Chris Miller always knew he wanted to build houses. He started as a carpenter at age 14.

“I grew up in it. I always knew I wanted to do this,” he said from his Savoy business. “I’m constantly thinking about designing, building and selling homes.”

His company, Chris Miller Construction has 19 homes going up.

“We built 15 last year,” he said.

This coming year, the company estimates they will build at least 30 homes.

“It’s very rewarding. We have a lot of clients already,” Carrie Brown said from her desk in the reception area.

Brown is the administrative assistant for the company. Gail Hug is the drafter/designer for CMC. She uses cutting-edge three-dimensional software to help clients design their home. They can see how it will look when it’s completed and can make changes before the whole building process is even started.

“We have the design specs given to the contractors, so there is no guesswork,” Hug said. “Clients hold us accountable.”

Their website is very friendly. Users can view existing jobs and go right o the job schedule and see where builds are at in the process. Hub said the company is proactive and not reactive.

“I’d say it’s our attention to detail. An immense attention to detail,” she said.

She also said that Miller is super organized.

“It’s part of the customer service we offer. We are very up-front if issues arise. Communication is the key to success with customers,” Hug said.

Miller said his homes are 75 to 90 percent more efficient than home built just a decade ago. There is a new energy code in place for today’s home builders.

“Our homes have super high efficiency,” he said. “We use blown-in insulation with an “R-value” of R-23. That’s 50 percent more efficient that the federal energy code.”

R-value is a measure of the insulating quality of a material. A higher R-value indicates a greater ability to insulate a space, preventing heat transfer through the material. CMC has lots in many desirable subdivisions. They can also pre-inspect a lot that a new home buyer already owns. They have many predesigned, successful floor plans available or they can assist new home buyers in a custom design of their choice. They offer ranches from 1,700 to 2,200 square feet in size, as well as two-stories designs that range from 2,000 to 4,000 square feet.

“We can brainstorm,” Hub said. “We can custom any floor plan. Just come to our design center or make an appointment. We can have you in a new home in four months,” Miller said. For more information call 217- 552-7677, or visit millerconstructionil.com.