About Us:

Hi! My name is Seth Harris – the owner of Harris Home Builders, and I’d like to share with you some things about us.

Our Mission is to build long term quality relationships by giving our Customers High Quality Craftmanship and an Excellent Customer Service Experience through being as transparent as possible every step of the way and always acting with integrity on every Custom Home Build and Remodel Project. 

We do our best to keep our costs as reasonable as possible, however, providing such a high level of service costs more than the average Contractor. We understand we’re not everyone’s cup of tea. We wish it were possible to provide such a high level of service to everyone at the lowest cost in the market. But that simply isn’t possible. Unfortunately, the choice always comes between Quality and Price, and our preference is to focus on Quality.

If you are looking for a Custom Home Building and Remodeling Contractor that will give you High Quality Craftsmanship and an Excellent Customer Service, then we’d like to welcome to the Family. Because that’s exactly how you’ll be treated by us, just like we were working for our own mother. Or, if you don’t like your mother for some unfortunate reason, then pick your favorite friend or family member. How you treat them is how you can expect us to treat you.

The following are some important details about us and how we work that we would like you to know upfront:

• I’ve been working in the trades myself since 2012 and I’ve been in business since 2018.  We started out as Harris Home Improvement, a Remodeling company, and upgraded to Harris Home Builders in 2024 as we have started to take on larger building projects, while still offering all the same Remodeling Services.  No, I haven’t yet built my first Custom Home. I understand that can seem sketchy to some people. But the reality is I’ve done everything involved with building a Custom Home throughout many Remodel projects, I’ve built an addition and a Garage. So, building a Custom Home is the logical next step. My goal is to build this company up to a full-size developer working on building New Earth Communities that are designed to operate in harmony with Nature and Natural Law using Maharishi Vastu Vedic Architecture and strictly following all Building Biology Standards.
  
• We operate as a Holistic Design Build and Remodel company. I have recently begun studying Building Biology and Vastu Architecture for the purpose of building Healthy Homes that are in alignment with Natural Law to help my customers achieve and maintain Good Health, Fulfillment, Affluence and Enlightenment. I am not yet certified in either as I have only been introduced to these bodies of knowledge mid 2025. But that is the goal. I am currently studying and we can always hire a Building Biology Consultant and/or work directly with a Vastu Architect to bridge the knowledge gap.
  
• We use a small Crew of Trained employees for most of the labor involved on our Remodel project’s. Small crews might mean some things take a bit longer, but it also means less mistakes go unnoticed leading to a higher quality finish and the overall project can finish faster due to fewer scheduling requirements. As Remodelers, we specialize in Mastering multiple trades, including rough Carpentry, finish Carpentry, Cabinetry, Sheetrocking, Painting, Tiling, Roofing, Siding, and Flooring.  This helps cut down on the number of subcontractors needed to work on our Remodel Projects allowing us to keep scheduling more efficient and quality higher. 
  
• We use high quality Service Contractor Specialists in our Custom Home Build Projects sourced through our network in the industry. Unlike Remodel Projects, Custom Home Builds are much larger, and pricing, scheduling and quality are easier to manage when using specialists for everything. But when things go wrong, as they sometimes do because specialists aren’t aware of other trades, that’s where our knowledge of all the trades come in handy, both to help prevent most mistakes from happening in the first place, or to help fix the mistakes when they do happen.
  
• We pay our employees livable wages in today’s economy, maintain compliance with Workers Compensation and Unemployment Insurance, as well as help everyone with Medical, Dental and Vision benefits.  Furthermore, once I expand my business to a certain size, I also wish to help my most seasoned employees enroll in a retirement plan so they can afford to retire at a reasonable age. This helps keep morale high which enables everyone to produce higher quality results consistently.
  
• We do background checks on all of our employees before hiring them and we give every employee a 3-month probationary period before deciding whether or not they are a good fit for our company. During this time period, we watch them like a hawk to get a real good feel for their character before formally adopting them as a full-fledged employee. We not only want to make sure our employees are a good fit for us, but we also want to make sure their character is up to our standards of Professionalism, Honesty and Integrity.
  
• Sometimes our work can be hazardous. In these cases we block off hazardous work areas with masking plastic or caution tape as visual references not to enter the area without supervision or approval. This is also a legal requirement for us. We ask that if you have any pets or children you do everything in your power to keep them away from hazardous work areas for their safety. Also, sometimes our work can create dust or fumes that some people may be sensitive to, especially those with immune disorders. We ask that if anyone in your house is sensitive to dust or fumes, that you find an alternate living arrangement for them throughout the duration of the project for their safety.
  
