If barn house construction is in your future, you’ll want to meet Jay Fountain. As Estimator and member of the YBH Engineering Department, Jay wears several hats and is uniquely qualified in both the design of a Yankee Barn home and estimating the cost per square foot. Jay is the guy with the numbers answers to all those questions that begin with “how much will this cost?”
YBH: Tell Us a Bit About Yourself.
Jay: I’ve been a resident of Grantham for over 35 years. I currently live here with my longtime girlfriend. I’ve been the Grantham Fire Chief for the past 4 years. In my free time, I enjoy going to Red Sox games and watching Dartmouth Hockey. I’m an avid bow hunter; I also enjoy home brewing, collecting old Fire paraphernalia, and spending time out on my motorcycle.
YBH: What Keeps You at YBH?
Jay: I have been into designing and engineering homes for as long as I can remember. Not being very good at baseball I couldn’t play for the Red Sox, so after high school I went to Vermont Tech for architectural engineering. I liken working for Yankee Barn Homes to playing for the home team. I enjoy the fact that each new barn house construction has its own set of challenges. I especially enjoy working with the entire YBH team on figuring out those challenges.
YBH: Explain Your Job Process
Jay: My first day at YBH I was told to design my own home. I have lost count on the number of revisions I have made to that house over the years. Therefore, I understand when a customer wants to see something a few different ways. Because we are building their forever home, we want to make sure the client LOVES it. Over the years at YBH I’ve preformed many jobs including progress and build plans, shop drawings, and reams of associated paperwork. These past few years, I’ve added estimator to my list of jobs.
YBH: What’s On Your Calendar at YBH?
Jay: Currently, I’m working on shop drawings for two houses. One will be built in the White Mountains; the other will be going to Long Island. I am also working on three estimates for new projects – one is a barn kit. One of the great things about barn house construction is the diversity of projects underway on a daily basis.
Growing up in Grantham has given me a unique perspective on Yankee Barn Homes. I have seen YBH grow and develop over the years. There have been ups and downs, but through it all the Yankee Barn product has always improved, and I am proud to say that I am now a part of that process. I still look forward to the moment when a prospective home owner walks through the door and says “You can build this, right?” Yes we can!
Hi BeamBabe,
It was fun meeting Jay digitally and perhaps I’ll meet him face to face sometime. He sounds like a good guy and someone enjoyable to work with. I write today, however, to find out more about the Narrangasett House. Is the floor plan available online? I can’t seem to locate it among the various “Home Styles” available for viewing. It’s much bigger than we would have consider, but I’m sure there are elements we could consider using. Could you send it to me individually or do I have to wait for a later posting?
Sincerely,
Kevin O’Connor
Hey Kevin,
You are correct, the floor plan is currently not available online and in all honesty, probably won’t be for a time. This may sound like a pitch, but in actuality it’s the truth; we are really busy with folks buying and building YBHs. You might have been able to tell from all the new designs we’re featuring here on the blog. We will get The Narragansett plans up. I’ll keep you posted as to when. BeamBabe