Let me start by saying that the construction project Chris Gorman just completed for my family was particularly complex. We bought a 4.5 acre lot that was neglected for decades, required demolition of an old house with detached garage, needed a few acres of dense overgrowth cleared, had significant water drainage issues, and had no immediate access to sewer or natural gas. Needless to say, a huge amount of land development work had to be done before ground could be broken on our home. On top of all that, I am a detailed person with a strong sense of what I like and what I don?t. If that helps paint a picture that this wasn?t a simple project, you would be spot on. That said, I don?t know of another builder in the Greater Cincinnati area that I would trust more than Chris Gorman. We absolutely love our new home. It's beautiful. It?s unique. It's functional and fits the way our family lives. It?s marketable. It's a custom home without the custom builder attitude or inflated price tag, and it's perfect for our family. Not only did I see the quality and the concern for doing things right, I talked with quite a few subcontractors who worked on the project and the theme was overwhelmingly positive toward Chris. I also heard nightmare stories about other well known builders in the area, which further reinforced that we had made a good decision by entrusting our new home to Chris. We liked the fact that he was very hands-on throughout the build process. He made sure the subs did what they were supposed to do, and he selected subs who took pride in their work and who were good at their craft. With a project this complicated not everything was easy. However, when unexpected issues arose, Chris was good at identifying solutions; some even turned out better than the original plan. He was also flexible and creative as we moved through the project. Here are a few tips, for what it?s worth, from our build experience: 1) Don?t rush the design process upfront. Take as much time as you need to get it the way you like it, considering your budget. Once the house is under construction, it's much harder and more costly to make significant changes. 2) Give your builder as much detail as possible (written, ideally by email). This helps keep everyone on the same page, provides a time-stamped paper trail so there is accountability for both parties, and it gives you something to refer to as the project moves forward. So many decisions happen so fast that it?s impossible to remember everything important to the project if you don't write it down. 3) Whatever construction time frame you are given ? double it. Then be pleasantly surprised if it comes in early. You can't count on the weather cooperating, and timelines with most builders are aggressive. Besides, there are lots of moving parts that must line up to complete a project of this magnitude. Our home came with a 1-year warranty and in a few months we will be doing a check-up with Chris for any fixes that may need to be handled. I will post an update after that time.