The key to Home Front Build’s success is listening
Home Front Build is a one-stop shop for people interested in remodeling or building new homes.
Founded 17 years ago by Stephen Pallrand, Home Front Build uses the common phrase “design/build company” when it’s described. However, there’s nothing ordinary about it.
“That phrase gets thrown around a lot, but most of the design/build companies are ‘paper contractors,’ as they hire subcontractors to do the work,” says Goli Karimi, Home Front Build’s design director.
“We have licensed architects, interior designers and craftsmen on staff. We are able to frame, plaster, stucco and even build our own cabinets. We do a lot of the work in house, which allows us to control the process and quality. That really makes us unique in the design/build world.”
Combining architects and interior designers with the actual builders under one roof creates a synergy and opportunity for problem solving that traditional architecture firms or contractors just cannot match, she says.
“About five years ago, we added an interior design department,” she says. “It really helps having a vision of a completed room including furniture and window treatments early on to coordinate the whole design process.
“When you’re building or remodeling a home, you’re intimately involved in the clients’ lifestyle and preferences. There are so many decisions to make, and we are able to make the design process easier and at times more fun.”
Home Front Build specializes in residential construction, including restoration of historic homes, additions, remodeling and new construction. Los Angeles has a range of domestic architectural styles, from the historic adobes to the singular case-study houses of the mid-century modern period. But the area is also known for its emblematic styles, producing such movements as the California bungalow and craftsman styles, mission and Spanish colonial revival as well as the mid-century modern and case-study houses.
“When we remodel, we take our design queues from the style of the house,” Karimi says.
“We have remodeled many Spanish revival, craftsman, Victorian, English Tudor and mid-century modern-style homes. When choosing cabinets and tile for kitchens and bathrooms, we try to be historically authentic and accurate.” The company has in-house craftsmen to create plaster details true to that of Spanish revival homes.
“We are capable of doing a wide range of styles, depending on the architecture of the house and the client’s preference,” she says.
Pallrand, founder and president of Home Front Build, has a background in architectural history, painting and art. After doing construction for the movie industry, he started his own construction company specializing in restoration and preservation. He is now a leader in green building techniques.
Recently, a new home built in Mount Washington achieved platinum LEED certification. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership. LEED is for all building types and all building phases, including new construction, interior fit-outs, operations and maintenance, and core and shell.
“We went beyond what the minimum LEED requirements were. The lumber used to build this house came from an older house being demolished in LA. Our crew deconstructed the house and saved everything that was salvageable. The cabinets, flooring and shingles used in the new house were all salvage material. That is a great way to reduce waste to the landfill and see some of the history on these beautiful materials.”