Estes Builders

We chose Estes as our design build firm based on the details they gave us about how the process would work, the cost estimates they provided, and other Estes building projects that we were able to tour. The team we worked with was professional and helpful at each stage of the process. The architect was able to deliver almost all of our wish list, given a very constrained building footprint, and delightful details that we had never thought of. The design process was thorough, and we were guided toward materials selections of high quality, but within budget. And toward things we love, but would never have come up with on our own! The construction crew was very respectful of impacts to neighbors and tried for the least disruption to them as possible. We started right as COVID hit, and the team managed through the chaos that ensued with materials and labor shortages with minimal impact to our project and schedule. We were given great information every step of the way, and the keys were handed to us on time. Given that both of us were very busy with work and were living in another city, Estes was a lifesaver! They took care of any issue that arose, and given the thoroughness of the design process, there were very few surprises. We love our new house and highly recommend Estes!

Estes Builders likes to say that there are something like 14,000 elements/decisions in a custom house. Every house they build is custom. We were already a year into our house project when we chose Estes to be our contractor. The architect design that we had worked on for months was too costly for our budget. We liked that Estes is a design/build firm and had the capacity to rework a design we really liked to bring it within our budget; we also liked the fact that Estes, unlike the other contractors we had review the project, offers a fixed price contract rather than cost plus. Estes took our existing design and helped us pare it down. We got to near our budget and felt like they preserved the things we really wanted with our home and yet found ways to help us afford it. Estes communicates well and often. The work went well until there were weather delays, first, then the COVID pandemic. Estes was well prepared for the COVID restart and got the project back underway with a minimum of fuss. I can't say there were no bumps along the road, but I can say that Estes made good on every promise, fixed any mistakes we found and did so within our agreed contract price. I would recommend them to anyone who wants to build a quality custom home.

My wife and I just love are new home, It was completed sooner then projected and we are so happy with all the work done, thank you so much for such a great job. Thanks again Stan And Marti

Our experience with Estes started out excellent, until we signed the contract for construction. The project manager that we were working with notified us after we signed that he was quitting that day, and we were assigned to Larry. We were told that our 1400 sf two story would be $165 a square foot and although they were estimating it at an 8 month build, they were confident we would be in at the six month mark. It took them a year and cost $225 a square foot to build. We had owned the lot for 8 years and had done years of planning and research, including over 300 pictures on Pinterest of the details and designs we were looking for. We wanted a small craftsman of 1400 sf as we were downsizing from a 2700 sf home with several unused rooms. We wanted direct walk-in from street level, with no stairs. We wanted the master on the main floor so if either of us gets injured or infirm, we can get directly to the bed and bath without any stairs. Working with Larry, I asked for 1400 square feet. Their first version was 2100 sf. I said there must be some mistake. Their 2nd version was 2350 sf. I think 1400 is smaller that either 2100 or 2350 sf and asked for an additional revision. After a series of painful revisions where they were clearly not understanding us and ignoring the Pinterest information, we finally settled on 1850 sf with 9 foot ceilings in the master bedroom. When they went to secure permits, they found that they had violated the maximum height limit/building envelope for the city. We asked them to dig the basement deeper so we could maintain our 9 foot ceilings. They refused. The options Estes gave us were to switch to 8 foot ceilings or cancel the project. Many homes in Seattle and in our neighborhood have garages under the home. Our lot is narrow so there was no room for a side garage. Their design used up every inch of width available in the lot. We asked that they excavate the lot and have a garage under the home. They were quite nervous about this - apparently it was the first time they had ever done a basement garage under a home. During excavation, one six inch pipe was unearthed crossing the entire lot. You could see both ends on each side of the basement. I asked Estes to remove the pipe as I was concerned with flooding during the rainy season. They told me "not to worry" as they had sealed the pipe at both ends at the property line. They told me that if I insisted on removing the pipe, they would have to take us off their construction schedule, go back for new permits and it would add cost and six months to the move in date. The thing they did not mention which I discovered after our first flooding event, was that water will flow along the outside of the pipe to the end point and then pool. We had 2000 gallons of water in our basement the first time it rained. What they also did not disclose was that there were a series of pipes crossing the property at depths down to four feet. Without telling us, they cut the pipes they found at the foundation wall, relying on the perimeter drain to handle the excess. This strategy was completely ineffective. During the remainder of the build process, we had a series of flooding events that turned the lot and basement into a sodden mess. After we moved in we discovered and removed 40 abandoned pipes at various locations on the lot. One of the tradesmen onsite pulled me aside and told me that Estes knew about the pipes but refused to say anything to us, and told all the tradesmen they would be fired if they said anything to us. When Estes started framing, my wife and I came by to observe the process. We walked up to where the floor joists were getting installed - at slightly more than head height - and I said, "this seems low for the second floor". The construction manager said, "that is not the second floor - it is the first floor". I responded - that cannot be. We designed a home with no stairs where you walk straight in from the street. I have broken my leg twice and my wife had a serious injury that put her on crutches for six months. Navigating stairs was out of the question. That is why we wanted the basement garage - so the house could be as low as possible. Thinking back, I should have terminated the project then. Instead, we went forward, and ended up with 11 stairs from ground level to the first floor. We have had several people trip on the stairs, but no serious injuries yet. I started coming by five times a day, discovering mistakes every single visit. My wife got so upset she could not come over at all. Summary: Horrible, horrifying experience with Estes Misrepresentation Mistakes Hiding errors Shoddy workmanship

Outstanding staff and wisely chosen skilled workers built our dream home — the experience was wonderful. We have remodeled homes in the past and knew what we wanted — most of the time! We started the design of this home from 2000 miles away, yet with Skyping, e-mails, their website and the staff’s endless patience, we felt we felt their presence every step of the way and their whole-hearted commitment to this project. We moved out to Sequim to see the house built — a wonderful experience! Thank you, Estes, for our incredible dream home!

