Arvada native Heath Cillessen, owner of Cillessen Construction Company, carries on a multi-generational construction legacy passed down through his father and grandfather. Although he lost his father to an accident when he was young, Heath spent many hours learning the craft from his grandfather and other family members.
In high school, he learned the more technical aspects of construction and drafting engineering and at sixteen, Heath began working with a local contractor getting more hands-on experience. Heath also works with his wife Ashleigh, and they live in the area with their two boys.
When he decided to start his own business, instead of creating a company from scratch, Heath chose to reopen his father’s company using the same name and logo. Through the company, Heath honors his family legacy by maintaining a commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and transparency.
“Our first major project was a mid-century modern renovation that we completed when I was 23. It turned out beautifully and was featured in a magazine,” shared Heath. “From there, we continued to build relationships with clients and work on renovation and addition projects, which eventually led to custom home building.”
As a full service general contracting company, Cillessen Construction Company (CCC) specializes in building custom homes, large scale additions, residential and commercial renovation projects, and exterior insurance restoration. With their in-house carpenters and custom woodworking shop, Heath and his team can ensure quality craftsmanship on every project.
For exterior insurance restoration projects, the team also works with clients to ensure proper procedures are followed for claims and that the restoration work fits seamlessly into the original construction.
“Our insurance restoration services are mainly geared towards the exterior of a home,” Heath added. “Here in Colorado, a house may be affected by storm damage or other unfortunate events, but we use our custom home building skills to help restore those houses.”
For the CCC team, building relationships with clients is foundational, and begins with the first consultation.
“We start the conversation by talking about the goals of the project, whether it is adding more living space or the style of home they want to build,” Heath explained. “We also go over budgets and timelines and make sure we answer any questions that they may have from our perspective as a builder. Most people we work with have never done big projects before, so we want to ensure they are well informed by answering all of their questions.”
The freedom to ask questions is an important part of the contractor and client relationship, which is why Heath spends time getting to know perspective clients.
“The consultation is a time of information gathering, but also a time to see how we work together as a team; as an owner and a contractor,” Heath said. “It is very important to find a contractor who you can work well with when building a house or doing a large-scale renovation. It is construction, so there are challenges that will come up along the way. The process may not happen perfectly, and it may require you to have some tough conversations, so compatibility is important.”
Once work begins on a project, Heath assures clients that the personal connection and transparency of operations continue, keeping homeowners informed during each step of the process. “We pride ourselves on our communication,” he shared. “We send an email to our clients with a daily log about what was completed each day, and we typically have weekly meetings,” said Heath. “This allows us to walk clients through the decisions they need to make for a project and timing for each of those things. Then we also work through what challenges we are facing and what work will be done in the next few weeks.”
When it comes to home design styles, Heath often works with mid-century modern renovations and pop-top additions to homes, but his personal favorite style is mountain modern, with its blend of rustic elements and modern design and amenities. He loves the attention to detail and the challenge those details bring to construction. However, as Heath works with clients, his goal is to create a project that reflects their unique style and functionality preferences. Although each client has unique preferences, he often notices trends in requests and designs.
“Each client has different tastes and that is one of the things that makes construction so fun,” he said. “We also have completed several mid-century modern renovation projects. With these, we are trying to match some of the details from back when these homes were built, in the 50s and 60s, as well as incorporating modern design elements.”
CCC fully invests time and resources into completing projects. According to Heath, most custom projects take twelve to eighteen months to complete, although project timelines vary based on the size of the project, time spent choosing materials, and material availability.
“We completed some Marshall fire home rebuilds and those were built in between 12 to 13 months from digging dirt to handing over the keys,” he shared. “We've had other projects that are more complex and take longer. The important thing is that we keep working together to accomplish everything within the desired timeframe.”
In the early years after reopening CCC, Heath found a lot of satisfaction in overcoming challenges to complete projects and building the business. More recently, Heath has found that he enjoys working and developing relationships with clients just as much as the accomplishment of completing projects.
“I love working with clients, it’s exciting to have them bring the project to us and working together from developing plans and selecting materials all the way to seeing them move into the house,” he said.
Heath also pours into the staff to create an environment at CCC which fosters personal and professional growth.
“I also really enjoy working with our employees, many of whom have worked with me for 8 to 10 years,” Heath said. “I’m all about seeing people grow and I like seeing how they've grown in their capabilities and their experience as a craftsman. I don't want someone to be a laborer forever; I want them to be a carpenter. Then, I don't want everyone to be a carpenter forever; I want them to progress and be able to manage projects. It makes me happy to watch my team grow and take big steps in advancing their careers.”
Ultimately, Heath and his team understand that building a house or doing a large-scale renovation can be intimidating but their goal is to make it a seamless process for each client.
“Our goal is to have a collaborative process and a team environment where we, as the builder, work together with the architect and the owners to successfully complete a project,” said Heath.
For more information and to schedule a consultation, visit cillessenconstruction.com and complete the contact form or call 303-305-7001. Visit the website and follow Cillessen Construction Company on Instagram for a showcase of completed projects.
As a full service general contracting company, Cillessen Construction Company specializes in building custom homes, large scale additions, residential and commercial renovation projects, and exterior insurance restoration.
It’s exciting to have clients bring the project to us and working together from developing plans and selecting materials all the way to seeing them move into the house.
Our goal is to have a collaborative process and a team environment where we, as the builder, work together with the architect and the owners to successfully complete a project.