REF Construction

Our bathroom remodel with REF was fantastic and exceeded all of our expectations. His quote was accurate and the work was top notch. Through the design process, Ryan and his team gave us excellent advice and ideas that helped us figure out exactly what we wanted. Construction went very smoothly and Ryan was always available to answer our questions. I would 100% recommend REF Construction and plan to call on them again if we do more projects in the future.

Close to perfect

These guys were amazing. The quality of their work was outstanding, easy to work with. I found them to be honest and fair. They really care about the client being happy. Honestly, I can't say enough good things about them.

We couldn't be happier with the outcome. Ryan was a pleasure to work with. He was honest, knowledgeable and responsive. We hope to use REF again on our future projects.

We hired Ryan a 1 ½ years ago tho do a complete kitchen remodel and Master Suite down to the studs. He and his crew did a phenomenal job. Ryan and his employees have a Customer first philosophy which was a pleasure to work with. In addition his subs did a great job, and had a similar philosophy. We we introduce to each of the subs working in our home. The bathroom remodel we just had him do, was a very small job for REF, but Ryan took it on because we were a prior customer. Once again Ryan, his employee Sean, along with his subs did a great job. They performed this small job just as they had for the much bigger remodel. We had a great prior experience, and we were curious if REF would provide the same attention to detail in this small remodel, and whether they would provide the additional time to address the small changes we asked for. Once again REF did everything we asked for, and the project came in on budget and on time. We would unconditionally recommend REF to our friends.

Great! I didn't live in the house during the work, which gave the team full access to it. My neighbors commented on how the workers were there every day, making speedy progress while some of my neighbor's remodeling projects languished. Things slowed down at the end of the project, when there were just a few last small items to wrap up -- a counter leg to install, the attic to insulate, that sort of thing. But Ryan was responsive throughout the process and kept me up to date with everything. I've recommended REF Construction to friends who are looking for a remodeling contractor, and I would gladly use them again.

Fantastic. Ryan and his team were amazing

Very well, Ryan and his team kept.to their schedule and answered any concerns.we had quickly. The end result was nothing short of amazing

The project progressed very smoothly. I appreciated the assistance with design by Eric. I liked how Sean asked questions regarding decisions before he plowed into any aspect of the job. This demonstrated to me that this was my remodel not a cookie cutter job. Ryan was affable and very competent in ensuring all materials and work was done according to schedule. I was very impressed how the pre-project schedule was followed. The tile workmanship was excellent. The painting was superb. I liked the care that the sheet rockers took in matching my smooth hallway walls. This is not always easy to do. Remodeling can hold a bit of trepidation for the consumer. Through this entire process I was always at ease.

I am delighted with the results of the full home remodel I did with REF. Ryan, Eric and my project manager, Sean, couldn't have been more accommodating and easy to work with. The budget was always fully under my control, the whole project proceeded smoothly and with a minimum of disruption. The jobsite was clean and tidy at all times and all of the sub contractors (tile, flooring, painting, etc.) were as thorough and professional as they could be. I loved the work so much I'm getting to launch into a basement remodel later this month! You can't go wrong with REF!

The project starts Monday May 1st, but already we know that we have chosen the right company. Ryan is the best.

Incredible experience from start to finish. Ryan and Sean were an absolute pleasure to work with. They are the only contractors/carpenters we will call in the future when we get to renovating our master bath. We interviewed over 5 contractors and thank goodness we came across Ryan and his team. Cannot thank him and Sean enough for making our experience on budget, on schedule (6 weeks) and exceeded all expectations.

We interviewed 5 general contractors. We were looking for a "Design & Build" contractor. Many contractors use a separate designer who charges you by the hour for design work. Unfortunately, when it is done that way you have no idea what your design costs could be. REF, (owned by Ryan Found) was willing to provide a design which his bid was then based on.

The original scope of the job was going to be just the kitchen, but we also asked for a bid on the master bath as well. Before Ryan presented the bid he met with us a number of times to make sure he understood exactly our vision of the remodel.

When Ryan presented us with the bids he brought Eric Goranson with him. Eric does all of Ryan's design work and presented us with the actual designs with the specific details, and CAD images. Eric came up with a perfect solution and included a few unique items that were not discussed but were perfect for the remodel. We kept each one. This work product was given to us before we signed the contract or paid any money.

