Steffes Construction, Inc.

Tom and Adam have helped us with two phases of remodel on our home. Phase 1 was the complete basement remodel including one bathroom, magical play area, library, movie room, two bedrooms, moving stairs and redoing the entry way. Phase 2: They redid the main floor including three bedrooms, hall way plus storage and two bathrooms. They are very detailed oriented, especially Adam. Every square inch is used. If something isn't done right, they fix it. Example: They installed four floor to ceiling windows in the entry way. After the chandelier was installed, they realized it wasn't centered in one of the windows. They took them all out and reinstalled them. It is now perfect. They have become like family. As a mom of five children, I was especially grateful for the safety precautions they invented to make sure we were all safe while we lived through construction. There are always tense times through remodels. Patience both ways is the key and I'm so so happy with the work they have done for us.

We've worked with Steffes Construction multiple times over the past four years at two different houses. Tom and Adam are a great team that deliver quality work. They have refinished a basement, repaired a roof, waterproofed a foundation, and done a lot of smaller one-off jobs like installing a pantry cabinet and fixing a pair of bad gutters. They are thoughtful and careful and have always taken the time with us to talk through all of our options and help us decide the best path forward in upgrading and maintaining our home. I'm glad I found them when I first bought a home with problems in Seattle because I can trust them to deliver quality work.

I hired Steffes Construction for a basement buildout on recommendation from a friend I trust. And I'm glad I did. The results are amazing, friends always compliment the work, and the space will make us happy for years to come. Tom and Adam are much more than just contractors. Sure, they know how to design a space, source materials, organize teams, and put together a great project. But more than that they understand how to walk you through the very personal experience of creating a space, of involving you in the decisions where needed and taking care of details you never would have thought of yourself. The strength of their work stems from Adam's attention to detail, with regard to material quality, aesthetics, and how the space performs.

We hired Steffes design and build for the repair and remodel of our 1912 cottage. They rebuilt and shingled the sagging roof, updated the electric, added gas lines for the kitchen and fireplace, installed insulation and raised the ceilings in the kitchen/dinning room, remodeled kitchen, bath, dining, and living rooms. They always kept the place neat with work areas cordoned off so that we were able to live there while the work was going on. Tom was quick to notify us of any surprises found during the ongoing work (not unusual for an older home) so that we could be involved in the decision making for the solution. We have recently hired them again to replace a window, and have plans of hiring them for other projects. The work done was of the highest quality and we still get compliments, especially on the kitchen/dining room.

Steffes Construction has done a few projects for us over the years. 2 Bathroom remodels, 1 master bedroom remodel, and a structural remodel changing our roofline and adding a peaked covering over our entryway. We were thrilled with each result and would highly recommend. Tom Steffes and his crew are professional and perfectionists, which is what you hope for in a contractor. We would absolutely hire again.

The quality of the work is always exceptional and they have good attention to detail. Tom and Adam are also good at generating ideas to improve the project.

My husband and I bought a house the required a full remodel that we were undertaking ourselves. We’re handy, but have never done anything like this before. We did a lot of research using blogs and YouTube but were otherwise learning by doing. It is an old house and we came across many problems that we were not able to research solutions to. We hired Tom Steffes to do a walk-through our house to help us brainstorm and problem solve many issues that came up. His decades of knowledge and experience were indispensable to the success in our remodel. Tom helped us determine solutions to leaks in our foundation, fixes to poorly executed prior home renovations, and countless other suggestions for our bathrooms, kitchen and bedrooms reno’s that were currently in process. Since we were new to remodeling, he even went over the work that our siding contractors had been doing to point out some things to be aware of and notes to make when we hire any future contractors. Taking on such a major project has been stressful and often times intimidating. Tom helped us feel like we were back in control of the project when the enormity of it all started spilling over. If I could, I’d be calling Tom on a weekly basis to ask for his advice on every decision we make. I’d hire him again in a heartbeat.

Steffes Construction remodeled our bathroom including a new surround and dry rot repair, then the usual drywall and finishing with new sink, etc. They did a great job and we were able to pretty much stay out of the way and it was done in a few weeks. One of the nice touches is how they matched the wall texture as it came met the next room. It's on the other side of the door, but they took time to do that so it didn't look different.

We decided to engage with Steffes Construction to get a bid for our total home remodel based on a referral we received. We really liked Tom and what he had to say about his process and asked him for references and a bid based on the full-sized printouts we provided to him (at a cost of $65 to us). He promised to follow up with us with references and a bid. Days turned into weeks. After repeated (nice) email requests from us for a response, we finally asked him to either return the drawings or refund us the cost of them. We have not heard from him again and it's been a month. ** Update. It turns out that our printing service charged Tom directly for the printouts. We offered to pay him for the printouts if he would drop them off (we actually would like them back) but still no response.

Project: Kitchen and Master Bathroom (aprox. 400 sq. Ft & 150 Sq. Ft) Anticipated 5 month Project Began October 2013 – Still not completed by June 2014 I had fired the foreman for working too slowly, spending too much time on the phone and for refusing to make the kitchen a priority over the master bathroom. The boss begged me to give him another chance. There was a meeting. I was promised things would be different. . . . At the time of the 1st firing, the company had been through 3 employees, one after another, hired to help speed up the job. Two days after the fireside chat, a fourth man who was a skilled carpenter and a delight to have in our home, quit. He was also conflicted because he was not permitted to work on critical path items and he knew how important they were to us. Incredulously, the company owner thought that another meeting would bring back the 4th employee. It did not. This company needed constant supervision of architect/ missed items featured in drawings, frequently lost drawings. Scheduling was so inefficient that the architect had to take over scheduling for which he charged the construction company for his time. Critical path items had not been properly identified. One example: Despite our urging to install the kitchen cabinets which had been on-site for 5 weeks, the foreman refused to do so. By stepping in and working until midnight to set the cabinets, the architect averted a three week delay of the delivery of the countertops. The countertop guys only had time to template the next day before being booked for the next 2-3 weeks . Work area very messy. Did not clean up at the end of the day. The foreman followed me to my bedroom and refused to leave my bedroom and let me have a discussion with the painter ( I was trying to choose a color) even though I had asked him to excuse us three times. He told me he would not go away and that I could not have a conversation with any of the subs on my own. What??? I was paying the subs directly and it is my house! It was just too stressful having this company in our home. I tried hanging in there, because I kept being told that we were so close to finishing. But two more weeks became another two more weeks and so on. They were ultimately fired when we left our home to allow work to be done on a Saturday 6/7/14 and instead of getting the job done, they invited nosy neighbors into our home and gave them a full tour of the kitchen and my bedroom. I have email evidence. Fired for a 2nd time. We then discovered that cut outs for where several heating registers are.supposed to be are missing, resulting in wood that will need to be lifted and reset. The foreman made items for himself from our expensive material (fir) without our permission. The company owner, was aware of all the above details and failed to correct any of the above despite our pleading except for acknowledging that the scheduling was dismal and needed to be taken over by the architect. Fortunately for us, the sub tradesmen have kindly coordinated among themselves to get the work completed. Happily, I have some wonderful reviews to write regarding the sub trades and architect. . This project should never have taken more than 3 or 4 months.