How a Ceci Bates Home
Is Built
The same discipline that shapes the design of your home carries through every phase of construction. Before a shovel hits the dirt, every structural member has been engineered, every material has been counted and priced, and every vendor has confirmed their commitment. What follows is not a sequence of improvised decisions. It is the careful execution of a plan that was built to protect your investment at every level.
Two Sets of Plans
Most custom home builders provide one set of plans — the architectural drawings that show what the home looks like. Ceci Bates produces two. Bogdan “Bob” Taut, the structural engineer, creates a complete second set: the structural documents that specify every beam, column, joist, and steel member — sized, located, and load-calculated before construction begins. Every stud has a designated position. Every rafter has a known span. Every point load that travels from the roof through the structure to the foundation is calculated and mapped.
These plans are not optional refinements. They are the foundation on which everything else depends. The precise material takeoff is only possible because the structural plans document every piece. The price-locking is only possible because the takeoff is exact. The sequenced deliveries are only possible because every material is known and staged in advance. Everything flows from the engineering depth.
For the homes Ceci Bates builds — multi-story lakefront structures on steep terrain, homes with garages above living spaces, homes anchored into limestone cliffs, clear-span great rooms supported by hand-built trusses flown in by crane — this engineering is not just valuable. It is essential.
Counted, Not Estimated
The typical custom home builder estimates framing costs using a per-square-foot formula — a rough multiplier applied to the total square footage. It is an educated guess, and the gap between the guess and reality can be substantial.
Ceci Bates uses dedicated takeoff software that works in conjunction with the 3D structural model to count every piece of material going into the home. The result is not an estimate. It is an exact inventory — organized by building system, sequenced by construction phase, with every item specified by product, quantity, dimensions, and placement location.
$0K
Industry estimate
vs.
$0K
Actual takeoff
$0K
Difference
Framing lumber — 6,751 sq ft project. Industry per-square-foot estimate vs. Ceci Bates engineering-driven takeoff.
This inventory becomes the basis for both the budget and the purchase orders. There is no gap between what was estimated, what was ordered, and what was built. The numbers are the same because they came from the same source: the engineering.
Your Budget,
Locked on Day One
At contract signing, purchase orders are issued immediately for all major materials. Vendors accept the order, confirm the price, and store the materials at their facility until the construction schedule calls for delivery. The client’s pricing is locked the day the deal is done. No exposure to market fluctuations. No budget surprises from lumber price increases, supply shortages, or trade policy changes during the construction timeline.
This is not standard practice. Most builders order materials as they are needed during construction — exposing the client to whatever pricing has changed in the interim. A hurricane, a mill fire, a tariff — any of these can drive costs up significantly in a matter of weeks. The Ceci Bates procurement system eliminates that exposure entirely.
$0K
saved on framing materials for a single project — negotiated through lump-sum purchasing of the full material package at contract signing.
“It gives them the control and the confidence that they know that they can still build that house and stay in a reasonable budget. They don’t feel like they’re out of control with their project at any point.”
— Scott Bates
The Same Standard,
Every Day in the Field
Three tenured superintendents — Steve Nelson, Brian Ward, and Tony Conklin — translate the precision of the engineering into the finished home. Steve serves as general superintendent, overseeing most projects while personally building homes himself. These are not rotating project managers. They are the constants — present on-site every day, enforcing the quality standard that the client will ultimately live inside.
Materials arrive in a planned sequence that matches the construction schedule. First-floor wall framing arrives first, followed by second-floor materials, then roof framing — each delivery matching the stage of construction, each material identified and designated for a specific location. The framer is not sorting through a pile of lumber and deciding where things go. He is executing a set of structural plans that tell him exactly what goes where.
The construction process is organized around six major milestone phases — checkpoints where the team pauses to verify progress, confirm upcoming decisions, and ensure the client understands what comes next. Decisions are staged so the client faces only what is relevant to the current phase.
