DAUVE CONSTRUCTION

Don removed two existing toilets, one of which had a broken seal, the other just not working correctly. He inspected the area for damage/dryrot, and then installed two new toilets. The job required an additional wax rings, so he went up to the hardware store, purchased the necessary items, and came back to finish the job. Don was very efficient, very professional, and it was clear that he knew exactly how to perform the task at hand. I would highly recommend him.

Don was fabulous. First, he actually gave me the detailed written estimate I requested rather than the general or oral estimates of other contractors. Second, he was so patient with me when I had to postpone the start date because the settlement check from the roofer's insurance company failed to materialize on time. He and his co-worker, Jeff (with a UW architecture degree, I might add), figured out how to tear out and re-frame the walls in sections starting from the foundation by leaving the interior walls intact for support, thereby alleviating the need to jack up the corner. I decided to add a garden window since the wall was being rebuilt anyway and picked up and installed the window I located on the web. His roofing subcontractor did a top-notch job on replacing the roof and the flashing on this rather quirky little area and added the necessary venting which had not be installed before. The interior walls of my spiral staircase were covered with a rough Cedar paneling which was no longer available. Don offered the best alternative (not perfect), or to have a perfect match milled, leaving me to make the decision to go with the off-the-shelf option. My Oak kitchen floor was quite a mess, both from the water and from a previous amateurish sanding. His flooring subcontractor did a perfect job of bringing it back to better than when I bought the house. Don matched the exterior stain on my house and dipped the shingles before replacing them. And the deck rebuild is beautiful, with brand new treated stringers and Cedar flooring and rails. He cleaned up each day and will be hauling out the last of everything tomorrow. He called me frequently and emailed me as to when he'd be here. His bill was detailed and the additional costs due to my requests were absolutely fair. His estimate was not the lowest, but it was amongst the lower bids. So, with a start date of mid-November and with the holidays and the snow storm, I'm looking at the finished product on January 16, 2009. And, even though both Don and I and, it turns out, his floor guy, Phil, are all from Missouri, I think he'd do the same for other folks, regardless of their native state.

We decided to push the bottom of the house out to give us a store room and pool room with a deck on top. It went smoothly and just as planned. At one point, we realized during inspection he realized we were going to have to replace the sewer line before covering it with concrete and he communicated all the options. The deck was designed to have a very slight slope away from the house for drainage. But it is so subtle you cannot tell on the deck or below unless you look closely. The city inspector's comments when he came for final inspection of the work was that Don always does an excellent and professional job.