While the Calgary-based building giant founded by Al Westman 26 years ago and now helmed by his son Jay has seen its share of changes – including a few to the name – one founding principle that remains a constant today is its grassroots dedication to quality.

Now Jayman MasterBuilt since the construction mainstay launched its Quantum specifications upon turning 25, the construction gurus have spent the past couple of years perfecting the transition to “production builder.”

“We really want to focus on being an excellent company and building excellent homes,” says David Bengert, director of purchasing and estimating at Jayman MasterBuilt. “We have a wide enough selection of homes and (pre-planned) options that we don’t have to redesign every home every time.”

Transitioning away from “custom” homes per se, and establishing an “even flow” of homes on the production line has allowed staff involved in building at every stage to catch up with the unprecedented demand the city has seen in the past year, says Larry Noer, Jayman’s Chief Operating Officer.

“We undertook the task of starting an even flow of 12 homes every week – it really slowed our office down,” says Noer.

Tradespeople appreciate the change as they no longer see ebbs and flows in their workloads. That means the company is fortunate enough to maintain many of the same skilled workers – shortening the build time down from what was nearly nine months to an impressive four to five.

“We have rebuilt the machine,” says Noer.

Also revamped is the way houses are built at Jayman. Among other energy- and time- efficient changes which came with the move to its Quantum specifications –which other builders have since mirrored – is using pre-made panelized wall systems, says Noer. “It has given us consistency in a tough market. The walls are perfectly square every time now coming out – our quality of framing has improved immensely.”

Bengert says this equates to not only shaving as much as two days on average to the time spent framing, but it also brings Jayman to the head of the pack. “The decision came out of a very tough time in the industry, and the result is we now build a complex, industry-leading wall.”

Other moves have included beefing up Jayman’s multi-family arm. Aspire by Jayman fared so well in Calgary’s inner-city Garrison Woods that the builder is bringing the Newbury line of digs to Edmonton. Meanwhile, a new phase of the National SAM Award-winning executive townhomes are planned for Garrison Woods, while Aspire also has some affordable apartment condos up its sleeve in both Valley View, and more executive-style addresses at Sunset Ridge in Cochrane.

“Sunset Ridge is really just a hidden gem,” says Bengert, of the builder’s most recent community, where single-family showhomes in the view-rich community are also on the agenda in the near future.

In addition to its multi-family projects, Jayman is currently crafting single-family homes in ten municipalities, which includes Melcor’s King’s Heights, Hopewell’s Copperleaf and Sagewood, Carma’s Auburn Bay, more recently both Genstar’s Panorama Hills and Qualico’s Evanston.

“This will be our first time in a Qualico neighbourhood, so we’re excited about that,” says Bengert.

Jayman show homes are expected to open in Evanston next spring, while a mixture of garageless and front-attached garage homes under the Innovations by Jayman umbrella are slated to open by year end in Panorama Hills.

Leduc and Fort Saskatchewan will also soon be on the map as the builder plans to foray into those northerly sectors in the near future, says Bengert. A handful of new Edmonton neighbourhoods are also areas where buyers will see the Jayman name, including a second Qualico partnership with a community called Springside.

And Edmontonians will soon get a taste of the “Good Life”, which Calgarians have been enjoying for months – the retail joint venture with GE Appliances will be among services Jayman customers and the public savour with the Jayman Centre in the northerly city.

“It will be an exact replica of the design centre here – it’s going to be a $15-million complex,” says Bengert, adding the Edmonton hub slated to be open for business in 2008.

What’s not new at Jayman is the builder’s attention to detail throughout the process. Not only do the company’s average of 500 buyers a year reap the Jayman name when they purchase a home, but they have the luxury of one-stop shopping as well.

Jayman Realty is in place to help would-be buyers sell their existing home so they can buy new, while the company’s financial arm – Jayman Financial acts as a mortgage broker of sorts to help buyers secure the financial pieces of their homebuying pie.

And it’s hard to drive the Deerfoot without noticing the styleMagic Centre – a 14,000-square-foot facility where Jayman buyers select everything from grout to the kitchen sink, or take a drive through one of the builder’s 14 Calgary neighbourhoods on a weekend without seeing the telltale Jayman truck which is loaned out to buyers free of charge on their moving day. NL