Lauten Design & Construction

All in all the project was a complete success and realized the VMProjectDesign.com design perfectly. Problems were few and overall the job went smoothly. No project this big is completely without problems, but the measure of a great general contractor is responding to them and making them right. Lauten was extremely responsive and eager to do whatever it took to realize the design or accommodate minor redesign. The work went to schedule. Things went a little over budget in the bathroom tile setting phase with a few glitches, but Drew went out of his way to successfully make things right and adjusted billing. Our team was Lera of VMProjectDesign.com for the project specification and interior design, Drew, Brian and Lisa were our project managers. Lauten did the structural specification, Brian led the work effort and did the carpentry. Collier Plumbing and Trump's Electric rounded out the Lauten team. Frank Sams of Stone Age Masonry contracted with us separately to execute the exterior cement and custom stone work. We are 100% satisfied with our result and feel our design was realized better than we could have hoped. We recommend Lauten highly and without reservation.

Lauten performed some minor handyman type work for our house.  While the scope and complexity was small, they were very professional, friendly and provided very high quality workmanship.  Wish I had the budget to do more to my house - I would hire them again.

The project was to extend the main gable of our 26'-wide ranch house by 14'. The new space would bring the existing exterior chimney inside, and contain a completely new kitchen. The main floor and basement were extended together, and the basement was roughed-in to move an existing bathroom into a new small living space. The laundry room in the basement was also rebuilt to be finished and more spacious on it's existing footprint. This was our first big project and after a long search, we decided to engage Lauten.
The project was a complete success, our vision of the addition was realized 100%. Let me say right up front we were completely satisfied with Lauten and are currently engaging them  again on a new project to enlarge the master bedroom and emlarge and build a complete new master bath.
Let me talk realistically about what "complete success" means to us: Drew's Lauten crew, led by Mike V. including Jake and superb subs, was professional and extremely effective. On time every day, steady, often rapid progress, top quality workmanship and attention to even trivial details. Everyone involved, both Lauten crew and subs,  seemed to understand and care about our vision and its successful realization. In most aspects of the job we got down to detail in specifying materials and methods, our requirements were eagerly met in all cases. I won't say the project was completely problem-free, some of our requirements were unusual and difficult. But the glitches that did arise were dealt with creatively and in all cases successfully. In a minority of cases we saw the problems as Lauten responsibility, Drew stepped up and made equitable and prompt allowances to keep the project on schedule and ensuring that all our requirements were met 100%. On a job of this size, complexity and scope, with old, existing structure, and unusual structural requirements, to expect no mistakes is unrealistic. What we did expect and receive, was expert, skilled workmanship, agressive, prompt project execution and honest willingness to deal in 100% good faith and wind up with a completely successful project. In the end, we got that and more!

EXCELLENT! Brian was magnificent!
Drew and Brian delivered as promised

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Drew was great from start to finish. They gave us a plan and timeline and completed finishing part of our basement during that timeframe. They came in under budget. We have had no problems with this new addition to our home.

They did an extremely amazing job. I would highly recommend them to anyone who would like to do something in their home.

It was a pleasure to work with Drew Lauten in the initial stages of estimating our bathroom remodel.  He was willing to work with us in what we could have them do. Mike and Jake, who did the demolition, were great; they were polite and professional.  The job was done in a timely fashion and the end product was ready to go for the next step. They will soon be putting up the drywall and durarock and prepare it for the tile install.  I look forward to another great job.

They were excellent from start to finish. I would hire them again in a second.

We were very happy with Lauten. They were very professional and we are extremely happy with the results. We would absolutely use them again and recommend them to anyone.

My initial consultation with Lauten Project Manager, Drew, was refreshingly different from other contractors I've worked with in this area.  Our repair was somewhat complicated with concurring issues related to long term water damage from a faulty door installation and more recent water damage due to Hurricane Sandy last fall.  Drew's repair proposal was reasonable and affordable.  He and his crew were intelligent, professional and always called and showed up when they said they would (this is no small thing if you've ever had to work with contractors in this area.)  Finally, the most important part of this experience is that they did a great job.  The install looks nice and appears to be airtight and solid.  I will definitely recommend this contractor to my neighbors.   

Key areas:
1.    Quality of work performed. The quality of work done was consistently top notch. Michael was on site every day, and ensured
subcontractors knew exactly what to do (and more importantly, what not to do) for our project.  He ensured everything was done in a highly professional manner. When necessary, Lauten used subcontractors who were knowledgeable, skilled, and competent in their respective trades. They were conscientious about following project specifications, and their work product rarely needed
improvement or revision.  Michael backed each subcontractor team up to ensure our project was first-class.  Drew was extremely concerned when a few items were accidentally broken by sub-contractors.  He made sure to replace the broken items.
2.    Project management and coordination.
Drew was knowledgeable about all aspects of our project, and was able to plan, coordinate and manage the activities of different work crews effectively. He remained closely involved in overseeing the project from start to finish. His excellent attention to detail, strong organizational skills and commitment to follow-through are assets, which enabled him to juggle the extensive details  involved in our project without missing a beat.
 
We would strongly recommend Lauten for any home project that you want to have done right and done with quality in mind.  They were exceptional from our first meeting to the final wrap-up. We trusted them ? and they delivered a high-quality, efficient and top-notch 21st century kitchen area.  

See above.

After moving into our historical home, we hired an environmental consultant to conduct lead testing. We knew there would be lead, but we did not know how much or where. The tests came back with some pretty troubling news, so we began an intensive search for a company that was knowledgable in the practices of safe lead abatement (Angie's List forces me to select Asbestos Removal for Lead Abatement), reputable and able to meet the administrative and historical standards of working with a Board of Architectural Review.
After months of searching, we finally met with Lauten Construction. There are many companies who claim to offer this service, but when you begin asking detailed questions about how lead abatement is accomplished safely, you quickly discover that there are many who have no idea what they are talking about. Luckily for us, Lauten Construction was notably different.
Lauten Construction met all of our requirements and has exceeded our expectations in all of the rating categories. Much of the work at the beginning involved lots of paperwork and meetings with the local Board of Architectural Review. Rob and Drew Lauten were with us every step of the way- they came to meetings after hours to help us present and get approval for our project (this was a very stressful months-long process).
After approval, the process of lead abatement went very well. They were extremely sensitive to our concern for safety first and employed all techniques to contain and properly remove material disturbed during the replacement and renovation of doors, windows and other structural elements. They used heavy plastic to contain areas of work and cleaned the workspace with appropriate equipment each day before leaving.
The Lauten employee that handled most of the work, Mike, was very professional and I had no concerns about leaving him in our home to work. He was professional and communicated when I could expect him to arrive and if he would be off. The sub-contractors were also very professional and adequately supervised, again leaving me no concerns about leaving the house to run errands.
We had an opportunity to sit down with Drew and Mike at regular intervals to discuss work achieved and the plan for the upcoming week. This allowed us all to communicate any ideas or concerns, and also provided a good forum to work out details or changes.
The communication from their Office Administrator, Donna, is also excellent. Invoicing and reports are very professional and detailed, leaving no question about what you have or have not paid for.  We also received a very helpful report comparing the original estimate to the actual work, giving us a line by line account of how the project was going.
We have many future projects planned for our home and I have no doubt that we will use Lauten Construction to renovate our home. I would give them the highest of recommendations to anyone needing construction, renovation or lead abatement work.

Drew had a quick turn around time. He was always available via phone and email. He was responsive and kept me up to date throughout the whole process. I would recommend him to anyone needing home remodeling or repair.