Battle of the Chefs

PCH President, Bryan Murphy, along with other San Francisco Bay Area leading architects, builders, interior designers, landscape architects and top industry partners participated in the Battle of the Chefs 2018 Iron Chef Culinary Competition put on by Luxe Interiors + Design and Riggs Distributing. Bryan showed off his cooking skills along with his teammates, Bill Darcy (NKBA), George Brazil (SagreraBrazil Design), Jeff Goodwin (BAR Architects), Annie Cheung (NOON Home), and their team leader, Chef Ivan Dubriwny from Riggs Distributing. Spectators were there to cheer on their favorite teams while the competition unfolded throughout the evening. The teams were all competing for bragging rights of the Luxe Master Chef title. In true Iron Chef fashion, the fast-paced kitchen competition was brimming with culinary adventure and fun. As each team faced off in the timed culinary competition, the ingredients were kept secret until the competition began and each team worked together to create their most impressive appetizer, entrée and dessert. A lucky panel of judges got to taste the dishes and vote for their favorites. Everyone in attendance enjoyed cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and the lively competition!

An Interview with Dick Breaux, Founder of PCH

San Carlos, January 2017 – Founded in 1978 by Dick Breaux, Peninsula Custom Homes has earned the distinguished reputation as a premier custom residential builder in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dick’s passion, business acumen and integrity have always been the driving forces behind the company. Now, in our fourth decade of business, and under the ownership of Bryan Murphy, PCH has continued the tradition of excellence that Dick instilled and continues to build some of California’s most defining homes. Whether PCH is building a 20,000 square foot Mediterranean estate in Atherton or remodeling a 5,000 square foot modern home in San Francisco, the same thoughtful approach and detail is brought to all of the projects. The company has built a legacy of custom homes in varying styles and the approach to all projects relies on collaboration, unsurpassed quality and attention to detail.

WOULD YOU SHARE A BIT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND?

I was born and raised in the Midwest, coming to San Francisco when I was 17. I attended UC Santa Barbara as an undergraduate and Stanford as a graduate, where I earned a Masters’ Degree and Teaching Credential. I taught English and coached football for nine years before leaving to establish Peninsula Custom Homes.

WHAT WAS YOUR PATH TO STARTING THE COMPANY? HOW DID YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN AND THRIVE?

I was displeased with the way the profession of Education compensated its teachers. Pay was based strictly upon seniority and the number of post-graduate units one accumulated. Excellence was never a factor in determining compensation. I left teaching and built two speculative homes in Hillsborough with the assistance of Paul Kohlbry, officially PCH’s first employee. Fear of failure is a great motivator! I had a wife and three young children; I simply couldn’t afford to fail. The thriving was the result of our many excellent employees, some of whom still work for PCH.

WHEN ADDRESSING A PROJECT, WHAT DID YOU STRIVE TO ACHIEVE THE MOST?

Excellent quality…no matter what. Client satisfaction nearly always followed.

AS A BUSINESS OWNER OF MANY YEARS, WOULD YOU OFFER SOME INSIGHT INTO THE BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES THAT CAME WITH THAT ROLE?

The challenges are many, of course. In the early days, having enough cash on hand to meet a weekly payroll was quite challenging. As we grew into a more substantial company, taking good care of employees and their families was very important…sometimes challenging but always a priority.

I have often felt that an enormous benefit that came with this job was the ability to interact with people of excellence from all walks of life: a mason who is every bit as good at his/her job as the world-renown executive, movie star or athlete in whose project we might be engaged at the time, or a finish carpenter, superintendent or office executive showing off as much skill as anyone for whom we ever worked.

WHAT IS THE SECRET TO PCH’S SUCCESS?

Its employees who buy into the quality-at-all costs philosophy. Whether or not we felt that we were being treated with fairness and/or respect, we always produced the best quality of which we were capable. We never lowered that bar.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF?

You’re never as good as you appear when things are going your way and business is thriving, nor are you as bad as you feel when times are tough. Basically, get over yourself and keep doing your work!

WHAT QUESTIONS SHOULD CLIENTS ASK POTENTIAL CONTRACTORS WHEN INTERVIEWING THEM TO BUILD THEIR CUSTOM DREAM HOME?

