SUN DOG CONSTRUCTION

Sun Dog has performed two major jobs on our 1925 Portland home. First, they redesigned and rebuilt our front porch. The second project included removal of asbestos tiles and installing Hardy Plank siding and trim, insulation, window replacement and concrete upgrade and repair. In both cases they did an outstanding job which increased the aesthetic appeal and quality of our home. Their craftsmen were friendly, courteous and above all, highly skilled with great attention to detail. We are extremely pleased with the results and would highly recommend Sun Dog for your home improvement and building projects,

The work was performed well, and within expected time, even when inclement weather was involved. In fact, they went out of their way to contruct a heated housing to make sure the paint dried which was creatively brilliant! They were always pleasant to talk to and communicated the progress updates well. Sun Dog Construction comes highly recommended.

The project went just great. The Sundog crew discovered wiring where it shouldn't be, and was able to quickly reconfigure upstairs lighting in two different locations and still the the project done on time. This is the third time (maybe fourth?) that we've asked Sundog Construction to help get a project completed, and every time it's been a success. Plus, we like the crew. They're cool, super competent, fast, and easy people to have inside your living space.

Autumn is a very good designer and easily came up with a plan for our porch remodel. We love the finished project.

Our new deck is awesome, and the team was great to work with.

It was great. They came in, gave me an estimate, did the work, and did what they said they're gonna do. I was happy.

From project estimating to completion, my experience with Sun Dog was top drawer. Robert was kind, thoughtful, professional and a great communicator throughout the duration of the project. We could not be more pleased with the results and wish that we had another project for his team to start on immediately! I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Sun Dog for projects large and small. They're well-equipped and well-able to handle all aspects! Thank you for a wonderful experience!

