After becoming the youngest licensed builder in Muskegon at age 22, John Darien has gone on to build over 1,000 homes, condominiums, apartments, and light industrial buildings in the area.  These have ranged from starter homes to 7,000 sq. ft. homes, many incorporating his own custom designs.

Through 1983, John Darien Homes primarily focused on single family home construction.  It was at that time that he entered the multi-family home market with the completion of the Glenside Estates Townhouses located in the City of Muskegon.  Following the successful completion of that project, he was hired by the developers of the Mona Kai and Roosevelt Estates Condominiums as a subcontractor to build 35 units.

In the fall of 1987 John Darien Homes began the constructing his own development, the 45 unit Glenside Creekview Condominiums.  Despite warnings from local lenders, this project exceeded construction goals.  Original completion targets for this project were for five years and to generate 2.7 million in sales, however this development was completed in just over two years and generated 3.7 million in sales.

Construction began on the Northside Pines Apartment complex in the fall of 1988, a 1.2 million dollar, 42 unit development in Laketon Township.  The Allegan Highbanks Condominiums were started in 1989.  This was a three million dollar, 34 unit, development along the Kalamazoo River in Allegan, Michigan.