By J. E. Kuyper
The Northwest Herald

(This article appeared in the November 15, 2003 edition of The Northwest Herald)

Crystal Lake-Burnham Custom Homes concentrates on the custom home market of Chicago's north and western suburbs.

"We build homes ranging from $350,000 to $900,000" company president Scot Begovich said.

"Some of the homes we build are speculative while others are build-to-suit projects where we work with the buyer throughout the process," Begovich said.

Begovich is responsible for customer relations, business operations and project management. He has an MBA in marketing and finance and worked as a business consultant for 10 years.

For 30 years he was acquainted with Steve Case and the two Northlake natives built their first home in 1989.

"We've known each other since kindergarten," Begovich said. "Steve has always been a carpenter, ever since high school. I have been in and out of the industry."

After the merging of talents as Burnham Custom Homes in 2001, Case, a skilled carpenter with 15 years in construction, became responsible for field development and construction, personnel and trade relations.

"Our business plan for 2004 is to build between 15 to 20 custom homes." Begovich said.

"Our business is growing largely because of the referrals and reputation gained by the quality construction and custom service we provide," he added.

"Most of the build-to-suit homes are fixed-fee projects, but more recently we have seen increasing interest in "cost plus" projects."

"A lot of people see my plans, hear my bid, and want a turnkey home and I give it to them for, say $400,000," Begovich said. "Now, today, some people say they will pay 15 percent or 20 percent of the actual expenses of the project. They go help pick out the siding they want, the paint colors, etc., and pay for them and they think they are getting a better deal. But if there are cost overruns, they have to pay more as they are the ones responsible for the changes, add-ons or upgrades that cause the overruns.

"But, I can answer their questions. All they have to do is call," he said.

For information, call (630)742-2785.