Curtis Compton
By Maria M. Lameiras
T
wo Georgia Tech couples started a business building homes together on a dare. Longtime friends Paige Cosby Ruhl, Arch 88, MS Arch 90, her husband, Jim Ruhl, BC 88, and friends and neighbors Derek and Ann Murray Welch, both BC 89, own DreamBuilt, a high-end custom home design and construction business in Eatonton, Ga. They started the company, near Lake Oconee, in 1999 with a huge leap of faith and now they specialize in making their clients' dream homes a reality. "We sit down with our clients and start with a wish list of what they want in the house. We do schematics of the design for them, then I flesh that out into a full set of working drawings for the project," Paige says, adding that she has designed about 70 percent of the homes they have built to date. "Then the guys take it and price it and put a contract to it," she continues. "Then the homeowners start working with Ann on their selections for all of
the finishes that will go into the house." The friends have overseen the construction of dozens of homes in lakefront and golf communities in the Lake Oconee area, from vacation and retirement homes to a sprawling 21,000square-foot mansion that boasts, among other unique elements, a 10-head shower that uses 37 gallons of water per minute and has its own well. "I coordinate the projects as a contract administrator. I make sure the customers make their selections on time for Jim and Derek to get them into the house," Ann says. "I'm not an interior designer, but I try to keep the job on schedule and in budget. I make sure the clients know their allowances and that they don't go over budget." DreamBuilt subcontracts the labor, but either Jim or Derek is on site every day overseeing the construction. "The key for us is we are small. We can concentrate on building fewer homes and give significantly more attention to those houses," Derek says. On average, the company spends about seven months on each house,
with the homes typically ranging from 3,800 to 8,000 square feet. The company has been successful because of its location, the partners say. "This is not a spec home market," Jim says with a laugh. "The market down here is unique in that the builder doesn't have to own the property." The story behind DreamBuilt is as interesting as the concept on which it is based. Ann and Derek Welch were high school sweethearts in Roswell, Ga., but after graduation, Ann decided to study architectural engineering at Perm State, while Derek enrolled at Tech in building construction. "In my family, there's no discussing where you go. If you go to college, you go to Georgia Tech. There's no such thing as another option," says Derek with a laugh. His grandfather, Rudy Welch, attended Tech. His father, Fendall Welch, graduated in building construction in 1964; his great-uncle, Edward Welch, was an alumnus; and his sister, Erika Welch Laughlin, is a member of the class of 1985. Winter 2003 • GEORGIA TECH 3 7