About Bear Creek Homes
One Builder. One Crew. One County.
Clayton Ellet — Owner & Builder
Our Story
Bear Creek started the way most small shops do — Clayton finished a job for a neighbor, then her sister, then the neighbor across the road. Word moved one porch over at a time. By 2022 it was a full-time outfit, registered with the City of Wabash, and there was a calendar to keep up with.
The work hasn't changed much since: kitchens, baths, decks, additions, the occasional new build. We take the jobs we can do well and stay away from the ones we can't. Some weeks that means turning down work. Most of the time it means we're already booked four months out for the kind of project a homeowner thought about for a year before they called.
We're small on purpose. Clayton runs every job from the first walk-through to the last sweep of the porch. There are no project managers, no salespeople, no subcontractor sub-subcontractors. If you're working with Bear Creek, you're working with us directly. That's the whole pitch.
The crew is two to four people depending on the job. We've been with each other long enough to know who handles the trim and who handles the framing. Our subs — electrical, plumbing, HVAC — are the same three guys we've worked with for years. They show up when they say they will. So do we.
"If we're not the right fit for your job, we'll tell you in the first call. And we'll point you somewhere good."
— Our one and only rule
The "Bear Creek" name comes from the road Clayton grew up on, about a mile south of Urbana. Same county, same crew, same standard of work since the first job. We don't expect to outgrow any of those things.
How We Work
Four things we don't bend on.
Show Up
If we said we'd be there Tuesday at 7, we're there at 6:55. Late once, you don't pay for that day. We've had to honor it twice in three years.
Clean Up
The site gets swept and your floor gets covered every day before we leave. You live here while we work. We don't forget that.
Tell the Truth
If the budget needs to change, we tell you the day we know — not the week we invoice. Plain English, no fine print, no surprise line items.
Finish
We don't leave until the punchlist is empty. Then a 1-year follow-up walk to fix anything that settled.
A Neighbor on the Work
"They are courteous and very professional. They do great work, are on time and clean up when they are done. Will definitely call them again."
— Jodi Christensen, Wabash County
Where We Work
Wabash County and a short drive past it.
Most jobs are within a 15-minute drive of the shop. We'll travel further for the right project — call and we'll see if it makes sense.
- Wabash
- Urbana
- North Manchester
- Lagro
- Roann
- Somerset
- LaFontaine
- Servia