RAVEN BUILDERS

Lon was very receptive to my ideas of how I wanted the wrap around porch to look and did a great job. We had many people in town stopping by to find out who was doing the work and Lon got a few more jobs from it which is a good indicator of a job well done. I would definitely use Raven Builders again!

I would describe Lonnie as skilled and trustworthy. From the start he gave us an accurate timeline and was straightforward with when he would be able to start the project which was a few months out. He kept us informed of progress and returned calls/texts the same day. The final cost of the project was only slightly above the quoted price. The difference being the need to install the sewage pump versus extending the sewage line. As with any old home, there are likely to be issues meeting the current building codes. Lonnie always addressed these issues immediately with the building inspector to find an acceptable solution rather than moving forward and hoping the inspector wouldn't catch it or guessing at a solution that would be acceptable to the inspector. Lonnie was also willing to work with us so we were able to do some of the work to lower costs: trim work, painting, and installing ship-lap. We will certainly be working with Raven Builders for any other projects.

Working with Lon at Raven Builders has been great. We are absolutely thrilled with the work that he did on the house, and the people he brought in were also good. He is flexible and easy to work with, as well as very straightforward regarding all aspects of the project. He is not only a craftsman at his work (the extension he built to match our kitchen shelving looks phenomenal), he is a also a conscientious and nice guy! We share a driveway with our neighbors, and they have nothing but nice things to say about him and his crew as well! He will admit that he is not a guy to detail out every moment of the job down to the day and hour, but that worked very well for us. We always had plenty of notice to ensure we made the decisions we needed in time. Overall, Lon created a beautiful addition to our home and we would use him again for other projects without hesitation, and recommend him to our friends as well.

It went really well! The process took half a year or so, but most of that time was waiting for the parts from the manufacturer. Lon did a really great job. He handled all of the communication with the manufacturer so we didn't have to. Once the windows finally came in, Lon was able to install them all in only a couple of days. He was quick, efficient, and upheld a high level of quality in his work. Given the scale and complexity of this project, it was expertly managed. If I ever need anything done like this in the future, I will be giving Lon a call.

Smooth and easy!

We have a Victorian home and these doors were period to the house.  The glass in them had started to slip in its frames and needed to be replaced.  This was a small job, but Lon was very responsive and responsible.  The work looks great and we would definitely hire him again.

Lon did a great job. He was a little backed up, so we had to wait a couple of weeks. but he came when he said he was going to come. He provided us good advice on choosing a door. I know that a lot of other contractors would not have even taken this job - the walls of our back porch are old and crooked - Lon know he was going to have to do some messing around. But, he did it, and did it well. He also finished up some work on our dishwasher installation: taking out the dishwasher, removing a temporary cabinet-end, putting in the permanent piece, and re-installing the dishwasher. At the end, Lon and his helper cleaned up and took the old doors away. He was great to work with!

He and his employee were concerned about keeping the rest of the basement as clean as possible.  They used plastic runners on all the carpeted paths to the areas to be repaired.   All sawing was done outside. The sheet rocker and taper closed off work areas that caused dust to accumulate. They hauled away all debris. They came back after the sheet rock was installed and painted to install the baseboard.  It took a little longer than we expected, but they had told be that might happen because they were very busy.  I have one carpenter that came and took measurements and I have not yet heard back from him.
Lon was very conscientious and great to work with.  We would not hesitate to use his company again.

Our project went very well from start to finish.  Lon was very easy to work with.   He came up with a design for the project that maximized our (small) back yard and patio, started and finished on time, and stuck to the budget.  We were very pleased with the way the project turned out, and would recommend him to other people.

Lon was terrific.  We totally enjoyed our project with him.  He did a terrific job and completed the work with little or no disruption to our schedules or our time. He does excellent quality work. His attention to detail is great.  We were very happy with the end results.  His willingness to reuse our redwood decking was greatly appreciated.  He offered suggestions and insight to the project that ended up with great results.  We will definitely use Lon again for our home remodeling needs.  Excellent experience.

previously reviewed this builder. Experience was good.

Lon, the owner of Raven Builders was very professional and I would certainly hire him again.  We found Lon at the last minute when our primary contractor did not have the manpower to bid additional work we added to scope.  Lon and his partner were here on time, on short notice and finished earlier than expected.  He was responsive by phone, email and text. He had no issues working in a full house of other contractors, which was a great relief.  All woodwork turned out very well even though some of the wood we gave him to work with was 30+ years old that we reclaimed from the initial home demo.  For new materials, he found exactly the baseboard we were looking for on short order, and the oak stair treads he supplied and installed look amazing.  Price was fair.  When we found a small error in his work (an air duct got covered up), he returned quickly to correct the situation free of charge.  My only regret is that I didn't consider Lon early enough to take on our whole remodel project.

Our house (built 1900) has a front porch, 2/3 of which was long ago converted into a 4-season extension of the living room, and the other 1/3 left as an unheated mud room.  The living side had old decaying windows, rotting exterior trim, and rot in the wall underneath the windows. The mud room side had single-pane aluminum windows and a glass storm door.  The porch has a cinder-block foundation but the crawlspace is separate from the basement and unheated.  Our goal was to better weatherize both sides and mitigate the rot.
We had Lonnie replace all 10 windows on both sides, repair the wall rot, and install a new exterior front entry door in place of the existing storm door.  He also removed the interior stucco and clapboard and sprayfoamed the walls, sprayfoamed underneath the entire floor, and sealed up other uninsulated areas of the interior.  We also had him replace a single baseboard heater with two separate units and rewire the ceiling lights.  Everything was then re-trimmed inside and out and new carpet installed.  He did this all without touching the exterior stucco, which would have been very expensive to repair.  Next he cut two windows into our livingroom wall on each side of our fireplace and created custom interior trim to match the existing windows in the house.  All the trim work, both interior and exterior, looks excellent and well-crafted.
Lonnie was a pleasure to work with, very professional and capable, yet  not fast-talking or up-selling.  He communicates very promptly, either  in person, via email, text message, or phone call.  He always kept us  informed about his schedule, or the schedule of his contractors so we  would know what days certain work would be performed.  His work is high quality.

