BASNETT Design Build Remodel

I am just starting the process and had a lot of questions and he was very knowledgeable and gave me many pointers in what I need to Look out for when building a new house even after he realized I was building out of his business area

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We discovered Jim Basnett of Basnett Design-Build-Remodel, from seeing his sign and trucks in our neighborhood here in Lexington. He did extensive remodeling and addition work on a house on our street. Based upon the work we saw him doing with our neighbor, as well as all of the outstanding reviews on Angie's List, we asked Jim to help us with our own plans. From our first call, Jim was always extremely responsive and receptive, happy to talk to us and guide us. He sent us a list of references - a very long list, I might add, of clients that he worked with in the past - a huge percentage of which are actually continuing clients, meaning clients that are so happy with his work, when they want to do a new project, they call Jim back again. We are going to be leaving Lexington and moving to a nearby town, where we will be tearing down a rundown wreck of a house and building a handicapped accessible ranch in it's place. We had many conversations with Jim about the process. We had not yet bought a property when we first began talking, so he walked us through the steps, ideas, speaking specifically about land drainage, insulation, energy, costs, and countless other details, so that we had an idea of what to look for in a property, and how to proceed with the teardown and new construction. He looked at a few properties for us online, giving his input, and offering to come out to see and assess potential properties for us. Very importantly, he recommended a few realtors to act as buyers agents for us, and we did very happily engage one of them. Ultimately, we ended up not using Jim, but only because we found a different excellent builder (I never knew even one existed, let alone TWO!) who's schedule happened to be open and could begin our project immediately. Timing for us is fairly tight, details not important, so that was a key deciding factor for us. We can't thank him enough for his dedication to us, his invaluable advice, his bestowing to us of an excellent on-point realtor who cares about customer service more than her commission and his big picture view of how being moral, open and honest, is always the best policy.

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The consultation went very well. I contacted Jim Basnett via the email address listed on his website. He replied to me later the same day with a detailed,10-page list of customer contacts who had agreed to provide references to prospective clients. We arranged to speak the following day on the phone to discuss potential show-stoppers up front. In my email, I had outlined several projects for his consideration, the two main ones were 1. Finishing half of our basement, and 2. Converting our garage into a garage with an in-law apartment above. First of all, I was very impressed with the information on Mr. Basnett's website. He gives a very thorough demonstration of the process he uses to document and guide the design, planning, and execution of the projects he takes on. His process is quite detailed and is clearly designed to minimize surprise costs, to expose any potential snags ahead of time, and to guarantee that all parties involved in the process are on the very same page every step of the way. This, to me, is a great sign of Mr. Basnett's commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. One can tell that a lot of thought and experience has gone into the development of this process. On the phone, Mr Basnett was both professional and amiable. He went right down my list, asking for clarification on some points and giving me the overview of things to consider in each case. He also mentioned some general factors to keep in mind such as accrued equity and the future value of the house if the work was performed. He gave ballpark figures for each job which seemed high to me but I have never undertaken such projects on my home before and was quite in the dark to begin with. Mr. Basnett conceded that his figures were probably higher than others but that this is to ensure that a high level of quality is delivered on every aspect of the project. Given what I had read on his website, the detail and number of references he provided, and taking into consideration the contents of our conversation, I have no doubt that Mr. Basnett would go the extra mile for his customers to deliver superior-quality work at every stage of the project. If I were in a better financial position, there is no doubt that his is the company I would want to hire for my projects. At this time however, it is looking like we need to wait a year or two before we can consider projects of this magnitude. Mr. Basnett, at the very least provided me with some perspective on what it would take to get these projects underway, the costs involved, and other miscellany to consider before undertaking the projects in question. He also supplied me with some feedback on what may not even be possible in my community according to various codes. This was a great start for me and a very positive experience.

Overall, we would highly recommend Basnett for their quality in workmanship, professionalism and attention to detail. They worked with us extensively on exploring different options for our home improvement project and helped to define the focus. Once we decided on the scope and the final design, work commenced shortly thereafter. They were on the job site continuously- every day usually by 7 AM and they often worked into the evening. The project was managed to ensure there were no significant project hold-ups. Basnett chose and coordinated all of the subcontracting that was required ( landscaper, stonewall, electrician, to name a few). All of the subcontractors were reliable and performed high quality work. Although our sense is that Basnett may not be the least expensive option in home improvement contractors, we felt very satisfied that the job was done right and our house does look beautiful! We would use Basnett again in the future.

Jim is very professional. Extremely knowledgable. I would honestly love to work with him. Unfortunately his estimate was at the highest end of the estimates I received. I haven't officially moved forward yet, and its possible I use him for other future projects that could come along. I can tell he does great work and would be fantastic to work with. He's very concerned about the environment that his clients have to live through while work is being done on their home. He seems extremely knowledgeable and takes pride in not just his team's work, but also keeping up with trends in the marketplace. I would easily recommend giving Basnett a call to review opportunities to work with them.

