The Metropolitan Magazine - Moore-Grant Construction

Despite this challenged economy of ours, there seems to be an increasing number of homebuilders popping up around the Sussex County area. Maybe that’s good, since more businesses mean more jobs for people — at least temporarily. But it’s important to remember that just because something increases in quantity doesn’t mean it will also increase in quality. To make sure it does, however, there is Christopher Moore Lind and his company, Moore-Grant Construction.

Lind arrived with a winning game plan from the time he started his company in January 2008. That the college-educated newlywed is already such a respected and trusted homebuilder and businessman is due not only to the magnitude of his innate talents but also to the Sussex County tradition for which he currently carries the torch.

He is the grandson of legendary local developer and Indian River Land Co. founder Carlton Moore Sr., who, with longtime business partner Walter Grant, is among the most prodigious residential-community builders in the history of Sussex County. Now a 25-year-old who is somehow managing to age at a pace Dorian Gray would envy, Lind can still vividly recall being on the jobsite with Moore Sr. from the time he was about 10 years old, making his unique apprenticeship a long time coming.

“Thanks to my grandfather,” shared Lind, “I feel as if I’d already had a full career in homebuilding by the time I founded Moore-Grant. I also think that having that foundational knowledge at such a young age allowed me the luxury of getting all my mistakes out of the way a long time ago.”

The result is a company whose creations one may fairly describe as “custom progressive-traditional,” in that Lind’s rock-solid professional practices and his modern, technology-friendly disposition combine to synthesize a product that captures the best of both old and new.

Though Lind would be the first to point out that every house Moore-Grant builds is unique, what they share is that they’re all made in accordance with the highest standards of home construction. Ultimately, what Lind has been able to do in two short years is carve a neat little market niche for himself that relies on the delivery of affordable exclusivity to each of his customers, something he and the company that bears his name seem better equipped to do than just about anyone else in the region.

“My wife and I consulted so many area builders before finally selecting Moore-Grant to build our home,” said Jack Murphy, a professional in — of all things — the building and construction industry who lives with his wife Mary Anne in the Villages of Beacon Meadows in Millsboro. “What ultimately convinced us that Chris was the one for us boiled down to three things:

“First, we were very impressed by his knowledge of building — especially for someone so young,” Murphy said. “Second, Chris gave us such generous access to him; it’s practically unheard of in this industry. Third, he’s incredibly flexible — even for a custom homebuilder. We never heard, ‘I can’t do this,’ or ‘I can’t do that.’ Whatever we wanted, Chris and Moore-Grant were able to do. In the end, he delivered exactly the home Mary Anne and I had dreamt of.”

Despite the glowing praise of Murphy and many others like him, there are some things that Moore-Grant Construction won’t do. For example, Moore-Grant will not allow the use of any materials or workmanship that is likely to create quality or durability issues down the road. It means that every Moore-Grant home is what they call “stick-built,” which is a superior method of construction that maximizes useable space. It also means that the drywall in a Moore-Grant home is “screwed and glued,” offering not only superior aesthetic quality to the nail-gun method but also greater structural integrity.

“In many ways we’re a throwback to a bygone era,” Lind observed. “We build homes the way it was done in our parents’ time… with that same commitment to quality and attention to detail. In fact, I’m pretty sure we’re the only residential builders in the area who let their clients paint every room in their house a different color if they want to — and I mean any color.”

But even though Moore-Grant Construction is, by its founder’s own admission, a throwback, it also
marches relentlessly forward, not only embracing all the contemporary aspects of ecological responsibility but also incorporating all the latest technological developments of home automation.
“We take eco-awareness very seriously,” said Lind, who is a Certified Green Professional by the National Association of Home Builders. “In fact, every Moore-Grant home comes automatically with a Rinnai tankless hot-water system, and we are abundantly qualified to build an Energy Star-certified home.”
Meanwhile, when it comes to cutting-edge home automation, Moore-Grant uses only the Lewes-based Overture Home Electronics, arguably the premier practitioner of its kind in the region.
Yet, what Lind emphasizes with palpable intensity is that, sure, Moore-Grant can build a $2 million, fully automated, Energy Star-certified house with a home theater so lavish, it practically comes with its own movie stars, but the fact is they are just as happy to use their experience and skill to build your $200,000 dream home with the same degree of integrity. And integrity is a word that has always had special meaning for the young entrepreneur from Sussex County.
“My family and I were born in this community, and we’re not going anywhere,” Lind declared with a steely certitude that belied the twinkling smile with which it was delivered. “Therefore, it doesn’t really even make any sense — morally, ethically or practically — for us to go for the quick buck or the big killing. This is where my wife Kate and I are going to raise our children, and I want those children to look at their dad with the same kind of respect and admiration as I do whenever I’ve looked at my granddad.”

Moore-Grant Construction LLC,
14 Beacon Cir., Millsboro, Del.,
302-934-0506, www.mooregrant.com, chris@mooregrant.com