With a people-first approach to building, Burkhart Brothers Construction continues its rise as one of Newport Beach’s leading luxury home builders
For nearly 20 years, Burkhart Brothers Construction (Burkhart Bros) has earned a reputation for crafting exceptional custom homes throughout Orange County’s most distinguished coastal communities. Founded in 2007 by brothers Bryan and Mark Burkhart, the boutique luxury home builder has built its business around a highly personalized approach, guiding clients through every stage of the process, from pre-construction planning to final handover.
hosted at Burkhart Bros Construction
Left to right:
Jeffrey Maynard, Chris Gialanella, Paul McClean, Chris Pozil, Bryan Burkhart, Ravi Jane
Over the last four years, Burkhart Bros has entered a defining period of elevation and growth. The company’s portfolio has expanded in both scale and significance; its team and internal capabilities have evolved; and its presence throughout Newport Beach has become increasingly prominent. From Newport Harbor and Dover Shores to Corona del Mar, Big Canyon, and beyond, Burkhart Bros is behind an increasingly recognizable collection of luxury residences, strengthening its position as one of the area’s leading custom home builders.
While the scale and complexity of its projects have grown, Burkhart Bros has remained deliberate in its approach, taking on a curated portfolio that allows the team to maintain the craftsmanship, personal service, and attention to detail that built its reputation.
Modern Home Builders has been following Burkhart Bros’ journey for several years, documenting the company’s continued growth and innovation as both the business and luxury residential market have evolved. Its progression is increasingly visible, not only in the homes Burkhart Bros is building, but in the sophistication of the organization behind them. This year, we reconnect with President Bryan Burkhart at a particularly exciting point in the company’s trajectory as investments in technology become a major component of Burkhart Bros’ evolution.
“We’ve invested almost $100k in our AI usage since 2019, and we’ve since been implementing it heavily,” Bryan reveals. “From estimating to billing, we’re automating everything into an AI system with agents. The theory is that we become AI-native, so we don’t have to replace people, but instead operate with a pyramid-type management structure where we have people who manage multiple AI platforms at once. It means that we can do more work faster and for a better price.
“For example, we now scan all of our plans into an AI program, along with sample bids, and the program will evaluate our quality of work and highlight anything we’ve missed. We use AI to help us create schedules, budgets, and communications; every email we send is reviewed by AI for accuracy. We can now walk a jobsite, and our phones will take the data, put it into AI, and then automatically send a detailed, daily log to whoever is necessary. It can all be done really quickly, which is great for efficiency.”
For Burkhart Bros, technology has become a way to grow intelligently. Rather than replacing the people behind the projects, AI allows the company to increase efficiency, strengthen communication, and give its team better information to make decisions faster. It is an evolution of the business model that enables Burkhart Bros to take on increasingly ambitious work while maintaining the personal attention that has long defined the company.
That same appetite for innovation is reflected inside the homes themselves. As Newport Beach homeowners increasingly embrace connected living, demand for sophisticated smart home systems continues to grow. Staying ahead means combining streamlined internal processes with technologies that enhance comfort, convenience, security, and the overall ownership experience.
“The biggest trends in smart home technology right now are lighting control and security,” Bryan says. “Our clients want comprehensive wiring for everything, from alarms, motion sensors, and security cameras to break-glass systems that trigger an alarm if a window is shattered. Likewise, electric blinds are another feature seeing strong demand. Home cinemas also remain hugely popular, with integrated controls for HVAC, thermostats, and lighting creating a seamless experience.”
While technology continues to evolve, Bryan believes the tools are only part of the equation. Delivering an exceptional home ultimately comes down to something much more traditional: experience, honest advice, clear communication, and lasting trust. “It’s all about time, experience, and treating people right,” he continues. “As a company, you need to take care of people. Your business needs to be transparent and fair. Too many of our competitors just tell clients what they want to hear, when it’s just not feasible or accurate.”
It is a philosophy reinforced by renowned architect Geoff Sumich, whose perspective Bryan frequently references – clients rarely complain about the money they spent, but rather the money they didn’t spend. Once a project is complete, it is often the decisions not made, or the opportunities passed over during construction, that homeowners ultimately regret. “When the project’s done, they regret not doing certain things while they had the opportunity,” Bryan says. “It’s becoming a well-known saying amongst guys at my level.” That willingness to give clients honest guidance has become even more valuable as the scale and sophistication of Burkhart Bros’ work has increased.
Building Newport
Perhaps nowhere is the company’s evolution more apparent than in Newport Beach itself. Building exceptional homes in Newport Beach requires far more than craftsmanship alone. Constrained coastal sites, complex permitting, exacting architectural details, increasingly sophisticated technology, significant budgets, and discerning clients all require a builder capable of managing countless moving pieces without losing sight of the finished product.
Years of building throughout the city have given Burkhart Bros an intimate understanding of those complexities, along with long-standing relationships across Newport Beach’s architecture, design, development, and construction communities. The result is a growing portfolio of significant custom residences and waterfront properties that reflects just how far the company has progressed over the last four years. Burkhart Bros is not expanding into Newport Beach, it is deeply established within it.
That presence has also evolved beyond the jobsite. The company has increasingly become a convener within the local building and design community, bringing together respected architects, designers, builders, and industry professionals for conversations surrounding artificial intelligence, construction technology, design, and the future of luxury residential development. It is a natural progression for a company whose role within the Newport Beach market continues to grow.
Evolving excellence
For all the attention paid to technology, systems, and increasingly ambitious homes, Bryan continues to return to the same factor when discussing Burkhart Bros’ success, people.
He believes one of the company’s greatest strengths lies in creating an environment where talented people want to build long-term careers. Employee retention remains high, and even many who leave eventually choose to return.
“Good people are always in demand,” he explains, “so it’s important to create a workplace where they feel valued and have the opportunity to succeed. We invest in our team, offer competitive pay, and have systems in place that help everyone flourish. Around 75 percent of the people who leave the business by choice return within a year, which tells us we’re doing something right. It allows us to maintain our culture while continuing to support our people.”
That culture remains the foundation for the company’s long-term strategy. As Bryan looks ahead, he sees sustained growth coming not from chasing every opportunity, but from staying focused on efficiency, delivering consistent value, and continuing to invest in the people who make it all possible.
“Our aim is to stay grounded and diversified while continuing to learn and keep things efficient. While our primary business is high-end custom homes for end users, we also love working on homes for developers, as we must deliver the project at the best price, best speed, and best quality. The key to this business is my people,” he affirms.
Nearly two decades after Bryan and Mark Burkhart founded the company, Burkhart Bros is operating at a new level. The homes are increasingly ambitious, the technology more sophisticated, the team deeper, and the company’s footprint throughout Newport Beach increasingly difficult to miss.
The last four years have demonstrated that growth and evolution do not have to come at the expense of the qualities that established a company in the first place. For Burkhart Bros, those fundamentals remain straightforward, craftsmanship, transparency, relationships, trust, and people.
By combining those principles with technology-driven efficiency and a willingness to continuously evolve, Burkhart Bros has positioned itself for its next era of growth. The tools of the industry will continue to change. Homes will become smarter, designs more ambitious, and the expectations surrounding luxury construction even greater. But for Bryan, Mark, and the Burkhart Bros team, excellence is still built the same way it was in 2007, through experience, accountability, relationships, and an uncompromising dedication to quality.
Four years on, Burkhart Bros is not simply keeping pace with Newport Beach’s luxury residential market. It is building Newport, while continuing to evolve what excellence looks like.
