Cabin John Builders

We recently made the VERY smart decision to hire CJB for our kitchen renovation for our suburban Maryland home. Off the top, you should know their attention to quality and detail cannot be matched except by there customer service which is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. We have used other companies in the past offering cheaper prices and or faster timelines, and it showed in their quality. I have a bit of OCD (I measured angles on the cabinets, looked for gaps in the trim, spacing of the hardware etc...) and EVERYTHING was perfect. Neal (the Project Manager) and Josh (Operations Lead) are both very transparent and always speak realistically. They gave us hard messages like “we can push the timeline but you won’t like how it turns out” or “you can go lower end on material but it won’t look the same or last” with grace and understanding. They helped us evaluate and select options in terms of design (we moved everything), cabinet styles and manufacturers including construction and finish, appliance advice across any and all high end manufacturers (Ge profile, thermador, sub zero, blue star etc), and even gave us design input through their internal design group. In addition, we uncovered a serious problem with our exterior doors (we have 4 French doors off the back of our house) where we discovered they were leaking and the subfloor was rotted out) and they added that on to our renovation without any issue or delay. They just brought in another crew to and knocked it out in 2 days - including modifying the headers to fit a larger door. In summary - if you want quality, hire CJB. If you want someone to give you REAL input, hire CJB. If you want a full service business with some VERY high end clientele and the outcomes to match, hire CJB. We are having them back to do more as soon as we settle on plans for a 3 season room, a new deck, and an additional 2 car garage/rec room. Before and after photos attached (sorry not the best photographer).

We had an unfortunate experience working with CJB on a renovation of our suburban Maryland home in 2018/2019. My wife and I have done major renovation work with contractors in our past homes, and this was the most problematic experience we have encountered. One major issue was CJB’s poor quality standards and quality control of subcontractors. For example, CJB hired an HVAC firm to install a new heat pump and create separate zones for our second and third floors, however the duct work was not configured properly and so the air flow was not separated correctly by zone, resulting in 10+ degree heat differentials between 2nd and 3rd floors. CJB did not check this when installed and once the issue was identified decided this was a “warranty issue” and refused to engage with the subcontractor to fix it. The subcontractor acknowledged to me that it was incorrectly installed and eventually corrected it, but only after I had to call them 10+ times and meet with them five times myself – exactly what we hired a general contractor for and paid them a large percentage of the contract. CJB and their electrician installed ceiling fans for our bathrooms and accidentally put incorrect ones in two different bathrooms (one bathroom with a shower needed humidifier controls and the other did not as it is a powder room with no need for humidifier adjustment). CJB and the electrician acknowledged the mistake (which was clearly documented in CJB’s online project system), but refused to swap the fans back and even refused to have a conversation to explain their rationale. Multiple finishings in our fine home were done poorly – for example, all new fireplace hearths and new wood floors were installed, but they did not line up and CJB stuck wood putty in to fill the gaps which looked terrible. We had to push them hard to come up with an acceptable work around. The paint job throughout the house was done poorly by a subcontractor with really no quality control from CJB, leaving us to identify all the issues and deal with the painter to address them. Another problematic area was CJB’s poor processes with subcontractors and vendors. On multiple occasions we spent many hours with vendors, some of whom were preferred CJB vendors, defining in great detail a specific set of stone selections and where they go, hardware selections, etc… After nailing that down with the vendor, CJB would then translate all the detail into a completely different format for their online system, often making errors along the way which we would then have to review and correct for them. This led to delays in ordering materials and many extra hours of our time to review their revised specifications and correct them (after having done that directly with the vendors). We have never had to duplicate efforts like this in past contracting relationships and it was both very time consuming and frustrating. There were some bright spots in the project, including CJB’s in-house carpenter who made some nice built-ins and their preferred kitchen cabinet company (Stuart Kitchens) who did a great job working with us on the kitchen design and cabinets. Overall, however, this was a painful, painful experience which required us to spend many extra hours doing quality control and pushing CJB to do things which a general contractor should take ownership over themselves.

