Douglas Buchanan is that guy who, when you ask him what he likes to do for fun in his spare time, gets a puzzled look on his face and mentions something work-related. That’s one indication of how important his job is to him, and also how much pleasure and satisfaction he gets from it.

Buchanan owns DB Construction of Wichita. Right now, he’s putting the finishing touches on a custom-built luxury home in the Forest Gate addition of Oak Creek, a development near 21st and Greenwich Road. The $2.2 million Tuscan-style home has a climate-controlled wine room, home theater, custom-designed swimming pool, workout room, stone floors, and many more amenities.

Quality control is important to him, and he helps ensure it by rolling up his denim shirt sleeves and tackling jobs small and large during the construction process.

“I’m a builder,” he says. “I make people happy by making sure they get what they want. That’s my job satisfaction.”
His guiding philosophy in work is honesty and transparency, he says. “There’s a saying that goes, ‘It’s pretty easy to forget a lie.’ The truth is the truth. I sleep good at night because I treat people honestly and fairly.”

Buchanan wasn’t always a builder. He worked as a printer in the 1980s after getting out of the Air Force, but discovered a passion for building homes by helping out at his father-in-law’s construction business on his days off.

And it’s not totally fair to say he doesn’t have any free-time pursuits. He loves photography, but usually when he has a camera in his hands he’s shooting examples of beautiful architecture and idea-inspiring homes.

In September, he plans to host a $100-a-person reception in the new Forest Gate home to raise money for the Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County, which helps abused children. Details are available at www.cacsckansas.org.

–  Lori Linenberger