2019 Distinguished Women in Construction

Whether they are hands-on builders or play key roles in their construction company’s day-to-day operations, the women featured here are referred to as “women builders” and they bring a whole new level of skill sets to home building. The disadvantages they may face as a woman in a male-dominated industry are often overshadowed by their competitive advantage of being a woman. Here’s why.

For one, most women competing for what is typically considered to be a “man’s job” will agree that they don’t just have to be as knowledgeable and as skilled as their male counterparts, they have to prove that they are just as, or much more qualified than them.  Typically, a woman doing a man’s job will have to work twice as hard to gain the respect and acceptance that a man would naturally get just from being “male.” From a homebuyer’s perspective, that would be one good reason to hire a woman builder who’s earned that spot.

An obvious advantage for women in construction is the home buyer. Many studies have shown that women play a key decision-making role in the purchase of consumer goods—as much as 86% of the time. In home-buying decisions, that percentage is even higher. And since women are more comfortable talking to other women, it makes sense that women in construction can relate better with their customers, especially with the decision makers.

Aside from their homes’ architectural beauty and construction quality, the most important reason why women are successful in the homebuilding industry is inherent to their gender and is actually quite simple: Women builders know what their customers need. Since many of the women in construction manage their own households, and are experts at knowing what works for them, they are keenly aware of what makes a home great—its function. Women builders look at things differently because they have experience with what is convenient and what isn’t in a home. Whether it’s about having enough storage space, or making sure areas are easy to clean, women builders tend to focus on family life within the home and how people will use the space. They also look ahead for their homebuyers, taking into account the future needs of a homebuyer–not just today’s requirements—and allow for flexible designs that can be converted to other uses as “life happens” and needs change. Women, no surprise, have an aesthetic eye for choosing colors, textures, and materials that complement each other. More importantly, women put comfort at the top of the list. After all, if a homebuyer is not comfortable in their own home, what’s the point?

Listening to a homebuyer’s wants and needs—and delivering them—is what any good builder does. A woman builder, however, excels in this area. Generally speaking, women are better at communicating, and with their own experience as a home owner/manager, can relate very well with their customers. Often, women bring a new perspective to home building that is different from what a man would offer. While men can be more straightforward and build from a floorplan, women builders tend to look more closely at the customer’s lifestyle and home life, and integrate that insight into what they build to ensure that the home has a positive impact on the homebuyer’s life.

Women have many strengths by virtue of being a woman: communicating, managing, scheduling, accounting, designing, interior decorating, and marketing.  Among the most important qualities as a home builder are the ability to be a multitasker while being detail focused. As a rule, women builders also tend to have more patience, and be more emotionally sensitive to others during the home-building process. In the construction industry, all of these qualities are at the core of “excellence in customer service.” And if women builders are perceived to have these outstanding qualities, you would have to agree that a woman’s place is truly in the home—the home-building industry that is.