South Main Building Company

OUR COMMUNITY

by: Dustin Heron Urban _URB0022

Take a stroll down South Main Street and you’ll discover that it’s alive and bustling with the metallic ring of swinging hammers, the buzz of saws and grinders and the whoops and shouts of construction workers and masons. Nationally the construction industry is hurting, but you wouldn’t know it here in South Main. There are a handful of construction companies behind all the bustle, one of which is the South Main Building Company (SMBC).

Originally the South Main team intended to develop the neighborhood’s lots and infrastructure and coordinate design review while customers hired independent architects and builders to design and construct their homes. But after a year and a half of construction under this system, the South Main team saw an opportunity to streamline the design and construction experience for its customers. “Now South Main makes it _URB0006

possible for the customer to deal with only one entity through the entire process, from selecting their property to moving in,” says the company’s Financial Manager, Andre Spino-Smith. “We needed to offer a more complete package,” says Jed Selby, Co-Founder and President of South Main. “Now we can offer turn-key packages,” he says, streamlining and simplifying the process for buyers.

Since its inception in January of 2008, SMBC has started seven houses, completed one and expects four more of its buildings to be complete by the end of the year. “The benefit is that we’re a design-build entity,” says Jed. “So a customer can come to us with a budget and design preferences for a custom home or they can choose from one of our pre-designed packages. They work with us through the entire design process while we stick to the budget and deliver a house that meets their needs.”

SMBC is currently constructing a wide variety of buildings, ranging in size _MG_1066

from a 1,152 square-foot residence to a live-work totaling over 5,000 square feet. “We’re really passionate about bringing local artisans into the mix,” says Jed. SMBC structures include, for example, stonework by local mason Brad Pranger using river rock from on site. Local metalworker Jim Butler has crafted custom detailing from steel for Selby’s live-work on the corner of South Main Street and Swift Circle, also the future home of the South Main sales office. Stainless steel waves adorn the balconies. There are carbon

steel gargoyles and window headers, and an ornate steal cornice was just installed to top it all off (please see our Millstream Metalworks article for more on Butler’s work). Incorporating the unique work of local craftspeople is an important aspect of the SMBC philosophy.

SMBC plans to break ground on at least three new projects by next spring, bringing to 25 the total number of buildings in South Main completed or under construction. If you haven’t already had the chance, I recommend checking out the progress in South Main. The neighborhood is coming to life with every passing day.

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