A Former Attorney, 
Building By the Book

He was a corporate attorney for six years. But in 1999 he decided to start his own construction company so he could spend less time on the road and more time with his family.

Although Kelly Drake, president of Mallard Homes Inc. in Lawrence, Kansas, had no previous experience in the home building industry, he did have access to some good teachers. His wife, Cheri, is a land developer and owns her own real estate company and her brother is a land developer and homebuilder. In fact, the two are the third generation in their family to be involved in construction and development.

The LaCrosse, Design 8527-33A-01, was the first of the Neighborhood homes Kelly built. "It's a very versatile plan," he comments. "We've built it four times so far --as a single story on a slab, a single story with a basement and a 1-1/2 story with a basement." 

"The open floor plan makes it feel larger than its actual square footage," Kelly continues. I like the way the kitchen is arranged with the center island facing the eating area and kitchen, so the person preparing meals can be involved with the family. We kept the staircase open, so you can see through the house. It's also very nice to have the master suite separated from the secondary bedrooms."

"As we usually do, we added a third garage stall. That's generally expected in our area in this price range."

Kelly says having a real estate company in the family is a definite bonus.

 "Cheri's company, TeamOne Real Estate, is fairly unique," he says, "because the whole staff is salaried instead of being on commission. They receive bonuses based on how well the entire office produces, which creates a team approach. This means everyone works together to market our homes."

To further provide a turnkey transaction for homeowners, TeamOne also enjoys a partnership with an insurance company and is currently involved in developing a mortgage company.

With high marks in efficiency, consistency and customer service, it is apparent that Kelly has made the most of his on-the-job training.

Originally Printed in "2003 SPEC BUILD" Magazine Published by Design Basics, Inc.