Acclaimed Northville home builder’s love for construction started in kindergarten

There once was a 5-year-old Bloomfield Nursery School kindergarten student who was so fascinated by a construction project unfolding through the window of his classroom that he found it difficult to focus on the things kindergartners generally focus on.

The kindergartner’s interest in the construction led to a few disciplinary one-on-one discussions with his teacher, he admitted a few decades later.

The school has long since been demolished, the property now the site of a subdivision.

But the student’s passion for building has continued to flourish.

The kindergartner’s name: Mike Miller, who has earned a reputation as one of the most-respected custom home builders in Michigan.

In 2018, Miller’s s Northville-based business — Mike Miller Building Company — was recognized as the No. 1 home builder in southeast Michigan by a large contingent of construction- and real estate-focused professionals.

“What’s funny is that no one in my extended family was in construction,” Miller said. “So, for me, it was a very foreign industry, but I loved it anyway.”

Life changes course

As a sophomore at Michigan State University, Miller was pursuing a degree in business; that is, until he discovered MSU offered a construction management major.

“I found out while taking preliminary courses that general business didn’t excite me at all,” Miller admitted.

“I stumbled across Michigan State’s construction management school, which at the time I didn’t know existed, talked to someone in their office for five minutes and then I took off for the business school and told them I was changing my major.”

Close to 600 metro-Detroit families who are enjoying life while residing in one of Miller’s architectural gems are grateful for the integrity-first builder’s 180-degree career change.

Soon after securing his construction management degree, Miller was hired by metro-Detroit builder Selective Group. Within a few years, Miller’s diligence, attention to detail and love for his craft led to a promotion to superintendent.

“It was at that point that I realized I had gone as far as I could go at Selective because my superiors were only five or 10 years older than me, so they weren’t going anywhere soon,” Miller explained. “I had two choices: stay or jump ship.”

Right decision

He chose the latter, partnering with two other construction professionals for close to two years before deciding to start his own company.

“When I made the decision to go out on my own, a lot of people told me, ‘Your first year is going to be ugly’,” Miller remembered.

They were wrong.

Miller still recalls the initial visit he made in 2002 to a weeds-covered parcel of Northville property where he dreamed of building his first speculative house.

“I had always loved this piece of property because it was surrounded by trees; something  about it just appealed to me,” Miller said.

“I drove to the site — which was barren — and couldn’t find a for sale sign … there was nothing. I gave up, so I started walking back to my car.”

Crunch time

Seconds before reaching his vehicle, Miller stepped on something that made a strange crunching noise.

“I peeled away some weeds and, sure enough, it was an old for sale sign,” he reminisced. “The sign was so beaten down, I could barely read the phone number. I dialed a few combinations of the numbers I thought were on the sign and finally connected with the property owner, who asked me, ‘How did you get this number?'”

Miller chuckled at the memory.

The property owner explained to Miller that he had decided almost 10 years earlier to hang on to the land.

“But he told me that a couple weeks earlier he and his wife had decided they wanted to sell it after all,” Miller said. “It was like divine intervention. I purchased the property for $180,000 — which seemed like $1 million to me back then — and I built my first speculative home at 939 Millpond Court.”

Miller still gets warm feelings for the property when he drives by the site of his company’s foundation-building spec.

Reputation is everything

Fueled by mainly word-of-mouth advertising, Miller’s business gradually grew — thanks in large part to the integrity he and his business partner, Andy Gerecke, practice on a daily basis.

“Our philosophy is pretty simple,” Miller explained. “Whenever we’re working with a customer, we ask ourselves, ‘What would we expect from a builder if we were building a home?’ That principle has resonated with our customers, so much so that we’re starting to see a lot of them reach out to us to build their next house.”

A native of Birmingham, Miller said he decided to make Northville his full-time home over 20 years ago.

“I love the people, the downtown … really everything about this city,” he said. “What’s really cool is going downtown with my wife (Melissa) and seeing families who I built homes for several years ago when their kids were toddlers or in elementary school, and now the kids are high schoolers or college students.”

Miller gives back to Northville by supporting multiple community organizations and Northville High School events. He is also heavily involved in preserving the 88-year-old log cabin that was in danger of being demolished because it sits on the Northville Downs property that will soon be turned into into a massive mixed-use development.

Family first

Married two years ago, Mike and Melissa Miller and their blended family of Matthew and Nathan (both 14); Chloe, 10; and Henry, 9, love their one-year-old home that rests on a towering hill on Randolph Street in Northville.

“This hill used to be a party hangout for high school kids,” Miller revealed, chuckling. “When we were breaking ground for the foundation, we found a lot of old Pabst Blue Ribbon cans with the vintage pull tabs.”

When not heading Up North for family trips or skiing and/or snowboarding with Melissa and the four children, Miller continues to get satisfaction out of building other families’ dream houses.

“When I went out on my own all those years ago, I honestly never expected it would get to this point,” he said. “That so many people trust us to build their homes is both flattering and humbling.”

Well said by a man who can vouch for the old adage: “Everything you need to know you learn in kindergarten.”

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.