A
perfect storm of fatherly leadership, a love of architecture,
and a passion for real estate defines Don Weeks, one of
Hampton Roads premier homebuilders and owner of Golden
Heritage Homes.
Don became familiar with home construction sites
at an early age when his father, Celus, frequently
took Don and his two brothers, Skip and Gary, to
his job as a builder.
"I guess I was about 11 years old whey my Dad
put a hammer in my hand and started teaching me the
trade," Don says.
In the early 1970s, Celus opened his own remodeling
business in Virginia Beach called Additions Unlimited,
and the Weeks boys found themselves spending weekends
digging footings, framing houses, roofing, siding,
doing custom interior trim, and more. "We did
everything involved in the art of home building," Don
says.
"I can tell you, as teenagers, we were not
crazy about spending our weekends this way," he
laughs. "But it all paid off and I'm glad my
Dad had the foresight that he did."
About this time, Don's love of architecture began
to grow. He excelled in Drafting and Design classes
at Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach, and
continued his pursuit with Architectural Design classes
at Tidewater Community College. He also pursued his
real estate interests and graduated from Old Dominion
University with a bachelor's degree in Business -
Real Estate Finance.
Don returned to his Dad's business where is once
again delved into home remodeling, add-ons, kitchen
renovations, bathroom remodeling, and window replacements.
When the banking bug hit him, Don spent the next
five years working for Home Federal Savings & Loans,
First Union Mortgage, and several other banks where
he succeeded at construction lending for builders
and developers, and mortgage lending for homeowners.
He then moved to the real estate side of the business where he earned
his real estate license, which is still active today, and contributed
to the success of GSH Real Estate and Rose & Womble.
Experience Counts
In 2002, Don founded Golden Heritage Homes and put his 30+ years of
homebuilding and real estate experience to work for himself and his
clients. With three decades of experience in every angle of the homebuilding
industry, Don knew his expertise would translate into better service
and homes for his clients. "Having that knowledge is definitely
an asset," he says.
Don takes pride in the fact that he can serve as
a source of information and expertise on every angle
of a home purchase.
"I'm well versed in all aspects of the business and my clients find that
helpful. If they don't understand something or need more information, they
reach out to me for one-stop shopping.
In most cases I can handle whatever
additional assistance they need."
Great Architecture Defines Golden Heritage
Homes
Don's love of architecture made it difficult for him in the early years
of Golden Heritage Homes to find an architect firm that could deliver
the high quality designs he wanted. After using several agencies he
discovered and partnered with Kipp Flores of Austin, Texas.
"They're a great firm and we’ve worked
together on all my houses for the past six years," Don
says. "They're national architects and their
designs are state-of-the-art, exciting and affordable.
They give you great exterior and interior designs,
whether it's an 800-square- foot home or a 10,000-square-foot
home."
"I'd say architecture is our strongest suit," Don
says. "We understand people are going to spend
most of their lives in their home. They'll raise
their families in it and all their dreams will spring
from it. Great interior and exterior architecture
sets the tone for comfort, both visually and functionally."
One downfall Don sees in the industry is homes with
great curb appeal but poor floor design. "I've
seen plenty of houses that look great on the outside
but the inside is a hatchet-job design," he
says. "Families are living in that house on
a daily basis so the rooms and the layout better
function well. With each of our homes, we deliver
great curb appeal and back it up with a great floor
plan."
Conservation - Building Energy Efficient
Homes
Another characteristic that threads through all Golden Heritage homes
and communities is conservation and energy efficiency. "We think
energy efficiency is one of the most important things we can build
into a home," Don says. "We can only build the house once,
but the families have to face the utility bills every month. By building
energy efficient homes we help families in two ways: less money out
of their budget for energy bills, and it helps the environment and
improves what we leave behind for our children."
Proud Of Their Work
Don says Golden Heritage Homes takes the business of homebuilding very
seriously, and his entire team treats each home as their own. "We
pride ourselves on our high level of quality and we stand behind our
work," he says. "If something's not right, we're going to
fix it. The reward of building a home from beginning to end, and delivering
the American dream to people, is a very satisfying to us."
Building Stable Communities
While Don could build luxury homes only, he understands the great need
for affordable homes and feels a sense of duty to build them. "A
lot of people have been shut out of owning a home because of the high
prices, and that takes a toll on families," he says. "I feel
compelled to try and improve that by building affordable homes. Homeownership
helps create wealth and family stability, and those are all good things
for our community."
Serving on City Council
As Don watched Virginia Beach's public school system amass more portable
classrooms, create ridiculous lunch schedules that run from 9 a.m.
to 2 p.m., and lose focus on students who were not college bound, he
ran for the Kempsville seat on Virginia Beach's City Council -- and
won!
"I've been blessed by our community and what
the public schools did for me, and I felt we had
a lot of kids who were being short changed, "Don
says. "So I had a strong desire to try to give
back something and make some changes in our school
system."
He served on City Council from 1998-2000 and says
it was a fascinating journey of public service. "I
feel like I received a Ph.D. in public service in
two years -- the concentrated version," he laughs. "It
was very challenging and extremely fast paced. I
learned a lot about the ways of politics.
Community Involvement Is His Passion
Community involvement is a way of life for Don. He's been a member
with St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Virginia Beach for more than
40 years, where he helps with the church's vibrant food pantry to
feed people. He also participates in Thrivent, a nationwide Lutheran
organization which creates home ownership opportunities for low-income
families, and informs the public about the issues and struggles millions
of families face each day due to substandard housing.
At Kempsville High School, Don played basketball and ran track, and
his passion for sports still run deeps. For the past three years he
has helped mold young men into basketball players and good citizens
as a head coach in the Woodstock Recreation League. Prior to that he
coached girls basketball in the Thalia Recreation League.
His passion for basketball also flows over to the
region's SunWheelers wheelchair basketball team,
which Don actively supports financially and by volunteering
to help with fundraisers.
Don's wife, Karla, is involved with the Very Special Arts, an activity
group for handicapped adults. Karla serves as the treasurer, and Don
supports the group's events any way he can.
"My wife and I have been blessed by a great
community, so we want to give back," Don says. "When
people need help, we try to reach out."
Habitat For Humanity
Don has worked closely with Habitat for Humanity for many years as
a volunteer and a contributor. His generosity and community spirit
made the dream of home ownership come true for one lucky family who
may have never experienced it. Don designated one of the 29 single-family
homes he built in the Cape Henry of Norfolk subdivisions as a Habitat
For Humanity home. You have never seen smiles so wide when the family
of four moved into their new, 1,700-square-foot home.
The Weeks Family
Don and his wife have two beautiful twin girls born in 2004, a smart
and athletic teenage son in high school, and an ambitious daughter
in college.
Don's Dad is now 84 and still works three to four
days a week with Additions Unlimited, which is now
run by Gary and Skip. Celus spends the rest of his
time with his wife, Connie.
Both businesses, Golden Heritage Homes and Additions
Unlimited, share the same office building, and the
camaraderie between all the Weeks remains strong
and loving -- until they step onto the basketball
court.
