About Us

Few people are as fortunate as Eric Hansen, owner of Hansen Homes. Hansen is living out his childhood dream of owning his own custom home building and remodeling business. As a child in Ketchikan, Alaska, Hansen built many a tree fort. In junior and senior high, he took every class possible that pertained to wood construction. In 1985, he completed courses in structural engineering and construction math, and earned a college degree in general construction from Wenatchee Valley College. "I always wanted to be a home builder," Hansen comments. "Working outdoors and being surrounded by people, combined with the challenges of contracting and construction, make this job fascinating and personally fulfilling for me."

Building custom decks provided the early foundation for Hansen to develop his business. After completing college, Hansen relocated to Kent. Fortune was with him when a well-known, South King County home builder recognized his talents and offered him an opportunity. Hansen built decks and did framing work for this builder for a couple years before setting out on his own and establishing Hansen Homes.

The expansion from "signature" decks to custom homes was a natural one for Hansen. A signature deck is one where the design is customized to meet the specific needs of the homeowners while displaying unique style. Likewise, custom home design and construction require very good listening skills, and the ability to understand how lifestyles, interests and dreams all come together to create a "home." Hansen Homes is a dream maker for all its clients."

From Enumclaw to Snoqualmie, Hansen has been designing, creating, and constructing custom homes for clients. The success of Hansen Homes can largely be traced to Hansen's ability to satisfy the company's clients. Because of Hansen's focus on personalized service, Hansen says that most of the company's clients remain clients for the long term. Hansen insists on getting to know entire families. His open personality invites his clients to share their lifestyles and interests, which aides Hansen to better understand their individual needs and desires for their "home."

"I work closely with all our customers." Hansen explains. "I don't utilize a superintendent. Our customers have always dealt directly with me. With a lot of our work coming from past clients, we are able to limit our workload and focus on our customers."

A few of Hansen Homes highlighted projects included a 3,800 square foot custom in Snoqualmie and a 4,500 square foot custom in Enumclaw. These two homes were similar in many ways. Both entailed designs to support different living styles for various members of extended families. The Snoqualmie home was designed so the grandparents could occupy the adjoining quarters of their daughter, her husband, and their two daughters. Hansen created separate living areas for each family unit, with a shared laundry facility and bathroom connecting. The design of the grandparent's unit was based on the grandmother's childhood memories of her uncle's Shaker/craftsman-style cabin, with floor to ceiling river rock fireplace, cedar interior, A-frame exposed beam ceiling, window wall and open loft. The daughter's family living area demonstrates a strong country theme, with the large family kitchen at the hub of the home surrounded by a variety of separate living spaces.

"We can work from the client's designs," Hansen explains, "or we can facilitate the design process with professional designers and architects." Hansen's designer of choice is Kevin Bentson, who works with architect Gerry Slick.

Personal service with clients, suppliers and subcontractors is a hallmark of Hansen Homes. Hansen maintains close working relationships with most of the company's subs and suppliers. This is mainly a result of his being on each job site daily and keeping control of the size of the company's workload.

"By working closely with our team members, it's easier for them to learn our expectations," Hansen says. "We are somewhat unusual in that we aren't afraid to spend more money on something that we feel offers superior value. For example, we don't use waferboard for wall sheathing, but CDX plywood, which is more expensive, but worth it. And, we prefer to use real cedar siding. Using these kinds of products makes me feel better because I know our clients will be better off in the long run. After all, it is homes we are creating, not just houses."

Hansen points out that Hansen Homes builds quality, custom homes, not just structures. "We create an environment, a home which is truly unique and appealing to each family we work with. In the final evaluation, providing superior customer service and a quality home with value built in will carry Hansen Homes into the future."

Builder/Architect Magazine is please to feature the focused team at Hansen Homes as its February Builder of the Month.