The contract bid from REF was such that it would allow us to remodel both the kitchen and the master bath.We also got a bid from the another contractor. The numbers were not much different than REF's. However, the presentation by Ryan and Eric was by far superior to the other contractors.

We felt very strongly that Ryan was customer oriented and that he would do a great job. Since all down-to-the-studs remodels come with surprises, he told us that regardless he would make things right. (The only items on the contract that could not be determined was lead and asbestos abatement, and lucky for us neither turned out to be an issue).

My wife and I have hired many contractors over the years but this was by far the largest project we've taken on. Once we selected Ryan, he presented to us the complete timeline for the project. Specifically, what work would be done on which days and when the project would be completed. He posted them at the work station he set up in the house, and we were told of any minor deviations ahead of time. He assured us he could complete the project on time and on budget (no surprises). Frankly I've heard that so many times I found it hard to believe, but Ryan's professionalism convinced us that he could do it. So the time came to write a check for half of the contract price. My hand started to shake and sweat built up on my brow. This was a lot of money and I was handing it over to someone I had never hired before. My fear and anxiety turned out to be completely unwarranted.

Ryan was very hands on during the project. He has 2 project supervisors and at first they were both at the house. It was immediately obvious that Ryan?s customer-first philosophy carried over to them as well. However, it was Sean who was ultimately the supervisor our project. During the construction, regardless of the questions we had, Ryan and Sean took as much time as we needed to have our them answered. We've hired contractors for remodels before and typically once a project supervisor is on the job you rarely, if ever, see the head guy again. This was not the case with Ryan. He frequently showed up to monitor the project to direct Sean and the subcontractors. Both responded to my texts almost immediately, and all emails were answered the same day.

During the construction whenever a subcontractor came into our house for the first time Sean brought them to us and introduced each subcontractor and their employees. This was a new experience for us, and it greatly reduced the stress associated with remodels. I even joked with Sean that he had become a member of the family (in a good sense).

As the project progressed it became clear that Ryan was keeping the project on schedule, and that the work would be completed on time - which it was. But for a change we made near the end of the project, the work was completed on the exact day Ryan had promised.

Another thing I need to mention is that whenever I've hired a contractor even the smallest change we requested turned into a change order and an additional charge, There is a standing joke that contractors make their real money on change orders from homeowners who once the project has started they see things they didn't like and didn't foresee.This never happened once with Ryan. While he explained any major change might result in additional charges, the other ones would just be considered part of the original contract. During the project we did ask for a number of things to be changed, but Ryan never tacked on any additional costs.

Moreover, if we thought something had not been done the way we wanted it done, there was never any question. Ryan just had the change made. No questions asked. If we pointed out something a subcontractor did that didn't seem right, we never heard a word back. Instead the subcontractor returned, usually the next day, and corrected it. In the end, all of Ryan's subcontractors turned out to be excellent.

There was a problem with the supplier of the semi-custom cabinets we installed. The cabinets were very well made, but aesthetically, the finish on many of the doors were unacceptable. Whichever ones we found unacceptable Ryan simply returned them for replacements. Again, Ryan did not question our judgement on this. He just took care of the problem. We never had to deal with it. His customer-comes-first philosophy is real and he followed through to make sure we were happy.

So how did the remodel come out? Fantastic. The end result exceeded our expectations, and we feel our money was well spent. This was as stress free as I could ever imagine a remodel being. Ryan genuinely wanted us to be thrilled with how the project came out, and we are. We'd hire him again in a heartbeat. In fact we wished we'd used him on a family room remodel a number of years ago that didn't meet out expectations.

Everything went well. On time and on budget. They kept us informed throughout the process.

Ryan was professional, courteous, and extremely trust-worthy from start to finish. We were on-time and on-budget, except for items we wanted to modify at the 11th hour (and which they were very gracious to accommodate). They also agreed to help fix a board outside, and ended up finding dry rot that wrapped around the slider with bad damage from carpenter ants. Not only did they help us fix the issue, but did so in a cost-effective manner. We felt very lucky to have hired REF construction and have them working for us to not only to beautify our kitchen but to get us through the unpleasantries that arise when you find something yucky like dry rot. We will be hiring them again in the future when we're ready to remodel our bathrooms!

