Big news!

Kyle Henry is a Graduate Master Builder

Kyle Henry, CEO, President of PBC, jack-of-all-trades, and now officially a Graduate Master Builder accredited by the National Association of Home Builders. Go, Kyle, go!

What is a Graduate Master Builder and what did Mr. Henry have to do to achieve such an honor?

“The ultimate symbol of the building professional, the Graduate Master Builder (GMB) designation is for experienced veterans only. Before beginning the GMB designation process, you must have the CGB designation or the CGR designation with five years of building experience, or ten years of building experience and have completed three CGB/CGR courses. GMB courses are more advanced with in-depth instruction geared for experienced building professionals.” – NAHB.

In short, Kyle had to be considered a veteran builder, take several classes, submit a graduation application, AND have it approved by the NAHB.

Congratulations to our very own, Kyle Henry on such a great accomplishment. We are sure, if even possible, that our clients can expect even higher quality, harder work, and more attention to detail (and perhaps a CEO who stands a bit taller and walks a little larger!)

Best of Houzz

We started on the Houzz platform way back in 2012 (11 years!?) and have always valued the visual way we get to connect with clients.  Happy to share that 2022 is off to a great start!

Wilma Magazine features one of our favorite builds!

Beach Play Days

Jan and Tim Rausch created their beach home from the ground up

Time Rausch Res

It was TIM and JAN RAUSCH’S daughter Alexandra and son Adam who influenced their decision to build a home in Wrightsville Beach. A discussion with a co-worker pointed Tim Rausch towards North Carolina beach rental properties to host Alexandra’s high school graduation party, ultimately selecting a rental in Wrightsville Beach.

And when then-sixth-grader Adam discovered he could ride his skateboard into town all by himself for a slice of pizza and a Coke, the pressure was on to return to Wrightsville Beach the following year.

“We all fell in love with Wrightsville,” says Jan Rausch. “It had a small-town feel, very causal. We loved it from our first visit.”

In the summer of 2018, the Rausch’s partnered with award-winning PBC Design + Build of Wilmington for the design and construction of their 2,366 square-foot custom home. The main floor living space is 1,257 square-feet including the living room-kitchen, master suite, laundry, and powder room. The 916 square-foot second floor has two king bedroom suites and a bunk room. The first floor is a 192-square foot foyer.

Rausch Kitchen Window 1

Contributed photography by ‎PBC Design + Build

From the very first meeting with the PBC architect, the Rausch’s knew they had selected their perfect builder. Jan Rausch says, “I had ideas of things we wanted, like an open-concept living room-kitchen facing the ocean. The architect sketched while we talked. He listened to what we wanted even when it was unconventional. At the end of the meeting, he slid a floor plan across the table. We loved the organic process.”

Construction took 14 months, delayed twice by hurricanes Florence and Dorian, which Jan Rausch, always looking on the bright side, says were “just tests of the construction prior to owning the home.” She adds, “We were not in a hurry. We wanted to do it right, not fast.”

In November 2019, the Rausch’s moved into their home which Jan Rausch describes as “casual, a little country, raw, and eclectic. We have shiplap on the inside, a look that I always loved. I don’t like things perfect, but slightly beat up.”

The exterior of the home is white complimented by black windows, colors chosen after walks down the beach looking at existing homes.

“We didn’t want anything that had already been done. And we wanted simple and timeless, the look of an old beach house,” Jan Rausch says. “We saw blues and greens, but no whites. PBC did a great job of pulling in little details that harken back to an older time.”

Inside, the clean white color scheme expands, accented by light blue ceilings, the only other color in the home. Jan Rausch, who has a background in art, explains, “Painted ceilings are an old-fashioned thing in the south. Porch ceilings were painted sky blue.”

Flooring throughout the home is engineered hardwood. Beams span the ceiling of the main living space. Attention is paid to every detail, from the sea glass knobs on the guest suites bath cabinets to the high-end kitchen appliances, quartz countertops and tumbled brick tile on the kitchen walls, and remote-controlled blinds.

The mantel is made from cornice boards from Jan’s great grandmother’s house in West Virginia and the door to the pantry was a lucky discovery in an antique shop. The elevator shaft has a frosted glass door, and the second floor boasts a unique six-bed bunk room, a dry bar, and a covered porch. The home furnishings throughout are simple and uncluttered.

