Henderer Design + Build

The saying "you get what you pay for" applies here in the very best sense! They were wonderful from start to finish, going above and beyond the call of duty. Several of our neighbors have used Henderer Design + Build, so we knew we would be pleased with them. We did contact a few other contractors and one design/build firm, but our initial meeting with Dave Henderer and designer Brittanie Dodge was like a wonderful first date and we knew they were for us! They are considered to be one of the more expensive firms in Corvallis (but comparable to another firm we got a bid from), but their standard of quality, customer service and warranties are worth it. Plus the fact that their employees are truly taken care of in terms of health insurance and pay. Henderer Design + Build is like a family and once you work with them, you feel like part of their family as well. Their attention to detail and their wish to please us was more than we expected. The main purpose of this renovation was to make the space more user-friendly for my elderly parents when they come to visit - hence the removal of the tub. Attention to a low curb on the shower, moving the on/off valves for easier access, using integrated grab bars/towel bars and paper holder, were just some of the great things they came up with. At first I felt a little overwhelmed, but Brittanie Dodge was terrific and really took her time with us, listened to my thoughts and was patient with my indecision/need to see every sample! She came up with solution after solution, even showing me things that I didn't know I would like but loved after seeing them. She was wonderful. So was our Project Manager, David Hobbs. He was so considerate, hard-working and thorough. He was determined to satisfy every little thing we wanted - and always with a smile and sense of humor. For example, my husband had really been hoping for a canister light right near the garage door entrance but there was a lot of duct work. It didn't look like it was going to be possible, but David really wanted to make it happen and it did! He is not only a friendly and consummate professional, he clearly takes pride in doing great work. We are very impressed with all the people we met through this experience. Our guest bathroom is the nicest room in our home now, but this is just the beginning of the renovation of our 1970's split-level. And there is no one else we will use except Henderer Design + Build as we move forward in updating our home.

This was a project that we had wished to do the previous year and contacted the Henderers about it. After lengthy discussion we shelved the plan which, was flawed because of our own reluctance to relocate the septic tank. It was a communication problem on my part. We reconsidered what their plan was with some new discussion. We decided to have them draw up different plans that included moving the septic tank, and making the addition more practical and attractive. We engaged them to put on over 500 square feet ground level with an insulated attic that could be made into a living space if one wanted to at a future date. This is a hundred year old house has had improvements over the years. The walls weren't straight for the addtion area. I did landscape and tree removal for the foundation work. I removed sixty feet of siding, some of it was two story that had to be disposed of as asbestos hazardous material. I took the exterior walls down to the old existing wood construction. They brought in an excavator to dig the foundation out. We had them pile dirt and debris. The debris I hauled off myself, the dirt was saved for future landscape and site prep when the job was done. The cement people came in, formed and poured the addition foundation. I cut out and disposed off all the roots that remained from the trees and excavation using chainsaw and sawzall, pick and shovel. The Henderers had the excavation people, septic tank pumper, and concrete septic tank provider come in on one day. They seamlessly decommissioned the old tank, dug and installed the new tank, hooked it up to the existing drain field in one day. We were without drain facilities for only work day. It was simple and straight forward ,the way they put the operation in place and executed the process. The spot of attachment to the old house presented structural problems. They addressed these with special l supports and headers,which included bracing underneath the old part of the house. Each job of this type presents challenges of the specific site and building. The crew was here for the entire summer, over three months. They were punctual and consistent in working every day. I did daily site clean up and disposal of demolition and scraps. The crew was friendly, clean, pleasant and you couldn't ask for a nicer bunch to have on your premises day in and day out for the entire summer. Along the way decisions had to be made that included us and the Henderers and the process was easy going and generally as smooth as you could ask for. Dave and Dan take pride in their family business and do all they can to make the job right. There were additions and deletions, small material snafus. Non of it was a big deal, they are used to things that could seem terrible to the owner and really just part of building onto old structures. One roughed -in wall had to be removed and changed a few inches. From the very start of the job, the provided us with a monthly calendar schedule that they adhered to .They provided us with advance notice if there was any change so we would always know what was going on and when. There were daily discussions with the crew, the supervisor, and us. Their painting contractor, their sheetrock contractor, roofing contractor and plumber were all professional subs. The insulators did a fine job also, and so did the outhouse provider. Upon completion of the building, I did the remaining site cleanup, dirt moving and landscape. The addition according to their design and execution is flawlessly attractive and useful. The place looks great. There are some things we might have changed here and there, but nothing to whine about. This project was of major importance to us in many ways. They did all they could to make sure we were pleased . We are pleased to no end with our home and the work they did. I might add that we also had them do a major kitchen built from scratch and small addition fifteen years ago.

unknown

Overall, the work went very well. In the planning phase, I had to stay on top of the contractor to keep the project moving forward on the schedule that I was wanting everything performed by. The initial work was all done on schedule. Quality was great. All of the old material was removed and everything was cleaned up well. The project manager sent me some pictures of progress of the work as it went. All of the work area was well contained so that there wasn't any additional cleanup that I had to perform. On the finish, one window was stained the wrong color. The project manager was able to get the painter back out to fix the issue on a schedule that worked well with me. The re-stain looks great and is difficult to tell that it wasn't correct the first time.