I agree with the reviewer who said, “There are not enough stars here….” “Astounded” does not begin to describe how impressed we were when CJB built us a new home in Takoma Park. They exceeded our expectations in any number of ways, crafting a home that is handsome, elegant, and extremely well made. We experience a kind of serenity coming home to a gorgeous house that feels solid, secure, and enduring. Other people have written reviews about CJB’s excellence in building. All those things are true of our experience as well. The quality of workmanship throughout our house is remarkable, every detail crafted with care and patience. From the exceptionally narrow grout lines between the bathroom tiles to the spectacular hardwood floors, everything is finely made to be both handsome and lasting. But what I really want to emphasize in this review is that when you work with Cabin John Builders, you are not hiring an impersonal company to do a job for the money. Rather, you get to work with Josh and Neal Rosenthal, awesome people who really love to build high quality houses, to get things exactly right, and to make people happy through practicing their craft. Josh and Neal are both incredibly hard working, upbeat, honest, and decent. In addition, they are both freakily smart and knowledgeable about building. In meetings to plan our house, when we asked if this or that could be done, they never said, “I don’t know about that” or “Let me look into it.” They just knew the answers right away. Once work started, in addition to a thorough knowledge of the big picture stuff like foundation, wiring and plumbing, they carried around in their heads the tiniest details of our project like the exact depth of the built-in bookcases in the front room, or the three different kinds of refrigerators we were considering along with possible colors for each one. Josh and Neal were always available right away for whatever we needed. If we wanted a meeting, they could do it first thing tomorrow. If we emailed a question, an answer came within minutes. Although CJB was working on a number of simultaneous projects, it always seemed like we were their exclusive clients. Josh and Neal always seemed to be enjoying their jobs. Working alongside people who have enthusiasm for all aspects of building was delightful. Josh and Neal were consistently supportive, patient, pleasant, gracious. Even when we were worried or anxious about a decision, we felt that Neal and Josh were always right there with us, determined to wrestle down any obstacle in order to make something lasting and beautiful that would please us. When we changed our minds or wanted something unusual, Josh and Neal were never impatient or annoyed. They didn’t see an aggravating problem but an opportunity to solve an entertaining little puzzle. If we wanted a quirky little item that they hadn’t implemented before, it wasn’t an unrealistic demand but a chance to add new expertise to their store of building knowledge. CJB was astonishingly accommodating and flexible. We wanted any number of exceptional features to personalize our home. Whatever unique items we wanted, CJB incorporated them so that our home is a reflection of our individual loves and tastes. Whether it was researching and installing an unusual and immense Rumford fireplace or including a special under-the-counter compost bin, CJB gave us a home that reflects who we are and what we care about. For example, when we fell in love with a magnificent European stargazing skylight that had been installed only once in the United States, we got the second one in our home. When our kids wanted Ninja-star coat hooks, they appeared in the mudroom cubbies. An elevator so that we could “age in place”? No problem. If we wanted extra time to shop for special features exactly to our taste, it was always fine. If we needed to make one last trip to Home Depot to examine 20 more different shades of yellow, the painters miraculously adjusted their schedules. Nowhere was Josh and Neal’s patience and willingness to accommodate more evident than when it came to painting the interior. We had envisioned a particularly complicated color scheme. CJB encouraged us to choose exactly what we wanted even though I’m sure it was a huge hassle and cost them a lot of extra staff time. Neal spent hours and hours walking through the house with us and marking by hand every single wall, trim, window, baseboard, etc. in every room to be sure that the result was just what we wanted. In one room, our colors were so complicated they couldn’t be described in the standard room-colors chart the painters use. So CJB created, just for this one room, a personalized organizational format to communicate to the painters the precise location of each color. Construction of the house appeared to occur with flawless coordination and scheduling. There were no delays because the electrician wasn’t available or the plumbers didn’t have the right equipment. When I talk to other people who have renovated or built, they always complain about the delays, the scheduling hassles, the awful permitting process, the mistakes contractors made. We experienced none of that whatsoever. For example, we wanted an unusual and very large fireplace that required coordination with an out of town contractor traveling to the area to do some work. CJB took care of contacting the company, coordinating fireplace installation with the other construction elements going on, and, of course, making sure that the house design incorporated what this particular contractor needed for the special chimney and ventilation the fireplace required. I’m sure this was all very complicated but the implementation was flawless. Josh and Neal went above and beyond the call of duty to get things done for us. Once weather troubles threatened to make it impossible to install the driveway before freezing temperatures. Neal somehow got the driveway company to show up and do the work at a time of year when they normally would have closed up shop for the winter. This extra effort on their part avoided a tremendous personal inconvenience for us. It would have been easy for Cabin John to blame the weather and say there was nothing to be done about the problem. But they went the extra mile and, if there was an additional cost to CJB, we didn’t hear about it. When the house was finished, we were given this superbly organized file box with all the handbooks and technical material on our appliances, furnace, generator, elevator, electrical equipment, etc. -- all in labeled folders with phone numbers to call if we needed help. Josh and Neal also insisted that they were not really saying goodbye. They consider our home their responsibility and if we had any problems, they would be right over to help us. We highly recommend a custom built home if you care about personalized high quality design and workmanship. It’s the difference between owning a unique handmade piece of furniture and a buying a less expensive mass-produced item. It was particularly delightful to work with people animated by a love of their craft. We know that Josh and Neal will be equally excited at every opportunity to bring their artistry and ingenuity to a new and splendid creation.

