TWO STOREY BUILDING

The job could not have gone better. Doug and his team showed up on time every time, did the highest-quality work, and once they started the job, they kept at it until it was done - we always knew what was going on and what the schedule would be going forward. The vision Two Storey had was incredible. When we told them what we wanted, they really listened and kept excellent communication going. They took our ideas, improved them (we don't always know what materials are available or what would work best and they are experts), and implemented them so that the result is better than we had hoped for. They are not the least expensive option, but we feel that the work they do is so outstanding that it's worth every penny.

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The experience was excellent. Doug listened to what we wanted, worked within our budget, and came up with a design that utilized the existing space much more efficiently than our old layout. The crew and subs started promptly at 7 every morning, were courteous, and left everything as clean as possible at the end of each day. Any problems that arose were addressed immediately, and the only changes from the original estimate were those we requested. The speed with which Two Storey worked caught us a bit by surprise (pleasantly so), so get your decisions made as soon as you can! The whole construction process took about 7 weeks.

Everything went fine. They came quickly to give an estimate. They were able to perform the work in less than a week. It took less than half a day. They did a fine job.

My wife and I are planning to renovate our home come the New Year, we met with Doug from Two Storey Building during the first week of November during our search for the contractor. Doug took us step by step through the process of how the project would go. He came prepared with photos of recent projects, a list of references, and after the meeting emailed some information on the architect that he works with during the design phase of the project. Overall the experience with Two Storey Building was positive.

We hired TSB to design-build our addition using their architect. From the first meeting, Doug was responsive and professional and we felt he always had our best interests at heart. Crew was very neat and professional and showed up every day on time. They kept to their initial budget and the only change orders were ones that we requested. They were extremely patient and accommodating with any changes we requested during the process. When issues did arise, TSB addressed them promptly and, in our opinion, always did right by us, their customer. TSB came back several times after the work was completed to address warranty items (like settlement cracks in the plaster) and always did so promptly and without hesitation. In general, we had an excellent experience with TSB and would highly recommend this company. If all contractors were as responsive and professional as Two Storey, then contractors would not have a bad name. I cannot say enough good things about this company.

They were very knowledge and forthcoming. They gave us a timely response. They were very informative and comprehensive.

They were very nice and gave an intelligent quote. It was a little high even though I haven?t compared it yet. I had a lovely experience with them.

