Bob Bickford wins 2006 Builder of the Year Award

For 2006, the T. Wayne Condor Builder of the Year Award went to Bickford Company owner Bob Bickford, a former president of the association. According to Sinagra, "Besides being a standup business person, the award is also about involvement in the association. Bob has really stepped up to the plate and supported our association. He is a custom builder, one of the best in the state, and a native Vermonter."

In business since 1999, Bickford previously ran a construction company in Florida. He said he is very proud of the award and shares its importance with trade partners and employees.

Bickford Construction has nine employees and does custom homes and speculation home construction usually numbering three to four units annually. The company also does construction management for Milot Properties in Burlington.

Bickford recently completed four homes in the Creekside housing development in Hinesburg for a total of 37 homes built and sold. The homes are in the $250,000 to $320,000 range "and sold quickly." According to Bickford, "there is a real need in that price range and if you can build them they go quick."

Construction in Chittenden County has "slowed down a bit from other years," he notes. However, he said, the custom end of his business remains constant. Bickford builds homes in the half million to $1 million range primarily on property located on Lake Champlain. The market slowing down is in the middle price range of $400,000 to $600,000.

"As prices of housing keeps going up I'm not sure incomes in Vermont go up," he noted. He said he sells middle and higher end homes to out-of-staters "who come from other strong housing markets, make their equity and roll it into a house here."

For housing in Vermont to be affordable, Bickford believes the. price of land needs to come down. He said to achieve this goal the appeals process must be streamlined. "I bought two lots in Williston for three and five acres and paid $165,000 a piece and had to put in a mound system and drilled well. We had close to $200,000 just in land before building," he said of the high cost of lot development.

It is nearly impossible to find a building lot in the county for less than $100,000 according to Bickford. This results in a paucity of workforce housing. "My crew commutes. They can't afford to live in the county. I think people will choose not to live in the county because of the costs," he said.

While costs are up he is optimistic about construction. "We are busy and have a good backlog of work. From an industry wide standpoint, it has slowed a bit but the demand for housing exists so it will come back."

 

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