Where Strong Projects Begin

When Jim Dunkum of Dunkum Homes talks about the Borchert project, he does not start with spectacle. He starts with process.

For Dunkum, the success of a home like this one is not about a single dramatic gesture or one hero material. It is about alignment. The architect, the interior designer, the builder. The drawings, the materials, the schedule. The vision and the execution. “The preference is that the interior designer, the architect, and builder were hired together as a team,” he says. In his view, that is where the best homes begin.

A House Defined by Restraint

And the Borchert project is exactly that kind of home.

A new build brought to life by architect Dan Ensminger, interior designer Bea Gates, and Dunkum Homes as builder, the residence feels at once fresh, relaxed, and quietly elevated. Nothing about it strains for attention. Instead, it draws you in through softness, proportion, and restraint. Curved drywall. Curved ceilings. Light oak floors. Pale marble. Plaster and stucco. A palette that feels sun-washed and calm. A house that is elegant, yes, but also deeply livable. Or, as Jim puts it, “It’s very comfortable and modern, but homey.”

The Feeling That Stayed With Him

That balance is part of what stayed with him most. While Jim is quick to credit the design direction to Ensminger and Gates, he clearly connected to the feeling the home created. “It’s got a little bit of a Mediterranean feel,” he says. “It’s a little bit modern in the details. It’s not very heavily trimmed. I particularly liked that on this job.” Later, trying to pin down exactly why the house feels so inviting, he lands on something simpler: “It’s not colonial. But it’s also, it’s not really modern. It feels very homey.”

That in-between space is what gives the project its character. It does not lean into the weight of older traditional homes, nor the sharp edges of something overly contemporary. Instead, it settles into a language that feels lighter, softer, and more collected. Jim describes “a very fresh feel,” driven by soft curves, pale finishes, and a sense of understated ease.

Bringing the Vision Off the Page

If the architecture gave the home its framework, the build required another kind of discipline entirely. Jim does not romanticize construction. He talks about it plainly, which is perhaps what makes his perspective so compelling. “Our job is to coordinate all of that and to use the right material, right techniques to be able to build that architecture and that design in a quality way,” he says. For him, the challenge is not usually one big problem. It is making hundreds of decisions, relationships, and timelines work together without losing the thread of the original vision. “The key to a job is being able to manage and organize all of that so that it comes together as a cohesive plan.”

Why the Right Partners Matter

That philosophy runs through the way Dunkum talks about craftsmanship, too. He is not overly precious about materials for their own sake. He is focused on what fits the architecture, what performs, and what can be executed well. “We try to look at products that fit within the architecture and the design and we try to find the right product that will deliver that,” he says. “It’s not necessarily a product particularly. It’s more about the support we get from the vendor.”

That perspective makes Wellborn + Wright’s role in the Borchert project especially meaningful. Their contribution was not limited to one feature or finish. According to Jim, they supported the home with flooring and other wood applications, including ceilings and beams, but what mattered just as much was the reliability behind the scenes. Samples. Shop drawings. Timing. Quality. Follow-through. “I wouldn’t say that’s job specific,” Jim says of the relationship. “I would say that’s relationship specific.”

A Team That Knew Its Role

That line feels central to the entire story.

Because what the Borchert project really reflects is not just good taste, but good collaboration. Ensminger brought the architectural vision. Bea Gates brought a design sensibility rooted in understanding how clients want to live. Jim and Dunkum Homes brought the rigor required to carry all of it through construction. Early in the transcript, Jim says of Gates, “Bea’s strength is understanding what the client wants and being able to design in that.” Of Ensminger and Gates together, he is just as direct: “The design came from Dan and from Bea.” There is no ego in that acknowledgment, only clarity. And that clarity is part of what makes the builder’s perspective here so strong. He understands that the role is not to compete with the design, but to deliver it with discipline.

What Homeowners Are Asking For Now

In many ways, the Borchert home also points to a broader shift in what clients are drawn to now. Jim sees homeowners moving away from heavy trim, rustic elements, and more ornamental traditionalism, and toward something quieter and more refined. “I think clients travel more now than they used to,” he says. 

“They see parts of the world and they see architecture. And I think people are really drawn to this very simplistic, but elegant style.” It is a revealing observation, and one that the house itself seems to prove. This is a home shaped not by excess, but by intention.

Quality That Holds Up

At the center of Dunkum’s approach is one phrase he returns to when talking about his work: “Quality is timeless and always in demand.” It is more than a tagline. It is a philosophy. He explains that in every material, every subcontractor, and every partner, he tries to get the best he possibly can, because that is what leads to a home that not only looks exceptional, but lasts. “You ultimately end up with a house that looks amazing, but also lasts,” he says.

The End Result

And that may be the clearest way to understand the Borchert project through Jim Dunkum’s eyes. Not as a collection of beautiful finishes, though it has those. Not as a trend piece, though it captures a clear design movement. But as the result of careful planning, trusted collaboration, and a builder who understands that the most successful homes are the ones that feel effortless only because so much intention went into making them that way.

The project took roughly a year and ten months to complete. In the end, it feels unrushed. Resolved. The kind of home that does not need to announce itself. It simply holds together, beautifully.