At each milestone, every material selection made during pre-construction is re-verified before installation. The philosophy is: select first, then verify again. This gives the client one final opportunity to confirm that the product they chose months earlier is still what they want — now that they can see the room framed and understand the scale. Because clients have already seen the finished result in the 3D model, most do not change their selections. But the re-verification step is there as a safety net, reinforcing the client’s sense of control.
Documented from Day One
Every Ceci Bates project is documented from start to finish using CompanyCam. Documentation begins before any work is done — the raw lot is filmed and photographed, including existing trees, terrain, and conditions. For wooded lots, every tree is documented before clearing begins so the client knows exactly what was removed and where.
As construction progresses, every phase is captured — foundation, framing, mechanical rough-in, insulation, finishes, and completion. The result is a complete visual record. The client can see progress at any time. If a question arises years from now about what is behind a finished wall — where a pipe runs, where a structural member is located — the documentation provides the answer. For the long-term life of the home, the record is an invaluable reference for maintenance, renovation, or insurance.
The People Who Build
What We Design
The subcontractors who work on Ceci Bates projects are not anonymous crews hired for a single job. Many have been with the company since the post-2009 rebuilding — when Tom and Scott sat down with their core trades and agreed on a mutual commitment. Fifteen to twenty homes a year. Not fifty. A pace that matched the capacity of every crew involved and made Ceci Bates’ work a meaningful share of each subcontractor’s business.
That commitment created alignment. The framers, the concrete crews, the electricians, the plumbers — they care about the result because their relationship with Ceci Bates depends on it. And the structural plans and sequenced material deliveries make their jobs significantly easier. Framers do not have to interpret drawings and guess where to place structural members. Flooring installers know the exact square footage. Cabinet installers can reference the 3D model to see exactly how the finished result should look.
Scott does not manage through threats. He leads by setting clear expectations and trusting skilled tradespeople to do excellent work. The non-negotiable requirement is simple: you must care about what you are doing.
“When you drive by these homes years from now, the Ceci Bates sign will be long gone… but your work will still be there.”
— Scott Bates, to subcontractors and trade partners
Built for the Next
Hundred Years
Every Ceci Bates home uses a thermally broken wall system that significantly exceeds standard construction. Huber ZIP R sheathing provides continuous rigid foam insulation on the exterior, eliminating the thermal bridging that occurs at every stud in a conventionally insulated wall. Spray foam on the interior cavity creates a second insulation layer. The result: even a standard 2×4 wall outperforms a 2×6 wall without continuous exterior insulation.
The roof is spray-foamed to complete the closed-envelope system. A 20-SEER Bosch variable-speed HVAC system with fresh air exchange manages temperature and indoor air quality continuously — not by cycling on and off, but by running at varying output levels that maintain a consistent environment twenty-four hours a day.
$0
average monthly electric bill — projected for a 3,850 sq ft home maintaining the owner's preferred temperature at all times, without adjustment or management.
The walls are quiet — rigid foam absorbs exterior noise, creating a remarkably silent interior even on a lakefront. Every wall is shear-walled against lateral forces. Moisture is managed twenty-four hours a day, preventing the condensation and degradation that shortens the life of conventional homes. And by using the complete Huber ZIP Wall system, the home qualifies for a manufacturer’s system warranty — a third-party guarantee that extends protection beyond the builder’s own.
This is what it means to build a home engineered for a hundred years. Not just beautiful. Sound, efficient, quiet, and built to protect the people inside it for as long as they choose to live there — and for whoever comes next.
In Their Own Words
“We just went through the 3D model and… wow. It finally all makes sense. Seeing how everything connects — the layout, the light, the materials — it’s exactly what we were hoping for. We love the plan. I’m so excited to move forward.”
Sarah M., Brookfield
The Process Starts
with a Conversation
If you are ready to build a home with the confidence that every detail has been considered — from the engineering to the materials to the people who will bring it to life — we would welcome the opportunity to hear what you have in mind.
Begin a ConversationOr explore what we buildReturn to the process overview