Right At Home With Innovation – AJH Custom Homes Builds Business In Upstate With Flexibility, Communication
A willingness to communicate – and to build where other construction companies don’t build – are essential tools at AJH Custom Homes.
“We noticed that a lot of home builders in Greenville are specific to neighborhoods,” says Ariel J. Hartman, the company’s owner and President. “AJH Custom Homes was created to take advantage of a need in the market. We thought we could fill the niches that aren’t served.”
The Greater Greenville area has no shortage of builders, he says. “But many builders in Greenville are focused on one neighborhood or a couple of neighborhoods.” If people want to build in less developed parts of the Upstate, they may have trouble finding a construction company, he says. “People come from out of town and buy a lot … or purchase a lot from family … or inherit a lot. As an individual, as a want-to-be homeowner, you might not have access to a builder who will come work on your property.”
For Hartman, the challenge of working with different designs on different kinds of terrain for different clients makes the work interesting. “There’s a chance to do unique work in almost every home,” he says.
Hartman began working in construction straight out of high school. He attended Greenville Technical College and earned his South Carolina builder’s license when he turned 18 in 2005. He started with renovations, often in the North Main area of Greenville. “Pre-2009, you could throw a rock and hit 10 or 15 people who needed work done or wanted a house built. It was a great time to get started,” he says.
That’s when he learned the value of communicating with homeowners. “When you’re renovating, you will have issues, especially the first few months. You have to be prepared to talk with clients,” he says. “We are involved, whether it’s something new or something that we’ve done a hundred times, on a hundred houses.”
As Hartman’s calendar filled, he asked his father, Charles Hartman, to join the business. “We were working in the field – working ‘in’ the business, not ‘on’ the business,” Ariel Hartman says. “When 2009 rolled around, we realized that the work wouldn’t keep coming to us forever.”
Father and son decided to divide the business. Charles Hartman began connecting with suppliers in the area and working with their customers’ designs. That company became Designed for Downtown. After a few years, both the design and renovation companies were growing. And the renovation company, with Ariel Hartman at the helm, was doing double duty as a custom builder. So, the company was split again to create AJH Custom Homes.
“I run the custom home building side. We have a project manager who runs the renovation side. We share equipment and manpower between the two companies. But he calls his shots, and I call mine,” Ariel Hartman says. Charles Hartman is President of Designed for Downtown and Managing Director of AJH Renovations.
“Coming from the renovation side of things, we were used to seeing unique situations,” Ariel Hartman says. “So, we were very comfortable becoming a custom builder. We were already a custom builder. We want to offer that to people who have property and are not being served by another builder.”
The businesses share clients when they can, but also work independently. “When we get Designed for Downtown involved with custom homes, that is truly the design-build model,” Ariel Hartman says. “That provides the customer with the house design, the selections – which some people call interior design – the construction, and the warranty.”
Customers can also supply their own home plans or pick an architect. Communication is important at every step, Hartman says, so AJH Custom Homes provides clients with access to an online forum of information and schedules. Every customer is also assigned a project superintendent.
“That superintendent is a homeowner’s touchstone. For every question, the homeowner can go to that guy and have a conversation. Our people are personable. We communicate,” Hartman says. “It’s a team effort. Sometimes there is tension in the construction process. We would be foolish to say otherwise. But these guys can navigate the tension and give the customers what they deserve while respecting everyone’s right to be heard and to have an opinion.”
The three long-term superintendents – one with the company since 2011, one since 2018, and one since 2020 – take continuing education classes. So do the Hartmans. Studying new techniques and technology is essential, Ariel Hartman says. “The more we are willing to learn, the more we’re able to make long-lasting, comfortable, and efficient structures,” he says. “We want to be able to implement what the client wants. We’re not going to force the client to match the builder.”
But Hartman says that the company’s expertise can help guide the process, especially when it comes to adapting a home to its environment. “We can bring some knowledge and say, ‘We hear what you want. But you need to understand how the hot, humid Greenville weather affects a structure.'”
Hartman says he prioritizes technology that helps homeowners care for their biggest investment. New products include a smart smoke detector that works with a cell phone, as well as a sensor that can be attached to a home’s main water source; it will alert the homeowner and automatically shut off all water if it detects a leak.
“I can’t tell you how many times our renovation group has been called on because of water leaks – some of them catastrophically upsetting to the homeowner,” he says. “That little piece of technology is not cheap, and it’s typically something you would only purchase if you were building a new house. But it’s money well spent. Not everything out there is worth the money. But I get excited about bringing ideas and products to people’s attention.”
Hartman says being open to innovative ideas sets AJH Custom Homes apart. “We’re willing to do new things – as they’re designed to be done. We’re intelligent about the way we build and how we integrate what people are looking for into the home construction process.”
