A Family-Owned Home Builder That Finally Looks as Good Online as Their Work Does in Person
Custom home building & remodeling · Issaquah, WA · Ongoing retainer
Client since 2021
intro
Dan and Kelly had been building beautiful homes on the Greater Seattle Eastside since 1999. Their reputation was solid, their work was exceptional, and their business had grown almost entirely through word of mouth. What they didn't have was a digital presence that matched the quality of what they built. That's where we came in.
who they are
Sierra Homes is a small, family-owned custom home builder and remodeler serving east King County, Washington, including Issaquah, Renton, Newcastle, and the surrounding communities. Dan leads every build personally, and Kelly brings her interior design expertise and long-standing relationships with skilled craftsmen to every project.
What makes Sierra Homes different is the intentional limit they put on their own growth. They take on no more than a handful of custom home projects at a time. That's a deliberate choice. It means every client gets direct, personal attention from the owners themselves, not a sales team or a project manager they've never met. In a market full of builders who scale fast and delegate everything, Sierra Homes is something rarer: a team that stays small on purpose because quality demands it.
where they started
When their website got hacked and had to be shut down, Dan and Kelly decided it was finally time to do this right. They'd been relying on real estate agent connections and word of mouth for years: effective, but not a foundation they could build on intentionally. They were ready to invest in a real brand and a real digital presence.
The connection to Rinehart Marketing came through their network, which felt appropriate for a business built on relationships. They came in knowing what they wanted: to look as professional online as they are in person.
what we did together
We started where we always start: brand strategy. For a business with 20-plus years of history and a genuine differentiator in the market, getting the messaging right was important work. We followed that with a brand identity refresh developed in partnership with our design collaborator. The outcome was a new logo, new visual direction, and a polished look that finally matched the caliber of their homes.
From there we built the website and established their full digital presence, including a Google Business Profile, Houzz listing, and business overview documentation for use across platforms. Then came ongoing marketing: social media content on Instagram, Facebook, Houzz, and Google Business; quarterly email marketing; reputation management; and regular blog content to build their search presence over time.
As the custom home market slowed in recent years, we shifted focus to highlight Kelly's remodeling and interior design work, expanding the story they could tell and the audience they could reach. The blog has been particularly useful for showcasing finished projects and attracting search traffic from homeowners looking for exactly what Sierra Homes offers.
what changed
Sierra Homes went from having no digital presence at all to having a polished, functional website and consistent marketing across every relevant channel at a modest budget, all maintained by a team that understands their business and believes in their work.
Kelly put it this way: "Rinehart Marketing is wonderful to work with and has been an excellent support system for our small business. With no website or real marketing plan, we had a lot of technical questions and appreciate Kristi's patience in giving us answers and guidance along every step of the way. The Rinehart Marketing team did an amazing job with rebranding, designing a new company logo, creating a website, and handling an ongoing digital marketing program. We are grateful for Kristi's continued dedication to the success of Sierra Homes and highly recommend her marketing services."
the relationship
Kelly's work is beautiful, and being trusted to help tell that story has been a genuine privilege. She's a natural collaborator: a strong writer, open to new ideas, and great at capturing content from job sites and finished homes. We make a good team.
Over four-plus years, we've learned how to adapt as their business needs shift. The lead generation funnel currently in development is the next chapter, building a system to turn website visitors into qualified inquiries that can be nurtured via email. That's where we're headed together.
If you're a small business owner who's been putting off building a real marketing presence, we'd love to help you get started.
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