Specializing in building equestrian homes and custom barns, Ventura Construction can build the property of your dreams. With a combined experience of more than 40 years, owners Rob Wilson and Brian Smiley partnered up four years ago and started Ventura Construction.
Both owners have a passion for construction, and were general contractors at major firms before starting their own business. Ventura Construction specializes in residential construction and remodeling, and equestrian construction from custom barns to riding rings. “We are experts in new construction but we have also found a niche in equestrian construction,” Wilson said.
Wilson and Smiley did not expect to become specialists in equestrian construction. “It kind of happened almost by accident, when we were building houses for people and they were asking us to build them barns as well,” Wilson recalled. “Things took off from there.”
The owners were hesitant about building barns at first. “We did not know anything about building barns,” Wilson said. “But before you know it, we were building as many barns as we were houses, and in 2011, we actually built more barns than houses.”
Ventura Construction moved from its former location in Palm Beach Gardens to 12160 South Shore Blvd., Suite 106, in Wellington a few months ago. The move was prompted by the equestrian clientele in the Wellington area. “Equestrian construction here in Wellington is not really like any other area,” Wilson said.
Because Wellington is the winter equestrian capital of the world, its barns are like no other. “When most people think of barns, they think of a big red barn out in the middle of the corn field,” Wilson said. “In Wellington, that’s not the case. We are talking about very specific and detailed construction for high-caliber riders and horses, and that’s a whole different level of construction.”
Ventura Construction puts the same amount of detail in the houses it builds as in the barns, and that has been recognized by many clients. “It has taken on a life of its own,” Wilson said. “People are noticing the difference in our buildings.”
Building equestrian barns is an intricate process that takes time and accuracy, Wilson said. “Barns are just as detailed as a house,” he said. “People know exactly how much space they need for their horses, how they want things laid out, where they want storage or feed rooms, and how much room they need in the aisle and tack room.”
Wilson meets with clients in the company’s office, and assists them in the design and layout of the property. It’s his job to ensure all the clients’ needs and wants are expressed in the design in order to give them a barn that is specific and individual to them.
“I’m able to remain accessible to clients here at the office,” Wilson said. “This way, I’m able to talk about the projects in the development phase, as well as take care of the financial side of the business.”
At the office, Wilson has a wide-screen monitor on which he’s able to show clients samples of their work or blueprints of projects. “A lot of what we do has become much more virtual and easier for clients to understand,” he said.
Smiley does the fieldwork by managing the construction sites to ensure everything is done accurately. “Brian makes sure the quality is there in everything we do,” Wilson said. “It has worked out to be a great partnership.”
For additional information, visit www.venturacompanies.com or call (561) 204-2226.