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Design team was excellent to work with and came up with plan factoring in all the site issues and elevations that exceeded our expectations. The permit phase ran into issues with the town building department requiring a certified plot plan and confirmation of septic field location. Basnett team quickly brought in one of their licensed surveyors subcontractors and prepared the required plans and even field verified the exact septic location to satisfy the town. The septic turned into a problem requiring a variance which they spearheaded and got approved. The construction team and subcontracted services such as excavation, concrete were extremely professional and delivered quality results. Construction was completed on schedule with excellent communication from the site foreman. Even though I had some issues with the total cost, I have to say, they said upfront they would not be the cheapest contractor but would deliver a high quality job with quality people. Most contractors hype their quality but fail to deliver. in Basnett's case they delivered the quality promised which is rare today. Good job, happy with the total value received - DESIGN / PERMIT PROBLEM RESOLUTION / CONSTRUCTION / QUALITY / PEOPLE

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The only contractor I found that follows the most current building science and not industry trends! I am an engineer by trade and a first time homebuyer. After a long search, I found a home that only had one major flaw, the crawl space. It is a relatively new construction, but the hardwood floors were already starting to cup from the moisture below after only a few years. I did extensive research on the subject and was appalled by some of the recommendations of other contractors and supposed industry specialists. I had over 7 crawl space/basement repair "industry experts" come out to provide free quotes. Many of them continued to call me after I declined their offers. While J F Basnett does not specialize in crawl space repair, I came across some of the company's other work through my research and found that they do not go along with conventional knowledge and use the latest actual scientific and engineering studies in building design and architecture to design their plans. There were no gimmicks, deals, specials or pitches. I called in desperation and they were very responsive, very candid, and completely honest. The price was extremely fair, given the scope of the work. They answered all my questions and backed up every suggestion with concrete evidence and scientific facts not jargon. The price was less than several quotes from industry experts, who were offering to do less actual modifications. I am more than pleased. I have recommended them to my neighbors and any other work I need on my home will go to them. Please take a look at the before and after pictures.

This company is the amazing, professional and caring company I have ever dealt with. They provided so much comfort satisfaction that I have never seen, and I have been a business owner for 34 years and built offices from scratch. They have a talented team of architects, but, more important, they have in depth consultations about the comfort of the space that you wish to create. The most minute details are taken into consideration. There was even a "living consideration " meeting with such questions like " how should we treat your dogs?...can we use a radio? How early can we start? Will we disrupt any people in your house? This was just about the first time I have ever seen a company do what they said they would do, when they said they would do it. Everything went exactly as scheduled. The crew was wonderful--happy, considerate and intelligent people. They left my house cleaner than I could ever have done (I was actually embarrassed by how messy I had left it compared to how neatly it was rearranged while it was being constructed). The project managers were so considerate and replied promptly with any questions, concerns, or choices that I needed to make. The estimate that I was given was detailed right down to the make of the door knob, and every item was completed as promised on the schedule as provided. I would be more than happy to show their work to any one, and I think that they would be the only crew that I would trust from now on.

We were very impressed with the professionalism of all of the people from Basnett we had contact with: the owner, project manager, carpenter and electrician. The attention to detail was evident in their work and we are very happy with the outcome. We will recommend Bassett to others as needs arise. We would label the Basnett team as the "Mike Holmes team of Mass"!!!Thanks so much for a job well done.

The Basnett slogan is "We build comfort" and it fits them perfectly. We bought our home in 2008 completely in love with it's character (lots of beautiful wood) and attention to detail (kitchen and dining room focus on the pond view rather than their traditional functions.) When we decided we wanted to finish off the space above the garage and do some other custom work we knew we wanted to stay true to its uniqueness. We tracked down Jim and essentially said, "We own your house - come back and add on." Jim spent a lot of time patiently planning out the details of the work we wanted done. With his designer Lynne, they made sure we considered all aspects of the rooms and how we would use them now and in the future. Lynne was essential to the success of the overall plan. Great pains were taken to ensure doors were placed in the most useful spots and that the rooms would function exactly as we envisioned. They also made sure we knew all our options which saved us from regretting things in the end (radiant heat for the mudroom floor to dry fast and not be slippery from swimming/skating and an intricant lighting system in our bedroom that creates beautiful ambiance.) Carol, the interior designer, made fantastic choices (the best is the chocolate brown walls in our bedroom.) She effortlessly picked lots of colors, flooring, etc. and we have loved all of them. Greg, the Project Supervisor, was incredible. Fantastic at what he does, knows his stuff, and a pleasure to be around. And with a pregnant woman and her 2yo son home each day while this work went on, Greg had to manage around us, baby gates, and naptimes and he did so with a smile. Our two year old loved him. With all the questions that come up during work like this, I found myself often saying "Greg, what would you do in your house?" and going with his decisions - he never steered us wrong. The subcontractors were great and the house was left clean every day. They were quick to call our attention to the odd fact that the laminate flooring we picked priced out almost as high as real hard wood. They laid out both options and helped us revise the plan to install the wood floor. They even took a lot of time to help think through which wall should hold a lightswitch - no detail was too small. We had some delays getting started (mostly ones that we ok'd) but with a baby on the way we had a drop dead date to have this project finished. It was not completed in that time frame. But they did work feverishly to try and make up lost time (including Saturday's) and offered some cost savings to make it up to us. When you first meet Jim you know that he has high standards. He certainly delivers. We often find ourselves, as we live in our new spaces, saying 'we love this' or 'we love that.' One our favorite end results is that you can't tell what parts of the house are new - it all flows so nicely, as if it's always been this way.

