By Jim Cavan

Ask any builder, and chances they’ll tell you they’ve seldom seen a worse time for their industry. With the economy still in a lag and homeowner’s reluctant to invest in new abodes, it could seem like brighter days are around far too many corners to see.

But for Shane Carter of Deerfield-based Ridgeview Construction, every corner – from the ceiling-spanning cherry beams of the latest completed home to the concrete foundation of the next – is promising and bright.

Between remodeling jobs, additions, and timberframe homes, Carter has been booked solid for over a year. And with a handful of new projects about to get underway, it looks like Ridgeview’s docket is slated to stay that way for the foreseeable future. He’s even managed to hire a few more carpenters, something almost unheard of in these job-shedding times.

With so many of his peers struggling to stay busy, it’s easy to ask: what makes Carter and Ridgeview different? What’s perhaps even easier is the answer: in a word, it’s everything.
 

In an era where home-building has become an industry just like any other – profit-driven, factory-like, cost-effective – Ridgeview’s approach harkens to a time when quality, honesty, and teamwork were the mantras. “With a lot of developers, every aspect of the home-building is subcontracted,” explains Carter. “So you have a different crew showing up for the foundation, a different crew for the framing, a different crew for the finish trim carpentry. When we do a home, it’s the same guys the whole time, so people really get to know who’s building their livelihood.”
 

According to Carter, along with continuity, having the same crew complete a home from start to finish breeds a similar sense of accountability.
“You’ll see a lot of job sites where one crew left it a complete disaster for the next crew, and that kind of mentality just isn’t conducive to building a quality home and doing it with care,” says Carter.

It is precisely that care, camaraderie, and closeness that keeps Ridgeview’s schedule full; their testimonials and referrals beaming and proud.

Perhaps most impressive, however, is the fact that an astounding percentage of Ridgeview’s materials and methods are green and sustainable: from planning, preparing and positioning the home to utilize maximum solar gain through construction and clean energy solutions, all the way to kitchen remodeling, lighting, and putting the final coat of paint on the bedroom walls -- Ridgeview offers sustainable options for literally every aspect of the home-building process.

Nearly all of Ridgeview’s materials are either recycled or sourced from within 500 miles of their Deerfield headquarters. In an effort to further bolster their green credentials, in 2008 Ridgeview joined the Green Alliance, a Seacoast-based “green business union” and discount co-op.

Carter and Ridgeview’s commitment to sustainability further serve’s their anomaly status. Indeed, in an economic climate where “going green” can make the difference between making and breaking the bank, Carter has proven that, when it comes to someone’s home – their livelihood, in essence – doing so doesn’t have to be a false choice.

“We love building homes – that’s a given. But the post-and-beam, or building a home start to finish, is the holy grail,” exclaims Carter. “Obviously we don’t get to do that all the time, in that it’s a bit more costly than traditional building, but there’s that real craftsmanship behind it, and it harkens to an era when home construction was revered and looked at with high esteem because it involved such wonderful skill. We want to bring the process back to that.”

Carter’s commitment to quality and care extends well beyond the actual construction itself, encompassing an overall philosophy that has seemingly fallen by the wayside in this, the McMansion era of home-building. Currently Carter is focusing on developments which include acres upon acres of “commons”, which are shared by both the residents as well as farmers, who serve as tenants and use the fields for productive agriculture.

“For me, that’s the next step: how the land is actually developed,” says Carter. “By keeping part of it working agriculturally, even though it’s actually owned by residents in the development, you’re keeping that aesthetic beauty and that scenery intact for everyone to enjoy.”