RAVEN BUILDERS

It was great.

I used their services about a year ago. They do lovely carpentry, including the designing stuff. They are great people. They are trustworthy and honest.

The job took about five months to complete, including time to get the right plans and permit inspections. This represents fairly steady work from a small firm. The several inspections required as part of the permit all went well, which seems like a tribute to the good workmanship of Darren Barlow and his crew. Darren was conscientious about coming back after the job was essentially done to fix up a couple of cosmetic details. Darren felt like a trustworthy partner rather than an employee. I liked the subs he chose, and everyone was pleasant to have around. Darren paid close attention to costs and got second bids as needed. Nothing awful happened, the job came in at approximately the price bid (with some overage because I went a little crazy on tile choice), and I love the finished product. The bathroom in particular-- with 12" x 12" porcelain tiles, a rimless glass shower enclosure, and a big pedestal sink we found on sale at Rejuvenation--is quite elegant.

We wanted to replace the ugly and insecure wrought iron railing from the top of our stairs (interior). We have a small 1920's bungalow. Darren looked at the project and then scheduled to meet us at a millworks place by OMSI. He was very patient and made lots of suggestions. He is very knowledgable of types of wood, stains, code requirements and styles. We decided on a style. When he came to do final measurements he brought a another suggestion from a bungalow style book. We liked that better and changed to it. He did all the work within a couple of days. The railing is beautiful and extremely secure. Darren's work is very precise and sturdy. Darren was very nice to work with. The price seemed expensive but the end result was worth it.

He is pleasant to work with. He does nice carpentry and uses good subs. He makes good decisions when needing a specialist. He was very thoughtful because it is my only bathroom. It looks nice. He was agreeable and honest. I will be using him again.

As first time home buyers, and avid home improvement television show watchers, we were warned to research our contractors and handymen. We were lucky enough to get in contact with Darren Barlow of Raven Builders. Right off the bat we knew that he was the right guy to go with. The first project we had him do was to replace our old Aluminum windows with some nice vinyl windows. His prices were amazing, and answered all of our preliminary questions. He showed up on the day he said he would and did the job quick, clean, and precise. Since then our house is noticeably warmer and the outside noises are few and far. The experience was so good that we hired him to remodel our bathroom. Just as before, our experience has been perfect. Even for the vast amount of work, his prices were still amazing. Once we save up enough money, we're having Darren remodel the kitchen. He's already been over to discuss options as well as give us feedback on our ideas. It's nice that he let's us know what works and what doesn't. I have to say, his craftsmanship is amazing. I was surprised by his wide range of abilities. That is, when we looked over his portfolio and the images, his projects ranged from amazing Victorian restorations and full restaurant builds to common things like window installations and hanging doors. It seems that no project is too big or too small. I highly recommend him and look forward to doing more business with Darren.