Robin Campbell Builders

Builder selection:

We were looking to build our dream home, but didn't really know where to start.  Before we decided to sell our previous home, we read Angie's lists reviews of the top custom home builders in our area.  After reading the reviews, we sent out requests for information to 7-10 builders.  Of those, only a portion responded to our request, and of those respondents, we decided on 4 builders that we would meet face to face with.  For us, responsiveness was paramount in the meetings with perspective home builders.  We always have the opinion that if someone isn't responsive before they have your money, they'll most definitely not be responsive once they do.  At the time, we took meetings with 4 different builders.  During the meetings, we received various levels of detail from each of the respective companies, and by far, Robin was the most prepared, provided clear options, and seemed to have the best approach to dealing with ambiguity.  Robin offered to show us a house that he had recently completed, which furthered our understanding of his quality and process.  At the conclusion of all the meetings with the 4 potential builders, we decided that Robin would be best suited for our needs. 

Home design:

After we agreed to work with Robin to build our home, it was time to identify a suitable building lot and come up with a design for our property.  There were many lots that we considered when weighing all of our options, and Robin helped us hone in on the lot that would work best for our needs.  He met us at the lot many times, even before we decided to buy the lot, to discuss options, what we could do, etc.  After we selected the lot, it was time to come up with the design.  We had a general idea of what we wanted the outside of the property to look like, but were uncertain how to make the interior fit our desires.  After many hours of meetings, phone calls, emails, etc., thanks to Robin, we were able to hone in on a design.  Throughout this design process, there were several iterations back and forth, and Robin never made us feel rushed, always answered calls, responded to our emails, and was a constant voice of reason.  He helped guide us to cost effective solutions, which was very much appreciated.

Home construction

Once construction began Robin was always on top of it.  He utilizes a website which provides timelines, key dates, estimated completions, inspections, etc., which is very helpful.  This website was able to answer many of the questions that we had throughout the process.  While the house was under construction Robin closely monitored the progress and made sure that any of the subcontractors were delivering exactly what we wanted.  Any time we had a question, requested a modification, or anything like that whatsoever, he always ensured that it was addressed promptly.  Ultimately, once the house was completed it was so much better than anything that we could have imagined!

Quality

Many times throughout the construction process we were blown away by the level of quality of building materials and workmanship.  Things such as: quality mechanicals, efficient insulation, wiring to handle larger loads, brick finishing, concrete finishing, solid core doors, argon gas filled windows, cedar & composite decking, etc. were done without us even having to inquire about them.  Robin did not cut corners anywhere throughout the entire duration.

Financials

To anyone who is looking to build a custom house:  You have to keep in mind that you must have complete trust in your builder to do the right thing and to be financially responsible.  The builder holds the money and disperses it to the subcontractors.  If you don't have confidence in your builder, this can be a very stressful situation.  From our experience, Robin spent this money as if it were his own.  Never did he agree to any budget overrides without carefully considering alternative options which were more cost effective and he always kept us in the loop on our options.   Robin provided monthly budget reports so that we knew exactly where we stood throughout the entire construction process. 

Value for your money

As previously mentioned, Robin took the utmost responsibility when handling our finances.  This approach ultimately saved us thousands of dollars.  Robin has a knack for understanding your tastes and makes sure that what he's quoting matches those, but he weighs in his opinion when there is a better way to get something done.  We are confident that other builders would have built us the same house and it would have cost $100,000 more than it did with Robin.  He kept us in line with respect to sticking to the budget.  He was also very flexible and let us complete some work ourselves (flooring, tiling, etc.).

Summary

Given the chance to build another house, we would, without question, use Robin Campbell Builders again.  We can't speak highly enough of his character, honesty, responsiveness, voice of reason, and years of experience.  Throughout the entire process he always took time to answer any question that we had and never made us feel rushed even if he was meeting with us late into the evening or over the weekend.  His even keeled approach was always reassuring when having to make difficult choices.  Robin did an exemplary job completing our dream home.  You won't be disappointed if you choose Robin Campbell Builders to build your dream home!

Robin is very capable and qualified.  He has been in the home building business for many years. He is very knowledgeable.  He is patient (and I am sure I tested his patience a few times).  His subcontractors are good at what they do and Robin is constantly checking on them and the quality of their work.  His prices are much more reasonable than most custom home builders. We could not be more pleased and would definitely recommend him for a new home or a remodel.  We have shared his name with several friends who has now done remodels for them or room additions. 

