contracts and banking. Stephen serves as a field supervisor, working closely with the subcontractors and suppliers.
Ron said, “We both communicate with the subs. We try to earn their respect and cooperation. We determine what they need in order to give us what we want.” Stephen added, “We work with the best subcontractors and suppliers in the business and always treat them with respect. They are a big part of our team. Building a high quality home is definitely a team effort!”
Ron Gauthier Homes uses a variety of local architects to design the speculative homes and works closely with the architects chosen by the homeowner on the custom homes. Stephen said he feels that establishing a good working relationship with the architect is essential to understanding the vision of the final product.
Working with different architects and customers has allowed the Gauthiers to work with unique materials. The company has imported materials from Italy, Israel, France and other countries. Although using these materials involves a lot of detail work and can be challenging, Stephen said it’s the most rewarding part of the business for him. “Many times, when a particular material arrives, it is up to us to figure out how to use and install it correctly and safely.”
Homebuyers today are more educated on available products and design elements, thanks to the internet and television shows, according to Stephen. Many times, initial meetings involve a laptop or I-Pad with pages and pages of bookmarked, saved images. “I equate it to a bride’s wedding binder, filled with all of the items she wants for her dream wedding.”
But, as Stephen noted, seldom can every item be incorporated into the project. “With Pinterest, Houzz, HGTV and others, the buyers have access to all of the information in the world, but a 30-minute TV show or a website is not the reality of the world. While helping homebuyers gather and create ideas for their new homes, these sites and shows can sometimes create unrealistic expectations of what can be done on a particular budget and timeframe. We work with our clients to show them different options to get the results they will love while staying within their budget and to explain a realistic construction time for their project.”
The company’s goal is to provide the best value to the customer. “We won’t always be the least expensive or the most expensive, but we guarantee that by the end of the project the customer will have a well-constructed home that they can be proud of,” said Ron.
Stephen added, “What we want to build for our customer is not their house, but their home.”
Over the years the Gauthiers have obviously mastered building in the Lafayette area. As Ron said, “We’re still at it, still successful and still enjoy our work.”
For more information, visit www.rongauthierhomes.com or call 337-988-3958. You may email Ron Gauthier at [email protected] or Stephen Gauthier at [email protected].
