JIM BEVER CONSTRUCTION

The building of our home went well. Pre-building was the most challenging part, and that’s where this company stands out. We had land under contract in Silverton and nothing was happening. Of course the various entities who needed to sign off on a building permit and loan were all weighing in, and the work needed was slowly happening. But I had never imagined that just getting started would take so long, and it was sort of infuriating at times. Jim reassured us and focused on what we could control. Jim met with us periodically as we went over modifications to the house plan we’d found to make it semi-custom. We continued to discuss costs and ways to decrease costs and/or improve the end result. Since we were living with extended family 35 minutes away, going to Silverton was out of our way, as was Mulino. Jim always came to us to talk, which made the project feel more like a collaborative effort instead of a mere business arrangement. Jim wisely recommended that we spend time on our land even if "nothing" was happening. He suggested camping there, going sledding when snow fell, and pointed out the many features our site afforded us. I figured nothing was ever going to work out since progress was at a glacial pace. But we did slowly try his suggestions, and it helped us get through the waiting phase. Besides caring about our overall experience, I also appreciated that Jim advised us on all of our decisions, but he left it up to us instead of making it about him. We know he didn’t always love what we chose, but he did find a way to be positive about it and support us. We certainly ran into obstacles, and Jim found solutions. He went to bat for us on some big and small issues with the county, the bids from subs, the availability of materials, etc. This could have put us on an emotional roller coaster, but he didn’t pass the anxiety and concern onto us unless he had to. That buffer decreased the stress of home-building significantly. I was a little surprised at first that he tended to be late to meetings. But like anyone attending closely to the details and caring about people, he had good reason to be late as he had other projects going. We learned to adjust for the Jim time zone, and we were never disappointed. When he was with us, we had his full attention. The one item on our wishlist that we never fully got ahold of was a timeline showing us when to expect certain decisions. Most of the time, this wasn’t a problem, and it got better as the process went forward. I think we figured out that with some plans you can’t spell out a timeline; you just have to roll with it. We love our new home, and we are working with Jim still as we finish the upstairs and basement. We plan to build a barn with him as well. This company doesn’t need a slogan (or even this review—word of mouth keeps them plenty busy), but I made one up: “Build your dream home with us and live happily Bever after.” (Thank goodness they don’t need marketing help!)

Very good build on a custom home.

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The project went extremely well.  We had built a house about 20 years before, in Oregon City, when Jim was one of the crew on his dad Walt's construction company.  That project went so well that when we considered building again, we thought of the Bevers and no one else.  Walt was retired and Jim was now the contractor.  Jim's expertise goes beyond mere building.  Here's one example:  when we called Jim to visit a lot we were considering, to provide a ballpark estimate, he gave us the estimate and then queried us on why we hadn't considered the lot we did eventually build on, which was adjacent.  We assumed it was actually 3 small lots, seeing some survey stakes.  Thankfully for us, Jim had done his homework and informed us that no, it was a large lot and listed for even less than the adjacent one.  Long story short:  we took advantage of the sagging market and got a great deal on the lot.  We hadn't really thought we could afford to build and were very surprised at Jim's estimate.  "This is the time to build", he said; "lumber is cheap now and all my subs are hungry for work."  One thing we value highly in dealing with Jim is his willingness and ability to communicate.  This man returns phone calls and e-mails.  It goes beyond that:  he patiently went over many house plans with us; lots and lots of hours at our kitchen table, suggesting, answering questions, discussing modifications to plans we liked etc.  He ran interference for us with the city planning dept.  One of the very few errors he made was in the estimate he gave for the cost of the building permit.  Yowzers!  It was much higher than he thought it would be.  The major negative experience was in dealing with another contractor moving two houses onto lots nearby, one of which was next to the driveway Jim punched in to our flag lot.  In moving that house in they tore up a portion of our driveway and then refused to acknowledge any damage.  Over time we suspected that there was an apparent "special relationship" between that contractor and the city inspector, to our detriment--one construction standard for us and one for her.  That was our perception. This is where Jim's skills paid off again:  when I was ready to blow up at some of the goings on, Jim calmed me down and did the talking.  He kept the focus on completing the project and not alienating the inspector.  Before we broke ground Jim explained that although we could specify which subcontractors we wanted, he had formed relationships with several over the years that he used more or less exclusively.  "They are more expensive; however, you will not only get a quality product, but if you have a problem even years from now they will attend to it and correct it."  We accepted that approach and it was a wise one.  They were experienced and gave us input on making little changes here and there that we wouldn't have thought of.  An example:  the plumber suggested that we include a hot water line to one of our outside faucets.  It was an extra cost but I'm glad we did it because I've used that feature several times and if I want to set up an outdoor shower all I have to do is run a hose out to it.  Jim has a good eye for design and color schemes and we came to value his input.  Again, there were lots of (sometimes) semi-heated discussions at the kitchen table when he would argue his point about color or texture.  Sometimes we took his suggestions and sometimes we shook our heads and opted for the alternative.  When he saw we were firm he would cheerfully drop it.  The bid did not include insulating the ceiling but Jim advised me to just do it myself, pointing out that it would keep the downstairs cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter, as well as providing some noise dampening.  For about $200 for the insulation and a couple days of labor I did it myself, using his staple gun.  He also loaned me his tiller so I could smooth the soil around the house and plant some grass seed.  We have lived here almost 2.5 years and we love our house.  If we ever decide to build again we will be giving Jim a call.