We hired Cabin John Builders to do an extensive house renovation. Cabin John Builders (CJB) was by far the best company we worked with throughout the entire project. From the proposal, the contract, the pre-construction permitting process, the material selection process, the construction of the home, all the way through to the punch list, CJB (and all of their staff) were attentive to detail, professional, and truly committed to building a quality home. No detail was too small, no corners were cut and when we ran into unexpected issues with the house, they kept us informed and adapted quickly. They were responsive to our many questions and communication was frequent. After we moved into our home, a number of our new neighbors commented on how well they thought the project was run during construction. If you are building a custom home or renovating a house I recommend CJB without reservation. They won't consider your project just another job, they take pride in their work and it shows.

CJB did an excellent job with a two-story addition and lots of remodeling of existing interior. Totally professional, great communications, attention to timeline and budget. Josh and Neal are great at helping you to think about your specific needs and budget trade-offs. All staff and subs were great. I have never done a project like this before and expected to dread it. In fact it was kind of fun and the house is beautiful! Highly recommend.

Cabin John built our beautiful new house recently, and we can't say enough about Cabin John – they are absolutely amazing. They are so very responsive and really understand the value of solid communication. They get that we are amateurs and that they are the experts and that we rely on them for their expertise and guidance. They take this role seriously and are awfully good at it. It’s also a family business and the family members who are in it together are all quite a great team. In addition, because Cabin John is established, they actually have a whole team of framers and tradesmen who have worked for them for years. Thus, the foreman on site is a real extension of the two brothers, one of whom is on site a whole lot as well. They even have an interior designer who handles all orders and appointments with vendors, which minimized unnecessary processes and saved us a lot of time and headaches. The project was done on time, even during the one of the worse winters we had, with everything we desired to have, and within the budget. Thanks Cabin John for the truly amazing custom build experience and your continuing customer service to make sure we are taken care of in the first year of the build. John & Rachel

Trustworthy, Professional, and Innovative. These are three words that come to mind when I think of Cabin John Builders (CJB). Recently my family moved into a house in Potomac, MD. We purchased the property from the original owner who kept the house in great shape, but there were a few things we wanted to do before we moved in. Without hesitation, I called Neal and Josh at CJB to come take a look at our new place. Paint, refinish a few wood floors, install some pocket lights, take down some wood paneling and replace it with drywall were some of the small projects we decided to do. But build a mudroom out of a wasted space near the garage and turn two small closets into one massive dressing room were things my husband and I could not imagine. Josh and Neal have great vision and an out-of-the- box type approach as well as being a great “sounding board” for ideas that homeowners have. Some ideas we proposed to them they liked and agreed with, other they questioned and provided us with options we did not even think of. If you are planning on doing any kind of home renovation, I would call Neal and Josh from CJB first because they are going to be the most honest and extremely professional. They were outstanding to work with and I would referrer them 100 times over.

Very positive experience. We completely gutted and rebuilt a historical Kalorama house. The Rosenthal brothers were most professional and easy to work with. Everything was done to our satisfaction in accordance with our wishes. When working with a general contractor you can pick any two out of three: Fast, Cheap, or High Quality. Overall pleased with the CBJ work and their follow up. Strongly recommend.

We hired Cabin John Builders to help us plan and build a renovation and addition to home we purchased as a fixer upper. Of course trying to find the right contractor to partner with is a stressful process, but we are so happy we choose to work with CJB! Josh and Neal guided us through the whole process making sure the project met our needs and goals. We really liked having the BuilderTrend system online so we could see our selections, schedule, changes etc, anytime we wanted. Jobsite was clean, the project was done on schedule and we LOVE our new house!

I hired Cabin John Builders for my town home renovation in December 2012. The project involved installation of hardwood flooring, recessed lighting, custom bookshelves and painting. CJB was recommended to me because of the budget I had. Beware, Josh does not stand behind the work. If you have a problem with the work of one of his subs (in my case, the flooring "expert") he will not make it right, even if he agrees that there is a large and worsening problem. When the supplier of the flooring would not pay for the replacement because the chipping and splintering did not exceed a certain percentage they deemed under warranty, Josh walked away, as did his sub, Jimmy. Either of them could have done the right thing--replaced the floor or refunded my roughly $6000--but they refused. I've had many, larger projects under a general contractor in the past (John R. Salmons, Sr.) and I wish I had paid the extra money to have the job done correctly. Always, always, you get what you pay for.

We have had the pleasure of working for Cabin John Builders and working along side them with their clients. Besides being a pleasure to work with, their craftsmanship and extremely high level of customer service is very impressive. The homes they build are beautiful and make our job, as landscapers, fun to create fun to create and design landscapes around.

We are architects who have had the pleasure to work with Cabin John Builders on several occasions. They have been wonderful to work with from an architects point of view. They are knowledgeable, creative, they embrace technology, and they bring a great deal of energy and value to what has become a very collaborative process. Josh does a wonderful job on the front end of guiding the design with a sensitivity to budget, without sacrificing design intent, and Neal a wonderful job on the back end guiding things through construction. We are always relieved when we are working with Cabin John Builders, and I would recommend them to anyone who is looking for a high quality builder with a great sense of value and practicality.