Lon checked back in with me to see if we were happy with the results or he said he would come back out. The cracks are gone and ceiling looks great. We are very happy. We would highly recommend Lon and will hire him again. You wont be sorry that you hired him.

Our experience with Lon Kruse/Raven Builders was exceptional!  We really couldn't have asked for anything better than what we got with him. He was professional, punctual, honest, trustworthy and up front with every aspect of the job!  Being able to trust the person that you've hired is worth it's weight in gold. We never felt as though we couldn't leave our home with him in it and even as a bonus, he was very kind and watchful of our two dogs. We hired Raven Builders to do a complete renovation of our basement which included a family room, bedroom, walk-in closet, and bathroom.  He was also hired to do some updates on the main floor including refinishing the wood floors, demo and installation of our kitchen and entryway floors, installation of all new appliances in the kitchen, installation of granite countertops, and installation of a new storm door on the front of the house.  Lon does all his carpentry work himself, which it's obvious that he takes a lot of pride in. His work is top notch!  Anything that he does not do himself, he hires an outside company to do. We have been very satisfied with all of the companies that he dealt with and would even hire them individually for something else, if needed.  We truly couldn't be happier with our project!  Lon went above and beyond for us even going as far as cleaning out our gutters in a torrential down pour because we had water coming into the basement. We were not home at the time, so he took it upon himself to check the gutters and after checking and finding that they were completely full, he, himself got up on the roof and cleaned them out!  I don't know if there is another contractor out there that would have done the same! Thank you Lon, as you most definitely saved us and our basement that day! We also appreciated the way he does his billing, as he doesn't upcharge each little job that is done by one of his preferred companies that he works with.  Instead Lon charges just one flat percentage rate for the total job.  He is a contractor and this is how he makes his money, so we did expect to be up-charged on everything.  We were pleasantly surprised when he shared all the quotes that came in and we knew his billing would be honest and straight forward!  Thanks again Lon for your trustworthiness and honesty!  It's so nice to know that there still are fair and ethical contractors out there, as there are so many that are not.  Lastly, what we want to express to people hiring anyone or any company and spending your hard earned money is that you firstly want to be able to TRUST that person/company. With Raven Builders and Lon Kruse you WILL get that and so much more!  Thanks Lon for all you did for us and the wonderful job you did on our now beautiful home!  We will be calling you for any future projects!

Lon Kruse (Raven Builders) was truly a pleasure to work with.  Great with communication, punctual with the appointment, and very fair with the price.  I thought he did a wonderful job and was obviously knowledgable and took pride and care in his work.  I would use Lon (Raven Builders) again for future jobs in a heart-beat and HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

His subs which he allowed us to pick with some of his approval worked out great.  Lon himeself did a fair amount of work and worked with the city and oversaw the project well.  We had a very wet basement in April, in one short afternoon, he re-enforced the gutters, and since the last huge amount of rain fall we had no moisture in the basement!  Meanwhile, all of our neighbors have had issues.
Happy with his work ethic, demeanor, and knowledge, will use again and recommend to friends.

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The company did an excellent job and completed the roofing work as planned, despite inclement weather.  Excellent workmanship, thorough clean-up, and friendly service.   I have used this company before for other home remodeling and handyman services, both large and small, and the results consistently have been professional and timely.

Lonnie Kruse of Raven Builders was very professional and efficient.  He communicated with us via e-mail and made sure to clarify all details about both jobs.  He arrived on time and worked until dark to get the work done. Both jobs look good; the deck is now level; both areas were cleaned up after the work was done. We are planning to have Raven Builders do more work for us.

It went great as usual.  I have used Lonn for numerous jobs and have always been really happy with his work.  He does good work at a fair price.

Lon was right on time and did a perfect job.  He had the new door installed and any mess cleaned up in about 2 hours.  He did a fantastic job and was very reasonably priced. We will be calling him again to do more work in the future.

Lon was here the next day. At a fraction of the price. Did amazing work. Very professional.

 I already gave his name to my neighbors.

Raven Builders provided professional, timely, and worry-free services.  This company showed up every time, on time, and delivered a quality outcome at a fair price.  The company owner kept subcontractors on schedule, and coordinated well with other service providers hired by the homeowner.  Change orders were handled professionally and smoothly, without complication. This is an HONEST contractor, and the homeowner does not have to worry about "tracking down" the company owner!  The only subcontractor who disappointed was the drywall installer, whose performance was not up to the quality of the rest of the work delivered by the contractor.  Overall, this is an "A" company that provides stress-free service.  I recommend this company without hesitation.

+ We are in our new home for just over a month and it is the cozy, homey house that Lonn promised us.  Lonn will be returning in the spring to finish a couple of outside details including landscaping and driveway. 
Lonn has a good rapport with his subcontractors and it showed in the craftsmanship of the work they did. There is a lot to remember and coordinate in a big project like this and occasionally Lonn would forget something that we requested , but he was fine with going back and taking care of oversights. He has called several times since we moved in to ask how it is going .