bickfordconstruction News Feed

Remembering Bruce Simpson

Wed, 16 May 2012 03:48:00 -0500

This past Friday, Bruce Simpson passed away. Bruce was a great guy and a very talented cabinet maker whom we really enjoyed working with. Our sympathies go out to Bruce's family and dedicated crew. Take a moment today to appreciate the gift of life in Bruce's honor.

2012 Winter Update

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 03:26:00 -0600

I wanted to give a quick update as to what has been going on with Bickford Construction Corporation so far this winter. In the beginning of February I attended a meeting with my Builder 20 Group at the International Builders Show in Orlando, Florida. As always, I found this meeting very worthwhile and I came back charged up and excited about things to come.

Locally, except for a few finishing touches, we have completed the major renovation project for the house on the lake in Colchester that was damaged during last spring’s floods. I will be updating pictures for that project soon.

Although this winter has not been ideal for the Vermont ski industry, it has been great for us builders! We managed to get two foundations in the ground in February without much extra effort. One is for a custom home we are building in Shelburne and the other is for a custom home we are building in Jericho Center.

We also have been doing some restoration work at a camp in Saint Albans that was also damaged in last spring’s floods.

We are very excited about our projects ahead in 2012, but we do have another slot to fill in our schedule for this summer or fall, so if you know anybody looking for a builder, please let us know!

Happy New Year!

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:48:00 -0600

I wanted to take a moment to wish you all a very joyful, healthy and properous New Year. We are very exicited about 2012 and look forward to having another great year full of exciting projects. Please call me at 872-7600 if we can be of service to you this year or if there is somebody that you know whom is considering building that you think we should talk to. Thank you!

Ten Years Straight without an Accident!

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 12:02:00 -0600

I am very proud to announce that my crew has made it through another year without an accident. This makes ten years in a row that we have a perfect safety record, which is quite an accomplishment in this industry. It is exciting to see my crew's efforts in safety pay off.

As has been the tradition over the past six years, in recognition of my crew's outstanding achievement, I am rewarding them with an extended holiday break. We will be closing at noon on Friday, December 23rd and we will reopen on Monday, January 2th, 2012.

Happy holidays!

Bickford Construction signs Contract to build a new home in Shelburne

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 03:34:00 -0600

I hope everybody had a very nice Thanksgiving holiday. We were off last Thursday and Friday to celebrate. At Bickford Construction Corporation, we certainly have a lot to be thankful for. We are grateful that we have been able to stay busy despite the economy and we are especially thankful to have just signed a contract to build a beautiful new home in O'Brien Brother's new community in Shelburne called Sugarwoods. The homeowners, their architect, Michael Minadeo + Partners, and I have been collaborating on the design and budget for most of the year and we are now just about ready to break ground. This will be a very exciting project and I will have more updates to come.

The Old Lantern Inn is nearing completion!

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 04:28:00 -0600

We are nearing completion of The Old Lantern Inn in Charlotte, Vermont. This inn will be run by Lisa and Roland Gaujac as a great addition to their Old Lantern facility on Greenbush Road. The Owner's will live in this inn, plus there are eight guest rooms and a large gathering room. This new inn was custom designed and built as a home package kit by Connor Homes of MIddlebury, Vermont. The inn will be completed and opened for business soon, so please contact The Old Lantern for details. Thank you to Lisa and Roland for giving us this opportunity.

Lakefront Home Renovation

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:11:00 -0500

In the end of June this year, we began working on a remodeling project that was necessitated by damage incurred in the spring floods when the water level in Lake Champlain rose to 103.25 feet above sea level, which was about 15 inches higher than it had ever been before in recorded history. This house was originally built as a seasonal camp right on the beach in Colchester and had a finished floor elevation of about 102. This camp was supported on an old crawl-space foundation which had led to many issues including settling, moisture and freeze-ups. The home had gone through a major renovation in recent years where a second floor was added, but it was still supported on the old foundation.

Our solution was to separate the house from the floor system and lift it up temporarily to about five feet above where it had been. We then tore out the old floor and foundation and built a new foundation at elevation 105. Once the new foundation was in place, we lowered the house back down. We then backfilled with stone and placed a new slab with in-floor radiant heat over three inches of rigid foam insulation.

We also gutted the first floor, including the old low ceilings, and will completely renovate this living level.

It is unfortunate that this project had to be done due to the flooding, but the end result will be a home that is much more resistant to lake damage, that will be warm and comfortable and will feel like a brand new home.

This has been an interesting project so far. Please click here to see a progression of photos, beginning with what the house looked like during the floods.

