100 Clark Lake Rd. • Durham
919-493-1232
www.byronpapa.com
Fine home building and remodeling with special emphasis on green building principles.
Byron Papa has always taken great pride in his work. A hands-on builder since 1980, he brings first-rate craftsmanship and high attention to detail to all of his jobs, large and small. Through the years, his innovative and efficient methods of work have led him to author numerous published articles for prominent national trade magazines, including Fine Homebuilding and The Journal of Light Construction.
He and his colleague, Gary Player, often joke about which one is the most picky about construction details. Together, they offer up an extraordinarily diverse construction background, from super-insulated new custom homes to National Register historic projects to virtually every kind of remodel and addition.
Papa’s longtime interest and activism in environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, caused him to bridge that passion to his work, as a green builder. By coincidence, he moved to North Carolina in summer of 1994, a week before the annual Eno River Festival; the festival’s strong environmental theme made quite an impression on him.
To a large part, Papa attributes his skills, workmanship and innovation to his Louisiana roots, having been born and raised in the bayou country. “Cajuns are very creative people and that’s not limited to food and music; it spreads to everything we do. And we start young; while my dad was building a real wooden boat, I was building toy boats out of the plywood scraps.”
Papa spent a good part of the past few years designing and building his finest project to date: his own new custom home on the east side of Chapel Hill.
“It’s a one-stop showcase for just about everything we do. It’s a marvel of thoughtful design, innovative ideas and fine craftsmanship, and it’s exceptionally energy efficient and comfortable. I can’t wait to show it.”
Papa will hold a weekend Open House later in the year. “I think people will be very impressed with what we’ve done here. We definitely kicked it up a few notches.”
Stay tuned.
