TCB Project Review
Submitted by Peter Marksteiner, August 16, 2016
Description of work: Major two-story home renovation & extension in Fairfax, VA including new master bath, expanded den, master bedroom, walk-in closets.
If you are contemplating home renovations, Thomas Custom Builders is absolutely the professional team you want for the project - guaranteed!
It’s difficult to know where to begin because I simply could not have been more impressed with every aspect of how this project came together not just the obvious stuff, like the strictly top shelf skills, craftsmanship and attention to detail demonstrated by the crews, but the courtesy and professionalism from literally every member of Thomas Custom Builders that interacted with me or my family from the owner who sat at my dining room table to make sure he understood exactly what we were looking for before the project began, to every member of his team.
First, as to the design process, we’ve owned our house for almost 18 years, and we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted the improvement to look like when we sat down with the foreman and a few of his folks. They listened patiently, offered some on the spot suggestions, took lots of notes about the things that were important to us (like a larger bathroom, two sinks, more closet space) and then said they’d be back in a week or so with some plan proposals. What they came back with was simply outstanding, and way better than what we had come up with on our own. It met every single objective we articulated, and more importantly, did so in a way that was really beautiful and made way better use of the available space than our thinking provided. We are absolutely delighted with the design!
Second, these guys stick to an aggressive schedule! They went from first contact with us around our living room table to our final acceptance and payment on the completed project (a major two-story renovation/extension added huge master bath w/custom tile work & Jacuzzi) in the time it took our neighbors to have about half of their kitchen renovation done. I was doubtful at the initial timeline they gave us, but much to my surprise, and quite frankly, disbelief, they stuck to it religiously.
Third, I felt completely 100% comfortable with the Thomas crew having unfettered access to my home, whether we were there or not. They were courteous, polite, patient, kind, and so very respectful of our home and our belongings and even our pet! On more than one occasion, when they were cleaning up the work site at the end of a day (which they also did EVERY DAY), they’d go the “extra mile” to ensure there were no holes or debris that might present a hazard to our little dog. There's no easy way to say this, but the prospect of being out of town with workmen having access to your home, family, kids etc., could be a little unnerving … it never ever was, not even for a second with the Thomas team. There’s an unmistakable dedication to values and courtesy that you just don’t seem to find anymore -- these folks have it by the truck load.
Fourth, they are no-kidding professionals! On two occasions, the foreman had subcontractors come back to re-accomplish tasks that didn’t meet his standard of excellence and he, himself, spent half a day doing trim work to make double certain we were happy with the final product. Needless to say, it was amazing! On another occasion he had some tile work re-done when my wife and I hadn’t even noticed the tiny imperfection that immediately caught his craftsman's eye when he was inspecting the subs work. He apologized for the slight delay the re-work would cause, assured us the expense of the re-work would be on them, and explained his rationale: “We don’t just want you to be happy with how it looks when we’re done with the job, we want you to be happy with it ten or fifteen years from now.” I’m not kidding or exaggerating. They’re really that good.
There’s quite a bit more I could say, but hopefully you get the idea: If you’re contemplating a home improvement project (and ours was fairly major) don’t make any decisions until you talk with Thomas Custom Builders. You’ll be so very glad you did!
The review above from Mr. Marksteiner is greatly appreciated, and we are sincerely grateful for the opportunity to assist in improving and enlarging his lovely home. Our goal with every project is to exceed expectations, and never compromise on quality craftsmanship or timely delivery.
- Rick Thomas, President