Sundog is Ferrari pricing but pinto quality and service. The sales job was great, Autumn will convince you, he & his team are highly qualified. But, in our opinion, they do not follow through with the quality of work or the level of competency that their prices dictate. A few subcontractors were good, but most were not at the level they should be and from our perspective, Sundog did not supervise them to ensure things were done right. There were numerous things that had to be done multiple times because it wasn’t done right the first time. We had to argue and push them to do it right. From our perspective, they do not do what they say they would. We also found their markup to be double or more than the underlying subcontractor cost. Our remodel was complete knob/tube removal, new kitchen, new bathroom, new windows, new roof, new heater & AC, and some other areas. Of more than 30 specific examples of their substandard work, here are some: 1. Sundog had a custom made vent duct built to vent the stove’s hood out the side of the house. Custom made, yet while they had cabinet specs for months, the duct stuck out in front of the cabinets. This resulted in having them cut a new hole in the custom vent to move the opening and patch the drywall in the ceiling. While they did complete this, the new opening was still not centered and connection to the hood ended up being at an angle. 2. Pocket door was moved 3 times after first framing it in because they couldn’t or didn’t read the design details they had for months. The last 2 moves required the tile to be fixed. 3. We, and the cabinet guy, pointed out the sink trap in the bathroom had to be higher to accommodate the vanity. Sundog had those specs for months yet pipe was installed too low. This resulted in an argument to get them to move the pipe up 3 inches. And resulted in a false back installed to cover the fix, which Sundog refused to pay for even though it was their mistake. 4. The newly installed kitchen sink was leaking immediately, and not a difficult issue to identify. A qualified plumber should have seen this right away. Plumber came out to fix leak. Yet leak remained. Came out 2nd time to fix the leak. Pipe had 2 leaks. During this issue, Sundog’s project manager said it wasn’t his job to check subcontractor’s work. 5. Plumbers originally cross threading the shower valve. This was pointed out to project manager who felt it was ok. We had to argue to get this corrected as it would have resulted in leaks behind the tile. 6. The bathroom walls were not level, not even close to level. This caused the tile guy to fix the underlying wall structure to ensure their hardy board would be level for tile. At this time, it was mentioned that the wall next to hardy board and where a new window would be installed was not level. It was pointed out before and several times after drywall was put up that the wall was not level; the wall was concaved in the middle and stuck out at the top. Yet project manager said it could be mudded. It was a drywall mudding nightmare and in the end, we had to compromise and fir out the window molding. It would have been so easy to just do this right the first time, or take down the drywall when you could see the wall was not level, but Sundog appears to have no desire to do a good job unless you push them. 7. The gas line for stove was too far from wall. Getting it to the right place took 3 visits from the HVAC guys -- first to move it, then to come out and put shutoff valve per code (and we smelled gas), and the 3rd time to put in a 90 degree turn so that stove could be hooked up. On the 3rd visit, 2 gas leaks were patched. HVAC subcontractors were not at the quality level they should have been. 8. We had them move and install a new AC unit. The wires for the old unit were uncapped for months. While it is true, the breaker was turned off some of this time, the electricians did turn all breakers on at some point, and we had to point out that the wires were live multiple times over a few weeks. Sundog did not cap them after we pointed this out. We capped them. There were also various other outlets that were not capped or left in an unsafe condition. 9. Drywallers were the worst subcontractors and mostly unsupervised by project manager. Once they were ‘done’, we pointed out 30-40 different areas that needed to be sanded, remudded, or re done; the project manager saw only a few issues vs. what we saw. We had to argue with them to get them to fix. Drywaller walked off the job; Sundog’s replacement drywaller fixed some things but in the end, we had to sand several areas on our own. During this time, we hired a different drywaller (outside of sundog) to come do a dining room ceiling. First, this drywaller was great and by seeing him work, we realized just how bad the other drywallers were. Second, sundog’s quote was more than double what we paid -- $3500 sundog quote, $1460 my drywaller. a. Further, the shower door quoted by Sundog was $4000; We took this over when we terminated them and paid $2200 which means Sundog’s markup was 80%. b. We explored changing the water heater with Sundog. Their quote was $1700 for installation only. Home Depot was ~$900, nearly a 90% markup. 10. Project management was a major issue. The order of things was just wrong. Drywallers should have been done before tile was ever put down. This resulted in drywall dust in the grout and more importantly, totally blocking the new AC filter. A competent contractor or HVAC professional should have known to replace the filter after drywall was done. We pointed out early on and multiple times to the owner that the project manager was not doing the level of job we expected. We specifically asked the owner to personally supervise more closely. He said he would and we take him at his word that he did. And we know he was getting near daily progress photos of work being done. This means he watched bad work being done, did not step in to fix it, and instead waited for us to point out issues and argue with Sundog to fix. Sundog sells themselves as experts but in our experience, they are not at the level of competency they claim to be. The process of having to watch them closely, point out issues, and then argue to get them to fix was not acceptable given the premium price they charged. Remodels are difficult especially in older homes, so you’d expect a few of the things above to perhaps happen, but the number of issues was just astonishing. Hire someone else.

Great, I liked every one on the teams. They were easy to work with.

Sundog Construction did exactly what we asked them to do; moving a closet, removing art of a wall, and putting in lighting, outlets. These guys are super clean in messy jobs, and respectful of our house. I love how Autumn can creatively help me see what is possible in the space we are remodeling, and keeps reality in mind when planning the work.

I first met Autumn Pardee and Sun Dog Construction when finding someone to do last minute foundation work so a friend to close on his house sale. Autumn jumped to the rescue, using his contacts to get it done during the height of construction season, for a very reasonable price, and in time to save the house deal. I then used him to help design and build a backyard oasis. Concept Planning: During the concept stage, Autumn walked through the yard with us asking so many questions, and pointing out logistics such as, “Everyone is partying in the hot tub, but they need to use the restroom…perhaps a small facility here in the corner of your garage so they don’t have to tromp through the house sopping wet?” Excellent idea! I’m glad it was planned for from the start. An Eye for Design: We had selected a pre-made glass block window for the garage bathroom. Once the project took shape, they suggested a different sized window that would fit better with the door we had selected and interior layout. Great eye for the project; it looks wonderful! Minimal Disruption: Throughout the project they worked hard to ensure that we were disrupted as little as possible, and the site was left as clean as possible at the end of the day. We were not without any utilities for more than two hours at any time in the project, despite putting in a new sewer line, and running water, electrical and gas lines to the garage. Quality Craftsmanship: The swim-spa and hot tub are different depths. They designed it so that they are both about 24” above ground for easy access and so they don’t visually dominate the backyard. This required incredible concrete and framing work, down to the inch. The interior trim work for the garage bathroom is beautiful; the exterior trim looks normal despite the fact the garage stucco was exceedingly uneven. Time and Budget: Sun Dog Construction is City of Portland FIR certified. This means they work with an inspector and can expedite the permit process. This greatly smooths and speeds up the construction process. The project budget they provided was what they charged. I did walk through the bid with them very carefully at the outset so that I knew exactly what they were planning on installing, and had it reflected in the contract. As we went through construction and small details came up, they never come back and say that would cost us extra. Customer Satisfaction: This goes along with their whole professional approach. They care about making sure we are happy with the end result. They fixed the trim we weren’t happy with; they worked to fix a drainage problem with the steam shower kit; they repainted the existing garage door to match the new one! That really helped make whole backyard come together. They care about the details that really make the project shine. Summary: Sun Dog Construction provides quality craftsmanship and excellent customer. They listen to what you, work with you on our specific requests to make it happen, and make valuable suggestions to improve the project and your experience. They care. I will definitely be using them for future projects.

