When the federal government needed to update its federal court buildings to comply with the American Disabilities Act, it turned to Jim Garman. As the space and facilities coordinator, Jim was responsible for bringing the court buildings in his district up to code. To say the least, this task was a huge undertaking, for it included renovating and adding to the buildings, some of which were more than 100 years old. Jim often says the amount of detail involved in this task heavily influenced the meticulous approach he takes to building today.
After retiring from the federal government at age 49, the first home Jim built was his own home in Hilton Head. He used what he had learned from his work on the federal buildings to design and construct it. When he finished, many people admired what he had created, and he realized he could build beautiful homes for other people. He came out of retirement to found Willow Tree, and he started building homes in his neighborhood. He knew he couldn’t afford to provide anything short of the best, for he would have to live as neighbors with his clients long after the homes were built. So, he approached building each home as if he were building his own.
Twenty years later, homebuilding is what gets Jim up every morning. Each new project gives him the joy he received from those first projects, and he continues to take the care with each home he builds as if it were its own.
