Gary Baylor makes homeowner’s vision a reality

Cheshire resident Gary Baylor has worked on many homes over the years. From shingling roofs to expansive custom designs, Baylor takes pride in any project he undertakes. His hard work and pride can be seen throughout an award winning home just a few miles down the street. For his work on the Hamden home, Baylor was honored with the Home Builders Association of Connecticut’s Custom Home of the Year award. In fact, Baylor took home two awards, one for a particular size class and one for overall custom home of the year of any size. Baylor, who runs Baylor Carpentry Design and Construction in Cheshire, has been in the building industry for nearly three decades. He had his work featured in Better Homes and Garden magazine, but this was his first HOBI award.

The home he designed and built in Hamden was a 15-month process. The inspiration for the home came from the Gamble House located in Pasadena, Calif. To further understand the home, Baylor scheduled a vacation to Pasadena to view the home in person. “I wanted to see the style and see what components went into the house,” Baylor said.

The 6,000-square-foot home features African sapelli wood, custom grill windows with stained glass lenses hung from leather straps and the floor is made from Brazilian cherry. Everything — from the doors to the stairs – was custom built.

Although the Gamble House used ebony pegs and teak wood, Baylor thought the woods used in the Hamden home reflected the character of the house in Pasadena. “The woods have their own character and this is what the homeowner envisioned,” he said. Last November, Baylor was honored in Southington at the annual HOBI awards for his efforts. Baylor.said he was notified over the phone about winning the square footage category, but the overall award was announced that evening. Baylor said the award came as a “surprise,” but he was thrilled to receive the honor. “I feel proud of what we’ve done,” Baylor said. “It’s an honor to have the award. Getting recognition from other professionals feels good.”

Baylor submitted photos for the committee to judge and when he was selected as a finalist, committee members came out to take a tour of the home. Instead of spending 30 minutes touring the house, Baylor said the committee was “in awe” with the home and spent nearly two hours viewing it. “The house is an arts and crafts gem that would make Frank Lloyd Wright smile,” said HOBI awards committee member Joanne Carroll. “Judges were impressedwith the exquisite craftsmanship, thoughtful design and historicdetails in this home, as well as the value received by the homeowners.” Baylor said by working closely with the homeowner and his ownstaff, they were able to make the homeowner’s dreams come true. “We brought the person’s idea to reality” Baylor said. “We made someone’s dream a  reality and that fuels my fire.”