“Every builder goes through an evolution of fiscal responsibility.”

That’s how Adam Copenhaver, co-founder of Cope Grand Homes in Charleston, opened his conversation with Adaptive’s Reece Barnes on our latest episode. And if you listen closely, it’s a theme that runs through Adam’s entire story: growth isn’t just about building bigger homes. It’s about building better systems, stronger teams, and deeper relationships.

From $600K Homes to $10M Projects... One Step at a Time

Adam and his twin brother Ben didn’t launch straight into multimillion-dollar custom homes. They started with a $600,000 build nearly a decade ago, took on renovations, even built a 700-square-foot cottage. Over time, they climbed into the $1M, $2M, and now $10M range.

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That steady climb was intentional. Each project added a new layer of experience, new “ankle grabbers” (as Adam calls them), and new processes to prevent repeating the same mistakes. In other words, growth came from systematizing the lessons:

• Every job was a chance to refine how they budgeted.
• Each setback became a documented process improvement.
• Alignment across the team multiplied their ability to take on more complex projects.

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Instead of chasing rapid scale, they built capacity one step at a time.

Why Job Costing Became Their Anchor

At one point, Adam and Ben chased volume- running as many as 12 custom projects simultaneously. It taught them a lot, but it also exposed risk. The biggest pain point? Fuzzy financials.

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Back then, their budgets lived in Excel with only 20 line items. It left too much room for assumptions, which inevitably spilled into chaos once construction started. Today, they run 60–80 line items. It’s not about adding complexity, it’s about finding the right balance:

• Too few cost codes, and you’re blind to where the money goes.
• Too many, and you drown in detail that confuses both PMs and clients.
• The sweet spot is enough clarity to make smart decisions, while still keeping the process simple to follow.

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That shift has turned job costing from a headache into an anchor for pre-construction clarity.

Hard Lessons From COVID

When COVID hit, material costs skyrocketed. Lumber packages alone sometimes came in $60K–$100K higher than budgeted. To protect clients, Adam and Ben wrote checks out of their own pockets.

It was the right thing for the client, but Adam admits he’d approach it differently now. For him, the lesson was that pre-con is where risk is best managed. That means:

• Building escalation clauses into contracts.
• Having tough conversations with clients before the first shovel hits the ground.
• Exploring financing options instead of absorbing costs outright.

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Pre-construction, done right, is where chaos gets contained.

Relationships Over Everything

For all the focus on systems and numbers, Adam always comes back to relationships. Clear scopes and accurate budgets matter, but trust is the foundation that makes everything else work.

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He puts it simply:

• Transparency creates trust.
• Strong vendor and trade relationships reduce friction.
• Money follows when you prioritize people.

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“Of all the things that are worthwhile and meaningful in life, in this industry, it is building the most wonderful relationships that you can,” Adam shared.

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