We originally selected a different contractor to build our home. The contractor we selected was a tract builder (that would build on our land) and not a true custom builder like Robin; therefore we believed the price would be lower; however, when the appraisal from the bank came back lower than the construction cost we searched for other contractors on Angie?s List and found Robin.  Robin took our plans and specifications and within a couple weeks was able to send us a price for our new home.  Robin?s price was lower and we were able to add several upgrades and still be below the appraised value.  In addition, our contract with Robin was a Cost Plus Fixed Fee with a not to exceed maximum price; therefore we knew we could potentially receive money back at the end of construction.  Within a few weeks of receiving the cost estimate we broke ground on our new home.  Robin shared his construction costs with us
throughout construction.  I was amazed at how quickly Robin?s subcontractors responded to his requests.  Construction went very smoothly and we love our new home.  We were even able to add several more upgrades during construction and still stay below budget.  Looking back at it now, I am extremely thankful our original appraisal came back too low to go with our original tract home builder which led us to Robin.  He was able to build a better quality and more energy efficient home with more upgrades at a lower price.  We would definitely recommend Robin to anyone wanting to build a custom home.  

From our first meeting, our Congregation's Building Committee knew that Robin Campbell was the right General Contractor for the job. His professionalism, mixed with a down-to-earth, plain-speaking "can-do" attitude (without the "sales-pitchy-ness" feeling we got from other General Contractors we had interviewed) immediately won us over. We knew we could work with Robin, and he quickly proved that he was the right choice.
Robin is a man who commits to the job he is doing. But more than that, he commits to the people for whom he is working. We constantly recognized throughout the time we worked with him that he was a man we could trust to not only get the job done, but to get it done right. He carefully chose the subcontractors he knew would be best for our project, and we were not disappointed in his decisions.
In the building of our church, we used many volunteer workers, and Robin was not only willing to work with them extraordinarily well, but he was also willing to "get his hands dirty" and work right along side of us. He is a man who doesn't just oversee a project, but takes the project to heart, making sure everything is done well and in accordance with the budget.
In addition, Robin was always prompt and made every meeting. He spent enormous amounts of time "on-site" making sure everything was being taken care of. He is quick to answer phone calls and emails. We always felt as though we could come to him with any question or concern and know that he would answer and resolve any questions or concerns we had. Often, he would already be working on an issue he noticed before we even saw it or contacted him about it. He constantly amazed us with his dedication to the project.
We would not hesitate to refer Robin to anyone. He was a blessing to us and made what could have been an enormously stressful experience a joyful one instead.

Robin Campbell Builders did an excellent job.  He guided us through the entire project.  We were very stressed due to the fire and he made things a lot easier helping with ideas and selections for our home.  He kept a schedule on-line so that we would always know what was going on.  We were pleased with the quality of the workmanship and the time frame in which things were done. The workers were courteous and always cleaned up after the job.   We were expecting to be out of our home until around May, however, things were always on schedule or ahead of schedule and we were able to move in by the end of March.   

We love our newly remodeled home and would highly recommend Robin Campbell Builders.  Robin Campbell had built our home office addition about 10 years prior to this job and we hired him for our home rebuild because we were so pleased with the building he built for us then.   

Robin did the work at a good price. He did what we wanted to do.

After months of working to get bids for building our home, we met with Robin through a mutual acquaintance. We were impressed by Robin's professionalism, no-nonsense approach, and honesty from the first meeting. Since we had spent years dreaming about what our home would be like, and how we wanted it, Robin had very specific specifications to price. After a couple short weeks of bracing for the sticker shock, we were happy to see a figure close to our budget. Robin was helpful then in finding areas to reduce costs and bring the final total within our budget by allowing us to complete a large portion of the finish work ourselves. While Robin's sub-contractors were hard at work, we began stockpiling supplies to complete the painting, floor installation, trim staining, door installation, television and internet wiring, bathroom accessories, and cabinet installation. Robin's subcontractors were courteous, well-mannered, welcomed inquiries and have excellent workmanship. They all take great pride in their work and building an excellent product for their customer. Robin was always available to answer any questions and provide professional advice, even in the areas we undertook ourselves. 
The entire project was completed in an expeditious manner with great communication and attention to detail. We were impressed that we broke ground within a month of signing a contract and now that we are living in our home within seven months of signing that contract. Robin was attentive to all of our requests, questions, comments, and keeping our project moving. We received regular progress reports, financial information, and spoke at least once a day for the majority of the seven months.
Robin's expertise, hard work, integrity, and professionalism gave my family the home we love under budget and in excellent time. We are extremely happy we found Robin and his team and now consider him a friend.

Everything went beautifully.  We were thrilled, again, with Robin Campbell's work.  His contractors are polite, timely and skilled.  We didn't do anything extravagant with the finishing of our basement, but it looks beautiful.  We are thrilled with the way it was done and the ongoing relationship we have with Robin.

