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Jim Bentley is a Kansas City Deck
Builder and the principal behind Enhanced Outdoor Living, LLC. Jim
started working as a carpenter in the summer after high
school in 1976 for a Shawnee, Kansas home builder. He
recalls
 the
feeling of an awakening excitement after his first day. He
knew from the beginning that to working with his hands
building the highest quality residential projects would
become his "calling".
Soon he found himself in the evenings at home
filling notebooks with information that he had learned
during the day. He had a thirsting desire to learn all that
he could. And learn he did. Just seven years after that
first summer, Jim gave notice that he would be resigning his
job as a lead carpenter/foreman to start his own residential
construction company. Very soon after that, a door would
open. It was like a threshold to cross over that would shape
and form his career.
In the fall of
1983, Jim won a bid to frame one of the first homes in a new
subdivision that in 1983 was one of the southernmost points
of residential construction in Johnson Co., (Summercrest @
College Blvd. & Lowell.)
The Home Builder
that hired Jim for that first project, the first of over 180
homes Jim would frame for him, was an established home
builder who started building homes in Kansas City in 1974.
Jim, at the age of 25, knew that to achieve a high level of
success he must always perform at the highest level and
stand out above all of the rest. So Jim began a pattern of
arriving an hour before his crew to layout the scheduled
tasks for the day. Jim would stay after the crew left
envisioning desired accomplishments for the next day.
The Home Builder took notice of Jim's work ethic because it
stood above the rest. A solid, long-lasting relationship was
formed.
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For the next 25 years
Don Julian Builders has provided a seemingly unlimited
amount of work for Jim.
In 1986 in the midst of a construction "boom" in Kansas
City, the deck builder Don Julian used was overloaded with
deadlines that had to be met. So, to help out, Jim was asked
to build a deck over the weekend that had to be completed by
Monday morning. Jim and 2 of his crew members got the job
done on time and again the feelings of an awakening
excitement came to Jim.
For the next 9 years, in addition to framing homes, Jim
built over 200 Decks and Screened Porches for Don. In 1995,
Jim was asked by Don if he would help form and manage a new
concept for home builders in Kansas City; "in house" framing
crews. Jim agreed, and after 1 year Jim had formed 3 very
successful and self sufficient framing crews.
With this success behind him, Jim was granted the position
of exclusive deck and porch builder for Don Julian
Builders. From 1995 to today Jim has built over 1000 Decks
and Porches throughout greater Kansas City in subdivisions
such as Riss Lake, Tiffany Greens, Falcon Ridge, Woodland
Reserve,
 Cedar Creek and Canyon Creek.
Since 1995
Jim has built for countless homeowners throughout the Kansas
City area; Decks and Deck Additions, Screened Porches,
Trellises,
Pergolas, Covered Porches and Sunrooms. Can we build for
you? |
