As seen in the Newtown Bee Local Firm Wins Homebuilders Award Four Square Builders, a Newtown-based company owned by brothers Neal and Steve Berko, was honored this past week with a prestigious award from the Connecticut Homebuilders Association for the 1997 Best Custom Home under 3,000 square feet. The home, owned by Hurley and Jane Bogardus, is located at 77 Wayside Lane in Redding. Neal Berko, the company's president, said, "We have always prided ourselves on the high quality of our work. Often consumers judge the quality of a home simply by the cosmetics and the 'flash'. To be given this award by our peers who are really evaluating all the details and quality of workmanship is truly an honor." The statewide contest gave awards for homes in different categories, such as square footage and price ranges. Five judges oversaw the competition by visiting property entries from all over the state. The winning home is a custom designed cape resting on 3.2 acres. "Although this was a small home, the project was particularly challenging because the portion of the lot for the home is surrounded by wetlands and a live stream. On top of that we needed to blast 1,400 cubic yards of rock to make the house fit," Mr. Berko said. Over the last 11 years, Four Square Builders has done a number of spec and custom built homes in Newtown, Southbury, Redding and Wilton. Mr. Berko said, "We are very excited about our latest project, which is a 5,000 square foot spec home in Weston that should sell for around $950,000." He also added that they have not forgotten their "roots" which are in Newtown. Both brothers live in Newtown with their wives and children. When asked about his company's future plans, he said, "We really enjoy building custom homes. It is truly a collaborative effort with the customer. We involve the customer in as much or as little of the process as they like. Custom homes allow us to focus on quality and service without all the worries of building a house on spec. It takes time to develop a reputation for building custom homes and after 11 years we really feel that we have developed momentum. Hopefully, we will continue to grow in the future." Four Square Builders can be reached at 203/270-8610. << back to News