Once a potential client has established the fact that you’re capable of doing their project, they should always ask “How do I know I can trust you with $10,000,000 (or whatever the number might be)?” or “How many projects have you started in your career but walked away from before they were complete?”

HOW ARE YOU ENJOYING RETIREMENT?

Immensely. When I left teaching, I never looked back. When I left PCH, I moved ahead full bore into my next ventures, whatever they were to be. I’m very active with UC Santa Barbara, where I will be their next Chairman of the Board of Trustees, a job with huge responsibilities, prestige and demands. Unfortunately, it pays exactly the same as retirement!

Ocean Beach San Francisco, November 2019 – Northern California’s largest sandcastle building event was another big success this year. The Leap Sandcastle Contest, which has been going on for 36 years now, is a spirited competition between teams of architects, contractors, designers, engineers and local elementary school students.

Leap was established in 1979 in response to severe budget cuts in arts programs in California schools. These cuts continue to affect arts education in our schools today. Leap’s programs place professional teaching artists in classrooms to work with grades K-8. Every year, these educational programs – in music, dance, theatre, creative writing, visual arts, and architecture – serve over 7,000 students in more than 40 elementary and middle schools throughout the Bay Area.

For more information on Leap, please visit http://www.leaparts.org/.

Additional photos below:

2019 – Let’s Play

2018 – Building Bridges

2018 Best in Class Gold Shovel winners Team “Sand Blasters”

2017 – Castles, Castles, Castles!

2017 Best in Class Gold Shovel winners Team “Sandy Bucket Brigade”

2016 – Makers & Movers

2016 Team “Up, Up, and A-wave”

2015 – Sand Cinema

2015 Team “Coastbusters”

2014 – Food, Glorious Food

2014 Team “Sands of Thyme”

2013 – Masterpieces in the Sand

2013 Team “Sand Francisco”

HERE’S TO BUILDING BRILLIANTLY FOR 40 YEARS!

When PCH was founded back in 1978, the average cost of a gallon of gas was $0.63, the Illinois Bell Company introduced the first ever-cellular mobile phone system, and the most popular films were Grease and Saturday Night Fever. Our deals back then were based on handshakes and we were only as good as our word.

Over the past 40 years, we worked long and hard to grow our business and build our reputation, and today, PCH is synonymous with quality, trust, and a commitment to excellence. The over 200 California homes we’ve built say it all. It’s been an amazing, transformative, and awe-inspiring journey, and we thank all our clients for being a part of our success. We can’t wait to see what the next 40 years has in store.

THE PCH LOGO – THEN AND NOW

Dick Breaux, the founder of PCH, embarked on a new business venture of building speculative homes while he was still an English teacher. When he needed design help, he reached out to a student, who crafted the first two logos. Since then, our logo has evolved along with many other things. Peninsula Custom Homes Incorporated is now known to many as PCH, spec homes for PCH are a thing of the past, and our logos are now designed by a professional advertising and creative branding company. While we’ve retained our vision of building the best and most beautiful homes, we’ve changed our look to reflect modern trends and best practices.

Foster City, May 2012 — This spring, President Barack Obama and Republican Party presidential candidate Mitt Romney, each held events for their supporters in Northern California. Despite well-publicized differences on matters political and philosophical, they did agree on one important issue: the ideal place to gather supporters in Northern California is in a distinctive Peninsula Custom Home.

Republican Party candidate, Governor Mitt Romney, held his campaign fundraising event on May 30th at the historic Carolands Mansion in Hillsborough. The Carolands Mansion was fully renovated by PCH, with work completed in 2002.

Democratic Party candidate, President Barack Obama held his campaign fundraising event on May 23rd at an Atherton home. This original construction was completed by PCH in 2001.

Peninsula Custom Homes is honored that the country’s most prominent dignitaries have recognized our work. After more than thirty years of dedication to every detail and every client, we are humbled and gratified to receive these sweeping endorsements.

Rebuilding Together Peninsula (RTP) was founded in 1989 to take on the challenge of helping people receive needed home repairs and enhancements to improve health, safety, and well-being. RTP’s mission is to rehabilitate homes and community facilities for low-income homeowners and neighbors, such as seniors, people with disabilities, and families, so that they can live independently in warmth and safety.