This project was an absolute success from start to finish. This was a "design/ build" project, so Doug, the architect, my wife and I were together at each planning meeting. While time consuming, this level of planning insured that Doug new exactly what what we wanted, and, conversely, allowed us to understand exactly was was and was not possible with our existing site and budget. Doug took our budget very seriously, and remained committed thoughout the project to holding the final costs to the budget we had initially set. When the design was finally set, Doug presented us with a schedule, documenting each phase of the project, and a target completion date. From the initial stages of the project, it was obvious that Two Storey was committed to quality, professional work. Our project required us to move our septic tank, and the final design called for the foundation to be close to the allowed set back limits. Doug was on site often during these initial stages, to make sure that everything was exactly where it needed to be. Framing progressed quickly, and was fun to watch. As the addition took shape, and the electrical and plumbing systems went in, I was struck by how the construction site was quite busy, but amazingly well organized. We never experienced any periods of inactivity during the project- work was ongoing nearly every day through the duration of the project. There was not a single example of sloppy work anywhere, even during rough construction. Two Storey Construction has high standards for all of their subcontractors. Though all 5 months of construction, we had no complaints from neighbors, and we found each of the subcontractors to be professional, courteous, and with a commitment to craftsmanship. For example, I had told Doug early on that I was allergic to cigarette smoke, and asked that the contractors not smoke within the new space, even during the framing stages. Through the entire 5 months of construction, I did not catch a wiff of cigarette smoke, and I never found a single butt outside. Bill Storey (Doug's brother and partner) was present nearly every day for most of the construction, and gave us regular updates on how the project was progressing and what we could expect in each subsequent week. He answered every question patiently, and kept the construction site clean and well organized. When the time to "break through" from the existing house into the new space came, Bill made sure that the areas were sealed and blocked off for safety. We have 2 young children, and, in addition to answering their questions, Bill made sure that the environment was as safe as possible for them and for us. During the planning stages, there were 2 times that we were planning on having to move out for a few days to allow work to be done. Bill and Doug managed to rearrage schedules so that these times coincided with our planned vacations, so we never needed to move out to accomodate the construction. Living in a house undergoing this level of renovation is tough at times; there is simply no way around that. Doug and Bill made sure that every possible accomodation was made to allow us to remain. While the construction went smoothly overall, there were a few problems. For example, and unexpected rainstorm hit the night after the rear siding of the existing house was removed. The rain was heavy enough so that the tarps Two Storey had put up were not sufficient, and we had some flooding in the basement. (This occured during a time of record rainfall in the area- I'm not holding Two Storey responsible for the flood- it was one large storm!) I bring this up, because when I emailed Bill and Doug about the flooding at 6 am, they had emailed us back by 6:30, and were on site by 7 am cleaning out the flooded area. By early afternoon, they had emptied our basement, had our two large area rugs out to dry, and had blowers going to take care of the rest of the water. Other than a handfull of books, we did not lose a thing to water damage. This was just one example of Two Storey's commitment to sevice. Doug and Bill held regular, formal monthly progress meetings with us throughout the project. These kept us abreast of how the job was progressing, and also allowed us to make the decisions we needed to make in a timely manner. Doug and Bill were extremly helpful with suggestions throughout the project, and let us know what changes were within our budget. Our final meeting was only 2 weeks later than Doug's initial projection. I found that extremely impressive for a project of this scope. We ended up with an addition that has transformed our home, and is literally a dream come true. We had owned this home for 13 years before undertaking this project. During that time, we have hired our share of contractors for various jobs. When we met Doug, he told us "We're different". They absolutely are. Doug and Bill were absolutely honest and forthright throughout the project. They were always available for questions, and answered all phone calls and emails promptly. They showed us each invoice and subcontractor proposal, and told us up front how much their fee was going to be. They made sure that they eared their fee by managing each phase of the project professionally, and making sure that the entire project was build with a degree of pride and craftsmanship I did not believe existed any longer. At the end, our "punch list" only included about 6 minor items, and these were promptly corrected. Two Storey stands behind their work, and puts that in writing in the construction contract. I found them a pleasure to deal with, and will absolutely call them, and them alone, for my next project. When I shook hands with Doug at the final meeting, I told him that he had changed my view of what a contrator could be. In short, if you have a home improvement project, don't even think about hiring another contractor. Two Storey Construction will provide a high quality job at a competative price, and do so professionally, courteously, and with pride. We recommend them without hesitation.

Their quote was quite high. Our experience with them went very well and we thought that they were very professional, but we did not use them because the price was too high.

We found another builder with a better estimate. They came in when they were supposed to. When they came in they were very professional and punctual. The estimate itself was very detailed.

Our 2-story Tudor home had serious structural limitations and structural damage from water and insects. After owning the home for 7 yrs we decided to take down the more stricken side of the house and replace it with a 2.5 story structure and new foundation. The original plans were developed in 2007- 2008 with the help of the architect we selected. The new structure contains 400 sq ft family room and entry hall on 1st floor, master bedroom, walk-in closets and bath room on 2nd floor, and fully-finished new attic space. We also added high-efficiency heat system and electrical in new basement space. We selected Two-Storey Building after extensive comparison of six general contractor/builder bids. We compared 2 builders (both Page of Happiness holders) from Angie's list, 3 were our architect's recommendations, and 1 that we learned about locally. Doug Storey of TSB provided the most detailed bid, and he was the only builder that we found to be was effective in modifying their proposal. He also provided the most helpful recommendations to our plans for the structure. However, Doug's proposal was not the lowest cost one. Cost became a primary consideration for us in selecting our builder, as we were unable to obtain new HELOC funding through our bank as we had thought to be possible back in 2007-2008. However, we dared not select a builder on cost alone since we recognized that structural flaws in our otherwise attractive home would require above-average skill and experience. The TSB response to our dilemma was to show great creativity and determination to make their proposal affordable by setting a far more reasonable payment schedule than the other bidders, by adding at no cost extensive work that allowed us to remain in the house through-out the project over Nov - Apr, and by including modifications to their proposal which allowed us to install a new high-efficiency heat system of better value at no additional cost. After inspection of the line-items in each of bids (only 3 builders provided sufficient detail for comparisons) we discovered that TSB did bid lower on majority of items, for example, expensive stucco exterior. At the very last opportunity we backed out of accepting the proposal from a lower-bid builder selected by our architect and accepted the proposal from TSB. We're so glad we did and now consider TSB to be the most important decision we made in undertaking what has become a very successful and satisfying project. Although not entirely completed yet, finishing work still in progress, we have very successfully addressed the major challenges of replacing damaged walls and roof sections which were not within the scope of the architect plans (and TSB proposal). The additional work undertaken was given exceptionally detailed attention by TSB and resulted in very careful and very reasonable modifications to the plans. Because we were living in the house when problems were discovered, we were observers as TSB, their subcontrac