The project went very well. There were a couple of changes midstream that were difficult to implement, but Autumn and his crew helped conceptualize the complexities and code challenges, and always came up with reasonable solutions. His crew also has a good eye towards both style and pragmatism, so they were able to soundboard for us and turn our dark and cluttered basement into a super livable 1000 sf multi room addition. His crew also did a partial remodel of our upstairs bathroom and it's turned out fantastically as well.

This job proceeded well. An earlier job by Sun Dog had revealed that most, if not all, of the exterior trim on the house needed replacement because of water incursion; caulking also needed to be replaced. In the course of this work, dry rot was found in one area and additional work was required for underlying structure. Some Hardie Plank siding was replaced. Workers were always professional and friendly and the project manager was always willing to explain what was going on, especially as the unexpected dry rot damage was discovered. Communication was very good.

Job went very well. Cost was partially covered by insurance. Sun Dog workers were pleasant and professional and always willing to explain what they were doing and why it was needed. At the beginning it was not clear how much damage had been done, and Sun Dog personnel kept us updated as the picture became clearer. Fortunately they were able to schedule the job almost immediately after the insurance company had accepted their cost estimate.

Very well! The team at my home was responsive, professional and they listened to us when we had concerns.

Sun Dog wasted both our time for nothing 1) I called Sun Dog to get an estimate for a basement remodel to create an extra living unit. Steve stated they were very busy and wouldn't agree to come out to do an estimate. I figured that was it. 2) A couple of weeks later Steve calls and says the can do a design consult for a couple hundred bucks and get me an estimate. I agree. 3) Several weeks pass with missed appointments and me calling up Steve to try to schedule something. Eventually I give up. 4) Later Steve calls and says Autumn can come out. There is some more scheduling misses and finally Autumn comes out. 5) We go over the whole project, Autumn seems knowledgeable, promises a rough quote with line items in a couple of days and that he will research a few things. Doesn't charge anything. 6) I wait a few weeks, no answer from Sun Dog so I start calling and asking for a quote. Steve talks about how busy they are. 7) More than a month later Autumn calls, says he can get the estimate ready - just wants to come over again. 8) He comes over on time this time and we go over the exact same stuff and promises a line item rough estimate. 9) I wait, don't bother calling. Eventually they send a quote to remodel the basement for $400,000. I email back asking for that broken down into line items - I figure a $400k quote is a "We don't want your business" quote. 10) Time passes and then Sun Dog emails to say they can do a design consult for several thousand dollars this time. (Back to step 2) It could have just stopped at step 1 if they had just been honest that they don't have time and don't want the business. But at every step I gave up on them they would call back, complain about how busy they were, and act like I was unreasonable for just wanting an estimate.

I worked with Emidio and his team to convert a half bath into a full bath. I was out of town during most of the work but also wanted to do all the County paperwork myself to save money, which required a lot of email communication with Emidio. This was essential and, thankfully, Emidio was responsive and helpful througout the process. The work was completed in a reasonable time frame and was quality. Emidio was very pleasant to work with Sun Dog again and would recommend them to others.

