At age 70, Joe Wayman should be thinking about retirement. Instead, he continues to work 14-hour days developing and overseeing the construction of new houses and apartment complexes in Jackson County.

“I’ll be doing this until my last day,” Wayman said, laughing, while reflecting on his career as a general contractor and building engineer with his own firm, Joe Wayman Builders. “This is my recreation, and I’ve never been bored a day in my life.”

Over the years, Wayman, along with his subcontractors and employees, has been responsible for building hundreds of homes in Jackson County and even in Florida. He recently built a new home in Seymour for himself and his wife, Connie, and presently has nine sites under construction – all of which he says he visits on a daily basis.

“It’s hard to say exactly how many it’s been over the years. But I would guess over 700, including houses and apartment units,” he said. “It’s something I can do to leave a legacy. Everyone says, ‘I know that house. That’s a Joe Wayman house.’ And that makes me feel good.”

Growing up in Brownstown, Wayman never envisioned his career would consist of building the “American dream” for young families buying their first home or constructing elaborate, 5,500-square foot homes for the more seasoned homebuyer.

Wayman started out on the same path as many young Jackson County men at the time, that of a farmer.

“I worked on the farm with Dad when I was younger,” he said. “I probably would have kept farming, but my brothers had other plans for me.”

Wayman’s brothers Ed and Bob, who were 10 and 15 years older than Joe, respectively, had little interest in the family farm and had become carpenters.

“They talked my dad into retiring and selling the farm in 1955,” Joe said. “They wanted me to become their partner.”

Looking back, Joe admits there were concerns and hesitations about working the trade.

“I didn’t even know how to drive a nail at the time,” he said. “But they said they would teach me, so I agreed.”

Within six months, not the full year he thought it would take, Joe became a full partner in the Wayman Brothers business in Brownstown. He even recalls a lumberyard they used to operate in Ewing.

“We did a lot of work there, when we started,” he said. “I think we fixed or built something for everyone in Brownstown. We needed a bigger area.”

In 1974, Joe purchased the business, and moved it to Seymour several years later.

“They wanted to do less and I wanted to do more,” he said of his decision to take over the business. “I just like to work.”

During his 50-year career in the building industry, Joe says he has seen many changes in Jackson County when it comes to the housing market.

“The difference in price is the biggest thing,” he said. “When we started we could build a real fine home for $12,000. Now many houses are $200,000 and up. Another change is that people are buying bigger homes than they used to.”

Of course, with the changing times, there also come changing trends in both materials and design, Wayman said, a problem that can be resolved by Connie Wayman, who offers interior design work to all of Joe’s clients.

“People want more curvaceous roofs, wider doors and all brick,” he said. “And that’s why I’m here, to give people what they want. We let them pick out what they like.”

Most of the projects Wayman builds are contract jobs, or houses that people have hired him to build. However, he still builds some speculation homes.

“We must be doing something right,” Wayman said of the spec projects he has taken in the past. “Everything has sold. But most of the competition here in Jackson County builds spec homes. That’s why we do mainly contract homes, because it’s hard to find someone who will build a house to fit your specifications.”

And that’s exactly what Wayman said he prides himself on the most.

“I give my customers an upfront price, and I stick to my word,” he said. “If material or labor costs go up, then I eat that. It’s a major gamble, and sometimes I even end up losing my profit off a job. But that’s just the way I do business.”

As for the local competition, Wayman says it’s good and plenty.

“We have great local builders here in Jackson County, and that helps keep everyone square,” he said. “Another thing that’s good about being in this business here are the good rules. The BZA (Board of Zoning Appeals) also helps keep everyone in line.”

Although finding good property can be difficult, Wayman said people in Seymour are lucky.

“People shouldn’t complain so much about property taxes here,” he said. “New homes are much more of a bargain here than in most other places.”

Wayman said that the same home he would build in Jackson County would sell for 25 to 35 percent more in Indianapolis and 35 to 50 percent more in Louisville.

Having lived and worked in Florida for nine years, Wayman has a good knowledge of various housing markets.

“Jackson County has real bargains. I made more money working in Florida, but we had family up here we wanted to be close to,” he said. “I said the only way I would come back to Indiana was if I could continue to build. I enjoy what I do and I like to give people what their money’s worth. That’s why I’m still doing it.