JOHN BRINK

founder of brink custom homes

I have been building and involved in the design of custom homes for over forty years, and it still gives me a great sense of fulfillment and joy. I think of home building as much more than just assembling materials and coordinating trades to build a structure that follows the architect/designer’s plans and specifications. It is about creating a highly personalized home that reflects the personality of its owners and is uniquely theirs.

One of my all-time favorite homes was one I built for a wonderful client who wanted a home that captured the look and feel of a European Estate. We worked closely with the client, architect, and interior designer to create a warm and inviting environment that was an extension of her personality. The moment you enter the home you can feel it.

She later wrote that we “crafted a home of quality, detail and soul”. That says it all. It’s more than just building a house; it’s building a home that tells a story and is an expression of who our clients are and how they want to live their lives. A home is a place where memories are created, experiences are shared, and emotional anchors are born. A home needs to nurture and delight the soul of its owner, their family, their friends, and be a place that fosters emotional connections.

How we create this takes focus, full engagement, organization, and attention to detail. I feel the quality of a home lives in its details. Executing those details is achieved through master craftmanship, quality control, and attentive customer service. It’s like solving a giant puzzle. It requires us to be creative and resourceful in managing the entire construction process while respecting and honoring the architecture and design. It is the art of building a unique, one-of-a-kind home.

This is what excites me and drives me to keep building.

Erin Jackson

Operations & Marketing Manager

Erin was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama and has lived in Truckee since 2012. She graduated from the University of Alabama with a BS in Interior Design. She has over 18 years of construction experience and excels at being organized, hardworking and is great with clients. Erin oversees operations, marketing and provides Karen with additional project coordination support. When Erin is not hard at work, you can find her dancing, doing yoga, hiking, golfing and of course, watching the tide roll. Roll Tide Roll!

Karen Belles

Estimator/Project Engineer

Karen is originally from Buffalo, NY and has lived in Tahoe for 7 years. She has a Physics degree from Wittenberg University and a Civil Engineering and Construction Management degree from the University at Buffalo. Prior to joining the Brink team in 2018, Karen worked for a large commercial contractor and brings an organizational mindset to the company. In addition to estimating and project coordination duties, she is responsible for project accounting and job costing, plus she manages all project information. In her free time you can find Karen yelling ‘Go Bills’, trail running and snowboarding.