Combining exceptional quality with Air Force values, second-generation Maupin Homes provides custom builds in Idaho
Situated in the picturesque resort town of McCall, Idaho, Maupin Homes specializes in custom home builds and has been providing exceptional homes for over 40 years, while mitigating the challenges of working in rugged and often snowy conditions. With a wide variety of projects in its portfolio, Maupin Homes also builds shops and ADU units, alongside numerous small- and large-scale remodels.
Jacob Maupin became company President four years ago after partnering with his father, Fred – the founder of the business – in 2017 and then buying him out when he retired. Since then, Jacob has been sole owner and operator. “My dad started Maupin Homes back in 1988,” Jacob tells Modern Home Builders. “He was a framing contractor all his life and then naturally he moved into home building, eventually launching and operating Maupin Homes until he retired a few years ago. He’d take me on his framing jobs when I was a kid, cleaning up and doing odd jobs. As I got older and started high school, I’d work for his subcontractors over the summer – I did well drilling, excavation, landscaping, framing, painting, and trim work; pretty much everything! I joined the Air Force after graduating high school and began working for my dad again when I returned home. Fred semi-retired in 2008 after the housing crash, at which point I decided to venture out and work for a couple of different companies, before going back to school at Boise State where I ended up getting my finance degree. After working in banking for a couple of years, I realized how much I missed home building, so I decided to move up to McCall and get back into business with him. I introduced new ideas and innovations to the business, and we really ramped up Maupin Homes.”
Positive experiences
More recently, the company completed a project at Brundage Mountain Ski Resort which has been open since 1961. Brundage Mountain Municipal Association, Inc. (BMMA) serves as the master association for the Brundage Mountain Village community. Northwoods is the first residential neighborhood within Brundage Mountain Village where Maupin Homes built one of the first two homes in the subdivision. Comprising of beautiful mountain-modern design, the house features exposed steel beams, cedar tongue and groove ceilings, cedar exteriors, and a standing seam metal roof. In addition, it built Brundage’s real estate office, alongside a new ski patrol building. Building in the mountainous region of McCall, Jacob describes the mountain-modern style of architecture as incredibly popular and one of his personal favorite styles. “I really enjoy the mix of exposed steel beams, big heavy timbers, vast amounts of natural cedar siding, metal and stone finishes,” he reveals. “The mono slope and flatter roof pitches really give the houses a simple yet beautiful elegance. Due to our location, there’s increased snow loads and engineering, and our builds involve a lot of steel, timbers, and Glulams – extremely intricate work which isn’t required for your standard home.
“Working in a mountain area has its challenges, as we’re dealing with very steep, rocky lots, heavy snow, and tree clearing. Our goal is to make sure the foundation is in, then we can get the house framed and ready before winter hits. The other difficulty we can face here is lack of labor, as we are a small resort community. The guys I use have fantastic laborers, but they’re typically smaller crews which can make things run a little slower. Not only that, but there is also a lot of building going on in our area so the demand on the subs is high. After all, you can only be on so many jobs at once. On top of that, we do pay more material costs being up here in the mountains. Nevertheless, we’re a community-focused, tight knit outfit and all the subcontractors I use live or work in this area. I have two superintendents who work for me too and we’re all very close, almost family in a way. My wife handles all the interior and exterior design, and she works closely with our clients, picking out materials, appliances, color selections and helping with finishes, along with any other design needs our clients have.” Jacob states: “She has become a huge asset and has a fantastic eye for design. She makes the design process far better than I ever could and really takes the time to help clients bring all the design elements together to create a truly beautiful home.”
Jacob’s approach to ensuring a positive home building experience for clients stems back to his days in the Air Force, and their three main values: ‘integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.’ “I apply the same ethical principles to our business,” highlights Jacob. “It’s important to us that we’re honest, truthful, and steadfast in character. Unfortunately, I hear a lot about people being taken advantage of in our industry and we’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen. We build a quality product, we don’t overcharge, and if something isn’t quite right, we fix it. We’re here to keep our clients happy. Another big one for us is transparency. Quite honestly, building a custom home can be stressful, time consuming, and emotional, so setting expectations from the start is extremely beneficial. Letting the client know what we expect from each other goes a long way. Life can throw delays, material issues, price changes, and personal problems your way, and I think being able to express frustration without confrontation, keep a level head, and communicate frequently throughout the job is extremely important. Communication is huge for us. Most of our business comes from referrals and many of our clients stay in contact with us – some of them have become good friends of ours and those relationships are incredibly important.”
Already off to a strong start this year, Maupin Homes has three exciting projects on the horizon and is also completing a superb mid-century modern remodel on the lake. “Typically, clients don’t reach out until around March or April, so 2026 is looking great,” Jacob concludes. “2020 was by far the busiest year we’ve ever seen – we had a huge influx of people leaving other states and moving to Idaho during the pandemic. It was like the Wild West! Pricing was out of control, and it was just chaotic. I’m noticing everything is starting to slow down a bit and we’re returning to a normal pace now, for the moment anyway. Continuous, steady growth is important, and, for us, that means concentrating on delivering the high quality of home and service that we always provide.”