About Us

Joel S. Taylor and Jeff Ignat merged their companies to form Taylor & Ignat “Homes of Distinction” in September 2005.  Both partners agreed that the combination of their business experience would be the basis for an excellent construction company.  Each partner has more than 30 years in the home building business, and each continues to work side by side with other trades using hands-on skills on each construction project.

Taylor & Ignat has the ability to track jobs using the latest technology in builder’s software, and to keep accurate accounts of all transactions.  The software also allows them to provide extensive and detailed estimates so that the customer can be provided with accurate cost projections.

Joel Taylor has an Associates in Applied Science degree in Drafting and Design Technology from Texas State Technical Institute (TSTI) in Waco, Texas, with extensive experience as a draftsman.  After graduating from TSTI in August 1972, Taylor was employed in the engineering department of National Homes Corporation in Owentown, Texas for 4 years.  He found that he was more interested in doing the physical labor of building instead of just the designing and decided to leave National Homes.  His initial experience with carpentry came in working for a local contractor and he soon decided that he wanted to be in business for himself.

Joel S. Taylor, doing business as Taylor-Julian Construction, was founded initially as a general partnership in July 1981 in Tyler, Texas.  The company was established because of a lack of available superior craftsmanship in the local market.  The partners, Joel S. Taylor and Ralph S. Julian, reached a mutual agreement in March 1990 to dissolve the partnership and to allow Taylor to retain the company name because of the strong name recognition.

Since July 1981, he has been a self-employed finish carpenter/contractor in Tyler, Texas.  Many of the past 24 years, he has specialized in large, upscale homes.  His building business knowledge and success is based on attention to detail, design and creativity, customer service, and professional business practices.

Jeff Ignat is a third generation carpenter/homebuilder who has more than 30 years of “hands-on” carpentry and homebuilding experience.  He and his brother Glenn owned and operated Ignat Construction Company, which was founded in 1982.  They have built the majority of their projects in the Dallas Park Cities and Preston Hollow areas as well as in Tyler.

Working with the architects, home owners and designers, they offered a general contractor/builder service with total project management.  They built homes ranging from 2,000 to more than 15,000 square feet, giving them a broad range of experience at all price levels.

Extensive remodel and renovations projects for updating older home and kitchens to the latest industry standards also filled a large part of the yearly schedule.  Using the latest accounting and scheduling software to keep a factual set of estimates, invoices, change orders, and reports, they strived to keep each project on time and within budget.

With Glenn’s death in an auto accident in 2004, Jeff continued to finish the two projects the company had underway.  At the end of these projects in August 2005, he closed the general partnership.  Taylor & Ignat was formed in September 2005 and continues the tradition of building the finest quality homes and renovations available in the Tyler and Dallas markets.