Photos by Paul Flessland
As a high school student in Lisbon, N.D., Benjamin Anderson wasn’t spending his summers like most boys his age. At 15 years old, Anderson had built and sold his first house. What started as a summer project in 2001 ended up being the catalyst for his career. His path would send him into rural North Dakota and the lakes area building custom homes through high school, college and eventually founding Benjamin Custom Homes upon his college graduation from NDSU.
Dream Team
At 29 years old, these days Anderson has put his 14 years of building experience into his dream team. Adam LaPlante, Anderson’s brother-in-law and BCH’s home designer and manager, has worked with him for most of the last eight years. Anderson is married to Adam’s sister, Melanie.
“Adam was my protege,” said Anderson. “His first day with a hammer and nails was with me. Now he’s developed into a very large part of the company. He’s also one of the very few people that knows how to design a home, but also knows how to build it. Not a whole lot of designers can really understand how everything’s going to tie together.” Chris Knopp, who’s been with BCH for two years now is the detailed and skilled foreman they’ve come to value.
Ambitious Undertaking
At 14, Anderson noticed a local lumber yard building full-size, movable homes to bring out to the rural areas and decided it looked like something he could do. “I talked to my dad and he thought it was a great idea. So, we went to the bank, talked to them and they said, ‘Okay, I think we can do this.’ So I built my first house when I was 15. It was a 1,692-square-foot rambler and it was set up to go on a basement. It was a speculation home.
We just knew that the market was good and we didn’t need to put a huge mark-up on it, so we priced it to sell and soon as word got out, we were two weeks in and the newspaper came out and did a piece on it. It generated a ton of interest and it sold when we were still hanging drywall. I did the site layout, the framing, the roofing, siding, insulation, all the windows and doors, pretty much everything but the flooring in that home.” said Anderson.
Growing Up Building
At 15, Anderson had done more than most people twice his age. Learning the ropes and getting guidance from his dad for his first build, Anderson proved to be a quick study. “My dad worked through college and through the Navy as a carpenter. He actually ran the Veteran’s home in Lisbon. He banked up quite a bit of paid time off and took a summer and taught me how to build. That was my first experience with building a full house,” said Anderson.
Taking the Reigns
Feeling like he was absorbing the build process like a sponge, Anderson went further into the building industry. Just one year after his first home sold, he built a 2,000-square-foot home, but this time, without the help of his dad.
Changing Times
Post 9/11, times were changing, and the housing market along with many others, cooled off. “The first two homes I built were spec homes and the second house was right after 9/11. At that point in time, I didn’t know if I wanted to speculate next year. It was the summer between my junior and senior year. So, I actually took that summer off and laid around at the lake and took a break,” said Anderson.
Orientation
Immediately after graduation, Anderson got a call from some Fargo residents who had heard about him from a friend in Lisbon. They also knew he was currently residing out in the Detroit Lakes area, and asked him to build their lake home. “That really started the custom home business. So, I went to school at NDSU then, I was just finishing that lake cabin when I went to orientation. At that time, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I liked building, but I kind of looked at it like it was a hobby I really liked to do,” said Anderson. Ending up studying Business and Political Science with Law, Anderson found that his studies have helped him dramatically in developing BCH, building homes all through his five years of college then full time afterward.
Change of Pace
Throughout college, Anderson had roughly 30 people in classes with him hungry for a good summer job. This provided a great work pool and no problems finding the extra help. After college, that network of people quickly dissipated.
“I struggled for a while, finding good help, especially when everyone was going out west. At this point I realized that nothing’s going to come easy. I always say to my wife, ‘There’s nothing ever that’s going to be handed to us. Everything that we do and achieve is going to have to be worked for,'” said Anderson.
“I was working in rural North Dakota all through college and those first couple years out. It was really when my wife was pregnant with our second child, that we talked about changing the business. We lived in the mecca of construction, why am I not staying home? So, it was really trimming those 10 or 12 hours days into normal eight hour days and that’s what brought us to this market,” said Anderson.
All Grown Up
Anderson’s wife Melanie is an Obstetrics nurse at Sanford, but makes time to help with the family business. “My wife is kind of my rock. In May we’ll be married 10 years. She’s definitely the brains of the operation. She picks out everything that goes into our model homes and she’ll work with homeowners to get lights. She has a dealership with lights, so she does a lot with that. She works directly with the customer for different styles and details,” said Anderson.
Anderson admits that he used to try to exclude his wife from the homebuilding business. As the business grew, he’s since changed his views. The more he’s let his wife take ownership in the company, the more they’ve flourished. “I am living proof that behind every successful man, there’s a woman that knows what she’s doing,” said Anderson.
As far as the rest of the BCH team goes, “I finally have now what I believe is the dream team. I also have my three man crew. In 15 years, business is really going to be good,” jokes Anderson when speaking of their three sons, Jakobi (6), Maks (3) and Henrik (18 months.)
