Peter Stromberg and his Uncle, Louie Demeo, have each been in the business of building custom homes in California and Hawaii for the past three decades. Recently they teamed up to form South Shore Custom Builders, a high end, craftsman-style building company focused on new residential builds in South Lake Tahoe.
They’ve built their reputation over the years by consistently designing and building luxury homes that sell quickly and gain tremendous value over time. My task was to translate their unique building style and location to a logo and marketing materials that would speak to new clients.
Logo Design
I used a roofline from an actual build, which, at the angle the photo was taken, also looks like three mountain peaks. Steep rooflines are a given in high elevation climates so the finished mark speaks to the architectural style in South Lake Tahoe, the surrounding landscape and the building style of the company.
Website
The website features what most portfolio style websites feature – pictures! A lot of builders will feature exterior photos, and I used those too, but I’m thinking if I’m looking for a builder, I want to see the inside. I want to walk into my new home, get a feel for finishes, and see some craftsmanship. On this website I don’t just want to sell “building” I want to sell “home.”
I chose Squarespace to build the site. It seems to be the most client-friendly platform I have used.
Take a Tour – southshorecustombuilders.com
Photography
The photography style is warm and realistic instead of high contrast and high definition. In so many real estate listings these days there is too much definition in the photos. They look photoshopped before they’re even imported to a computer. Photography style in marketing materials matters more than any other element, in my opinion. Photos give the main overall impression of a company and the right style is key.
Marketing Materials
In Tahoe there is a lot of competition for high-end vacation home builds. It’s important to have elevated marketing materials to attract the right clients.
Building Content
In order to drive more leads and increase search engine rankings, I decided to start capturing more content at job sites and posting relevant articles about projects that would engage potential customers. Interviewing Peter for details about his methods, I combined his knowledge and experience with my third party point of view to create articles that were accessible and informative.