LaBounty-ful Business

Renowned Fayetteville architect Fay Jones said what makes Jerry LaBounty’s work remarkable is the builder’s incredible craftsmanship.

LaBounty, owner of LaBounty Construction Co. of Lowell, said he has probably built fewer than 100 homes since getting into carpentry in 1958. That’s because he primarily does upscale projects for an exclusive list of clients that has included the likes of former Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Chairmen Sam Walton and David Glass.

“Jerry is very capable and his insistence on quality, and the right kind of quality, is exceptional among builders,” Glass said. “He did a great job on our house and never compromised the standards that he set for the kind workmanship that ought to be done.”

LaBounty did dozens of projects with the now-retired Jones, the first dean of the University of Arkansas’ College of Architecture and a 1990 American Institute of Architects Gold Medalist.

“I have known a lot of excellent builders over the years, but I can’t think of anyone I would put ahead of Jerry,” Jones said. “He is an excellent craftsman. He’s also turned out to be a pretty good businessman.”

LaBounty, 64, said his company sometimes juggles 2-3 projects annually although they may take a year or two each to finish. His average home ranges from 5,000-SF to 6,000-SF and $150-$300 and up per SF.

“We have to have someone who wants something special before we’ll do their houses to start with,” LaBounty said.

LaBounty Construction, headquartered off Cow Face Road, employes five craftsman who almost solely take on custom-building jobs. But LaBounty is doing one “speculation” home now in Bentonville’s Heathrow subdivision, he said, “for the fun of it.”

“That’s a nice change of pace from the difficult custom jobs we do,” LaBounty said. “But it’s 5,200 SF of heated space, so I don’t think I’d want to do too many of those on spec.”

LaBounty started doing carpentry work with his father, Charles, in 1958 after completing his service in the U.S. Army as a private first class. In the 1960s, he went to work for Charles Clevenger’s construction firm, a well-respected outfit that did a lot of work with Jones.

LaBounty finally struck out on his own in 1979 and asked Jones to consider him for future projects. That year, Jones made LaBounty’s first independent job one to remember.

LaBounty was hired to build Jones’ Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs. Conceived to be a nondenominational meditation chapel by owners Jim and Dell Reed, the architectural wonder has become a sought-after venue for weddings and special services.

Completed in 1980, Thorncrown was in 1991 voted the best new building of the 1980s in a national poll conducted by the American Institute of Architects. In 2000, it rated No. 4 on the organization’s list of the Top 10 buildings of the 20th Century.

LaBounty’s other projects have included the Mildred B. Cooper Chapel in Bella Vista in 1987 and the 12,400-SF Bentonville home built by David and Ruth Glass in 1994. He was also part of Jones’ crew who helped rebuild Sam and Helen Walton’s 5,000-SF home in 1974 after it was damaged by fire.

“[The Waltons] were real conservative folks, and we really didn’t do a lot of fancy work there,” LaBounty said. “Now the Glasses’, that’s a pretty awesome home.”

LaBounty said Mediterranean-style homes, with copper dormers, stucco walls, concrete-tile roofs and elliptical arches are the latest fad his clients request.

“We just take a lot of pride in what we do,” LaBounty said. “We enjoy hand working with wood and things like getting perfect door fittings. It seems like we just get started working good and it’s time to go home. When your job is like that, you feel like you’re doing something right.”