Both Sides Construction

Don Etter of Both Sides Construction has been my General Contractor for two phases of updates in my home. The first phase was in 2015 when I bought my house, and included: - Building out a utility room into the garage space - Widening doorways, replacing all doors and trim, and closet shelving - Kitchen updates including cabinet, island and appliance modifications and new countertops - Installing new light fixtures throughout, and bringing electrical up to code - Coordinating with HVAC, plumbing and floor installers who I hired on separate contracts The second phase was in 2018-19, remodeling two bathrooms, including: - Demolition of walls and old fixtures - Installing new walls, linen closet, tiled shower, lighting, ventilation and finishes - Coordinating with asbestos abatement and plumber, who I hired under separate contracts Through these projects, I have come to trust Don as a knowledgeable, honest builder who communicates well and provides high quality work. He is great at problem solving and suggesting options to get the best result, and shares his expertise without being pushy. Don is also a good businessman, keeping to schedule and budget, and flagging any issues or changes right away. He has excellent subcontractors and holds them to his standards. To top it off, he brings a positive attitude and is fun to work with!

Don was a pleasure to work with. He worked with our insurance company and everything was repaired as new. The work included repairing the room, repairing the roof, and replacing the gutters. Don used subcontractors and did some of the finish work himself.

Don really listened to the details of what we wanted and his bid for the whole job included everything we asked for (we had a 2 page list of detailed items to be done). We did cut a few things off the list to bring the price down to what we could afford at the time. He uses subcontractors and also does some of the work himself. The siding guys did a really exceptional job on the trim and siding (ripping off trim and adding flashing and fixing holes from old vents means some siding needs to be replaced). All the work is top quality. Don rebuilt the stair railing to fit with the rebuilt landing--a tricky proposition to match new hand rail to old--but it looks great. Don really pays attention to the details and he expects his subcontractors to work to his standards. Don is a great communicator: he kept in touch every day about when he would come, who else was coming and when they would come and it always happened just about exactly as he said. Everything was cleaned up every day and everyone who was here was very careful working around our plants and very considerate as they came and went in the house. Don may not be the lowest bid you get but everything you asked for will be included and the work will be done right. When something cost a bit less he was able to add back in a couple smaller things that we'd taken off the list. We are completely satisfied with the work. Don is a very nice man and a pleasure to have around. We have already recommended him to other and will do so in future. We will most definitely call him again next time we need something done on the house. We have owned 3 houses in 40 years and had a lot of work done on each of them and this is the first time we have ever been able to give a contractor unqualified praise.

The price quote was reasonable and the contractor did the work exactly as promised and in the time frame agreed upon.

Don was great! He provided estimates both low and high, updated us throughout the process, kept in touch every day, billed appropriately and promptly, explained each aspect of the work and why it was necessary. We had our work start with some water damage and peeling paint, revealed a roof leak, a gutter leak, and went from a smaller job to a big one. Every step of the way, he kept us informed and was prompt, reasonable and honest.

I had several issues. I needed someone to first tell me what my options were, and then to assist in completing the projects I had in mind. The first and most immediate for me was the walls. The previous owners used a high grit sand to provide texture to my walls. This left them sharp and abrasive. I did not know what my options were. My house is older, I know the original paints were lead-based and that it was possible there were other nasty things in both the paint and potentially the walls/floors. I had no idea where to begin. Additionally to my issues with my walls, I needed a kitchen face-lift. I contacted Both Sides Construction and Don Etter answered when I called. I explained my situations and was impressed that he made time that day to come by and take a look at things after his current project of the day. The walls I was afraid initially that I would have to tear them out and redo the sheet rock. He went through other options that made much more sense, went through the costs of them and the project timelines that it would take for him to complete the work. All I had to do for the kitchen was explain what I was unhappy with and what I thought I wanted that would make me happy. Not only did he say he could do what I wanted, he actually gave me other options that I liked better that were more cost-effective for the project. He also gave cost and timeline for the work to be completed. In speaking with Don, I felt that I could trust what he said. What he said made sense, and in most cases for me were better than my intial ideas. He completed all projects in a timely manner within the timeframe he stated, he contacted me each and every time in advance, working with my schedule and needs to complete the projects. Above and beyond my expectations, Don also took great care to keep my house clean despite the messiness of the jobs he was completing. I have white carpet which was still white upon completion of the projects! Additionally, he was sensitive to my pets (two cats) with his equipment and coordinated with me so that I could make arrangements that allowed his work to be minimally impactive on their lives. What I liked best in a few words is that he had good ideas, he knew what he was talking about, he delivered what he said in a timely fashion and cost-effective manner, and cared about factors above and beyond the job itself. I have several other projects that will need to be completed in my home, and thankfully I do not need to search any further as I have my contact for any remodel needs I have. I would recommend this company to all my friends and family for all their remodeling needs.

This was not a huge project and we were not totally sure what we wanted. We worked with Both Sides to come up with a rough drawing of the remodel and then worked in stages making adjustments as the work progressed. I was allowed to work with the company doing some of the mnaual labor which allowed us to make changes as we progressed. As the subcontractors performed the work, Both Sides was present to supervise since part of the time we were out of town. He kept us informed via emails and pictures. He was able to provide us with the subcontractors who were quite reasonable for this type of small project. This is step one of a larger remodel which will next include the upgrading of a 15 year old kitchen to granite counters and moving the placement of some appliances.