In Conversation with FORMA Construction

Jennifer recently sat down with Victor Mezhvinsky, President of FORMA Construction, to discuss his core values and tailored approach to building high-end custom homes from one of San Francisco’s top residential builders. The Niche Interiors team is always impressed with FORMA’s client focused and process-driven approach and are currently collaborating with their team and Obata Noblin Architecture on a modern project in Hillsborough.

Tell us about yourself and what led you to becoming the President and Founder of one of the top builders in the Bay Area?

My parents were both immigrants with humble beginnings. After a few years in America my father started a machine shop which grew to become a successful company. Having had a front row seat to his journey it inspired me to pursue a path of my own. As a child I had spent every summer working in that machine shop doing everything from sweeping the floors to running the CNC machines. After college I worked in the supply chain management department. While I was pretty good at the job it wasn’t something I enjoyed. One day I was sitting at my desk eating lunch and browsing the Internet when I turned to my colleague who was doing the same. As was typical, he was memorizing baseball statistics at espn.com when I asked, “don’t you ever get tired of reading about sports” and he turned to me and said “don’t you ever get tired of looking at houses you can’t afford.” This was the moment that I realized my passion for construction.

In 2007 I purchased a home in Noe Valley, tore it down and built a new custom home. We sold that home in 2010 and a friend of a friend saw photos and said he had just bought a condo and asked us if we could make it look like that house. Since then we have been solely focused on making FORMA the most well respected builder for highly detailed and complex residential construction projects in the San Francisco Bay Area.

A collaborative, can-do attitude is clearly a core value for your entire team. How important is that in a successful project and how do you create that company culture?

The success of our projects is solely dependent on the quality of the people and the culture in which they operate. Those that know me are sure to have heard me say a few Vic’isms; I’m a sucker for a good quote. I have them hung up on our walls to help guide the culture and principles that are core to our team.  Fundamentally, people do business with you for three reasons and in this order: #1 They like you, #2 They trust you and #3 They think you’re competent. It’s important that we are radically transparent with our clients and design team because people are more comfortable with the outcome if they are part of the process. Along the way its crucial to not just identify problems but to present options and solutions. If you are not giving your clients options then you are giving them ultimatums and no one wants to work like that.

At Niche Interiors we find that having a clear, streamlined design process is critical in any project. How important is the process you have developed to keep projects organized and on track?

Complexity impresses your peers, but simplicity impresses your clients. I always start by telling our clients that the process is rather simple, we provide them with all of the key information to make decisive and durable decisions. With that, we are able to manage budget and schedule. To accomplish this, we have developed several tools that allow our team to leverage their experience to create dependable and consistent results. These tools range from procurement trackers to automated staffing schedules, along with KPI’s that help us understand the critical metrics to ensure project success. It’s important that our stakeholders feel comfortable throughout the entirety of a project. We have developed a written playbook that details out all the steps of the project so we can deliver a consistent experience.

What are some common pitfalls to avoid for homeowners approaching a major remodel for the first time?

One of the most common pitfalls that I see with the first time home builders is an eagerness to get hammers swinging and dust flying. This often comes at the expense of a well thought out plan. I often joke with my clients that CAD drawings are cheaper than wood and so they might feel like they’re just buying paper, but what they’re buying is certainty. If we only have to build it once it’s going to be faster and cheaper even if it takes longer to start.

Hire the best team that you can because the real value isn’t just in the concept drawings but in their ability to solve problems. Clients should also hire really good people and trust their experience to shepherd them through the process. I would also spend time creating mockups to give people a sense of finished spaces well in advance of building them so if we do need to make any changes we can do it before it’s too costly. The other thing I would do is make sure that clients see touch and feel everything that they will be interacting with on a daily basis. It’s important that all of our clients know what they’re getting and they’re excited about it.

What is your favorite part about building high-end, custom homes in the San Francisco Bay Area?

I know it’s cheesy but it’s the people. The architects, the interior designers, homeowners, consultants, artisans, the craftspeople in the Bay Area  – everyone who plays a part in creating the symphony that is the completed home. We are fortunate to work on amazing properties with amazing people and getting the opportunity to earn the respect of my peers is what drives me.

What should clients consider when assembling a design team to create their dream home?

Having a synergistic team with good energy is critical in addressing and resolving issues as they arise throughout a construction project. It’s important for the team to level set and understand the specific scope for the interior designer, architect, landscape architect, lighting designer and consultants. There can be a lot of gray area in construction and it’s helpful to know what the responsibilities of each participant are and their work and communication styles. I also think that we’re all better at the things we enjoy doing so finding a team that appreciates the aesthetic or type of project you’re taking on can prove to be quite beneficial.

Any stories you can share about the craziest thing a client has asked you to build or a particularly tricky feat of engineering on a project?

A few years back we were building a house for a client and in the midst of construction the husband asked for a man cave. Since there was a media room on the lower level, we figured he was referring to that space; but instead he actually wanted a literal cave. So in the midst of construction we ended up engineering an underground space through a hidden door that opened at the pull of a book on a bookshelf. This opened up to a spirits tunnel that led into a poker/ bar room that had a TV and lounge area. It was quite an engineering feat as we had sandy soil that required a lot of shoring and cross bracing. In the end, we created 1100 square feet of underground space which is now one of the coolest features of the house.

We know that you have a passion for exceptional interior design and architecture. If you could live in one building in the world which would it be?

The Marina Sands building in Singapore. I have always wanted to visit.

Favorite architect of all time?

Zaha Hadid

Learn more about FORMA Construction on their website or follow along on their job sites on Instagram.