Nate Reister and the Burley Building Co.’s innovative and craftsmanship-focused approach to renovation and new construction is elevating standards across the region
Written by Kristen Hampshire | Photography by Grant L. Gursky
There is a better way, if you ask Burley Building Co.’s Nate Reister, to avoid chronic building and renovation pains, labor lags, supply chain backups and quality qualms. With his problem-solving mindset and eye for innovation, Reister leverages intelligent construction products and is constantly retooling to improve performance while staying rooted to generations-long craftsman values.
“We are thinking ahead in many ways,” says Reister, owner of the Berlin-based business that specializes in high-end timber frame homes with specialty millwork and the latest sustainable, energy-efficient products such as insulated concrete forms (ICF).
Reister was born and raised in Berlin and a great deal of his company’s work happens within close proximity of its Burley Street headquarters. He mentions that he could have named the business after himself, but his hope is that his venture will live on for his talented team to run one day.
Known for preserving historic homes and businesses in Reister’s hometown and in nearby communities, Burley Building Co. is a preferred partner of Maryland Historic Trust, having completed notable projects like the Calvin B. Taylor House Museum and a portfolio of work that includes replicating brickwork, stonework and leaded glass windows.
“We run their pig roast every year and the community gives back by taking part,” he says of the museum, relating how the Burley team stays close to its projects.
Nate Reister, left, and Adam Davis inside the new Berlin Beer Co.
MODEL PRIORITIES
Burley Building Co. focuses on integrity, sustainability and artisan construction using advanced, energy-efficient materials.
Burley Building Co.’s most recent historic rebuild is the Berlin Beer Co. in the former Southern States Feed and Grain store, which included a reconstruction and substantial new addition. After marking its centennial, the building required modern structural integrity while maintaining its 100-year roots in what has been dubbed Maryland’s Coolest Small Town. “We love the historic nature of businesses and homes in this area, and we spend a lot of time restoring them,” says Reister.
Now, Burley Building Co. is nurturing an expanding, unique new home and commercial building model that prioritizes integrity, sustainability and artisan construction using advanced materials and even more energy-efficient buildings. Case in point: The R-value of ICF is 40 for a wall system compared to approximately R-25 for a standard home.
Reister says, “During the last year, we have been able to push down on the market and reduce the cost of framing while providing a superior product.”
RESPECTING HISTORIC ROOTS
Burley Building Company’s recent transformation for Adam Davis and his Berlin Beer Co. property incorporates modern structural integrity while paying tribute to the structure’s 100-year-old bones.