We were looking for specific features in a home, and could not find an existing home for sale that met those needs. Because we had already visited friends who had built their homes with Robin Campbell, we decided to contact him first to talk about our options of new construction. After our first meeting, we knew that Robin was going to build our house if we could not find an existing house. Robin was easy to talk to and very quickly understood our main objective of, "build a house with as much square footage as possible, and keep the finishes/features just above 'low budget'." 
Pricing - Robin was able to set expectations on pricing from the very beginning.  His previous experience was evident as we discussed the things that we wanted in a house.  He was able to, very eloquently, "bring us to reality" regarding some of our misconceptions around the cost of building materials and labor.  In the end, looking back, his upfront estimate was pretty darn accurate. 
> Plans and design - Our plans were completely custom... we were not locked into selecting from template floor plans.  The original layout was found on the internet... then SIGNIFICANTLY modified by us to meet the needs of our family... both budget-wise and functionally.  We had MANY iterations of the plans... changing rooms, adding & subtracting rooms, windows, doors, bathrooms, exterior features, etc.  The internet plans with which we started, look nothing like the house we took to the county for approval.  Robin's patience & guidance were priceless.
> Paperwork/county Coordination - Robin handled all of the communication and coordination with the county for the build.  I am certain there were things that he took care of that I wasn't even bothered with.
> Project management - Robin appeared to have great relationships with his subcontractors.  Many of which he has been working with for many years.  Throughout construction, the majority of the time, Robin was able to keep the project moving according to our timeline.  The weather appeared to be the biggest hold-up in the process.
> Cost management -  This was one of our biggest concerns.  We were making changes all over the place to try to get the most for our money.  Where there were savings to be had, Robin was sure to point them out.  In some areas, he agreed to let us (the homeowners) do some of the work to avoid the labor costs associated.  Robin did a lot of shopping for us, trying to find the same style or product for a lower price.  This, too, is where his experience and contacts were helpful.  Even with all of the changes along the way, we completed construction only about 2-3% over budget.
> Follow up - I remain in contact with Robin as we have worked through some floor product issues (it appears to us that we had some bad material from the manufacturer)... he has followed up on the replacement process and was sure to address his subcontractors with our concerns.
Overall Experience - Top-notch builder and would definitely recommend to others.  Grateful for his experience and help guiding us through this process.  He is a builder with integrity who took responsibility for the subcontractors' work if anything was amiss. He kept our "main objective" in mind, and even had to remind us of that during construction when we were contemplating changes that could have made him a bigger profit.

I had another company out, and I had no confidence in what they said. I checked with a friend who suggested Robin who had done a lot of work for him over the years. It turned out that there was nothing wrong with the roof. He actually noticed waste pipe that's seal had pulled away a bit. He applied some caulk to seal this issue, and he did not even charge me anything for the work. He was clean, well groomed, and professional.

The process was truly enjoyable.  My husband and I were able to build the home of our dreams while staying on budget.   In addition, we wanted to incorporate specific green building methods in our home and Robin was open to trying new things when it came to our specific green building requests.  Any time we had a question or concern, he responded to us quickly.  We never felt like we were out of the loop either.  Outside of bad weather, there was someone at the house working pretty much every day.  It was obvious that Robin was experienced in his field and that he had  made excellent connections with respect to the sub contractors that he used for the work.  Each of the sub contractors that we spoke with had nothing but high praises for Robin as well - each mentioning that they had been working with him for a number of years. Our home turned out better than we could have ever expected and we are totally thrilled with the work that Robin  did for us.  We would definitely recommend him and his company to anyone wishing to build or remodel.

The process went very smoothly, from initial contact to final walk through.  Robin was able to give us good estimate of costs in order for us to review financing options.  The company was very patient while we worked through the financing.  Subcontractors were polite, efficient, and excellent to work with.  Additions and changes to the original plan were easily accommodated and efficiently handled.  Problems were quickly addressed and communications with the company was excellent.

Overall we were happy with the outcome.  The path there was not always easy. They chose to on occasion back sub-contractors that were clearly and admittedly wrong.  More loyalty to subs than to client.

The basement finish is in the final month of completion. We worked with Robin through 2 phases of completion due to complexity of buildout. We had worked with Robin on the original build & knew he was the one to work with on this project. Robin is extremely patient & easy to work with & quick to resolve any issues. He works closely with us to ensure quality is job one & we get the home of our dreams.

We had the privilege of touring a few of Robin Campbell's more recently built homes and met with him multiple times before choosing who we wanted to build with. From day one, Robin was responsive and helpful, making our building experience a huge success. We began looking at floor plans and home designs in November 2009, and after several weeks of discussion and consideration, we signed a contract and broke ground in December 2010.

Robin provided an immense amount of guidance and information on all of the decisions we had to make throughout the process. It was our first time building a custom home, and there are an incredible amount of details that go into custom homes. Robin was patient with us as we asked a lot of questions, researched all of our options and asked for his input before making our selections. He was very informative and well connected with trustworthy contractors who provided us with excellent products.

 Our home is two stories on a basement, with a total of approximately 4,200 square feet. We have four bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, an unfinished basement, a three car garage and a wonderfully open floor plan. Every inch of the house was designed with thought and serious consideration. After having lived in it for the past seven months, we are still thrilled with those decisions and the top quality of work that was provided. We regularly refer others who ask to Robin Campbell for their new construction or remodeling needs. We would be happy to answer any questions anyone might have about the work Robin did for us while building our home, and the service we continue to receive from him seven months later!

See above. Overall, it was a pleasant experience with never any misunderstandings. Extremely easy to work with. Loved the whole process.