MAG Builders

Since 1999, MAG Builders has constructed personalized homes that bring the craftsmanship, individual style and fine finishes of a custom home within reach. Located in Denver, MAG Builders is a privately owned general contracting company catering to the residential market. The company takes pride in remaking some of Denver’s now most sought-after neighborhoods with its signature “Mountain Meets Modern” style homes that are personalized to fit the lifestyles of its clients.

Founded by Michael Griger, MAG Builders is one of the most efficient homebuilders in the Denver metropolitan area. Serving clients throughout the state of Colorado, the company builds approximately 25 to 30 homes per year. A contributing factor to the speed with which MAG Builders is able to produce homes is that the company is self-financed. “We don’t use construction loans or anything like that,” says Griger. “We have a revolving line of credit as well as our own in-house trades.” While the average homebuilder takes six to eight months to build a 3,500-square-foot home, MAG Builders is capable of completing it in three months.

A different type of contractor

Due to its ability to self-finance, MAG Builders does not have to sacrifice quality when it comes to materials. “We’re able to save a lot of money due to self-financing,” says Griger. “We’re able to put a lot more into our homes that other builders may not be able to because the margins just aren’t there.” Many homes that MAG Builders produces are sold before they are placed on the market

While MAG Builders creates living spaces in many forms, the company specializes in duplexes and single-family homes. The company recently closed on a 4,100-square-foot home that sold for $1.2 million. The design of the home includes master bedrooms on both the first and second floors, along with two additional ensuites on the second level. A third floor is included in the house with an additional bedroom and full bathroom, as well as a wet bar, fireplace and a deck overlooking Sloan’s Lake and the surrounding mountains.

Due to volume that MAG Builders produces, the company recently decided to purchase its own plumbing company. “It just made sense,” says Griger. “It improves efficiency and cuts our plumbing costs almost in half. With the licenses that our master plumber has, we’re also going to start our own HVAC company.”

With its own plumbing company, MAG Builders is able to combine the help of its subcontractors with its in-house team. The company has four in-house employees that are able to complete the hardwood floors and landscaping for each home, as well as miscellaneous jobs, such as backout framing, installing doorknobs and cabinet poles, and fixing any issues along the way. “We sub out the trades, such as excavation, electrical and foundation work,” says Griger.

MAG Builders has established a network of high-quality subcontractors due to the volume of work it performs as well as its financing capabilities. “We’ve been using the same subs for a long time,” Griger explains. “They stick with us because other builders take 45 to 60 days to pay; we pay every Tuesday.”

While MAG Builders is a general contracting company, the knowledge and experience of its team stems from firsthand experience. The company’s superintendents and project managers all maintain years of experience working in the industry and owning their own contracting companies before joining MAG Builders.

Management is capable of working in the field as well. During the recession, MAG Builders was forced to trim down its use of subcontractors and Griger and Michael Moylen, principle and chief financial officer for Mag Builders, both went into the field and became hands-on builders for a period. “Just the two of us literally completed most of the work ourselves,” recalls Griger. “We did the framing, flooring, plumbing, interior and exterior trim, cabinetry and tile. Instead of 20 to 25 homes per year we completed about two or three.”

Becoming green

With the volume of work the MAG Builders team completes every year, Griger and Moylen have taken the initiative to be consciously aware of its environmental impact by incorporating green building techniques and becoming a member of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). “We really take pride in the desire to do what we can for the environment,” says Griger. “By joining the USGBC, we’re showing the community that we are doing our part for this initiative.”

One method that MAG Builders is utilizing to decrease its environmental impact is the installation of two furnaces and two air conditioning units in the larger homes the company is constructing. “The units are a little smaller and a lot more efficient,” Griger explains. “It costs a little more on our end but the homeowner really benefits from this method. That’s a sacrifice we are willing to make”

MAG Builders is not a faceless, megacorporation that reports to stockholders. As a privately-owned contractor, the company reports to its clients. With its own personal touch and accessible ownership and management team, MAG Builders will continue to improve neighborhoods by building high-quality, energy-efficient homes.