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Pioneer Builders marks its 30th year in business in 2008, but its founder, Tim G. Uhler, is low-key about the milestone. The company, which builds custom homes, has survived several downturns in the construction industry, and continues to steadily grow — and Uhler says it’s the uniqueness and quality of the product that helps them stand out.
Pioneer Builders is a true family affair. Uhler’s wife, Vicki, and his two sons, Brian and Tim J. (who points out he doesn’t go by Tim Jr.), are part of the business, as well as one of his daughters-in-law, Brian’s wife, Elizabeth. Brian also started a separate company several years ago (at age 20) called Pacific Bay Homes, getting help from his father and brother.
Tim Uhler landed in the construction industry by serendipity. Back from the Vietnam War, he found a job working for a Kitsap builder. After six years, he decided to open his own business. Shortly after that leap of faith, the real estate market went through double-digit inflation — but Pioneer Builders continued on through good times and bad.
“Most of the changes (through the years) haven’t been by strategic planning but a reaction to the market demand,” Brian said, adding that in the current tight market, there are fewer buyers but they will buy the best product for the price, and a builder needs to anticipate and plan for leaner times.
Brian and his brother grew up around the business, going to job sites at a very young age. Tim said he knew he would want to follow in his father’s footsteps, but Brian at first was convinced he would be staying far away. So he went to get a degree in accounting, while brother Tim pursued the framing and siding trades. Timmy, according to his father, is one of the best framers around. He hand-cuts the roofs (a lost art, he points out), and all the new Pioneer homes have those signature ceilings.
Brian oversees the company’s books and other administrative functions, while Vicki Uhler handles customer service and design. She became involved with the company after her three children grew up. Elizabeth Uhler, Brian’s wife, does some of the interior and cleanup work. Asked what their father’s role is, the two men jokingly say, “We’re not sure,” and when they later recount the answer to the elder Tim, he quips, “I get no respect.”
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This kind of easy-going relationship seems to have helped maintain a strong business and a strong family at the same time. Asked whether it’s challenging to have a family business, the younger Tim says they’ve been fortunate because they all get along. “We try to maintain a sense of humor,” Brian adds.
Pioneer Builders, based in Port Orchard, holds a competitive edge by keeping up with technology and trends as well as by having good cost management and providing quality craftsmanship, the Uhlers say. Their homes range in price from $250,000 for first-time homeowners to $900,000 for baby boomers who’ve owned several previous homes. But the approach to the project and the quality of the work is the same, regardless of the price point, the younger Tim says. “Our homes are more timeless, not dated. They have a more lasting appeal,” according to his father.
Brian, 28, and Tim, 30, are avid readers. Brian tries to keep up with all the new ideas, and Tim reads books about old architecture to see how old design can be implemented in modern days.
The family “tests out” many of the homes and techniques — they have lived in several of their custom homes before selling them on the market. Tim and Vicki Uhler’s current home sported a “for sale” sign in August. “We’ve lived in our products and we’ve tried out a lot of things,” Brian says.
Pioneer Builders invests into good tools, like forklifts for framing and lasers for layout, which helps make many jobs more efficient. Timmy even writes tool reviews, as well as other articles, as a contributing editor to the national Journal of Light Construction. “We get to try things that aren’t mainstream yet,” he says.
The Uhlers say attention to detail helps create satisfied clients. The company also allows customers to be as hands on as they wish.
The elder Uhler sums it up: “They say, ‘Build it tight, build it right.’ We want to make sure we do it right.”
Pioneer Builders can be reached at 360-874-2311 or by visiting their website at www.pioneerbuildersonline.com.
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