No Two Homes Are the Same, and That’s Exactly the Point

Why building with Integrity Construction goes beyond cookie-cutter appearances.

When it comes to building the home of your dreams, you might be quick to assume that your options are limited to a set of blueprints and palettes. But at Integrity Construction, limiting your vision is never part of the building plan.

“We don’t want to build our home,” says Brad Heemstra, founder and owner. “We’re building our client’s home.”

This philosophy is one that has carried the company forward, providing unique and personalized options for homeowners across Central Iowa. Our clients bring us their ideas, inspiration, and a vision unique to their style and needs. And we use that as the foundation. The result— each Integrity home has its own distinct design, style, and layout that reflects them, not us.

“I can look at a number of neighborhoods and have an idea of who the builder was based on the exterior appearance or style,” says Brad. “But when it comes to the homes we build, our goal is for the homes to be recognizable for quality, not repetition.”

Vice President Chris Heemstra agrees. “You won’t recognize our homes,” he says, “and that’s intentional.”

Built Around Real Life, Not a Template

A good home provides shelter. An Integrity home functions around your family’s life, habits, and future, stretching beyond the walls of a common spec build.

For clients and homeowners Kyle and Meagen Anderson, that difference was one of the most important components of choosing Integrity Construction to build their home in Ames.

“Our house was designed around our life, and it really fits its purpose,” says Kyle. “When you’re in a house someone else designed, or a cookie-cutter house, it’s the same one they’ve built for 20 other people. You get put into a specific box—but this house was designed specifically for our lifestyle.” 

And for the Andersons, the Integrity team really gave them the opportunity to think about what was important for their family and their future home. Rather than starting with a pre-designed plan and limiting their build, the team encouraged them to reflect on some key questions, like:

• How do you live?

• How do you move through your day?

• What matters most to you now—and in the future?

“We went through that whole process to make sure the spaces were intended for a specific reason,” says Kyle. 

Listening Is the Design Process

For the Integrity Construction team, taking the time to hear their clients’ ideas is the most important thing they can do to help create a one-of-a-kind home, especially during the design process. Customization isn’t just about finishes. It’s about listening—and applying what’s heard.

“We listen, respond, and fulfill with every client,” says Brad. “They have the vision. They have the ideas. We’re here to guide them through that and make it happen.”

For homeowners Tom and Alison Greenwald, the listening component is what truly helped create their unique home.

“One of the things about the home we built is we didn’t want it to be like other homes,” says Tom. “This was our baby… it was a vision that we shared and communicated to them.”

And that communication was heard, creating a space that Tom and Alison both find to be rejuvenating and ideal for themselves and their family.

“I feel like we have a lot of unique things in our house,” says Alison. “Integrity Construction really listened to my preferences and then made it happen. This home reflects me more than any home I’ve ever lived in.”

Custom Doesn’t Mean One Style—or One Price Point

It can be easy to assume that a custom home has a single price point. But Integrity Construction builds custom homes across a variety of styles and budgets, always ensuring that the design decisions for the home fit the client and the budget and not the other way around.

“We design to fit a budget instead of budgeting to fit a design,” says Chris. And there’s no standard dollars-per-square-foot number when you build with Integrity Construction, because no two homes or two sets of priorities are exactly the same. “It changes every time because we’re so focused on what the customer wants,” he says.

Built for People, Not Production

For the Integrity Construction team, who they are is clear.

“We are a custom builder,” says Brad. “We are not a production builder.”

At Integrity Construction, there are no templates. No repeat designs. No cutting corners or using inferior products. Just thoughtful listening, collaborative design, and homes built around real people and their very real lives.

“This wasn’t a house off the shelf,” says Kyle. “It was built for us.”

Thinking about building your own home that truly reflects you and your lifestyle?

If you want a custom home built with you in mind and you value a process built on listening, integrity, and craftsmanship, Integrity Construction would love to start that conversation. 

Because custom should mean one-of-one.