Joseph Douglas Homes (JDH) was founded by engineer Deron Butler in 1998, beginning operations as a single-family home builder and remodeling company in the Menomonee Falls area of Wisconsin. Throughout the early 2000s, the business grew its portfolio to where it was building around 50 to 60 homes per year; however, the 2008 economic recession caused Butler and company to scale back operations and refocus on remodeling projects in the interim, such as kitchens, basements, bathrooms, and additions.
Remodeling is still an integral part of the business today, and after scaling up its operations again around 2020, the company has continued forward on its initial path.
Co-owner and Chief Operations Officer Luke Kolbeck, as well as Chief Marketing Officer and fellow co-owner Andrew Kolbeck, have been with the company for the past three years, coming to the team from the land development space. The two first became involved with JDH after teaming up with the company in 2021 for a product to benefit the custom home building market. Andrew explains that JDH has kept a lean staff since the 2008 recession and now focuses primarily on the custom home building aspect of its offerings, building around 10 to 12 homes annually. The company’s growth trajectory is nearing the 20-home-per-year mark, but largely all of these are custom floor plans, meaning that a lot of the company’s business is based on delivering what its clients want most out of a project.
The customer is in the driver’s seat
Being a custom home building business by nature, JDH has amassed a portfolio that acts as the starting point for some customers but does not at all limit what can be built. Luke estimates that 75 to 80 percent of the company’s builds are purely custom homes that are not based on an existing model. And he tells us that, more than being a custom home builder, JDH is a company that is about relationships.
“We put the customer in the driver’s seat with their budget,” he says, which means that they are given all the information about their project upfront. This includes 3D CAD tours through the prospective home so that clients can interact with the space and direct what the home will look like. These offerings all come together into what the company refers to as a boutique experience for its customers.
As the design phase continues, the budget for a boutique project can be allocated to what the customer wants to spend and how they want the home to come together, which Luke says sets JDH apart from other home builders in the area. Andrew says that, in home building, the customer works with the entire organization, and this is especially true at JDH. A client doesn’t simply deal with one salesperson but has communication with the whole office, from architects and interior designers to selection coordinators and more. “We provide a hands-on experience in giving clients what they are looking for,” says Andrew, an approach the team has held fast to since the 1990s.
As a result of its client-focused approach, JDH has had the opportunity to work on a breadth of engaging home and development projects. One of the company’s most notable projects so far has been the Sanctuary at Good Hope conservation development, consisting of 41 single-family lots across 150 acres of land located 20 minutes away from downtown Milwaukee, around the Menomonee Falls area. This development also features over 70 acres of natural conservancy land. JDH built 15 of the residences ranging in size from 3000 to 11,000 square feet, and land parcels in the area range from one to eight acres. Andrew says that getting land of that size in proximity to amenities is unheard of and the company is proud to have been a part of the groundbreaking development in that area and others like it.
On top of technology
While its home building is still number one, in recent years, the company has been investing in its digital side in both marketing and customer experience. Research has shown that JDH’s clients first interact with the business over the phone and/or the internet, so the company wants to provide a best-in-class digital experience for that segment and wants to educate future prospects on both the home building and remodeling processes.
To support this effort, JDH launched its new website in April and has also stayed consistent with social media updates on mediums like Facebook and Instagram, even establishing relationships with social media influencers to gain more eyes on its capabilities. The company is not content to rely on the old ways of advertising and communication and distinguishes itself in its field by embracing newer methods in a market that values innovation.
Thanks to its approach of continuous improvement, Luke says that demand for JDH’s services remains extremely strong, especially in light of the general housing shortage in the United States. Despite experiencing headwinds around costs, the current interest rate environment, and ongoing talk of tariffs, JDH is seeing relatively high demand, especially in homes valued at $800,000 and above. Luke says that the middle market of home building is also experiencing a comeback. When interest rates in the industry spiked in recent years, the middle market felt a bit pinched; but now, clients in this space are getting more comfortable with both the interest rate environment and moving into construction, which would not have been the case even a year ago.
Luke says that JDH will continue to optimize its digital experience going forward to keep enticing prospective clients. For the remainder of 2025, the team plans to execute well on its home builds, now with 20 homes in production. JDH is looking to grow its intake to around 25 homes a year and aims to bring a boutique development, each comprising its own community, to market on an annual to semi-annual basis.
Looking ahead
As available land in its home area of southeast Wisconsin gets scarcer, JDH will likely look to move further north and west into areas like New Berlin. JDH is also looking to enter the duplex condominium space thanks to a condominium project that will come to fruition in the fourth quarter of this year. The Cove at Custer, a new Wisconsin community development, will comprise 20 duplex condos likely to house working professionals and clients who are looking to downsize to a smaller space, like retirees. This boutique development will be close to Milwaukee and promises to be another feather in the cap for the company’s considerable portfolio of developments in Wisconsin.
Above all, JDH wants to give its clients a quality building experience through its team-based approach, educating the client and allocating their investments to what is most important to them. “Construction is a bumpy journey for anyone,” Luke says, “and we try to take the best care of our clients throughout the process.”
Construction and home building does not have to be a daunting experience. And Joseph Douglas Homes has the team to see its clients through the journey—with little fuss and with undeniable results.
