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CENTURION BUILDERS are a duo of entrepreneurs as well as friends, Rick Blackburn and Agustin Gonzalez.
Both men have worked and owned businesses in the construction field (residential and commercial) for most of their lives.
Each one of these guys are zealously committed to provide the best quality homes possible, for the best price possible. After
seeing the good and the bad sides of the construction market, they are even more determined to go against the mainstream and
get back to the basics of, "A man is as good as his word."
"Don't be fooled by fast-talking people promising you
the world. Sooner or later, you'll pay the price. You can't get something for nothing, someone always pays..." Read on:
Rick Blackburn, NC General Contractor, proud husband/father and Winston-Salem native for most of his life, has been on the
other side of the fence as a subcontractor in commercial/residential painting/decorating and drywall, while doing remodeling
on the side. Majoring at the "University of Hard Knocks" in small business education. He has a somewhat different take on
the home building market...
"I remember telling one of my supervisors years ago, I want to be on the other side for a change," says Rick, "I had grown
so tired of playing the, we-want-the-absolute-lowest-bid-game, with the building contractors not the least bit concerned about
quality, just give us the best price.
I've watched them lie through their teeth to home buyers, telling them anything they wanted to hear, just to leave them hanging
in the end and making payments on a supposed dream home that never was.
I've had to lien properties, numerous times, because they wouldn't pay us or anyone else for that matter, when they got their
draws.
"Man, we got ripped off so many times by some of the biggest and so-called best builders in the business through the years.
I've seen them put honest subcontractors out of business more times than I can count...and oh yes, THEY ARE STILL BUILDING!
I won't mention names but you'd definitely be surprised if I told you who they are. Some of them still owe us money, lol."
"Not all are bad though, I'm only referring to a small percentage of numerous contractors I've done business with in the past.
Maybe they turned over a new leaf by now, who knows. There are some local builders around the Triad though that I trust, that
I've worked for and have the utmost respect for. These are the companies that have outlasted the flash in the pan builders
and they are the ones we have learned from and desire to model our company after."
"I believe if you promise someone something, you ought to do it, no one can stand a liar.
Agustin and I have worked together since 1998. When we started building homes, we made a covenant between ourselves, to take
what we had learned in the past and build an honest building company that actually wanted to give the buyer the best home
money could buy and as a bonus, give them equity in the home from the start.
We don't believe in making hollow promises to lure people in and then leave them with much to be desired after the contract
is signed.
I actually heard some joker say, "Business is business, we have to do whats best for us, we can't help how it affects anyone
else..."
"I believe a good business does not have to lie, cheat and mislead people to get ahead.
The decisions we make DO affect other people, good or bad and by the grace of God, we are not going to tolerate elitest attitudes.
Sure, we want our business to be profitable and grow, like anyone else but for heaven's sake, we don't knowingly want to rip-off
hard-working people to get there."
"At Centurion Builders, we give more than your average, cheap looking, cookie-cutter home design. Track and Production builders
are throwing up houses so quickly, they can't possibly maintain consistant quality. They can always build and sell for less
than an independent builder BUT they are using cheap materials and sub-standard labor too. You get what you pay for." Rick
continues, "What most contractors call extras are and always will be, standard features in our homes. Upgraded trim packages,
hardwood floors, ceramic tile and designer paint colors are commonplace in every CENTURION home. We take great pride in our
hands-on approach, working on each site daily to answer questions and to make sure the project goes forward as planned.
We also "stick-build" all our homes, meaning we don't use cheaply engineered trusses. We actually handle every square inch
of every home. Most homes we build will have more square footage than the plan actually shows because we do stick-build.
Another thing that helps is our relationship with the subcontractors and material suppliers. They are the backbone of our
company. We respect their professionalism and value their input. They work closely with us to help cut unnecessary costs that
would have to be passed on to the buyer. With their help, we strive together to make our homes different, as well as more
affordable."
Equity in your home, upfront?
Y-E-S!
Whether you're thinking of building that custom dream home or choosing a pre-built home, CENTURION BUILDERS will work with
you every step of the way to give you exactly what you want in a new home or remodeling your current homeplace.
Step inside, you'll see the difference!
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What makes Centurion Builders different than any other
building company? Here's something to ponder....
Agustin Gonzalez
is Project Manager/Coordinator of Centurion Builders. He has headed major commercial/industrial and residential projects all
over the East Coast. He is bilingual and an expert in subcontractor relations, blueprint reading, steel building assembly,
metal framing, conventional framing and drywall. He's the "go-to-guy", the man that takes care of the on site details, job
scheduling, subcontractor relations and job safety. He is on site daily, making sure what is supposed to happen DOES happen.
"Our company slogan is "Homes with character." says Agustin, "Our homes are characteristic because we make sure they will
possess a distinctive quality, something that stands out from the rest. We are constantly tweaking our floorplans to make
them different and more functional. We love it when someone steps in the door and says, Wow! I never would've expected this!
We resolve to give the buyer more because we know how hard it is to find a good, quality-built home and better yet... at a
fair price.
You'd be shocked at the number of builders who have never even been in the homes they are selling! It's just a business to
them, to make money. They don't know the sub-contractors that are on their jobsites and they really don't care. They'll build
the same, worn-out, home design dozens of times in the same neighborhood, you've seen them. These people aren't concerned
in the least about the American dream, they just want to stick you into something quick, making payments.
We are family men, we don't just throw together a bunch of houses and disappear, we're residents in this area too.
Our #1 goal is to give the buyer the absolute best there is to offer for the money involved.
We believe in in building good relationships with our buyers. We want to help you get what you want. That's why it's important
to choose a builder, who will be there for you from the start. After all you will be putting up with us for an average of
six months to build the home and then at least one year after you move in for your home warranty. So that's something you
may not have considered. Also, if you don't already have a particular plan you want to build, we have many to choose from
and we have a personal architect that aids us in design services.
Building a custom home is a very stressful event. There are too many things involved to even list. Let us take the the headaches
out of it for you."
"We don't build the same, tired
old home design a dozen times in the same neighborhood."
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| The Blackburn Family |
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| The Gonzalez Family |
| Flags of Friendship |
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| "Working together to make America a better place" |
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