How well did project results meet our expectations. (5)
Mostly, the results exceeded our expectations. This was our first major construction project and once the contract was signed we tried hard to work as a team with Renaissance Builders to keep the work flowing smoothly. Now that we’ve lived in the house for 6 months we are appreciating how well Renaissance Builders realized the vision of the architect while creating a safe and beautiful home for us.
How well did the work keep to the agreed upon schedule? (5)
We had a hard winter during our project. We hoped the project would be finished by the end of March but planned for the end of June. In fact we were able to move into the house on July 1st so according to our built in contingency the project was completed on time. We appreciate the many moving parts in a project like this and the way Renaissance Builders was able to schedule work in the correct order and at the right time. Considering that the final plans were being developed by the architect during the project we are happy with the schedule.
Did the quality of work meet our expectations? (5)
One of the joys of working with Renaissance Builders is the high expectation they have of their own work and the work of their subcontractors. In a project of this size there are many trades involved and yes there were some issues along the way, but the overall responsibility for quality was always overseen by Renaissance Builders. With the exception of pocket doors, drip edge detail and a few minor interior paint issues, all quality issues were resolved before we moved into the house. Now that we are into our warranty period we see that Renaissance Builders is still standing behind their commitment to quality. Our experience is that Renaissance Builders works hard to build quality homes. When we had an energy audit after moving back in, the auditor could not believe the results of his blower door test. He had never seen such a tight enclosure before! That made me proud.
Did we receive good value for our money? (5)
Considering the whole project, yes we received good value for our money. Part of the value of working with Renaissance Builders is their complete ownership of the project, the transparent billing and the tracking of change orders throughout. We always knew what we were paying for which made the whole process relatively easy.
Were Renaissance Builders employees professional and courteous? (5)
Yes, extremely so. The two regulars (Brandon and Chris) did everything they could to make us happy and whenever John and Steve dropped by to help they were very professional and also courteous.
Were subcontractors professional and courteous? (5)
Yes. What impressed us was how much respect all the subs have for Renaissance Builders. This was another “value” we received from Renaissance Builders…having professional subs show up and finish work on time. There were several occasions when we noticed that subs would postpone their other jobs to work on time-sensitive issues with our project. Renaissance Builders represents a good network of employees and subcontractors working together to create beautiful work, and it’s the customer that benefits!
Were we satisfied with communications during the construction? (5)
Regular project meetings are part of the Renaissance experience, so yes that satisfied our need for communication. There are a million decisions that owners need to make during a project of this size and at times we were overwhelmed. We understood that it was in our best interest in terms of completing the project on time to make decisions in a timely manner and Renaissance Builders was good at letting us know when a delayed decision would impact the completion date.
Were your questions and concerns dealt with fairly? (5)
Renaissance Builders always dealt with us fairly and we never felt the need to seek arbitration. Very simply, they gave us a fixed price contract based on a set of drawings and whenever there was a question about what should be included we all could refer to the drawings. There were times when extra work was required to satisfy us as per the drawings and we were never asked to “pay extra”. Renaissance Builders always stood behind their contract price.
Were your questions and concerns dealt with promptly? (5)
The project moved along quickly and Renaissance Builders always worked to address our concerns promptly to keep things moving. We had unusual requirements in terms of what building materials could be used in our project. The entire Renaissance team worked hard to insure that a healthy house was the end product. When concerns about products being used in the house came up there would be a flurry of emails between us, Renaissance Builders and our materials consultant to resolve the issue. We are happy with how promptly concerns over health were addressed and that these concerns were taken seriously by the entire team of employees and subcontractors.
Was the work site kept reasonably clean? (5)
For an owner it’s hard to see your home turned into a construction site. We had to constantly remind ourselves that for the duration of the project this wasn’t our “home” anymore but that when the project was finished it would be our “new home”. That said, the site inside and out was kept reasonably clean during the project. More to the point though, when the house was delivered back to us it was incredibly clean.
Are there any employees or subcontractors who deserve special recognition?
It’s hard to point to any one person that deserves special recognition because we had so many pleasant exchanges with all of the people that worked on our project. We can name a few though, and hope we don’t forget someone.
Matt was always exceptionally pleasant and helpful to us. The walk-through that he gave us to decide where light switches would go was incredibly helpful. We are so appreciating his guidance during that walk-through now that we’re in the house and actually using the switches exactly as envisioned.
Steve and John, although they weren’t around all the time, were extremely accommodating and pleasant to be around. We were very happy with the professional post-project work they did on the pocket doors and we remember them doing the bulk of the screened porch floor which we enjoyed every day until it turned too cold to be outside.
Brandon was always a joy to be around and his presence was reassuring. He seemed to care about his workmanship. Chris was always friendly and respectful and helped us make many decisions on site. He also communicated often about aesthetic aspects of the design that helped us get what we wanted.
Were there any problems that were dealt with either particularly well or poorly?
Two dimensional issues seemed big to us during the project, but looking back we see they were handled well. The first problem was that one of the footings for the screen porch was placed according to plans, yet it was slightly off. The second problem was that the pantry wall was placed according to plans, yet it didn’t allow the refrigerator to be recessed fully. Both problems were resolved to our satisfaction by Renaissance at no extra cost to us. The porch footing was fixed by extending the footing a bit and the pantry wall was built thinly to allow the refrigerator to be recessed as much as possible. In the end, both problems were dealt with well.
We are also happy with the follow up on punch list items during the warranty period.
Will you consider Renaissance Builders for future projects?
Yes.
Additional comments:
Yes, you may use any photos and/or quotes from the above in your advertising. We are also happy to provide references for potential clients.