When we asked others about a quality builder in the Port Angeles area, we were told Estes Builders without hesitation. After purchasing a lot we contacted Estes Builders and began the process. Living in Sammamish, WA, Rick Gross and the architect met us once a week in Poulsbo to plan our “forever home”. They listened and incorporated our ideas and helped up develop the plan. February 2018 we started construction. Every week we were updated with the progress, it was especially fun to see photos along the way. Our summer “vacation” was coming to Port Angeles frequently to see the progress for ourselves. Ryan, our go to person from Estes, would meet us, walk our home and discuss any questions or concerns. As with any major project, it can be a roller coaster of emotions. With a custom home that is drawn and built for the first time, there were some aspects that were not as we visualize. Ryan discussed these items and we worked together to resolve these issues. The build took longer than we expected due to the complexity of our interior design and some unforeseen situations. However it has been worth the wait. As a result we feel that we have a quality home with good bones that will be a wonderful forever home. We also recommend Estes Builders without hesitation.

October to June - excellent relationship the whole way. Great communication, adaptability, focus, transparency, cooperation, and high quality workmanship. It was a great pleasure working with Ryan through the project and with Rick at the beginning getting all the details worked through. This was a first time project for both of us and we could not be happier with the result. Three cheers for Estes Builders!

From start to finish, you can't go wrong with Estes Builders. My project was not straight forward, but they worked with me meeting every challenge to help find a solution and create my dream house. They are professional, and if you live on the peninsula, one of the best! They were easy to communicate with, which is highly important when building a house. This was my second attempt at building a home, and I am sure glad I chose them to build mine. I am thrilled with the finished product.

After our prolonged and painful experience with Estes Builders, we would never recommend them to anyone. We did not get the custom house that we wanted, on time, and on budget ($600,000 in our case) as Estes Builders promises in its website. Instead, we feel we had continual and troublesome problems and delays in virtually every step of the process with Estes Builders until they unexpectedly and unilaterally terminated the project three years later---leaving us with only the walls of a foundation and a partially installed drainage system that would have been inadequate for water conditions discovered on our property after the city issued our building permit. Although we, and a geotech firm that we ourselves finally hired, had advised Estes Builders to revise the drainage plan, Estes Builders insisted on installing the inadequate drainage based on the permitted plan. Ultimately, the city told Estes Builders that they had to revise the drainage plan, and only then did Estes Builders agree to do that. But before correcting the installed and inadequate drainage, Estes Builders quit. Previously, we have worked with other builders on new and remodeled construction, and we never experienced a situation as egregious as what we suffered with Estes Builders. More than three difficult years have passed since we first contracted with Estes Builders. By our account, this aborted project has cost us an enormous amount of time and out-of-pocket expenses, and we are still in a rental house where we expected to live just one year while Estes Builders would supposedly make good on its promises. Instead, we have virtually nothing to show for this wasted chunk of our lives and savings, and almost nothing usable as we move forward with a new architect and a new builder to design and ultimately construct our home. In fact, we feel that the minimal work that Estes Builders completed for us actually has constrained our design options, while decimating our budget. The construction industry may have some great builders, but we do not feel that Estes Builders is one of them. More to follow…

We chose Estes Builders in large part because over 10 years ago I had met Rick at a Home Show in Sequim and he impressed me with his knowledge and willingness to answer all my questions at that time even though we would not be building for at least 10 years. We have now built our home and are very pleased with it and the process of building. Estes has made the process almost stress free. The professionalism and quality of the Estes Group and the trades people has been excellent. When we have had to make changes to the build plan Estes has been right there to help us with the changes. I would and do recommend Estes Builders to anyone looking to build their home. They have even finished it ahead of schedule and on budget.

Number 1 - They are great to work with, all were very professional and everyone was involved in the process. They were very clear on what was happening and have an on-line process that was incredible. Everyone we worked with became like family! Number 2 - The quality of their work and the attention they pay to detail and deadlines, etc. was great. Number 3 - We love our new retirement home and the entire process. Number 4 - We would do it again! and with Estes Builders :-)

I am sorry to say that this builder was not worth all the hype. We have had 2 custom homes built for us before and we have had a major remodel done as well. We have never had the problems with any of our builders until Estes. We had looked forward to having our retirement home built by Estes, but did not make it through the design process. We did however pay for the design process and have nothing to show for it. When we decided to build a smaller home (less than 1400 square feet) and lessened our budget their demeanor completely changed. We were told that their "sweet spot" for building was 1750 to 2500 square feet. It was obvious to us that they lost their interest in our project. They certainly were not professional in the way that they approached a smaller project. We were told that they will build a custom home for between $176 and $215 a square foot, but that too is not totally true. If you are building a home that is large MAYBE it will cost $176 a square foot, but I seriously doubt it. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY to anyone who is wanting to build a home less than 1750 square feet. *** Update to this review After re-evaluating our individual project Estes Builders have returned a portion of the "design fee" that we had paid them. This shows great merit on their part, we are grateful for a change in their position.