Built on three generations of experience, Perthel Homes delivers bespoke homes across Wisconsin
Specializing in the building and remodeling of single-family homes, Perthel Homes (Perthel) was started 13 years ago by Zack and Benjamin Perthel. The family-owned business was formed to continue a three-generation legacy of homebuilders – Zack and Benjamin’s father, Rick Perthel, began building houses in Wisconsin throughout the 80s and 90s before the brothers followed in his footsteps, launching their company in the Milwaukee area.
“Before that, my grandfather worked for various companies building homes after he returned from the Korean War, with the Army Corps of Engineers,” shares Benjamin. “Consequently, there’s been various evolutions of the business, and we’ve been doing it a long time. At Perthel, we mainly build custom homes, alongside some high-end home and lot packages in the area. We also do large-scale remodeling, including full rebuilt kitchens, additions, fully finished basements and a few bathrooms.”
With ‘better built homes’ being the company slogan, Perthel continuously strives to deliver the best possible value for its clients, which Benjamin explains comes down to a careful balance of budget versus quality. “If a client has a specific cost cap, we might not want to use a specific product or method because it won’t fit within their budget,” he elaborates. “However, we have other ways of yielding them a very well-built, high-quality home at a more price conscious point. This doesn’t mean lower quality – just alternative means and methods. It may be that a particular product line will have less selections, so the customer only has six or seven options of paint color, as opposed to customized colors. For a budget-conscious client, that can really help them get a lot more house for their money without sacrificing quality.
“We recently completed a build with some unique features for the client’s lifestyle – her dogs had their own room with cute wallpaper, a custom Dutch door, a device for filling their water bowls and tiles to protect the base of the walls. Then we added an integrated dog gate, giving them their own space to roam. In addition to the dog room, we created a room in the basement with custom bunk beds for her nephews when they visit. Finally, we installed a super integrated pantry with green cabinets throughout because that was her favorite color. It’s got personality, which is always lovely to see.”
Based in Wisconsin, the company has experience of overcoming diverse temperature and humidity variations with its builds, balancing home design with construction to assist with energy efficiency. “In Wisconsin, we’ll go from zero Fahrenheit wind chills to nearly 100 percent humidity with 80-90 degree summers,” Benjamin continues. “This makes building more challenging, and that’s where certain architectural styles don’t make sense. Regarding energy efficiency, we like to focus on practicalities and the client’s needs. For instance, if a client wants to heat their garage when it gets extremely cold, we’d recommend a higher level of insulation in the garage doors, ceiling and walls.” 
Benjamin describes the main building design in Perthel’s Midwest location as traditional, American colonial style, with much of it being a more architecturally conservative area, with subtle influences of the modern farmhouse, ‘arts and crafts’ trend. “We’re very client-driven, in the sense that we work closely with them to create their vision,” he reveals. “The style primarily depends on that. A lot of our clients don’t necessarily want a house that stands out, but we have taken influence from other areas, such as New England coastal. It varies. We’re hands-on, boutique custom home builders where we sit down with our clients, get to know them and talk about their lifestyle, budget and desires, so we can help them make informed decisions about the home build. It’s a very collaborative process and more of an experience than just a sale. We see every client as a partnership and there’s a lot of trust both ways.”
Perthel’s commitment to client relationships has been an integral factor in its longevity and success, alongside Benjamin and Zack’s continuous involvement in the business. “We’re still actively involved with the construction of the homes,” states Benjamin. “We haven’t taken a backseat, and we approach it in the manner where everything is individual, hand-crafted and bespoke rather than mass produced. Additionally, Zack and I have both spent time in the field with construction, so we have that experience and real connection.”
Looking ahead
Looking to the future, Perthel aims to expand the business and increase its portfolio of bespoke homes. “Our end goal is to build an even deeper pipeline of clients, possibly working on more home and lot packages as well as custom builds,” Benjamin concludes. “We have more room for production because our lead up time is longer than a tract home builder and we’re able to spend four to six months, even up to a year sometimes with clients, designing and making selections. We would love to focus on home and lot packages again, as there’s a market in our area where a lot of upper management people are relocating – they don’t want a ‘fixer up’ home and they don’t have the time to spend a year building. Being able to come in and buy a high-quality Perthel home, where they can make a couple of selections, would be absolutely ideal.”