Titus Built Named to Qualified Remodeler Top 500 for 2023

Qualified Remodeler, a leading publication serving remodelers and home improvement companies in the U.S., has ranked Titus Built as No. 461 on its 45th annual Top 500 Remodelers of 2023. Titus Built has now received this honor for the 4th year in a row, and its 10th time overall throughout its 28 years in business.

Since 1978, the QR Top 500 has been tracking the industry’s largest and fastest growing companies. In 2023, the Top 500 represented over $20 billion in remodeling sales volume and nearly two million completed jobs. Titus Built was chosen as a 2023 Top 500 remodeler by the Qualified Remodeler editorial staff for meeting a set of criteria including installed remodeling dollar volume, total years in business, industry association membership, industry certification, industry awards, and community service.

“Based on Qualified Remodeler’s analysis, the Top 500 firms tend to share several common attributes, including strong revenues, a commitment to customer service, insightful sales techniques, and strong customer loyalty,” says Qualified Remodeler owner and editorial director, Patrick O’Toole. “These attributes helped put the firms on this list and contribute to their success.”

At Titus Built, our commitment is to build clients of life, focusing on professionalism and integrity, paired with exemplary craftsmanship and best business practices. Our design-build model provides homeowners with a single point of contact for both the design and construction phases of a project, creating a seamless client experience. Using the highest quality materials and paying the utmost attention to detail, we never consider a project complete until a client’s expectations are exceeded.

These values have been at the core of Titus Built since its founding in 1995, and it’s an honor to have been recognized for upholding this high standard of excellence.

This recognition would not have been possible without the hard work of the Titus Built team. Our staff’s embodiment of our company values, dedication to great customer service, and hard work is what allows us to create award-winning projects.

We’d also like to thank our clients for trusting us with their home improvement projects time and time again. We truly enjoy helping you create the home of your dreams, and we look forward to serving the Fairfield County community for years to come. It’s your loyalty that allows Titus Built to continue its mission of building clients for life, one home at a time.

Additional information on the Top 500 can be found in the July/August issue of Qualified Remodeler and at www.qualifiedremodeler.com.

The Advantages of Working with a Design-Build Firm

Photography by Danielle Vanessa Studio

What is a Design-Build firm?

Design-build means that one company oversees your entire home renovation — from concepts through final construction. By completely integrating design with construction, design-build guarantees clear communication, and efficient workflow that results in a superior finished product to fully realize the vision for your home.

The design team handles the initial steps of the project by bringing your vision from an idea, to a sketch, and then to construction documents that will be used throughout the building process.

We start the process by gaining a deep understanding of your needs, budget, and concerns. Once we understand what you’re looking for, our design team will work closely with you to determine the specific look and feel of your new space.

After the design stage, an in-house construction team works on realizing the vision of the construction documents. Since the construction team is in-house, they already have an established connection with the design team and a comprehensive understanding of your family’s needs.

We iterate quickly, adjusting design concepts to accommodate your aesthetic preferences and budget — without the back-and-forth delays of a traditional architect-bid process. Throughout the development of your project, you will be able to have any of your questions answered at any time by your project manager. This keeps communication open and scheduling easy throughout the process.

What are the advantages of Design-Build?

Photography by Jane Beiles

Better Communication
Titus Built works as one team — from designers to estimators, and project managers to site supervisors — ensuring that no detail is lost in translation.

Shorter Project Duration
We iterate quickly, adjusting design concepts to accommodate your aesthetic preferences and budget — without the back-and-forth delays of a traditional architect-bid process. 

Greater Cost Efficiency
We are guided by the project budget from the earliest design decisions to the last punch list items, enabling us to avoid costly redesigns and last-minute compromises.

Full Accountability
From start to finish, our clients work exclusively with Titus Built. We understand your expectations, and we take total responsibility for achieving your goals.

Titus Built Case Study

After photo taken by Jane Beiles Photography

In the case of a classic stately home in New Canaan, Titus Built was able to take the client's vision and transform it into a modern and stylish space that retained the charm of the original home.

The family lived in their outdated home for several years, but as their family grew, they found that the home’s layout of small rooms were no longer functional. In addition to modernization upgrades of the home’s old features, the client needed a home that could grow with their young family.

Photography by Jane Beiles

By working closely with the client from the beginning stages of design, we were able to gain a deep understanding of how to adapt the existing space to best fit their needs. We created a custom plan that not only met the aesthetic goals of the homeowner, but also gave their family a functional and enjoyable space. We were able to completely transform the home through the client’s vision, adding modern lighting, appliances, cabinets, counters, and reimagining the layout to increase flow and open the home up to the backyard.

With easy access to the outside, the family could spend more time together and enjoy their backyard. By taking the time to understand the needs of the family, we were able to modernize the home while retaining some of its original charm, adding value both aesthetically, functionally, and financially for years to come.

