08/29/2026
I don’t talk about myself very often, and I’m much more comfortable talking about the homes we build than the person behind Grantham Builders. But I realized recently that even some people who have known me for years don’t really know how I got started in construction.
I started framing houses at 17 years old with my uncles. One of them practically raised me, and he taught me a lot—not only about framing houses, but about working hard, taking responsibility and life in general.
I loved framing from the beginning. There was something about starting with a set of plans and building something that would eventually become someone’s home.
But framing also taught me how to think ahead.
You learn pretty quickly that what’s drawn on paper doesn’t always work exactly that way in the field. You have to understand where the plumbing and electrical will go, how doors and rooms need to function, how rooflines and pitches come together, and how what you’re building today affects every trade that comes behind you.
By the time I was 21 or 22, I was running my uncle’s framing crew. I framed houses for 17 years before moving into industrial and commercial construction, where I spent about eight years doing everything from scaffold work in power and nuclear plants to trim, cabinets, flooring and other commercial work. I eventually became a foreman there too.
But residential construction was always where I felt the most at home.
Around 2016–17, I decided to get back to it and work for myself. That’s when Grantham Builders really began.
These pictures are from the first house I built under the Grantham Builders name. My son was still young and helped me with a few things on that house. He’s 21 now and has chosen his own path, which I’m very proud of. One of the greatest things working for myself gave me was the flexibility to be there while he grew up—for the school functions, ballgames and moments I didn’t want to miss.
The lady we built this first house for was returning home to Dickson after spending years helping care for her family. It was going to be her retirement home. After we finished, she sent me the note in these pictures telling me how much she was looking forward to spending her retirement in the home we’d built.
I’ve never forgotten that.
Because that’s what this work really is.
We’re not just building houses. We’re building something people have worked hard for—something they’ll live their lives in and sometimes spend the rest of their lives in.
I’ve spent more than 35 years in construction now, and I still enjoy figuring out how to make things work, solving problems before they become bigger problems, and turning someone’s plans, picture or idea into something real.
My goal for Grantham Builders has always been pretty simple:
I want our name to mean quality, craftsmanship and attention to detail.
If we’re going to put the Grantham name on it, I want it built right.
And I want the people who trusted us to build it to be proud to call it home.