Fifteen Versus 29
So what has Anderson learned in his 14 years of building? “It’s a practice. It’s an always changing business, we’re always learning new things, learning about different problems and how to overcome those problems. Back then I really thought I was a big shot. I thought I knew everything, but now I realize at 29 years old, there’s still a ton to learn. I’m really excited about the future of building homes and learning more. At this time in my life, I feel like what we have is a great product. I’m excited to see what happens in the future,” said Anderson.
Farmhouse Chic
A true reflection of BCH’s signature style is the farmhouse chic home of Rachel and Aaron Olson in the Newport Ridge neighborhood of Kindred, N.D.
Flying High
Just 25 miles southwest of Fargo is North Dakota’s only airpark. Within the airpark you’ll find Newport Ridge neighborhood, a 66-acre development that was originally created for pilots who want to store planes near their homes. “There was going to be more of these hangar houses for people that love to fly and have houses that you could drive your plane right out of,” explained Anderson. Although the Olsons don’t fly, Rachel Olson says they’re happy to have their pilot neighbors.
Homeowners
The Olsons, along with their two sons, Sawyer (4) and Lincoln (2), moved in just a couple of weeks ago from their West Fargo twinhome. Both work in Fargo, with Rachel as a speech pathologist and Aaron at Butler Machinery. “We’re glad we were with Ben, he made it as smooth as possible. There’s still some things that we want to do, hang things up, get some rugs, eventually do a backsplash in the kitchen. But we’re all really excited. Also, the boys can see the airplanes go by their bedroom, so they think that’s pretty cool,” said Rachel Olson.
Stats
The Olson’s new home is 2,900 square feet with an unfinished basement of 1,500 square feet. On the upper level is four bedrooms with an in-law suite, laundry and two bathrooms. The main level features the master bedroom and main living area.
Homeowner’s Checklist
The Olsons asked BCH for a master suite on the main floor as well as an in-law suite on the upper level for family. “My family visits a lot so we wanted them to have their own space. Aaron wanted a little desk area. I wanted a farmhouse style look, which we got,” said Rachel Olson. Olson found shiplap at Lamperts and asked to have it installed throughout some of the spaces in the main living area, kitchen and mudroom, opting to have every hole filled in for a cleaner look.
“I really like glass transom windows, so we wanted to incorporate those. We also shiplapped the kitchen island and the mudroom too, to kind of tie them together,” said Rachel Olson. Adding to their farmhouse chic style, a rustic, plank style laminate was installed throughout the main level with white trim and poplar doors.
Signature Style
“For our signature style, we’re a little out of the curve in terms of what people are building. The Olson’s home is very much a reflection. One of our signatures is the ceiling you see in the master bedroom. But, people have come to us to build the woodsy lake cabins or even the most crazy, modern homes. We’ve even built a house that was underneath a garage. That’s what makes a custom home builder, the versatility. We’ve never built the same house twice. When we build a home, every single one of them is it’s own artwork,” said Anderson.
Family Room
With shiplap walls, rustic brick elements and chic decor, Rachel Olson created the farmhouse appeal she coveted from shows like HGTV’s “Fixer Upper.”
“The wood on the mantel is from the historic Lewis house in Fargo. We’ve done a ton of work on that place and that was a part of our major front deck restoration. It was a big support beam underneath,” said Anderson.
Kitchen
CAs the perfect home for their antique barn door, this kitchen exudes farmhouse charm. BCH found this door that was once used in a Fergus Falls high school, complete with hand-blown glass inserts. Shiplap walls, white cabinetry, brushed gold hardware, exquisite glass pendants, quartz countertops and a farmhouse, apron front sink, complete their look. “I had to have the gold faucet, that was a must,” said Rachel Olson.
Infusing Character
This may be new construction, but to infuse more of the farmhouse character homeowner Rachel Olson requested, BCH refinished, repaired and installed an antique newel, handrail post for the entrance to the stairwell. “We found this antique newel at the Moorhead Antique Mall. We cleaned it up and I knew when we first saw it that we had to buy it. I said to my wife, ‘Rachel’s gonna love that.’ We actually couldn’t find all of these pieces on the outside and one of them was missing. So Chris (Knopp) actually made another piece to match the missing one. For the past few months he has really put his heart and soul into this house,” said Anderson.
Desk Area
With the desk near the front foyer, Rachel Olson designed a space worthy of showcasing. Subtle wallpaper and bronze sconces add depth and interest with the added function and natural beauty of the floating cedar desk. “Aaron wanted a floating desk, so I found an idea to add the cables,” said Rachel Olson. “We used steel cable that we painted black, because it was very hard to find in that color. For the desk, we took cedar beams and ripped them down and joined them together. To keep the weight down, because I didn’t want it to weigh 2,000 pounds, we hollowed it out, so it’s much lighter,” said Anderson.
In-Law Suite
Making visiting family comfortable with a true in-law suite was on the top of Rachel Olson’s list. Upstairs, BCH built this suite with a large attached bathroom and walk-in shower. In the main living area of the suite, the Olsons will soon be adding the finishing touches with a Murphy bed, microwave, refrigerator and flat-screen TV.
For more information contact:
Benjamin Custom Homes
2520 20th Ave. S, Moorhead
701-388-9172
ben@benjamin-homes.com
Website
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