Amaris Custom Homes

We hired Raymond Pruban/Amaris Custom Homes to design and build our house in 2019. We were pleased with the design and planning stage as Ray put so much attention into the details and frequently communicated with us. During construction, many workmanship issues arose. Some were minor and were able to be corrected. Unfortunately, some issues were major (as defined by being outside the Builders Association of Minnesota Performance Guidelines). One major issue is uneven flooring in the kitchen. There is a 5/8 inch drop in elevation within six feet. A second issue is that the shingles buckled soon after installation. Once these issues were pointed out, communication with Raymond Pruban/Amaris Custom Homes became quite difficult. We ultimately hired a lawyer and in accordance with our contract sued Raymond Pruban/Amaris Custom Homes via binding arbitration. The arbitrator found in our favor. Raymond Pruban/Amaris Custom Homes did not pay the full sum that the arbitrator awarded us, stating he was unable to get the entire amount. We are disappointed with Raymond Pruban/Amaris Custom Homes in many ways. The way he treated us, the way he dealt with the poor quality workmanship issues, and the way he handled the binding arbitration award. We do not recommend this company.

After meeting with several other builders and talking on the phone with even more, I had my meeting with Ray (and Lolli). He was the only builder who honored our budget and said he could get the job done. He also took time during that first meeting and did not rush me like the other builders. It was a long process for us to take the leap of faith and build a new home (especially custom home) and I am so glad we did. Ray was really patient as I worked through my decision making process to move forward. After moving in, I know it was the best choice for my family.
As a teacher, my main concern was going over budget. A realtor told us to take the final price and add at least 20% on it it for things that come up during the building process. She also told us that building was not a good economical choice when the market was down, but I disagree. I could not be more happy to move into a brand new house, that holds it value, has lower electric/gas bills, and needs no renovations! I don't want to move any walls, retile, or even paint!
The other builders I met with told us we would need to increase our budget by at least 100K to get the job done. One even told me the layout I wanted was not possible. However, Ray worked with us. He was honest and worked really hard to earn our business and keep us happy. We worked side by side to design an amazing home within our budget. I remember there were a couple of things I really wanted specific in the house that were a bit of a design issue (zero entry shower floor, specific island shape, and a few others) I thought that they couldn't be done and then I would get a call and Ray had done more research and talked with more people to make it happen. In the end, we even came in underbudget! It sounds too good to be true, but I have the proof! After talking with some friends who also were building, we were shocked to hear how much they were being charged for a tray ceiling! They were charged $1700 more than it cost for ours! It is so nice to be able to trust Ray and know he is not jacking the prices up on his customers. If fact, he works open book. There is 100% transparency. You get to see all of the numbers. He also set us up with a mortgage company that took care of us and helped us through this process. The process to build a custom home may seem daunting, but he knows all of the steps and walked us through or got us in contact with the people we needed.
My main concern was staying within budget, and Ray worked really hard to find us the best deals to make that happen with the subcontractors. However, even better than the budget is the quality of the home he built for us. It is solid. When we were over at a friends house who just built in a new development, we were surprised how thin the walls felt and sounded. We could hear everything outside and it was hot upstairs and cold downstairs. We don't have any of those issues (and they shouldn't either on a new house!) Our home is so energy efficient. Our monthly energy bills are lower in this much larger house then they were in our smaller previous house. It is crazy that the other builders we interviewed said we needed to increase our budget and were not even using energy efficient practices. When I first met with Ray, I wasn't looking for a and quot;greenand quot; builder, but I am SOOO glad that I found him because it is making a HUGE difference (financially and health wise). We have all foam insulation keeping our house not only temperature consistent, but quiet too! My allergies and asthma have improved with the improved air quality. There are a lot of things I did not realize that went into designing and building our home such as window placement (south vs. north, and roof overhang to shade from strong sun) in conjunction with aesthetics. They were not only concerned with building a strong, durable house, but one that looks good too.
So many of the people I talk to that have gone through the building process would say, oh watch for this or they messed up our...but we did not have that. The plans were detailed and the workers were professional. Being that it is custom and no two houses are ever built the same, when little issues would come up, it was addressed immediately. In the end, I whole heartedly could not be happier with the home we had built. It is hard to put words to it. I highly 100% recommend Amaris to anyone who is building. After you meet with them, you will know what I am talking about. I know that they do way above and beyond quality work and care deeply for their clients.

We had looked at many other builders, but did not feel that others had
the attention to energy efficiency and air quality that Amaris has.
They are dealers for solar panels, so provide great prices. It is a
small business with a lot of attention to detail. We especially liked
that Loli is a designer and helps with all interior selections - she
knows what your budget is and shows things within that budget as well as
making sure that selections throughout the house create a cohesive
picture. It was obviously stressful building a house, but Amaris made
it as easy as possible. Out house was LEED and greenpath certified and
turned out better than we even expected!