Tore down the kitchen to the studs. New floor, windows, back splash, counters, lighting and appliances. Also painted living room, refinished living room floor, installed living room ceiling fan, new front and back doors and did major rewiring upstairs. The work done by Ryan's crew, especially his project manager Kyle, was very well done. They also kept us informed every step of the way. Our kitchen remodel was a long and somewhat arduous process because of the type of financing we secured (Homestyle loan). It required lots of paperwork upfront and routine inspections during the remodel. REF Construction should patience and understanding as they worked with us through this often confusing situation.

I'll preface that my family had never undertaken a project of this magnitude...or this expense.  We interviewed four contractors and found Ryan to be the most "real," and were pleased that, unlike the others, he didn't ask to see our architect's drawings for the project within the first 2 minutes.  He works closely with a fantastic designer (Eric at Lake Oswego Kitchen and Bath) and they sketched out several great ideas before we committed to anything.  Once we collectively determined that a new addition was beyond our budget, they came up with a fantastic floor plan that maximized our kitchen and repositioned our entire ground floor by knocking down several existing walls and removing a large closet.  

Ryan's estimate was extremely detailed and included average costs for each new appliance, sinks, etc.  This helped us avoid surprises and gave us the ability to splurge on items that mattered to us, and downgrading on others to stay within budget.  We scheduled the demolition while we were on vacation and Ryan was great about installing effective dust barriers to accommodate for our small children.  He also alerted all neighbors to the upcoming project and provided them with his contact info if they had any concerns.  (None did and all were complimentary of his team.)  Ryan's foreman Kyle is a true professional and a talented craftsman.  We threw several curve balls at him during the project and he handled each of them will minimal impact to the overall budget.  Communication was key to us and Ryan answered all of our questions (we had plenty) within a few hours via email, and was responsive via phone... even answering a call from a Blazers game on a Friday night. 

We are a month into enjoying our incredible new kitchen and have recommended REF to several friends who can't believe the transformation.  This was a daunting project for us, and we are grateful to Ryan Founds and his talented crew at REF for patienly walking us through every phase and delivering a truly spectacular new space for our family.  And REF will be our first and only call when we tackle the bathrooms next year....

Wonderful. Ryan is very responsive and goes out of his way to make sure the job is done right. High quality work. The total bill was high but considering how much work we had done, it was very reasonable. The stair railing had issues with the installation but Ryan fixed it at his cost and it looks great.

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Top Notch Beginning to End

Project:  Take two back-to-back 1970’s bathrooms needing significant remodel.  Mix with hard-to-work with [picky, indecisive, once-burned-twice-cautious] homeowners on a moderate budget.  Add the team of REF Construction, and Lake Oswego Kitchen & Bath, and what do you get? One EXEMPLARY customer experience with remodeling!

Eric Goranson at Lake Oswego Kitchen & Bath and Ryan Founds at REF   were full of good ideas, patient explanations, and attention to detail, from beginning paperwork through after-inspection follow up. I was encouraged to go to the fabricator & choose placement of sinks in the counter to maximize enjoyment of the pattern & be part of tile placement in the shower.  Downtime was minimized.  Every worker on the project was considerate of our home.  The results are a delight! If you are considering a remodel, CALL them.  Ryan at REF Construction:  302-697-2935  Eric at LOKB:  (503) 689-6968.

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All went extremely smoothly from start to finish. Ryan made sure that all details were handled, including working with the HOA board for approval of the project, notifying all neighbors that the project would be happening, taking their calls and responding to their concerns throughout the project. He taped a schedule outside my front door so that neighbors could see what was happening and how much longer the project would go on. I left for work in the morning just as Kyal was arriving most days, and by the time I got home, the place was straightened up and locked. Only one Saturday was required to get things wrapped up before I left for vacation. Other than that, work was done between 8:00 and 5:00 each day, which is GREAT when you live in a condo complex and lots of people are affected by the noise. Demo went quickly. Subs were all very nice. Top notch quality and attention to detail throughout the first floor of my condo now. It went from 1990 to 2015 in a matter of 9 weeks.

Seemed to go fine until summer came around and the basement flooded. They had utilised the drain that the air conditioner condensation drained to for the sink but then did not give the AC anywhere to drain into just leaving the hose draining of the floor. Ended up with standing water all over the basement floor. Followed up with contractor and he sent a plumber to come look at the problem plumber took some notes said very little other than we would be followed up with. There was no follow up and we have sent multiple emails attempting to regain contact to get problem properly addressed (long hose currently drains water into shower). After over 12 months from discovery of flooding have now given up on addressing the issue with contractor.