Homeowners Guide: Raising Your House on the Long Island Sound

BEFORE

AFTER

If you are fortunate enough to live on the Long Island Sound, then you understand the enjoyment and potential risks of waterfront living. Unfortunately, many homes in coastal areas are built on low-lying land and are at risk of flooding during even moderate storms.

The solution to this problem may be raising your home.

House raising can help protect a home from future flooding, storm and wind damage, and other structural issues, in addition to bringing your home to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) compliance standards. 

House raising is a process that, when done correctly, can add years to the life of your home and save homeowners a significant amount of money over time. But this isn't a task to be taken on lightly. 

It requires a team of experts, such as the experts at Titus Built. Titus Built has been raising homes all along the Connecticut Coast of the Long Island Sound for over 25 years, and is your first call for home raising needs in Fairfield County.

Titus Built recently completed a house raising in Westport, CT to protect our client’s home from future damages caused by the elements. The home was raised 48 inches and brought into FEMA compliance after the project was completed. 

This project not only increased our client’s sense of security in their home, but also upgraded its functionality. The additional four feet of height allowed Titus Built to add weather-protected storage space underneath the house as well as construct a garage for better parking in this tight waterfront neighborhood. 

Our client’s outdoor living experience was also greatly improved. Views if the Long Island Sound were enhanced with the home’s increased height, and exterior decking was added on all three levels for entertaining guests. 

The possibilities for a raised home are endless when working with a creative team of designers and builders, but let’s dive into the most common benefits homeowners consider when choosing to raise their home.

Benefits of House Raising

For starters, house raising can help protect a home from the elements for years to come. By elevating a house above the floodplain, homeowners can ensure that their house is safe in the event of future flooding.

House raising also protects your home from wind and storm damage. By reinforcing the structure of a house and installing flood vents, the amount of damage homes take from severe weather is significantly reduced.

Many waterfront homeowners are also required to raise their house before starting large-scale renovation projects. If the costs of renovation exceed more than half of the appraised value of your home, FEMA regulation requires that the home be risen to a certain level, depending on your home’s risk zone. We call this “The 50% Rule.”  

Additionally, if you plan on selling your home, there will be a significant boost in value by increasing the integrity of your home’s foundation and bringing it in line with FEMA compliance standards. FEMA compliance also provides added insurance benefits, since the raised home is considered less risky in the event of natural disasters like flooding and hurricanes, leading to lower monthly premiums and meaningful savings over the long run.

Experience with the Nuances of House Raising

Titus Built has years of experience working on house raising projects, and deeply understands the process to proactively solve potential problems. While there are many technical elements of house raising, here is a brief overview.

The house raising process involves separating a home from its existing foundation, adding height, and then returning the house to a higher, reinforced foundation. Think of it like surgery for your home!

The home must first be separated from its existing foundation and raised using hydraulic jacks. The house is then leveled, connected to temporary support systems, and propped up on cribbing.

Cribbing is a wooden structure composed of alternating wooden beams, securing your elevated house for the duration of the project. Think of cribbing like giant Jenga blocks, only these ones don’t fall! 

Once your house has been raised, it's important to replace and reinforce the foundation with concrete or steel columns and beams. 

Raising a house isn't something that can be learned at trade school. 

It's a complex process that requires the coordination and expertise of various professionals, all working together to ensure the house is raised safely and properly. This includes structural engineers, an excavation team, plumbers, electricians, equipment operators, and laborers. 

Given this complexity, there are many dangers that can occur if house raising is not done properly. For example:

• If lifting equipment isn’t secured in the right spots, the house won’t be raised properly and serve structural damage can occur.

• Additionally, because a new foundation must be constructed under the existing structure, the foundation must be done exactly to align with the house when it is lowered back into place.

• Finally, if the house is raised in a crooked manner, cracks can form in the home’s windows and sheetrock.

Titus Built’s experience and position as a design-build firm gives us the unique ability to assemble the team necessary to execute this technical project properly, ensuring that your waterfront home is raised with the utmost care and precision.

Stress-Free Waterfront Living

Waterfront living is one of the most desirable ways to live, but it certainly comes with increased risks for homeowners. 

For example, the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 was unprecedented, leaving many homeowners in the tri-state area struggling to rebuild their homes and their lives. The hurricane caused widespread wind damage, storm surge, flooding, and power outages that took communities months and even years to recover from.

Raising a home improves homeowners' sense of security in their surroundings and can help alleviate damages due to natural disasters.

When a house is raised, it is placed on a new, stable foundation that is specifically designed to withstand natural disasters and rising sea levels. Because of this, homeowners can rest easy knowing that their house is safe from some of the most devastating effects that Mother Nature throws their way.

Living on the Long Island Sound comes with a myriad of benefits, but having peace of mind that your home is safe is critical to your enjoyment. After all, you can't enjoy living on the water if you're worried about being under it!

If you're interested in adding value, peace of mind, and increasing the aesthetics of your waterfront home, contact Titus Built today by calling (203) 834-0275 or emailing info@titusbuilt.com for an individual cost/benefit analysis of this project!