Turned out beautiful. High quality craftsmanship and just as we had planned it.

Did not have them do the job due to the bathroom shower quote.

They gutted all the way to the studs and to he sub floor. The results were very nice. They were very professional. They were suppose to start the job in July and by the end of August they still hadn't gotten it done. They were very fast once they got going. We understood they were very busy and at least they kept us informed of what was happening. We would use them again.

If you're going to have to work with somebody for almost a year and let them tear out your entire kitchen, while you're cooking on the front porch and doing dishes in the basement, you better be d*** sure you trust them. I unquestionably stake my own reputation on the competence, honest and integrity of the people at Henderer. Every single person I worked with at Henderer knew what they were doing and cared about the outcome of my project. There is so much to like about these guys I'm sure I'm going to miss some things, but let me just mention a few. First of all, there was the prep work for the project. Based on their long experience, they really understood what a mess they were about to make and so they carefully sealed off the work area with plastic, and even covered over everything in the basement to minimize the damage of the dust falling through the floorboards. At my request, they installed a new utility sink for cleaning up in the basement and a new electrical outlet on the porch to help with my cooking. The whole project was very well organized. From start to finish, they had a plan and followed it down to the day so that I always knew what was happening and when. They kept regular hours (8ish to 4ish) and pretty much worked every day until the project was done. There were no great gaps of time waiting for the next thing to get done, or for a subcontractor to arrive. Dan Henderer, the manager, was fantastic. Quiet and reassuring, he was available to me at all times by cell phone (I tried not to call after 5) and email (he was often online even at 10), and he responded almost immediately to my questions and requests. In addition to Dan monitoring the big picture, there was the site manager for my project, Ted, who was there everyday and controlled the nitty-gritty. Another quiet and competent guy, Ted sometimes gave me the impression he was building the kitchen single-handed since he seemed to be there every minute and had his finger in every pie. Seriously, though, that wasn't true--there was actually a whole team of people who came and went adding their special expertise to the project--a plumber, an electrician, a cabinetmaker, a designer and a couple of generalists who were talented at many things. I very much liked how these people worked together--there was never any backbiting or complaining, never any snarling you might overhear when you're not supposed to. Everybody seemed happy to be working for Henderer, and happy to be working together. Every person I worked with went out of their way to give me what I wanted and in many cases, to figure out what I wanted, because I didn't know. For example, Mary the designer helped me select flooring, light fixtures, colors, hardware and countertops, and even drove me up to Tualatin to select the granite. Then after she helped select the colors for my kitchen, she was available to help carry out a color scheme for the rest of the house (extra charge for this, of course). Another thing I really liked about Henderer was the way they dealt with error. In a project this size, you've got to expect that mistakes will be made on both sides. For example, at the beginning of the project, I wanted to save money by reusing cabinets--this was a bad idea on my part and they gently steered me to replacing them. Now I'm really glad I did. In another instance, some of the cabinets they put up didn't work for someone of my short size, so they replaced those cabinets without question. In summary, every thing I needed fixed was fixed immediately and without complaint. I had been dreaming of a kitchen remodel for 15 years and I interviewed a couple of groups before deciding on Henderer for my job. What finally sold me on them is that they had all the people and resources that made this project seem doable to me for the first time in my life. They made it all come together. They were able to simplify the choices for me and show me how things could be done. I'm thrilled with the way my kitchen turned out, and I would highly recommend them to my best friends.

We were referred to Dave Henderer by a friend of ours who also served as our architect for our master bedroom addition. Dave met with us often informally and before we began any work or were under contract walking through the house to get a feel for both the current house design and our needs and hopes for the project. We really didn't have a firm idea of our goals at the initial stage of our meetings. In fact, we were actually just investigating the possibility of adding more useful space to the house after we purchased it (!). We had at least three or four meetings at the house discussing various plans, design options, and approaches (i.e. build a second story, preserve the back yard or utilize it, how to deal with the historic commission, etc.). We even discussed less significant projects in the house as options for redesign as well. Dave became our greatest advocate and consult when dealing with our architect and with the city. He had a great knowledge-base built on years of experience and an uncanny intuitive approach to designs that fit our style. He was willing to work with us in terms of projects we wanted to complete ourselves (painting interior and exterior), and he connected us with suppliers so that we could pursue projects outside the scope of our master bedroom independently. He and his crew paid close attention to city and safety codes and were willing and able to make adjustments and communicate needed changes as the project progressed. Every single service they contracted met a similar standard of excellence. People say living through a remodeling job in your home is a nightmare. There was not one thing to complain about with Henderer's work.