All for One Though the authentic, cozy architecture is what thrills the Hess family, the comfortable relationship with Morris-Day and the relatively painless remodeling process pleased them equally.
For their part, the Hesses were ideal customers. “It’s impossible to build with indecisive clients,” says project manager Perry Burgess, who notes that not only did the couple make quick decisions but they also were consistently available during construction to discuss options and changes.
“We just finished building with three clients whose only commitment was a commitment to change their minds,” laughs Morris. These are the clients who could throw Morris-Day’s 25-home-a-year operation into disarray if the company didn’t have an ironclad commitment to intense project management.
“Organization is key,” Morris explains. “We have five project managers. The ones who have the smoothest running projects are organized, organize their clients, and can troubleshoot,” he says. “In any set of drawings there will be variation. You have to gauge how quickly you recover from variations of plan. If it doesn’t affect the plan, I don’t count it as a mistake.”
Morris-Day encourages its project managers to pick a team from a stable of trusted, professional subs. “The project manager assembles a group that works together philosophically, which makes a better work team with personalities that fit,” explains Steve Veroneau of Falls Church, Va., company Transformations, who frames homes on Burgess’team. “I troubleshoot the plans from my perspective as the framer. My input as the expert is valued.”
Anatomy of Success The key to Morris-Day’s success is threefold. First, the architecture of its houses is authentic, crisp, and stunning. “[A house] should look like it belongs in the neighborhood; it should look like it’s been there for a long time; and it shouldn’t look like the biggest house on the block, because it has nooks and crannies that make it look more intimate,” Morris says.
Second, Morris’ charisma simply draws clients and keeps them happy through the long process. His particular genius is to cultivate an intangible warm, fuzzy relationship with his clients while guiding them through the tough, sometimes emotional, decision-making process. The fact that Morris talks openly with the Hesses about how the couple could have saved $25,000 on exterior materials if they had been given the option to use less-authentic materials shows the trust placed in him to make upgrade/downgrade choices judiciously.
Morris is aware of his personal draw and fosters it. “They liked us … They really liked us,” he quips, adapting a line by actress Sally Field to express the positive reaction many clients have toward him and his company.
Third, the company’s commitment to the team concept keeps business running smoothly. “Morris-Day isn’t me. It isn’t Perry. It isn’t Dwight. It’s a team,” Morris says. “Without me interacting with the client, Perry nudging the subs, and Dwight translating ideas and revisions quickly, we wouldn’t be a success.”
Morris wants to keep his firm small enough to manage quality and be choosy about jobs yet remain profitable. Currently, it builds about 70% new construction and 30% remodels. Design fees are 10% of construction costs, and the company targets a profit margin structure of 25% for construction, although unknowns during construction occasionally reduce the margin to about 20%.
Recently, Morris-Day opened a fledgling office in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., where it has one house under construction and three on the boards. When asked if he is chasing a high-permit-growth market or perhaps the chance to perfect 1920s tile-roofed, Mission-style architecture, he smiles: “It’s just where I want to be when it snows.”
It appears Morris, like his clients, demands choices. —Cati O’Keefe is a freelance writer based in Arlington, Va.