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This isn’t just a Domino’s going up in Waterloo.. This is a 5-unit multi-tenant retail/restaurant building, anchored by Domino’s.

The owner is a Domino’s franchisee, and instead of just leasing a storefront, he’s developing the whole building: one unit for his own store, four more for other retail and restaurant tenants to lease. It’s one path some franchise owners choose. Build the building, occupy one unit, and lease out the rest to help offset the cost of ownership.

We’ve built with this owner more than once now, and that history means something on a job like this: he doesn’t have to re-explain his vision, and we don’t have to guess at what matters to him. That’s the kind of shorthand that develops when a builder becomes part of your team instead of just the crew on site. It’s exactly what we aim to build with every franchise owner starting on their very first project with us.

Need a partner who handles the whole process?

#drakecommercial #waterlooil #commercialbuilder #designbuild #impeccablecraftsmanship ...

Once this pour goes down, everything underneath it is covered for good. So what happens before the truck shows up matters more than people realize.

We start with Superior Walls precast basement walls, set and sealed to spec before any concrete touches the floor. But the real customization on this one happened in what you can’t see: this homeowner prioritizes healthy living above everything, so instead of a standard vapor barrier, we laid a 15 mil Perminator underneath. It’s thicker and far more puncture-resistant than typical builder-grade poly, keeping moisture and soil gases from working their way up into the home.

That’s the part people miss about “custom” it’s not just finishes and paint colors. Every build gets shaped around how that family actually wants to live, sometimes in ways nobody sees again after the pour.

What’s a unique item you would have us build into your home that most people never think to ask for?

#drakehomes #centralillinois #customhomebuilder #newconstruction #impeccablecraftsmanship ...

Ever walk into a house and hear every floorboard announce you? That’s exactly what this step is built to prevent.
Before a single subfloor panel goes down, every joist gets a bead of Advantech’s subfloor adhesive. It starts as a gel, then cures into a permanent bond so the floor and the framing move as one piece instead of squeaking against each other for the next 30 years. On top of that, we run a moisture resistant, tongue and groove panel rated well above standard builder grade OSB. Another detail nobody thinks about once the flooring’s down, but one you’ll notice every time you walk across the room and it’s dead silent.

#drakehomes #centralillinois #customhomebuilder #newconstruction #impeccablecraftsmanship ...