Parade of Homes

Lifestyles

Express Yourself

Home Economics ... For Real

Making It Work

Stay In Tonight ... Outside

Thinking Forward

Grow Older Together

Come Together

Homes

WANE-TV Villa No. 1
by Granite Ridge Builders

WANE-TV Villa No. 2
by Granite Ridge Builders

Big Brothers/Big Sisters Home No. 3
by Slattery Builders

Centier Bank Home No. 4
by Granite Ridge Builders

New 95.1 Best FM and Fun 101 Classic Hits Home No. 5
by Quality Crafted Homes

Carter Lumber Home No. 6
by Bob Buescher Homes

Frontier Communications Home No. 7
by Star Homes
by Delagrange and Richhart

Lutheran Health Network Home No. 8
by Hickory Creek Homes

Fort Wayne Monthly Home No. 9
by Timberlin Homes

Quality Crafted Homes

Photo courtesy of Quality Crafted Homes

Duane Kees followed his father into homebuilding, quite literally, but he has added his own talents and passion to the family business, Quality Crafted Homes, founded in 1985 by Richard and his wife Shirley Kees.

"I had an interest when I was a kid, and it's never faded," Duane Kees said. "I visited job sites with my dad. That's what I did on Saturdays instead of being the typical kid who watched cartoons."

He was often drawing houses on those tagalong trips, too, which led to drafting classes in high school and an unusual project of drafting the entirety of Woodlan High School.

"Our drafting teacher thought that was a little interesting to say the least," Kees remembers.

Practice makes perfect, though, and Kees is still practicing and designing.
"I have a distinct appreciation for architecture," he said. "I like it to be proportionate, done correctly. I really appreciate things done nicely."

For all his love of design, though, his favorite part of the business "is working with people," he said. "I just flat out enjoy that process and enjoy every time we do something. They're all completely different, and I thrive on that."

The second generation is now building the company for the third generation, which is already hard at work. Quality Crafted builds 20 to 25 homes a year on lots of its customers' choice and in exclusive communities, including Honeysuckle and Cottage Park.

"We don't base price anything," he said. "At the end of the day, we want to be known as a true custom builder."

The goal is to build homes people see and immediately think, "That's nice. I want to live there," he said. "That's what we want." The company's slogan sums it up: Design. Build. Live.

"Mom and Dad started it. We're into the third generation. We all have different talents," he said. "At the end of the day, Dad's happy, and that's pretty important."

1. What lesson did you learn early and still find valuable today?

It was probably just working with Dad, learning to be patient and learning to be a listener. You're always in control of a conversation when you're listening. I've always tried to make that part of what I've tried to pattern my business practice by. Overall, it's a kind of dealing with people. Every person is different, every person has a different view of what is nice, what is good, what is large, what is small, different expectations. It goes back to trying to appreciate people and what they are searching for.

2. Why are you in this Parade of Homes and Lifestyle Show?

To showcase our product. As a builder, you have to stay out in front of the buying public. We are in it to showcase what we build and the quality of our homes and to appeal to a market that is looking to build a house. When my dad started this business, he started his exposure through the Parade of Homes (1987 in Lincoln Village). That is your greatest opportunity to be in front of the public. We are not a large volume builder. We are not a spec home builder, so building a Parade home will give us an opportunity to be in front of as many people as five spec homes.

3. What's the biggest change you've seen during your career as a homebuilder?

The number of communities being built and the number of builders is lower. The ones that have survived to today, you have to give credit to all of them. We have all gone through tough times. There is some value to the guys that have been around a long time. We've been through thick and thin.