Hi. I’m Mark Bondurant, founder of Rare Earth Builders. Here’s how REB got started…

After college, four years in the Peace Corps in West Africa and the South Pacific, graduate school in journalism and two years as a newspaper reporter, I decided with my wife it was time to head for the country to build a more self-reliant life, closer to nature, where we could raise our family. The mountains of western North Carolina were just the place.

Starting in 1994, I worked for other builders, building houses from the ground up, learning the nuts and bolts of construction, watching how other builders managed their companies. In January 1999, I started Rare Earth Builders, working out of a tiny red Toyota pickup--loaded with hand and power tools - doing decks, kitchen and bathroom renovations, additions, sunrooms - just about anything to keep working and to continue perfecting my craft.

Gradually the projects have gotten bigger and more interesting. The original one man band has expanded to a crew of five (three of which actually play music). In addition to frame structures, Rare Earth has worked with geodesic domes, insulating concrete forms (both foam and Durisol-mineralized wood chip blocks), aerated autoclaved concrete (Hebel) and nailbase panels, similar to SIPs panels.

Rare Earth was built from humble beginnings with hard, honest work. Our goal is to offer good value. We strive to distinguish ourselves by our integrity, our pride and passion about our craft, our priority on service and our respect for the environment. We are careful to choose crew and subcontractors who display these same sentiments.