The Last Luxury: Ed Venerable and the Lost Art of Homebuilding by Hand

Photo Credit: Ed Venerable

For centuries, humanity has evolved and thrived most when it has had safe spaces to turn to and call home. Historically hand-built, these environments often give their dwellers security and calm. However, these lodgings cannot and do not build themselves.

With the expertise and masterful molding skills of home builders like Ed Venerable, each property becomes a well-crafted atmosphere, prioritizing intention over price. Boasting his building business, Paragon Homes, Venerable continues to prove why he’s the ideal leader for the industry.

The Beginnings of a Bright Building Business: Paragon Homes

Venerable officially commenced his professional journey as a builder after founding and launching Paragon Homes in 1992. The company’s grand opening took place following the completion of its founder’s undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Colorado.

While Venerable entered the construction and development industry without formal training, his intrigue and passion for the craft remained. Opting to carve out a creative corner within the sector, the self-taught construction entrepreneur felt confident he could start the occupational path independently. It didn’t take long for the zealous artisan to realize that he knew very little and had set foot in the business somewhat ill-prepared.

After over three decades and countless market-driven hurdles, Paragon would triumphantly transform into a premier, ultra-luxury development company in the United States.

Photo Credit: Ed Venerable

The Values That Fuel Venerable’s Homebuilding Heart

Customized homebuilding, a tradition observed worldwide, has unfortunately become outdated. However, this endangered craft continues to be near and dear to many, Venerable explains.

Pushing to protect the detail, individuality, and history behind each of his projects, Venerable emphasizes the importance of hand-built habitats, highlighting that one of the last bespoke buildings you’ll find in today’s world is the custom home.

While some individuals are still interested in handmade watches or custom-built cars, others frequently lean toward cookie-cutter assets and accouterments.

Positioning himself as a thought leader within the ultra-luxury home market, Venerable designs and develops each of his projects, ingrained with his fingerprints, showcasing an architecture of animated existence rather than standard real estate.

With each home built, Venerable caters to clients who aren’t simply perusing the property market as buyers focused on net opulence. Every patron possesses a personal legacy; individuals seeking houses with an ageless aura.

Tackling the Ups and Downs of Homebuilding

Leveraging his 33 years of expertise within the industry, Venerable consistently overcomes the intricate obstacles in the construction sector. Having started the business in the early 1990s, Paragon’s firm founder endured many critical crashes during the first decade of the 21st century.

The Great Recession of 2008 proved to be an extremely challenging era for builders. Nearly 80% of custom home developers and makers lost their businesses due to the devastating downturn.

Although many of Venerable’s competitors decided to file for bankruptcy, he insisted on seeing things through despite the difficulties of the time. While he did lose half of his net worth, Venerable managed to keep his credit rating intact.

Now, the hard-working homebuilder preserves his place as an industry leader, receiving two well-deserved features in Colorado Homes and Lifestyle for outstanding custom home design and construction.

Ed Venerable & Paragon Homes: The Hope in Homebuilding Hereafter

As humanity looks ahead, a complex question arises: What in this world is truly worth building anymore?

Ed Venerable has the answer. Dedicated to the deeply human act of shaping space by hand, the quiet guardian of handmade luxury lodgings utilizes Paragon Homes as an optimistic counterbalance to the rise of automation and mass production in the modern age.

Venerable will continue to build for affluence, human legacy, personality, and permanence.

Disclaimer: Written in partnership with APG.