Northern Nevada construction community bans together to build Sparks home

Members of the Builders Association of Northern Nevada (BANN) gathered at the open house of their newly built 2016-2017 Showcase Home on Feb. 9 to benefit local charities.

According to BANN Executive Director Don Tatro, more than 30 members of the organization worked to build the 3,329-square-foot house with four bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms and a three-car garage. The house is located in Sparks at 2311 Old Waverly Dr. overlooking the Red Hawk Hills golf course.

“We support member-to-member business and this is a great way for our members to work together,” Tatro said at the event.

The open house not only showcased the new house, but acted as a fundraiser for the Washoe County Child Advocacy Center and Nevada Youth Empowerment Project (NYEP). The event also highlighted the many companies in northern Nevada that contributed to the project.

“We have been very fortunate to have our membership come together,” Chris York, managing partner at Innovative Custom Homes, said as he gave a tour of the home.

Innovative Custom Homes was the project manager on the showcase house and the owner of the Sparks lot. York explained he got involved after Teri Scharosch, the former executive director for BANN, approached him about the project. He explained that the showcase home allows businesses in the construction industry to give back to the northern Nevada community.

“We care for the community like any other small businesses,” York said.

Profits from the sale of the house will benefit The Builders Association Charity and BANN’s advocacy and education efforts. The home will be listed on the market this month.

“My wife and I have always felt that the best part (of building a home) is the people that you meet — the homebuyer,” York said.

With the continued growth in northwestern Nevada, affordable housing is becoming an increasingly important issue.

“The need for housing in Reno-Sparks is just tremendous,” York said. He explained that starter homes are now around $250,000. “It is really sad as a Reno native to see where the market is.”

York is a fourth generation Nevadan and has more than 20 years of homebuilding experience. He started the business under a different name in 2009 with his wife Laura York and managing partner Christo Reynen.

“Obviously it was a down market, and everyone said we were crazy (to start the business),” he said.

However, the business has continued to grow since then.

Another company that played a part in the project was Dallas Floor Designs. The Reno company installed the floors and countertops in the new home.

“It is nice to be involved with the building of (this home),” Bob Dallas, owner of Dallas Floor Designs, said.

Signature Landscapes will be doing the landscaping on the house.

“One of our core values is to support our employees and the community,” Lebo Newman, managing partner at Signature Landscapes said at the event. We are excited to be a part of the project, it is going to be a great addition, he added.

Signature Landscapes currently employs around 200 employees with around 260 employees in the warmer months. The company was founded in 2001 and has been a member of BANN since its inception.

Other companies involved with the project include Weigl Concrete, LC Paint & Drywall, Waste Management of Nevada, C&E Builders LLC, Black Rock Window & Door, Innovative Glass, Sierra Coast Roofing, Aesthetic Engineering, Scarecrow Stucco and Stone, Warfield Residential Design, Patricks Clean Up, Reno Tahoe Cabinets & More, CFA Inc., High Voltage Electric, ALCAL, Simpson Strong Tie, Western Title Company and more.

According to Tatro, the project took approximately one year to complete. They plan to list the home this month and are working to finish the remaining construction and landscaping.

For more information about BANN or the showcase home, visit www.bannshowcasehome.com.