PCH participates in both the Dreams Happen and National Rebuilding Together Day events to help those in need in our community.

Dreams Happen

This biennial fundraising event pairs local architects with builders to create unique, elaborately designed life-sized children’s playhouses. Playhouses are auctioned at the Dreams Happen Gala and all proceeds benefit Rebuilding Together Peninsula.

2015 – Backyard Beta Box

This year, the Dreams Happen fundraiser and gala helped raise more than $450,000 for Rebuilding Together Peninsula. We partnered with Arcanum Architecture who designed the Backyard Beta Box, for us to build. It has some really fun features including hanging stairs, a metal slide and even a detachable climbing wall.

2015 Backyard Beta Box by Arcanum Architecture and PCH

YouTube video showing Backyard Beta Box:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkADnNQnf8E

Bay Area Parent Magazine article on Dreams Happen:

http://bap-sanfrancisco.digitalparenthood.com/Vizion5/viewer.aspx?issueID=77&pageID=14

2013 – Ohana Hale

The island-inspired playhouse, built in 2013, was designed by Cara Kuroda Design and called Ohana Hale. The playhouse featured a tiny porch, a custom interior sea-life mural and a slide.

2013 Ohana Hale by Cara Kuroda Design and PCH

Houzz article showing all the 2013 playhouses:

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/10894723/list/11-extraordinary-playhouses-that-dream-big

To learn more about Dreams Happen, visit:

http://rebuildingtogetherpeninsula.org/programs/dreams-happen

National Rebuilding Day

Each year in April, National Rebuilding Together Day unites the largest nationwide group of volunteers to rehabilitate homes, community facilities and revitalize Peninsula communities. Every year, some 3,000 volunteers help repair homes for more than 300 individuals throughout the Peninsula. The mission is simple: ensure that everyone has a safe, healthy and comfortable home.

To learn more about Rebuilding Together Peninsula, visit:

http://rebuildingtogetherpeninsula.org

We work hard at PCH to leave every client completely satisfied with both the product and the service that we have to offer. We are passionate about what we do and this translates into the best work we can do on every project. With that same dedication, we are committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work. Some of the important organizations that we support include:

Larkin Street Youth Services is a San Francisco organization offering housing, education, employment, and health services to get homeless and at-risk kids off the streets.

The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the classical tradition in architecture, urbanism and their allied arts. It does so through education, publication and advocacy. It offers a wide array of programs that are designed to promote the appreciation and practice of classical and traditional design, including classes, travel, lectures and conferences.

Hillsborough Beautification Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the beautification of the Town of Hillsborough. HBF raises funds and provides organization, leadership and education for the purposes of planting, improving, and contributing to the maintenance of parks, school grounds, and other civic projects.

Leap’s mission is to provide top quality arts education programs that help students build skills to achieve their fullest potential. They envision a world where art is a fundamental part of every child’s education and success.

Rebuilding Together takes on the challenge of helping people receive needed home repairs and enhancements to improve health, safety, and well-being. RTP’s mission is to rehabilitate homes and community facilities for low-income homeowners and neighbors, such as seniors, people with disabilities, and families, so that they can live independently in warmth and safety.

The San Francisco Fall Art & Antique Show is the oldest international antiques fair on the West Coast. The show benefits Enterprise for High School Students, an organization which is meant to engage and empower San Francisco Bay Area high school students to discover career opportunities and cultivate their individual interests.

Immaculate Conception Academy is a college-preparatory school that educates young women for a life of faith, integrity and service. They are committed to providing both excellent education and meaningful corporate work study experiences to students of limited financial resources.

Second Harvest Food Bank serving Santa Clara and San Mateo counties provides food to more than one quarter of a million people every month. Despite the wealth in Silicon Valley, and partly due to the high cost of living, hunger and malnutrition are pervasive. The Food Bank distributes nutritious food, including more fresh produce than any other food bank in the country, through a network of more than 320 nonprofit partners at more than 850 sites.

Tipping Point Community is a non-profit organization that fights poverty in the Bay Area. Since 2005, Tipping Point has raised more than $150 million to educate, employ, house and support those in need in the Bay Area.