• Also, due to OSHA regulations, we can’t take our shoes off during our work and we are often carrying things that can potentially damage your floors. So, in every Remodel Project, we always lay down floor protection as the very first thing.
  
• Our labor charge is based on our productivity hours (the hours of the day, not man-hours). Our labor hours are from 9am-3pm.  We came to this decision after years of tracking productivity vs. scheduled hours after experimenting with various schedules. We have determined that in a 40-hour work week we can achieve an average of 25 hours of productivity, while in a 24-hour work week, we can achieve an average of 24 hours of productivity. With a 24-hour work week being the most efficient, we have decided to stick to it. We still pay our employees the same as a 40-hour work week by increasing our hourly payroll to match the difference. This way, our employees have a much better work/life balance while still earning a livable wage. That said, Subcontractors we hire may work different work schedules.
  
• We provide simple yet detailed estimates that show you clearly where all your money is actually going. On Remodel Projects we show you the difference between our in-house Labor, our Subcontractor costs, and our Material costs and other fees. On Custom Home Build Projects we total up the Service Contractor fees, and then add 10% each for a safe Contingency, our Management Fee and our Profit Margin. Our Management Fee pays for our Payroll related expenses on our Custom Home Build Projects and our Profit Margin pays our business expenses.  We try to be as transparent and as detailed as is reasonably possible so you can understand why the price is what it is and why the payment schedule is what it is. 
  
• We are Members of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) and soon to be members of the National Home Builders Association (NHBA). We have all our employees take certification courses through these Associations, as well as through other providers, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to ensure that everyone always knows what they are doing, and how to do everything properly, maintaining compliance with all safety guidelines.
  
• At the end of every working day, we write up detailed reports which include a description of our productivity and any obstacles encountered, and the solutions we have completed or suggest. It also includes the hours of the day worked vs. the hours of productivity achieved, pictures of our progress and pictures of all receipts for any materials purchased to keep you well informed.  The top of the report includes information regarding how many chargeable hours remain in the minimum estimated hours, or how many hours we’ve exceeded the minimum by, and how much material budget remains or has been exceeded, so you will always know what to expect and when the next payment will be due.  These reports will be sent to your email at the end of each day.
  
• We are Fully Licensed and Insured in the State of Connecticut.  We provide a 5-year labor warranty on all our projects for labor provided by us, and a 1-year labor warranty on labor provided by subcontractors, as you will see in our Agreement Terms.
  
• We provide a Min/Max Estimate Range rather than a single price Quote so that you will know, up front, what the actual grand total of your project may end up costing by the end.  You hold the difference as a Contingency and use it as needed to reimburse us for extra work. Contingencies work a bit differently for Remodel Projects vs. Custom Home Builds. Details will be explained to you throughout the planning process.
  
• We allow our customers to select all the finish materials they wish to have installed, such as Doors, Windows, Roofing materials, Tile, Flooring, Countertops, Cabinets etc. We do not place limitations on our customers by only working with certain brands or vendors. However, this means the customer needs to be our partner and do their homework to look at various material suppliers and brands to select and purchase what they want for their project. We provide all the basic materials, and create a separate section in our Estimates for “Customer Provided Materials.” This section contains an average cost for each item you will need to select and purchase for your project and get’s added at the very end of our quote to the Total Cost of your project, so you will know ahead of time what the actual true value of your project may end up costing you, not just the amount you will need to pay to us. This helps you to be better prepared for your project. Please keep in mind, we cannot perfectly calculate the cost of the materials you have to provide as there are too many variables. You will have to adjust this price based on your tastes.
  
• Due to differences in the way we price Custom Home Build project vs. Remodeling projects, we cannot provide any discounts on Custom Homes. However, we do provide a 20% discount on our in-house labor for all new Remodeling Customers as a “Thank You” for giving us a chance to work with you and prove ourselves to you.  We also provide an additional 5% discount for Seniors and Veterans.  Except for the 5% discount, the general idea is that, once you have worked with us once, you will feel that we are worth paying full price for on your future projects.  That said, we rely heavily on customer testimonials to promote our business.  So, we will provide a 20% discount on your next project too, as long as we can get you to do a few things for us:

Learn more about how we operate. Read our blog article on the 16 Principles of the Master Craftsman.

Ready to get your next project started? Call us now at 860-817-7191, or Click Here to schedule your Free Consultation.

What People Say

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Let’s build something together.

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