Higginbotham Brothers Inc.

Major kitchen remodel with new cabinets, back splash, plumbing, electric, granite tops, island, floor, paint, and appliances. Bruce orchestrated the whole thing, scheduling meetings with the cabinet retailer and kitchen designer, granite supplier, fixture store, appliance store, etc. The design took a few iterations, and Bruce was there every step of the way. Once the plan was in place, they set us up with a temporary kitchen, and the implementation went pretty much exactly as planned, with no surprises or delays. There was a lot of attention to detail, and they made sure that we were satisfied with everything in the end--and we're demanding customers. In the final walk through, Bruce picked up on the refrigerator door being slightly dented, which we hadn't noticed until he pointed it out, and he made sure that was replaced. We're very happy with the result. Definitely recommend them and we would use them again (and probably will in the not too distant future).

Like I said, they picked up the pieces of our mess of a home our old builder left us with. We are so thankful they were willling to rescue us and we got to work with Bruce Korn. He is a man with the highest integrity and professionalism I have ever come across in the general contracting industry (which is FILLED with terrible people!) We are the 3rd or 4th family they have helped in similar circumstances and they truly deserve to be blessed and honored tremendously for their compassion, honesty, and dedication to their industry, rather than letting unsuspecting homeowners fend for themselves. I can only assume they are not appreciated by their fellow builders as being the person who stands up for the homeowner, rather than the industry they are in. So many builders we spoke with when trying to find a new builder to manage the project, wouldn't touch us for fear of retribution from the sub community and also because of all of the hassle of coming into a project halfway completed by someone else and the time it takes to take over and get up to speed on all the horrific details and working with the current subs to instill trust in them, etc. However, Higginbotham has such high integrity and concern for their field, they were willing to take on the "bad guys" and stand up for what was right. They did so without price gouging us (honestly, they really undercharged us when it was all said and done) for their extra work and hassles for taking on our project. With the old builder, many of their subs were below-par (one went bankrupt and left us with a $40,000 geothermal unit only partially completed and what was completed was installed improperly, another left flooring and studs improperly installed and twisted), or highly unprofessional, but with HIgginbotham every sub does amazing work and at decent pricing (not cheap, but not extravagant either). Our tile person had to install our shower tile with many diagonals, and expensive arched trim moldings and the final product is absolutely beautiful!! Higginbotham made sure to put special drywall in our shower and our son's shower (not just the green board the old builder used, but grey, cement-board?- apologize, but I don't know specifics, I just know it is much better at waterproofing your shower and not something usually done). They will always go the extra mile to ensure your home is built to the highest long-lasting standards. Another example of HIgginbotham trying to give us the best option for building our home to longer-lasting standards, was Bruce suggested we install thicker drywall in the ceilings where the studs were significantly spaced, rather than a thinner, standard drywall the original bulder had planned that could easily warp over time, since there were not enough structural support by the spread out studs. He left the option up to us, but I so appreciated even knowing about this and that they cared to build our home so it would stand the test of time. As far as completing our home, they did so with the utmost professionalism and continued care to watch our costs. They managed the project with careful detail. They worked with the subs to get them to provide us with items they were not going to provide originally (for instance, the electrician wasn't going to include trims for all of our can lights which would have cost us at least $1000 extra. Bruce spoke with him and suddenly they were provided at no cost. Another instance, a sub was refusing to work with us because they had heard of "difficulties" on our project from the previous builder. One call from Bruce and he was more than happy to work for us. He just has a way with people that gets things accomplished without stepping all over them. Our old builder used to have to literally cuss out his vendors (in front of us!!) to get them to respond. Bruce uses professionalism, likable persuasion, and reason to accomplish the same end. These are just a few of many examples that I could go on and on about. I can not say enough good things about them. If you are lucky enough to be able to work with them you will get : 1.) Bruce Korn as your general contractor who is kind, considerate, and highly professional in your dealings with him, who is respectfully tough as nails with subs when he needs to be to get what you as the homeowner deserves, who is highly knowledgeable to know what will not only look the best, but also hold up the best over time, a person who will not short you on time he gives you to attend meticulously to your project. The old builder hardly ever showed up at our job site and when he did, he barely noticed the missing or inaccurate details. Bruce is the opposite- he gives you the time you need to ensure a properly completed project and often more time than you paid for. He works extremely hard, often will call me (with my permission first), late into the night at 9PM and then is up at 5AM sending me emails to keep me up to speed or get me information. When he goes on vacation (which was rare- only twice and just for a few days, he assures me I can call him at anytime if I need to!). Our old builder disappeared for a week to go hunting and scheduled 3 different subs to come in and start during that same time frame. When we had problems, he was no where to be found. Bruce will also work on your behalf wherever it is needed. We had a decorator who was unwilling to come to the job site to deal with problems we were encountering from her selections. After speaking with Bruce, she called to say she was on her way. He just has a way with people and it always works for your behalf. He will also gently remind me to leave our burdens on him with the subs, rather than taking them on for myself (i'm a go-getter). He wants to lessen our load, rather than lighten his own. 2.) Subs who are reasonably priced, but most importantly superb and highly experienced in their craft. You will be thrilled with the outcome of their work and if for some reason you are not, Bruce will make it right, without arguing with you about it. 3.) Kent HIgginbotham, who works behind the scenes to deal with liens, paperwork, etc. They are very organized and you will have no problems keeping track of their work. They leave nothing hidden- all bids are in the open for you to view and go over, even time cards are avail if you want them from their workers. They are more than happy to give you every detail you would want to ensure trust and are never defensive about it or slow to respond. Kent will use spread sheets to compare and contrast bids to get you the best pricing with the best materials and labor. He is also highly professional and extremely kind. Again, that is a rarity in the construction business..... think politics, only worse! 4.) Shane, their on-site construction supervisor. He is a gem. Again, extremely professional, always refers to you by Mr. or Mrs. such and such. He is highly knowledgeable and highly experienced. He studied our blueprints and meticulously went over every detail of our home to see if the old builder had followed the architects instructions and plans. He discovered many structurally supportive areas were undersized and not according to the architects blueprints and helped get our home up to par where it should have been in the first place. He is very detail-orientated and again very kind to work with. He works efficiently, never stands around dawdling and shooting the breeze with the subs to just to waste our time and money. He directs the subs where he needs to, looks carefully at their work and then quickly moves on so as to not "run up the clock" unnecessarily. 5.) Fair pricing. They follow the industry standard that most builders in our area charge, but you get so much more for your money. Our old builder was 2% cheaper in his general contracting fee, but never spent even an eighth of the time managing our project and hence, we received substantially less in the services we paid for, not to mention all the turmoil and aggravation of dealing with his infantile behaviors. The old builder also brought in subs that were just horrible. The work they did looked good often on the outside, but over the long haul, we would have suffered for it after he was long gone. Higginbotham really cares about giving you excellent work, but with fair pricing. Our old builders subs were priced similarly to HIgginbotham's, but their work was substantially underpar compared to HIgginbotham's. In the long run, they saved us money by saving us repairs down the road through shoddy work. 6,) 30+ years of industry experience. Higginbotham has been around for a long time and there is a reason why they are still in business, even in this tough economy. 7.) Friendship- who could say after building your home that you would remain very good friends with your builder and come to TRUST them as if they were a member of your own family. That, I feel, says it all in just a few words!!! They are, more than words can express, trustworthy to care for you, your family, and your home. We would not hesitate to refer them to anyone and can only say, we believe, if you leave your project in their hands, you will be as blessed as our family was.