Meet our June Builder of the Month, Nathan Shrock of Wausau Homes Rhinelander.
Nathan has been a Wausau Homes builder since 2011 and was recently honored for being named the 2018 Wausau Homes Builder of the Year. An expert at the homebuilding process, Nathan and the Wausau Homes Rhinelander team specializes in the vacation market and makes every homebuyer’s experience an enjoyable one from start to finish.

Get to know Nathan on a more personal level with our Q&A.

What does it mean to you to be builder of the year?

It’s a great honor. I have been with Wausau Homes for the last nine years. Really a lot of this I owe to the other builders. Taking their advice and learning from them has really taught me how to do this job the right way. One of the guys in Minocqua says you have to build in the winter. So I went out and bought a ground thaw heater this year. Building in the winter really helps you get your year off to a good start. So that has really propelled me to where I am today.

How did you get into the home building business?

My dad was a builder, he started with general construction in commercial and I started doing the residential. We did a lot of store work, churches, some motels and there was always a lag of work from time to time and we felt that residential would fill that void. I started as a laborer for my father’s construction business when I was 16 and decided that I wanted to go to school for residential design. I knew the construction part of the business, but my father really taught me how to manage the business side.

Why did you choose to be a Wausau Homes builder?

Wausau Homes was a competitor of mine that was very, very busy. One of my subcontractors said I am doing another Wausau Home. It got to the point that where I said if he ever doesn’t want to do that anymore, I am going after that. Being a Wausau Homes builder is better than I expected with even more support.

When your not building homes what do you like to do?

My son Sam is in hockey so he keeps me pretty busy. I am a little bit of a crazy hockey parent. My girls are in dance so that keeps us going pretty good. We also like to go fishing.

What part of the custom home building process do you find the most rewarding?

It is the look of joy on their face when we set their house. We have looked at the house in 3D, we picked everything out, but when you actually see it go up during the set day party – every single time it is an excellent, awesome experience.

If you were building your dream home what is the one feature you would have to have?

My wife loves the open concept, big fireplace with all the windows.

What is one tip you would give to other builders?

What really helped me was talking to some of the legacy builders and now I find myself as one of those. But starting out I would call Greg once every two weeks. Any question that I had he would try to give me his feedback of what he would do. It is such a wealth of knowledge in this group. Talking to other builders is what’s really going to put you over the edge.

Are there any home building trends in your area that stand out?

I found that people are a lot more educated when they come in. Sitting down and talking with people, I have found they are a lot more willing to spend the money to get what they want.

What has been your most rewarding build to date?

There was one that we built last winter for a couple. Everything went so well with the process. I happened to be out on the jobsite when they came in one day looking for me after their house was done and they had moved in. She found my dad in the back and she said, “Come over here I need to give you a hug because I came here to hug Nathan but I’m hugging you. I was so happy with the experience.” That reaction feels great to me. Plus, some of the Voice of the Customer surveys that we get that say, “We love our house!” There’s a few that stand out like that.

What events can interested home buyers find you at in the coming months?

This year I will be trying to get into a few parades with our new Builder of the Year Truck and get our ground thaw machine branded with Wausau Homes.

If you are interested in building with Nathan Shrock, contact him today!