Innovation and quality - this is the commitment Joel and Shawn Anderson make to their custom home clients. Really, isn’t this the essence of what people want from a contractor when they build a fine, custom home?

Both innovation and quality start by truly caring about clients, their wishes, and their lifestyles. With Monarch, this is the heart of their business. They care, take time for their clients, and carefully and actively listen and respond quickly and honestly.

“Our questions and concerns were answered in Joel’s easy going and honest way.” – Bob & Staci Butcher

Joel Anderson summarizes his job succinctly when he says, “We create and implement customers’ ideas through our craftsmanship.” Joel established Monarch Development, Inc. in 1994. He brings his clients 20 years of experience in the building industry and the services of his most trusted partner, his wife Shawn.

As business manager, Shawn provides clients the budgets and schedules to track the project, and she coordinates their decisions. Joel manages the overall project, finances, and the jobsite through the help of a highly experienced superintendent. Both realize that the creativity needed to design and build a custom home means being flexible and willing to accommodate clients’ wishes and whims.

“We create a lifestyle,” said Joel. “This means not being tied to a particular style, but to enjoy and support a variety of looks and feels in design. We work with a number of different architects and rely on the expertise from various design disciplines. Many of our designs feature timber and a rustic elegant style. However, we enjoy the challenge variety brings. As an example, we are now working on a highly contemporary home with glass stairs.”

In northern Idaho, there is a love for natural materials. This is not surprising in a beautiful scenic area with lakes and mountains like the Inland Northwest. The incredible beauty of the area puts extra demand on proper siting for the lot to maximize the enjoyment of views and to open the home for outdoor entertaining. While some clients own lots, others prefer Joel’s assistance in selecting the right property.

Monarch also makes the commitment to its clients to be available throughout the design process. Joel is active in meetings between the client and architectural designer and carefully goes through the plans, confirming that they represent what the client wants built. By the time construction begins, the client can be confident that Joel’s hours spent on the site and in discussions result in plans that support their space requirements, connections, and flow.

Not all clients like to drop themselves into the mix to make selections or to work with a designer. Clients like these prefer to rely on Shawn for design ideas and making selections. They find that she has a feel for the area, suppliers, and the style they prefer.

Shawn works with clients to develop a collage of pictures to display their preferences for their home. From the collages, Shawn gets a good idea of the degree of formality they prefer, openness or privacy between rooms, fabrics, and surfaces. “With the collage, they create and communicate to me their vision. Our clients are savvy, educated, and prepared with an idea. Also, they expect to receive good value. Our design and build processes are developed with this in mind.”

While some of Monarch’s clients are families from the area desiring a home that suits them better, many are people coming to north Idaho and east Washington seeking a simpler, more enjoyable life either as pre-retirees, retirees, vacationers or transplants. In building for active people, Monarch has an extensive portfolio for many of the features that active, often multigenerational families find important.

Their lifestyles often dictate homes with butler pantries, theater systems, elevators, indoor gyms, wine rooms, and luxurious master spabaths. They also want amenities to enjoy the outdoors, such as hot tubs, outdoor kitchens and dining; as well as fireplaces and fire pits for the evenings. Unique to the area is the desire for custom docks, and outdoor bathrooms and showers to take full advantage of boating and water sports.

Monarch’s commitment to quality means that they will stand behind their work far more than required. “We are proud of our homes and confident they will last. We want people to be happy living in their homes.” It is this attitude perhaps that is responsible for Monarch’s 80 percent business through repeat customers or referrals, and the number of letters like those excerpted here from happy customers offering their testimonials.

Monarch Development’s satisfaction results from bringing a project through from concept to full completion, while paying close attention to what clients want. Energy efficiency is one example. “Now, many of our clients are concerned about energy use. We share this concern, and we have found extremely efficient products and developed building practices that respond to this concern,” said Shawn.

Joel and Shawn Anderson are a pair who work closely together and with the rest of the team at Monarch Development toward the common goal of delivering innovation and quality. Custom homes are dreams of a lifetime, and Monarch Development has proven through their years of experience that it is a company you can trust with your dream.

To arrange a chat about your new project, give Monarch Development a call. You can view many of their homes on their web site and peruse their client testimonials at www.monarchcustomhomes.com. Ask to take a tour of their completed projects, because seeing is indeed believing.