Graham Builders Inc

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Our experience with Graham Builders was positive starting from the free informational seminar to the final walk through and open house. We were all novices at this and were certainly overwhelmed from time to time as the planning process unfolded, but the professionals at Graham Builders were patient with our endless questions and concerns, realistic about budget constraints, and helpful in all the decisions required. The office liason, project managers and architect were all easily accessible and communication was always clear and timely. We were given a timeline for completion and were kept informed of each step; very reassuring as we watched the house take shape.
The seminar was an important first step for us; we really had very little idea about where to start and the seminar covered everything from financing to what to look for in choosing a builder. Even though Graham Builders sponsored the evening, it was not a high pressure sales pitch; it was truly informative and helpful. That seminar led us to the next step of meeing with a liason at Graham Builders who gave us individualized guidance for our particular needs and helped us develop a wish list to start on plans.
The process was a good education in understanding current construction costs and working within the Hawaii market (for example, using local suppliers for cabinetry) and when Graham Builders had the ability to substitute granite counter tops for our original solid surface for the same amount of money, they gave us that option.
Getting the most for one's money is everyone's goal but ultimately what you really want is a top quality home for the best price. The seminar talked about how everyone has suggestions for building...someone's uncle does this, or they have a good friend that can do that...however the nightmare stories about shoddy work and unfinished projects abound. The true value in using Graham Builders was the peace of mind and trust in the work being done. I don't think you can put a price tag on that.
We have been in the house for nearly 3 years now and continue to be very happy with the quality of workmanship. Working with Graham Builders took a great deal of the headaches out of the building process and the the enthusiasm and support carried us through. We would use them again and certainly recommend them whole-heartedly.

I would recommend them to others and I will use them again in the future. They done what they said they were going to do and added a little more.

They were just great. We had that done about 10 years ago. We have been very happy with the work.

Started off very professionally. Contracts were signed and meetings went well. As the house was being built, the professionalism and "quality" seemed to fade. Some warranty issues were fixed, but below is what is still outstanding, 4 years later, which they refuse to fix and would rather settle monetarily (low price, of course). *Master bedroom floor boards were creaking when you walk on them. They refused to fix it because they said it's normal. Next thing we knew, the carpet was laid down over the creaking floor. *Water heater is shoved in, super snug into it's closet. When it has to be replaced, there will be definite damage to the drywall as it's almost stuck in there. *Wine cooler (non-built-in unit) was never finished professionally. Like the water heater, it was shoved snug into it's space, even after dimensions were given as to how big the wine cooler is. The grille of the wine cooler could never be put on, as the space was too small. To fix the issue of a big gap between the top of the wine cooler and counter top, a piece of finished wood on hinges was installed (swinging door necessary as access is needed to outlets in the same area as the wine cooler). *Stucco. The biggest issue. Perfectly straight vertical and horizontal cracks EVERYWHERE. Apparently they didn't finish the stucco boards with a certain mesh that holds the boards together, and the boards are separating. The sub-contractor who did the first horrible job was told to come back, fixed some of what was wrong, and not even a couple weeks later, the same cracks appeared. Window and column trim pieces (styrofoam) are all unevenly cut and even shows exposed mesh. Weatherproofing plastic wrap is exposed from under the stucco at the bottom of certain walls. Trim pieces were never fixed. *Exterior paint. The house had to be re-painted because of the cracking stucco issue. We were told to choose a color and the EXTERIOR of the house would be re-painted. Little did we know, the EXTERIOR does not include the eaves of the roof. Nice. So now we have a house with 3 exterior colors. Belly bands and trim boards were painted in the new color, but not the second or first floor eaves. *Shower floors. Horrible mason hired originally. First shower leaked via a tiny piece of grout missing from the area surrounding the drain (river rock shower floor). Leaked onto drywall ceiling to bathroom below. Second shower leaked via a tiny piece of grout missing from the corner of the shower floor where the walls and floor meet (slate shower floor). Leaked into laundry room below. Contractor we hired on our own says they didn't put any membrane protectant between the plywood flooring and the slate tile.