This casual ambiance seamlessly flows to the ground-floor outdoor living space accessible through ocean-facing glass garage doors. “We call this our sandbox. It’s where we play,” she smiles.

“The day we got keys and walked through our new home, I told PBC I would build 15 houses with them starting today,” Jan Rausch says. The Rausch’s are looking forward to many relaxing play days at their beach home, appropriately named SlowTide, with their family including their two dogs, Hurley and Roxy. “We love being right on the ocean, making our toast, and watching the sunrise.”

Construction Connection podcast with Kyle Henry

The Wilmington Cape Fear Home Builders Association along with Joe Catenacci and the Big Talker 106.7FM hosts “The Construction Connection” every other Friday to have in-depth conversations on regional residential/commercial development and growth related topics with local professionals.

This week, PBC Design + Build’s own Kyle Henry stepped behind the microphone and gave thoughtful responses to important topics regarding the construction industry today, his leadership with construction of the Kids Making It new annex downtown, and the importance of getting kids interested in a trade.  Of note and special importance: 45% of Team PBC is female, a rarity in the construction industry and a cool observation!

2020, A Quick Year in Review by Sonya Henry

2020 started off fairly normal, #teamPBC competed in the Southern Tour Ultra trail race, took some family vacations, actually used the conference room, went to the movies, looked forward to the annual company trip to Charleston, got haircuts from licensed professionals, met with clients in person, had date-nights out on the town, and then…COVID. In late March, the world nearly stopped and North Carolina entered a statewide lockdown. We were fortunate enough to be considered an essential business as we followed stringent guidelines and adjusted protocol for the safety and well-being of everyone. The pandemic has changed many things for many people, but we remain grateful for our resilient team, wonderful clients, and the ability to “keep on keepin’ on”.

In 2020:

#teamPBC completed 48 new homes AND 11 custom birdhouzzes. Finished and sold out our Indie Ice project, welcoming 20 new families to downtown. Jarvis made a sanitizer necklace, patent is pending. #nextgenerationPBC spent most of their time getting the best education of their lives… #homeschool😉. Their new hobby developments include baking, microwave installation, jobsite clean-up, online shopping, learning to fly, and papier-mâché. We welcomed new #happyhomeowers to 426 Causeway and in turn, had the busiest year to date for PBC new construction at Wrightsville Beach. Almost lost Craig to a shop-vac incident. Bought Pearsall Memorial Presbyterian Church and began renovation of the fellowship hall to home our new office. Dave went from 3 shots of espresso to 2 shots in his morning mocha latte AND nearly cut his thumb off, still unsure if the two are related. Finished The Pearls apartment buildings but not before turning it into quite the “family project”. Kyle spent another year nearly driving Tim Frank into his second retirement. We added new team members. Kyle began Dave’s own tool collection so that he wouldn’t have to keep stealing Kathy’s. Successfully rezoned 3 out of 4 of our future projects. Kyle claims that Dave continues to baffle even himself with his own shenanigans. Finished the Kids Making It renovation, love watching them THRIVE in their brand-new space. Re-homed a Beaver from our Switchyard site, a real party animal that was trashing the place. Angela put together wellness bags for all, including a roll of TP and some PBC #freakersocks. We did not take the team to Charleston. No one (ahem, Dave) went to Omaha for the annual Berkshire Hathaway Meeting. We’ve heard zero live music. We skipped our annual holiday party. Daniel had a pet caterpillar for the majority of the year. New hobbies developed, colleges were applied to, essential oils were ordered, trips were cancelled, kids were brought to work, birthdays were weird, we grew facial hair, hosted our first FB Live event, got new #PBCswag, gave quarantine haircuts, ordered more things online than we thought was possible, AND had our very own dumpster fire!

Grateful to be here. Looking forward to a new year. And can’t wait to see what 2021 holds for all of you.

Dumpster fire belongs to John Jarvis.  PBC does not sponsor or endorse leaving a dumpster in your driveway near your house and placing anything remotely flammable inside.

Luckily, the fire was immediately extinguished by the heroes at the Wrightsville Beach Fire Department and some quick thinking neighbors.

Jarvis got a new window and some siding.  His dumpster privileges have been revoked.