Partners in Building Success
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The Philosophy
Council of the HBA. Mark's wife, Laura, has worked at the HBA for more than 16 years, so the Rasch family has made a quite a substantial investment of time and resources in the HBA.

Mark and Mary place great emphasis on community involvement and volunteer their time and services both personally and professionally. They have both been consistently involved with the HBA in working with the national "Christmas in April" program, which is known locally as "Rebuilding Together". Mark and Mary also offer financial support to the HBA's Charitable Foundation and to Habitat for Humanity.

Lasting Value, Inspired Beauty
When building a home, the Benchmark-Cachet team looks at the long term and incorporates techniques and materials that will stand the test of time. Some of their standard quality features include glued and screwed sub-flooring, full felt roofs, high quality exterior sheathing, appropriate underlayment for sto/masonry, and additional amounts of rebar and mesh in any concrete work. They also use hurricane straps on trusses, plumbing nail guards and double sill sealer underneath the sill plates. Mark says, "We want the home to look newer longer, and we want it to be as maintenance-free as possible. We have some of the best finishers working with us, and the quality in our framing and trim is second to none."

Since Benchmark Developers & Cachet Homes build mainly in established neighborhoods, their clients generally have a desire for some differentiation, as well as for their new home to complement the surrounding homes and natural landscapes. Building a beautiful home is sometimes only one of the components that increase the value of the property. Mark and Mary appreciate that mature trees can be a valuable asset to a home.

"The neighborhoods where we build inspire our creative use of architectural styles, colors, materials, texture, and attention to elevation details," says Mary. "Our buyers want the exterior of their home to have memorable curb appeal and the interior to be comfortable, not pretentious. Whatever the style of the home is, our unique exterior elevations create a sense of permanent value."

Read "Partners in Building Success" - The Personalities