About Us
Over 25 years ago, in 1998, Larry Smith built his first custom home with guidance from his uncle, mentor and longtime builder and union carpenter, David Richardson Sr. With his roots in Southwest Louisville, Larry spent the first several years of his building career primarily working in and around the South End of town. While simultaneously pursuing a career with the Louisville Metro Police department, Larry developed a reputation both in the building and law enforcement communities as being a no-nonsense, straight shooter who would often be the last to speak but the first to take action when a situation presented itself. During the 20 year period while Larry was a full-time officer with LMPD working second shift, Larry built over 100 custom homes. This was all accomplished through a steady stream of referral business as LS Builders did no advertising of any kind for the first 20 plus years of its existence. Larry officially retired from his position as detective with LMPD in 2020 and has been dedicated to the continued excellence and expansion of LS Builders.
In 2016, Larry was introduced to Nick Atzinger by way of referral for the purpose of building a custom home for Nick and his family. During that process it was clear to both Larry and Nick that LS Builders was poised for growth and through that recognition, a partnership emerged. Nick came from a diverse professional background including experience in construction, sales, and entrepreneurship which lended itself well to LS Builders newfound growth objective. With added bandwidth, LS Builders was able to amplify its custom homebuilding volume many times over and also developed additional lines of business. In addition to being one of the top custom home builders in the Louisville area, LS Builders is also a full-service remodel/renovation company and custom pool installer.
The remodel branch of LS Builders experienced rapid growth from its inception and it was clear that additional talent was needed to keep up with demand in the manner that represented LS Builders commitment to the pursuit of excellence. In the Spring of 2022, LS Builders brought in April McGrath to lead the remodel branch of the business into the future. With a background in construction and interior design with specific experience and expertise in kitchen and bath, April has been an invaluable addition to the team. Under her leadership, remodel has been a fast growing segment of the business.
Additions to the team in 2023 included Chrissy Bynum and Brad McDougale. Chrissy quickly became a central figure in a multitude of aspects of LS Builders day to day operations. Her official title is that of workflow manager but she wears many hats simultaneously. Chrissy was a customer of LS Builders prior to becoming part of the team. LS Builders built a custom home for Chrissy and her family in 2021. Brad McDougale also came to LS Builders in 2023. Brad was also a customer of LS Builders prior to joining the team. Brad brings a broad set of skills to the operation and is currently playing a number of roles including but not limited to bidding, job site assessment for both remodel and new construction, and planning/design work.
LS Builders made its debut in the pool business in 2021 with the construction of a modest number of custom pools over a 2-3 year period. After careful consideration of the market and an intense assessment of its existing businesses and capacity to expand, LS Builders made the decision to take a more substantial step into the custom pool business. 2023 marked the first year of significant investment into the pool market. With continued growth in the established businesses and a rapidly growing custom pool business, talent acquisition became top priority.
The future is bright at LS Builders! Let us know how we can make your dream a reality!