The overall project work by Basnett was excellent! The project started with us deciding to put a brand new hi-end inground gunite pool/spa in our backyard which would include a large deck area and a cabana. Basnett was highly recommended to us by good friends that had used them for a large kitchen/family room, garage remodel/addition. Right from the beginning of the project, and throughout, Basnett's team was great to work with! They were always available by phone or e-mail. They were always on time whether it was for a meeting or for completion of part of the project. I was never left in the dark about anything and if a change was necessary I was always given sounds reasons and options. Basnett's design teamed helped us go from the idea of a cabana to what exactly that would look like. They helped us with location of the structure, functionality for the structure and all along the way gave us options and excellent advice. By the end of the design phase we had an excellent idea of what the finished project would lool like and how much it would cost. Once we started construction, I could not have felt more comfortable with the project manager and his ability to handle the project. He gave me such peace of mind. His communication was incredilble and his management of his sub-contractors and their work was outstanding. The project had added complexity because of the location of the cabana which required a lot of site work to run plumbing and electric out to the cabana. It also required a lot of coordination with the pool builder, landscaper and fence companies. While I thought I would need to be involved frequently in this coordination, Basnett's project manager was able to work with these other companies as well. I often looked to the Basnett project manager as the person I would discuss the whole "big picture" project with. At the end of the project we had a beautiful cabana on budget and on time! We would not hesitate to use Basnett again. While the cost of the project was higher than we thought when we first dreamed of a pool cabana, the high quality structure we have now and the confidence we have in Basnett as the builder was well worth the price.

As our children were growing up we were growing out of our house. Owning a traditional cape we were in desperate need of common space and storage. Since Jim had done previous work for us, we knew he was the one to help us. He and his architect met with us to learn how we used our current space and asked many questions to understand what we needed. The design process proved to be very valuable as we ended up with plans for a gorgeous family room and updates to our kitchen and first floor space to create a mudroom. The family room took the space of a screened porch no longer used. Since we live on a lake we wanted to bring as much natural light in this room as possible. The room included a nature wood cathedral ceiling with exposed beam, 8 large windows, pocket doors and wood floor. This room needed to tied into our heating system. The sub-contractor Jim used was very knowledgeable and during his work recommended insulating the duct work in the basement that resulted in an overall reduction in our heating bill! The kitchen remodel was all about storage. We added a large pantry, island and tile flooring. We are know able to store everything in the kitchen vs. the dining room, bathroom closet and basement. Since there is additional kitchen work to be done later, Jim recommended we purchase additional tile from the same lot to ensure consistency at a later date. This is something we would never have thought of. The tile was also carried down a hallway into a room to be used as a mudroom. Our children are very active and we had no space to accommodate all the sports equipment as well as coats boots, etc. We could not have been happier with Jim, his entire staff and the sub-contractors he used. I had weekly meetings with our project manager Greg and knew exactly what was going on at all times. There was always a high level of professionalism at all times. The respect they had for our living space was remarkable. With children ages 6 and 10 and a new puppy I was very concerned about the condition of the house during construction. The house was left in perfect condition daily. The family room addition was completely blocked off. Floors were vacuumed and I was able to come into the house and continue with a daily routine. When all the construction was done Jim had the entire house professionally cleaned!!!!! We did not have any pricing overages. The allowances built into the project for electrical, flooring, etc were very realistic. There has not been a day since this construction that we wished we did something different. We look forward to working with Jim and his staff in the future.

We bought a 40 year old home with bathrooms that needed renovation. I had a family reunion planned and hoped to have the 2nd floor bathroom done by the time people arrived the end of October. Jim was prompt in setting up a time to view the bathroom, take measurements and get a proposal to me. We were short on time, but he agreed to meet deadline. He was very organized, gave me deadlines to select cabinets, tile, counter tops, etc. The decorator who he recommended was excellent and prompt with her order placement. The workers arrived daily and worked steadily to meet the deadline. They were tidy and left my house and the work space clean behind them when they left each evening. Everything fell into place and the bathroom was done on time.. start (proposal) to finish (final inspection and clean up) in about 6 weeks. I was very pleased.

I knew they were not quick fixes, since these had gotten into this condition over many years. Jim and his foreman told what I needed to hear. They were not interested in doing band-aid work because they want to stand behind it for many years and I respect that. I told them I would contact them when I make it happen financially. They were very understanding.