Starland Builders, LLC

We worked with Starland Builders to build our house earlier this year. Initially we worked with Ralph, who met with us, explained the process and listened to what we were looking for. Ralph then designed the house plans. He was super collaborative throughout the planning phase. He helped us navigate the permitting process with a calm yet diligent demeanor. The land we bought also had a number of deed restrictions including certain materials and Ralph helped us navigate them with ease. We worked with Ralph all the way through groundbreaking (October 16th, 2021). Once we broke ground, we began working with the builders Aaron and Collin on-site while still working with Ralph on some ordering and amendments to the plans. Aaron and Collin (who are brothers) and their whole crew were also excellent to work with. We had tons of questions throughout and Collin and Aaron were super patient with us, often staying on-site at the end of their work day when we would arrive when we got off work. Aaron and Collin also had a non-anxious yet focused and determined demeanor, which is incredibly valuable from your builder as the process can sometimes be inherently stressful. It was very clear that Starland partnered with the best subcontractors (excavators, plumbers, electricians, etc) who all valued high quality work for the best outcome, and it showed in the final product. We were able to navigate supply chain issues and amendments we wanted to make along the way wiith little to no issues. It is so important to have good communication with your builder on a project and Starland was exemplary at keeping lines of communication open. I once had to stay on-site for an extended period for deliveries and installation and it was great to see the positive energy Aaron and Collin and their crew had on-site. It is little things like that which make the experience better and we experienced many little things like this along the way working with Starland. We highly recommend Starland Builders and could not be more happy with our home. We moved in May 4th 2022 and it is truly our dream home. We were incredibly thankful to Starland for being so great to work with. During our research prior to deciding to build a home, we met some people who had varying experiences with other builders in the area. We continue to say to this day we were very lucky to work with builders that made the experience the exciting and joyous process you hope home-building would be!

I recently purchased a brand new house built and sold by Starland Builders in 2020 in Ithaca. They have been a pleasure to work with during the entire process of building, selling, and maintaining the property. This long purchase process required a lot of trust, communication, and good faith in which Starland Builders delivered on. I developed a strong relationship with the owner, Ralph Varn who helped tailor the house to our needs, he got us the finishes and appliances we wanted during the difficult pandemic, he was able to finish the house on time, and continued to support us with house needs for its entire first year. My favorite part is his ability to respond quickly and work with us on solutions. His entire building staff was extremely professional in terms of communicating, scheduling, cleaning up, and just doing good work. Ralph, Collin, and Aaron are just wonderful local Ithacans in which I've enjoyed their company. In terms of the quality of the build, the house was very well executed. We have been here one year now with little issues and I just love the look and the feel of the house. Lots of sunlight, beautiful wood floors, high ceilings, light airy walls. I feel like I'm on vacation every day. We recently had a home energy audit done through Snug Planet and they confirmed the excellent efficiency of the home. I learned Starland Builders did a proper job on insulating the walls and crawl spaces and were intentional in their design in many ways to keep utility costs down. This has rang true in our bills so far. I highly recommend going with Starland Builders as I've had a very positive experience. I would be proud to show anyone the quality of the house and discuss my experience moving forward.

The Starland crew has done two incredible jobs for me over the last year and a half. My partner and I on one of them couldn’t be more pleased with the rehabilitation after a major fire. We were relieved of all the worry and received an excellent conclusion. They also did a single home renovation for my wife and I. New roof and complete new siding job. Our house has never looked better.

Great Builders. We are in the late stages of refurbishing our 1880’s house in Ithaca NY. Everything is going well and we are very happy with the work. I would highly recommend this company.

i have been working with Starland builders to build two homes on my property. Ralph knew exactly what to do, he started working on getting the sub-division approvals and worked with us to design the homes, get the building permits and giving us a contract for both homes. We started the process in December 2018, got approvals in February 2019 started both homes in April 2019. The first house was completed in the middle of August. Collin Shore and Aaron Shore are partners in Starland Builders, they do the work and Ralph does the design, contract work and supervises all aspects of the jobs. Ralph, Collin and Aaron are great to work with, the finest craftsmen, if you need help with your project, I highly recommend Starland Builders for your new home.

Aaron, Collin, and Ralph are fantastic in every way. The Shore brothers are wonderful guys who do great work – very friendly and exceedingly accommodating. Ralph Varn’s experience as a builder shines through in his architectural skills and creativity. As a team, they’re punctual, polite, and insightful when it comes to all of the elements – small and large – that go into creating a beautiful home. Our project was a small studio home for our mom to comfortably live in during extended stays. She’s elderly and has significant mobility issues. The Shores and Ralph did everything with our mom in mind, and the result is a gorgeous place she loves and can maneuver about in easily and safely. She loves the place! Starland was able to begin work in the winter, which was fantastic given it allowed our mom to walk into a finished studio late in the spring. Even with the inevitable and uncontrollable Ithaca weather, the Shores and Ralph plugged away to get the project completed for summer use. They also did so within the agreed-upon (and very reasonable - especially given the quality of work) budget. My wife and I (and our mom) could not recommend the Shores, Ralph, and Starland Builders more highly.

We had a 400 sq ft addition put on plus a kitchen renovation. Starland was a great choice. Extremely professional and easy to work with. From design to completion the team had an eye for detail and took pride in all their work. I would highly recommend them!

High quality work. Very eager, flexible and creative on coming up with solutions. Great job on keeping the jobsite clean during construction.

Our experience was excellent. We had a five week window between closing and moving in, and the guys worked very hard to get the job finished. Ralph was very helpful in finding some of the specific hardware at a good price. They worked with our suggestions and offered many helpful ones of their room. I would recommend Starland unconditionally.

The Shore brothers are the very best. Not only are they gifted craftsmen at reasonable rates, they bring a pride of craftsmanship and work ethic to the job site everyday, something money can't buy. I own a very special victorian hotel built in 1873, named "Inn at Taughannock" and these professional are our primary team invited to work on this magnificent home.

Ralph did a major renovation of my 150 year old house. Not only is everything now modernized and efficient, but it looks true to the style in which it was built.

Ralph Varn has worked on two projects for our family. He did the architectural drawings and designed the houses with us from the outset, all the time understanding our needs. His understanding of the construction process and his design expertise also helped us stay within our intended budget. Ralph has great ideas and pays attention to details. We would highly recommend Ralph Varn Builder.