Additionally they didn't just do the job and then disappear but have helped me out with smaller things after, above & beyond the call of duty afterward. I was so pleased with their work that I had a party for them and all of the subcontractors afterwards. The quality of the work was excellent, and everyone who visits comments on the quality and how wonderful the space feels. They not only managed the schedule but finished the project ahead of schedule. They managed the budget and worked with me to keep the price within bounds. When the price did go up it was because I decided that I wanted something extra and once because of structural requirements and the city's zoning board for more structural reinforcement (not cause by anything Two Storey did or didn't do). I unequivocally, and without reservation highly recommend Two Storey Building for your residential project, and if I had to do it all again I would hire them again. 98% of the process filled me with joy and 100% of the result.

DOUG AND BILL DID A TERRIFIC JOB BOTH WITH THE WORK THEY PERFORMED AS WELL AS GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF THE SUBS THEY HIRED. THEY CHECKED IN WITH US AT REGULAR INTERVALS TO MAKE SURE WE HAD NOT CHANGED OUR MINDS ON ANY OF THE SPECIFICS WE HAD REQUESTED. THEY EVEN ASKED ABOUT THE SUBS AND HOW WE FELT ABOUT THEM. THIS WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE FROM START TO FINISH. AND WE ALL KNOW HOW RARE THAT IS.

This was a great experience from day one. Doug and Bill are terrific hard-working guys who obviously love what they do. They take pride in their efforts, and checked in with us at each step to ensure we were happy with the results. Even the subs were great, but they did not leave that to chance. They checked in regularly and asked us to provide feedback, which we did. It was a pleasure to work with TSB, and they have been back a few times since the first.

Aside from Doug's obvious professionalism the two things that won TSB the bid were the quality of the bid itself and the fact that Doug uses project management software for each construction job. This was key to us since it demonstrated an understanding of the complexity of the process and the impact one change can make to an entire schedule. Most builders cannot do this. Phase one broke ground in March and was projected to complete in August. It completed in the third week of August. One of the challenges with living in a house that is getting a new kitchen is having to live without a kitchen for some period of time. We did not. TSB worked with the schedule to make sure that the new kitchen was functional before the old kitchen was decommissioned. Anyone who has been through this process knows the level of stress reduction this represents. As with any large construction project a few surprises will pop up. Doug handles these in stride, bringing us the possible solutions, helping us choose the best one and documenting the agreement. Another inevitable occurrence are mistakes by the subcontractors. Doug also makes sure these are taken care of with no impact to the homeowner. The onsite staff of TSB (Bill, Dave and Matt) are top notch professionals and nice to have around too. You will have to get used to them not being there each morning after the project completes. Phase two kicked off on February 12th. The reports had been positive and that winter had been pretty mild. The roof was off that morning, just in time for the weather report to swing and predict a big snowfall on the 14th. The new roof was framed, sheathed and tarped by the end of the day on the 13th. Not one snowflake entered our house. TSB arrived back on site the morning of the 16th, plowed and work proceeded as planned. The only hitch was one of the aforementioned subcontractor mistakes (the painters used the wrong color) which Doug took care of in very short order. By the way, phase two did not go out for a competitive bid. That's how confident we are in TSB. Finally, the reason there were two phases is that I lost my job six weeks in to the project. Doug worked very closely with us to determine what could reasonably be put off for the future and what would cost us more in the long term. The re-roofing of the original part of the house was a significant part of the budget and was thus carved off in to a separate project. TSB did not have to do this since we were contractually bound. Doug didn't even mention this.

They were prompt and friendly in responding to our phone call and coming out to bid on the job. Their price was competitive against other estimates. They helped with the design of the project. They scheduled us in a timely manner, that fit our schedule and finished the work on time. They addressed all of our questions, even after the project was finished. We have since received many compliments on their high quality craftsmanship of the project.