“We’re so happy to have Custom Design Works in the County and grateful for their significant contribution to the corridor,” said Kristi Olsen-Hayes, director of economic and tourism development for the County. “The demolition of the dilapidated house and construction of their beautiful office space transformed a very prominent corner. It’s seen by everyone passing into York County from Newport News along Route 17. It was one of the first major improvements made during the revitalization initiative, and we are proud that Custom Design Works continues to thrive as part of the York County business community.”

The new building was designed by Collins and built by his team. While it represented a significant contribution to revitalization, for Custom Design Works it represented something personal—one of the company’s brick masons grew up in the old house on that property. In recognition of his employee, Collins incorporated bricks from the original home into the new building.

“I wanted him to know that the history—his history—was important,” said Collins.

Collins also designed and built the Yorktown home he shares with his wife, Jennifer.

“York County has been good for us,” he said. “And it’s very central to where we work, from the Southside to Richmond.”  Custom Design Works boasts a team of more than 60 employees, including close to a dozen building and remodeling crews. At its heart though, it remains a family business.

Collins’ son Dale is the production supervisor; his granddaughter and ex-wife take care of the bookkeeping; and his sister and brother-in-law are part of the clean-up crew that go to clients’ houses at the end of each day.

Collins is committed to ensuring his clients are comfortable when his crews come into their home to work. As a result, while a standard background check typically goes back 7 to 10 years, Custom Design Works requires that all employees undergo a 25-year background check. He also requires this of subcontractors they use for HVAC, electrical and plumbing services.   

“I want to make sure people feel at ease when we come into their home to do work for them,” said Collins, “I feel very blessed to have employees who are not only top-notch workers, but also have good, clean backgrounds. I think it helps to set that level of trust early on.”

Collins said he also believes what sets them apart is their price point, which they are often able to keep lower than their competition because the majority of work is done by employees rather than subcontractors. Custom Design Works nets additional discounts through maintaining longtime relationships with suppliers—many dating back 40 years. He scores further price cuts by paying in cash and compensating his few subcontractors weekly.  

When Collins passes along these discounts to his clients, he said, it helps them maximize bang for their buck. Best of all, he likes knowing they’ve increased the resale value of their home. Budget is just one consideration in the collaborative process. Collins must balance out the clients’ wants and needs with his experience and ideas… as sometimes giving the client what they (think they) want would yield disastrous results, if not for Collins’ insights. That’s the real value in working with a builder who’s looking out for you.

“The main goal is to hear what is most important to the client,” said Collins. “If we can do that plus increase the resale value, that’s the ideal situation. It’s not done to upsell, but to ensure that the work we do has lasting value for the homeowner.”