Now celebrating 60 years in business, Total Concepts represents a family of fine homebuilders
Nestled amongst the beautiful geographies of Northern California, Total Concepts is dedicated to building stunning, luxurious homes. Founded by construction visionary, Hank Rechin, in 1965, Total Concepts was established with one overarching passion: to make a difference in people’s lives and build dreams in the process. Fabricated around the idea that ‘with enough care, a dream truly can be realized beyond the structure of the home’, the company has built some of the most exquisite homes across Santa Rosa, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma. From the mountains to the coast, Total Concepts works closely with architects to ensure that each home encapsulates the beauty and heritage of the area in which they are built.
Today, Total Concepts is owned and led by its second generation, brothers John and Mark Rechin, sons of Hank Rechin. With the company celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025 and welcoming its third generation into the business, Total Concepts is greater than ever before. Renowned for its emphasis on integrity, excellence, and unique acts of generosity – defined as ‘life-giving’ moments – the company is thrilled to commemorate its achievements from 2025 and move into the next chapter of prosperity.
In celebration of this milestone, Modern Home Builders sits down with John to uncover the contributing factors behind Total Concepts’ longevity and continuing success. John starts by sharing insight into the company’s primary specialisms.
“Our estate residences vary greatly in architectural design, from modern farm homes to something more Mediterranean. It all depends on what our clients want; many of our clients are coming to us to build their dream home which, in many cases is their last, so it really varies in terms of design and size,” he begins. “Most of our homes are somewhere between the area of 4000 to 12,000 square feet and usually have multiple buildings, so there will be a main house, a barn house, a guest house, etcetera. All of our homes vary greatly and that’s what makes it fun; you’re always working on things that are new and unique to that specific project.”
Strong partnerships
In turn, Total Concepts champions what it refers to as ‘integrated project delivery’ – an approach that places client collaboration and communication at its core. Beginning at the start of preconstruction, often before the client has even purchased land, the company forms a specialist team of architects, designers, and subcontractors, and engineers – all specifically curated to execute the client’s vision to the highest standards of quality, cost effectiveness, and efficiency.
Such delivery, of course, is reliant on strong partnerships, constant collaboration, and teamwork – three things that Total Concepts embodies throughout all the facets of its business.
“Trust is the true establisher of any partnership,” John elaborates. “We’ve worked with many of our partners for several years, and so we have a mutual understanding that goes beyond any specific project. There is enough respect for everyone to share their goals and concerns. The ability to go back and forth truthfully across the team is powerful; there may be some pushback in some elements, but it’s real feedback, and that’s what our subcontractors love.”
Through this approach, Total Concepts has successfully delivered a multitude of projects, with one of its most recently completed – New Vine – being particularly spectacular. Designed by Surround Architecture (Colorado) and Lucas & Lucas (Santa Rosa), the home strikes a balance between the surrounding landscape and sleek, modern design, using elements such as wooden and steel beams and stone walls to bring a sense of nature into the structure.
John shares more: “For this project, the clients came from Los Angeles after they’d bought a piece of property. We went through the process of taking the whole place down and having it redesigned into something larger. However, the pricing came back at more than their budget, so when they hired us to be the contractor, we redesigned it again. We reduced the size but kept the design elements that were important to the client and kept within their desired budget. It’s a stunning place and the owners love it.”
Life moments
As John reiterates throughout our conversation, Total Concepts embodies a close-knit culture fostered in alignment with its longstanding family legacy. In fact, John
and Mark view the company’s 30-strong workforce as an extension of their family and deeply value their hard work and shared dedication to creating ‘life-giving’ moments. John explains the meaning behind this value in further detail.
“Life-giving is one of my favorite values. It’s unique to us and it’s focused on how we can bring great life moments to our clients throughout our ongoing relationships,” he enthuses. “For one project, we asked if we could conduct a blessing at the home, which was spoken at an onsite meeting and was meaningful to the clients. Another set of clients mentioned that they’d never eaten abalone before, so some of our team dove for abalone and we cooked it for them on an open fire.
“For another customer, I envisioned a little girl dancing across the floor at their house while I was praying,” John continues. “I explained that picture to them, and then my daughter – who is an artist – painted it for them. The client was extremely touched and said it felt like it could be her future granddaughter, as the residence was set to be a family home. During the build process God brought this picture from Him to life. Life-giving can be done in many ways, and it really comes down to having the other person’s best interest in mind, whether that be with our vendors, clients, or employees.”
Success factors
Closing the curtains on another highly successful year, the business enters 2026 with gratitude, excited for the new opportunities ahead. John takes a moment to reflect on the company’s journey thus far and reveals what he believes to be the main driving forces behind its success.
“It’s all about doing what’s best for your clients, employees, and partners and really pushing that through acts of generosity,” he affirms. “The other main driving factor to our success is our faith. I believe that God provides the perfect opportunities with the perfect people to work with, because we only work on four to five projects at a time. Our clientele is very limited, and we believe that God put them with us for a reason. We’ve trusted God to provide the right work at the right time throughout all the ups and downs, and we really have been blessed for this past 20 years.”