Cascade Builders Corporation

Cascade Builders Corporation has been building high-end homes throughout Upstate New York since 1986. The company’s founder, Peter Moles, established a reputation as a man with vision, skill and incredible craftsmanship through his restoration of the Adirondack Great Camps. “I came up from New Jersey in 1999 and started working for Peter as a project manager,” says current owner Reed Abbott. “When Peter decided that he was going to retire in 2010, I ended up purchasing the business.”

Abbott began his career in the construction industry immediately upon graduating high school. At 19, he partnered with a business associate to form his own excavating company. “Eventually I settled in working for my father-in-law who was a carpenter all of his life,” Abbott explains. “He really taught me the trade and gave me the opportunity to gain experience in all aspects of construction.” Living in New Jersey his entire life, Abbott decided to move to upstate New York to raise his family.

When Abbott joined Cascade Builders, the company was awarded the largest job of its existence which paved the way for future success. “That set us up really well,” says Abbott. “Since then, our reputation has enabled us to get some really good quality jobs and become a very high-end, premier builder up here in the Adirondacks area.”

Some projects that Cascade Builders works on may take as long as two to three years. Through the focus and work ethic of Abbott’s team, the company has been fortunate enough to experience a level of success which allows Cascade Builders to focus on quality and attention to detail. “I’m very happy that I have been able to focus on fine-tuning the business and concern myself with the quality of our work rather than financial gain,” Abbott explains. “This has enabled me to invest time and money into training my employees and sending them to courses to make sure that our company is 100 percent Occupational Safety and Health Administration {OSHA} compliant.”

Building boathouses

In addition to high-end residential projects, Cascade Builders is also well-known for its work with the renovation and reconstruction of numerous boathouses. The company has completed Boathouse projects that have been extensive enough to require the construction of cofferdams where water levels can be lowered. The boathouse will then be jacked up to where the team can go in and install a new foundation. “There are all kinds of crazy and fun stuff like that that we do,” says Abbott. “Some of these old boathouses are historic so if you tear them down, you can’t replace them, so it merits spending that kind of money to preserve whatever they have.”

When performing boathouse restoration, Cascade Builders enjoys the opportunity to work with very talented people. “The artwork that goes into these boathouses is really impressive,” says Abbott. “From the architects to the blacksmiths and the custom lights and hardware it’s all very impressive.” Cascade Builders will work with a fair amount of salvage and reclaimed timber for these restoration projects. “People will drive by these boathouses and have no idea how much money was invested in the project.”

A solid team

As a general contractor, Cascade Builders employs approximately 35 full-time employees and self-performs all the finish carpentry on a home. “We’ll do all the siding and trim and interior work,” says Abbott. “We always sub out excavation work, foundation, and all of the other trades.” The network of subcontractors with which Cascade Builders has established relationships is one of the strongest that Abbott has ever witnessed. “All the subcontractors that we work with have known each other and worked together on jobs with other companies for 20-plus years,” Abbott explains. “We all work as a team and will even help each other carry equipment at times.”

While located in Upstate New York, Abbott claims that the precision and teamwork that takes place on his projects between the general contractor and the subcontractors is something he assumed happens with every construction project. “I’ve been so fortunate to work with the guys that I do and I just thought that’s how it works for everybody,” Abbott explains.

This was recently pointed out to Abbott by a foundation contractor in Vermont with whom Cascade is working with for the first time. “He said he had never seen a teamwork atmosphere among contractors like he had with us,” says Abbott. “He was used to people just pressuring him to get the job done and then we came in and we’re actually helping and supporting him.”

The future is certain for Cascade Builders as the company is booked up for the next four years. “I know we have jobs in Vermont and Lake Placid for the next few years,” says Abbott. “It’s really a question of; where I want to take the business in the next 10 years. I would never want to take the business to where I’m unable to control the quality. As long as the quality of the work remains constant, that’s the most important thing.”

As the company moves forward, Cascade Builders Corporation will continue to be an industry leader in the construction and renovation of high-end residential projects.