Freeman & Harter Custom Homes is a small residential construction business that provides personal service to homeowners. Often Rich Freeman says, “we have 2 ½ employees.”

Rich focuses on design and business related tasks, whereas Brett focuses on job site related tasks. They both are integral in the project management process. Carol Freeman manages the books.

Meet Rich Freeman

Rich Freeman moved to Kosciusko County in 1975 at the age of six. His family lived near Barbee Lake throughout grade school and moved to Warsaw in 1988 after he graduated from Wawasee High School. Rich studied aeronautical engineering and aviation management at Purdue University, and graduated in 1993 with two degrees. After graduation Rich returned to Warsaw, where he met his wife Jami. Their home is in Warsaw, where they have one son.

Rich's primary roles include project design, estimating, project management, and application development.

 Meet Brett Harter

Brett Harter and his family live near the Barbee chain of lakes, where Brett has lived his entire life. Shortly after graduating from Wawasee High School in 1988, Brett met his wife, Nikki. Brett and Nikki have a son and a daughter.

Brett’s skills give the business a number of options.  For example, he can complete a project himself or he can provide oversight to an approved subcontract vendor.

Regardless of workload, Brett always spends an extensive amount of time on-site at each project. He is present during each phase of the project in a hands-on or supervisory capacity.  Brett does all trim work. This is essential to the quality of the home. Freeman & Harter work with the best subcontractors and vendors, however having an owner on site with Brett’s skills and knowledge is invaluable.

Meet Carol Freeman

Carol Freeman, Rich’s mother, has been a bookkeeper for over 40 years.  She has over 30 years of experience keeping books for residential construction businesses.

Accurate books are essential to the success and longevity of a company.  Rich and Brett are fortunate to have such a skilled and experienced bookkeeper that they can trust as an integral part of the business.  

Carol lives in Warsaw in the same subdivision as Rich and his family.

How We Got Into the Building Industry

Rich’s parents started building homes in 1975 and continued for over 25 years; building an excellent reputation as Freeman Builders. Rich grew up around the building industry, and has seen the economic swings from the Carter era with 20+% interest rates through the good years in the late 80’s and 90’s. He worked on the job sites during summer breaks from school, and worked in the office designing homes and managing projects after graduating from Purdue University. He left the family business in the late 90’s to start his career as a professional pilot.

Brett began his career in construction after graduating from Wawasee High School. He started working with a company that did primarily remodeling and renovations. This gave him exposure to the many different types of work involved in building. In 1990, Brett started working for Freeman Builders. He moved up to the position of foreman and spent approximately 10 years with Freeman Builders before starting his own business.

Brett continued as a business owner, providing subcontract work to builders primarily in Kosciusko, Whitley, and Noble Counties. Rich was working as an airline pilot when he decided to build a new home for his family. Brett’s business did the majority of the work and Rich managed the project, very much like their days working together at Freeman Builders. That project went well and Rich incorporated later that fall.

The Beginning of Freeman & Harter Custom Homes

Rich Freeman and Brett Harter go back over 30 years; going to school together, playing football together, graduating together, participating in each other’s weddings, etc. In 2003, shortly after beginning a new home building project, Rich was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He was very fortunate that the treatment was both effective and tolerable, so he was able to work on the house; and with some extra help from his life-long friend, Brett Harter, completed it and sold it just as it was being finished. Knowing that a return to flying was still some time away, Rich started another home, with Brett’s company again performing much of the work. This home also sold quickly, a testament to the winning combination of Rich’s design skills and Brett’s meticulous attention to quality and detail.

It became apparent that they worked well together, and that they were having success as a building team. In 2004 Freeman & Harter Custom Homes was formed.

Learn more about Freeman & Harter Custom Homes by viewing our About Us page.

Contact Us
Freeman & Harter Custom Homes
2200 East Blossom Lane
Warsaw, IN 46580
574-265-3272
317-522-9004 (fax)
info@freemanharter-customhomes.com