It took 7 days before I received a call back. I’d read other reviews and wasn’t surprised. I understand that work is abundant now so that’s just how it is. Emidio called me and was apologetic and very nice. He set the appointment and came with Autumn and were on time. They were both very professional and listened very well to what I was looking to have done. I was to receive the bid in 2 days, but it took 7. Again, not a big deal to me, but may be to someone with an urgent need. I really wanted them to do the work but the expense was why I didn’t. Since then, I decided to see if I could be my own contractor for some of the work and it’s turned out good. To repair the leak in the bedroom alone would have cost about $3400 of Sun Dogs bid. Instead, I called a plumber (repair happened today) and next week will have a drywall crew come out. The total for both will be less than $1400, so I’ve already saved $2000. Doing it this way also saved me from having workers at my house everyday for the estimated 3-5 weeks it would have taken with doing everything at once. The bedroom ceiling repair was 1 day(actually 2 hours)and the drywall will be 1 day.

A PLUS company. The work was high quality and was a pleasure to work with!

Never contacted me back after initial contact - even after several emails. Told me the coupon I purchased was old but they would honor it. I believe it's still on your site. I would like a refund of $600.

They did some work for us. We were going to put up some new gutters, and the woodwork that you would attach the gutters to on that side of the house had some dry rot and had to be replaced. It was a good experience. They were on time, the prices right. They were good people and reasonable. It was wood working but it was outside. Its not like molding on the indoors. I guess you could say it was wood work they working on the wood outside of the house. I can't recall, but I would say it was in the $1500-2000 range. For the extent of work they did I though it was reasonable. They had multiple jobs going so that kind of covered the whole place. I don't want to be too critical, because I thought over all they were fine. I guess they could add some more staff so they could cover one job more fully, but they may have done that since then. They are a husband and wife operation. What stood out to me was their personal service. They were in touch with us and friendly and likable, and reasonable. So I would say personal service. The price, it was a little bit on the high side, but not too bad. It could have been based on my expectations, more than the actual market. Quality, it has held up great. We put new gutters on the work they done and it has held up great. When we called them up somebody answered every time. They weren't uniformed but they did what they said they were going to do and they didn't promise anything they couldn't follow up on.

Punctual and quality work for the price quoted.

Jordan was honest about the time frame and stuck to it. He was also the lowest of the three quotes we got. We really appreciated being able to piece out the job and do some of the work ourselves, it helped save on an already expensive job. I will definitely call Sun Dog Construction when we have another job to do!

Sun Dog was excellent to work with. In particular, Joe O'Sullivan went the extra mile by researching the best type of 'bead board" that would look great in the space. Then it was perfectly installed and it looks fabulous! Joe was also very timely in his follow up and was great at setting expectations. Thank you, Sun Dog!

After reaching out to several contractors/general construction groups and viewing examples of their work online, I felt confident in the workmanship and detail of Sun Dog construction. At the start of the project we met with Joe O’Sullivan to see the house and discuss the needs. Right away I knew that we had made the right decision in working with Sun Dog. Joe was very personable and even pointed out some things that we could do ourselves and how to do them. He helped us determine what our priorities should be based on our situation (rental property) and helped us stay within our budget parameters. Due to our schedules, my wife and I were not able to be onsite often but Joe was very communicative and sent photos of progress on a daily basis. He set our expectations given that we had potential dry rot and was very upfront about budget implications and overage scenarios. My wife and I felt a tremendous sense of security working with Joe and Sun Dog. We knew that they were doing the job the right way, with the best quality materials, and with our interests in mind. The lead carpenter/builder Forrest was amazing and such a nice guy. The whole team of folks was great to engage with and extremely friendly. Sun Dog had some issues with the subcontracted painters finishing the external paint job, but Joe was very apologetic and was diligent in keeping them on schedule and getting it done in a timely fashion. After some minor sheetrock work was not finished, Joe took it upon himself to finish the job. On top of everything else, Joe built us a new porch over a weekend during his personal time only charging us for materials. I can’t recommend these folks enough. Great people to work with, excellent communication, and a job well done. We feel like we have a new contractor partner for life with Joe and Sun Dog.