Bickford Construction Finishes their Capstone Project in South Burlington, Vermont

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:16:00 -0500

In August, after nearly a year and a half of construction, we finished a beautiful home in South Burlington, Vermont, which is really the "capstone" of projects that we have finished thus far in terms of scale and details. The exterior walls of this house are clad in a combination of stone veneer and cedar shingles. The roof is a combination of heavy-gauge, multi-color slate and standing seam copper. The interior fit and finish is exceptional also, with details like wide-plank heart pine flooring, custom cabinetry and millwork, extensive woodwork and wainscoting, just to name a few. I am very proud of my crew and our trade-partners for their outstanding craftsmanship on this project. I am also very proud of the homeowners as they worked tirelessly for over two years to make sure that every detail was just perfect, and they were successful at this quest! We feel very fortunate to have been involved with this project. This photo was taken earlier this week. We paved the driveway yesterday and are waiting for some drying weather so we can lay the sod.

Please click here to see more photos of this home.

Energy Efficient Home Underway in Williston

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 03:45:00 -0500

In May of this year, we began a new custom home project on one of the most beautiful lots in Williston overlooking farmland, Mount Mansfield and Camel's Hump. We began by taking down the existing family home that was tired and have been building in its place a highly energy efficient home. Our customers worked with Trudy Anderson of Daybreak Designs in Jericho to design a home that is custom tailored to their needs. The home is coming along nicely and we are now in the home stretch. Please click here to see some progress photos of this project.

Better Homes Award

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 07:09:00 -0500

At last night's 2011 Better Homes Awards Banquet, we won the category of "Best Luxury Home - $500,000 to $1,000,000". This is an annual award contest put on by the Home Builders and Remodeler's Association and the banquet draws about 500 attendees. We won this award for a wonderful home that we built on the shores of Lake Champlain in the South Cove area of Burlington. I share this award with my great crew, Dave St. Hilaire, Pete Watson, Tyler Bullis, Todd Lamos and Rene Rainville.

Finally an update to our blog!

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:02:00 -0500

Hi and welcome to Bickford Construction's blog site. It has been way too long since we have posted our news, but we are glad you are here and here's a summary of what has been going on.

In April of 2010 we completed a beautiful shingle-style home on the shore of Lake Champlain in Burlington. This is a classic home that we are very proud of.

In October, my employee Andy Parizo and his partner Caitlyn welcomed their new baby boy to the world! Congratulations to Andy and Caitlyn!

In December of 2010 we completed a beautiful Connor home at an awsome site high on a hill in Plainfield. My crew Pete Watson and Tyler Bullis dod a beautiful job of putting this home together. Our customers also really enjoyed their experience of building with us, which makes us very proud and happy!

We have been working on a beautiful new shingle-style house in South Burlington that we will be complete with in early summer. Stay tuned for photos of that home soon.

We are also excited to have a few new projects in our pipeline that we will be starting soon.

Thanks for checking in and watch for more news to come soon!

Nine Years Straight without an Accident!

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 09:21:00 -0600

I am very proud to announce that my crew has made it through another year without an accident. This makes nine years in a row that we have a perfect safety record, which is quite an accomplishment in this industry. It is exciting to see my crew's efforts in safety pay off.

As has been the tradition over the past five years, in recognition of my crew's outstanding achievement, I am rewarding them with an extended holiday break. We will be closing at noon on Thursday, December 23rd and we will reopen on Monday, January 3th, 2011.

Happy holidays!

Bob Bickford

Excited to begin the Rappold Residence!

Wed, 05 May 2010 02:36:00 -0500

We are excited to begin the Rappold Residence in Plainfield. This will be a beautiful new home created by Connor Homes of Middlebury. The setting is on a beautiful wooded lot with spectacular views of the Green and Worcester Mountain Ranges.

We encountered ledge while digging the foundation, so here is a short video of the blasting that took place last Friday afternoon to break up the ledge.

It's a Boy!

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 04:49:00 -0500

One of Bickford Construction's employees, Pete Watson and his wife Stacy, welcomed their second son into the world last Wednesday, March 31st. Reports are that everybody, including big brother Forer, are doing just fine! Congratulations Pete and Stacy!

Bob Bickford attends Builder 20 Meeting in Knoxville

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 03:02:00 -0600

Last week I traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee to meet with my Builder 20 Group. We were hosted by Fred Trainer of F.E. Trainer Construction Company, who has a very impressive custom home and remodeling business. I always learn a lot at our Builder 20 meetings and come back recharged and excited to implement my new ideas. I have been a member of the Builder 20 Program, which is put on by the National Association of Home Builders, since July of 2003. We are custom home builders from all over the United States who meet twice a year to "share what we know and learn what we need". This has been a great experience that has really helped me to improve my business.