John Engerman’s Journey from Boyhood Woodworking Projects to Custom Lakefront Homes
By Chrysa Smith
Pretty much everyone who has purchased a home, admired a home, or worked on one in the region knows John Engerman. The Lake Geneva-based developer of Engerman Contracting has both style and a personal reputation. And while the home styles may have evolved as he closes in on over a 35-year tenure in the business, his reputation has not. He simply builds great quality homes—super renovations.
Mike Keefe of Ajax Property Management, a division of Keefe & Associates can attest to it. “I’ve done three lakefront houses and a subdivision with John and would use him for anything else in the future. He’s creative, conscientious, and fair. He’s currently doing several storefronts for me.” Justin Bucy, Architect from COBU Architecture Studio, PLLC shares similar sentiments. “As an architect, I welcome John’s insights into the local housing fabric. John and his team push for excellence and quality in all their builds. I’ve worked with John on a number of projects, all of which hold true to their high standards.” John considers Justin an exclusive, sort of in-house designer. “I’m instrumental in the design myself, then hand it off to have it polished by the designer,” he says. Over the course of his life, John said he can create a vision and see it through to the end. He’s a straight-shooter kind-of-man with a solid, old-school foundation in his trade. He’s been known to sketch his concepts on napkins and behind dry wall, as he expresses ideas at any moment. They translate into plans that get clarified and communicated to everyone on the job site.
At the moment, John can boast multitudes of completed properties–from Geneva Lake to Powers and Pleasant Lakes, he says he juggles several projects at any given time. He has been a major contractor credited with the 93-acre Woodstone Prairie community. Multiple prairie-style home designs were kept true to their style, while still maintaining the open prairie feel of space. Half of the parcel is natural environment and native landscaping. “I kept the integrity of a prairie home. A cohesive look with a certain rhythm about it,” he says. “My goal was when it was all finished, someone driving through would say it looks different. It looks really good.”
There’s clearly a multitude of design ideas that change with projects, with John offering his clients everything from a semi-custom option to complete and total customization. Perhaps there is no better example than the unusually unique home known as the Clock Tower House. This sage green-siding and stone masterpiece is fitted with a large clock set into the center of the home, in what looks to be a clock tower. According to John, the client wanted something different. “We decided a clock would be a unique feature on Geneva Lake. You can stand inside behind the clock and look out on the lake.”
But semi and full custom-builds are only a part of the portfolio. So are renovations. “Property is scarce,” he says. “Nothing much is available in Lake Geneva. It’s so highly sought after. People are reluctant to relinquish their property. If they had to jump back in, it would be a huge investment. If you want a quality Lake Geneva estate, we’re talking $10 million,” he remarks. At present, the company is working on developing a custom lake home in Fontana, which he coyly suggests is available.
So, how exactly did John achieve this pinnacle of success? To uncover that, you need to step back to an earlier time. “When I was 14 years old, I started building furniture. It’s how I got through high school,” John explains. “My dad was a businessman who raised seven kids. But he also dabbled in cartooning. Maybe I got some of my creativity from him.” So, one Christmas, John’s dad gave him a DeWalt Radial Arm Saw. It still sits in his building today. Later on, in 1983, when the economy was bad, John says you couldn’t ‘buy a job.’ As he describes, “I applied for an entry level college grad job at Wisconsin Power and Light, as well as with one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s contemporaries, Marshall Erdman in Madison. They both offered me a job. I turned them both down at $14k a year and decided to try it on my own.”
Coupled with a Bachelor of Science degree in construction design and management, the business began, then flourished to become one of the preeminent development companies in the area. Engerman Contracting consists of four divisions, including Design, Contracting, Properties, and Development. He says he’s worked with some of the top real estate developers nationwide and believes his subs to be the best available.
Working with him, it’s clear clients have the confidence which comes from John being there through the entire project. From feature specification development, where all details, large and small are planned, through scheduling, pulling permits and project management, construction and completion. “I’m also a good asset in creating and helping with local zoning codes and waterway issues. There are a lot of unknown issues that come up. Throughout the years, I’ve ironed out many.” Though John says, “I’m more of an artist—concerned with scale and details, it’s all in how you treat people.” That combines ‘Design 101’ and a great life philosophy—an equation that’s led him to build a lot more than homes.
