Don & Megan Cohan
Signature Homes

Don Cohan, a lifelong resident of Greensboro, NC has been building homes in the Triad area since the 1980s. His homes have won several Gold and Silver awards in the Greensboro and High Point Parade of Homes and can be found in many of Greensboro’s leading neighborhoods. He has earned the Accredited Master Builder designation by the NC Builder Institute and is also a graduate of the NC Realtor’s Association.

Megan Cohan, a former banking professional, joined Don as fulltime partner in 2001. Megan not only provides an extra level of personal attention to Signature Homes clients, her organizational skills and attention to detail are a wonderful compliment to Don’s passion for building and craftsmanship.

Mark Raines and Trish Holder met Don and Megan while touring a Signature home in the Greensboro Parade of Homes. They were instantly impressed with the quality and workmanship they saw in the home—especially the careful interior touches. They were equally taken with this amiable, down-to-earth husband and wife team. It was clear that Don and Megan took enormous care and pride in the homes they built.

 

“Choosing a builder has been the easiest decision we’ve made in this process,” says Trish. “Even though Don was not a “green” builder, and in fact had never even built an Energy Star home, we knew we wanted to work with him and Megan. We trusted them, and we liked them.”

Mark liked the fact that Don was such a hands-on builder—the kind of builder that is at his jobsites every day. “He is meticulous when it comes to selecting his contractors,” said Mark. “And whatever Don might miss, you can bet Megan is there to catch.”

Although Don welcomed the opportunity to build Mark and Trish’s home, he admits that Greenspiration has on several occasions forced him out of his comfort zone.

“I take the approach that if it’s what Trish and Mark want, then that’s what they’ll get. But I do constantly remind them of cost,” said Don. “In construction, every decision affects another, and so might affect cost at several levels. I want to make sure we look at the whole picture before jumping into any one decision.”

All that said, both Don and Megan have very much embraced the idea of “green building.” Since embarking on this journey, Don has attended a conference on Energy Star Homes, a seminar on High Performance Homes, and a presentation on WaterFurnace geothermal heat pumps. He is currently incorporating Energy Star standards into another home he is building and plans to have his future homes Energy Star certified.

Megan has taken an active role in helping Trish and Mark sift through a myriad of green building decisions—from efficient window sizing to procuring local sources for materials and labor. She also plans to become involved in the latest green building initiatives of the Greensboro Homebuilders Association.

“We saw this as an opportunity to learn and work as a team with Mark and Trish,” said Megan. “We also realize this is where the industry is going, and what we learn will enable us to build better houses in the future.”