Collaborative, honest, and efficient
We recently worked with Valley Home Builders on an addition of the master suite to our home. We had decided to work with them because of the favorable experience we had a few years ago when communicating with Arman, their project developer, when we were planning a different project (which we had put off). We had met with a few design-to-build companies then, and felt that Arman was the most tuned into our needs and lifestyles. To be fair, a few other companies provided very helpful input and advices as well, but we appreciated how Arman's questions to us were around our lifestyle and how the new space could augment it, instead of what kind of new space we should consider.
So this time for the space addition project, we went straight to Valley Home Builders. Because of the preceding communication, Arman was quick to digest the intention of our project.
Stepping right into the planning phase, we visited and sat with Robert, their architect, a couple of times a month for a few months. He listened to our needs, brainstormed with us various options, and turned ideas into shape. We wanted the new space not to exceed certain square footage, while trying to fit the master bedroom and a spacious Japanese ofuro-style bathroom (soaking tub and washing space around it), so Robert's creative input was definitely invaluable.
During the interior design, we worked with their designer Olga over the course of a few months. She took Robert's spacing plans and our vision, and iterated on the design (particularly of the bathroom which was the most demanding) to provide us with an impressive design solution. The latter half of this phase was spent on selecting materials, which was very meticulous thanks to Olga's attention to detail. We were also happy to receive her input when we were uncertain about our selection of materials.
Lastly, we were introduced to Paul, their project manager, and kicked off the construction phase. Even though we experienced a number of rainy days (the construction took place during winter-spring), Paul and team were flexible in adjusting the schedule and the order of tasks, in an attempt to minimize the number of wasted days due to the weather. To the eyes of us lay people, the team was very efficient and always working on something despite the weather; however, this was also echoed by my good neighbor who is also in construction business himself, as he would witness the progress. Whenever we had question about the progress or schedule, Paul would respond in a timely and honest manner. He would sometimes also come in himself to touch up on small things. We aren't sure if the project managers typically do that, but we definitely appreciated his attentiveness and attention to detail. There had been problems with defective parts, certain things not working as expected, etc, but Paul was quick to address them.
We also appreciated how during the construction phase, Mehdi (the owner of the company), Robert and Joy (designer who inherited the project from Olga) would pay a visit every now and then to check on the progress and the quality.
Now we have moved into the new space, and everyone in the family enjoys it. We would definitely work with them on future projects.
