Jakobsen & Bowe LLC

Description of Work: We were early customers of a new firm Matthew Bowe Design Build in Purcellville, VA, after Mr. Bowe and his previous partner split the business, Jacobsen & Bowe. We began the design/build process for a new home in June 2013 and moved into it in late April 2015. Some work is still being done by the builder. |Our project took a long time but we ended up with a house that we really like. It is of moderate size with several high-end features (vaulted, beamed ceiling, a lot of custom cabinetry and granite counter tops, reclaimed oak flooring, thick walls provided by insulated concrete forms). In terms of design, MBDB worked with us to develop a layout uniquely suited to our household and our building site - something we had been unable to find after looking through hundreds of prepackaged home plans. |Everyone in this company is very nice to deal with, the owner seems knowledgeable and puts a very high priority on politeness, responsiveness to the customer, and basic decency. The company was quite accommodating and helpful with changes we wanted to make midway through the building process. Our experience has not been without bumps, however. There were several re-dos of things we wish had been done right to begin with. Sequencing of tasks was sometimes chaotic. There were significant unanticipated costs. Some of these problems were caused by particular challenges related to our building site and building method, but we suspect that startup issues related to the founding of the new business also played a role. |There are many good reasons to work with this firm. Our home is exceptional in some ways. The owner stands behind his product and works hard to correct problems. He has made a number of personnel changes since our project began and appears to have a stronger team in place, likely yielding a smoother outcome. We wouldn't care to go through our personal experience again but imagine that more recent customers may be having a less stressful process. I'd recommend asking for references of recent projects to be sure that is the case. |