Knutson Custom Construction

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March 18, 2012Dear Andrew,I’m writing to express my appreciation for the great job you and your crew did constructing my new house and communicate my overall experience working with Knutson Construction. it was one year ago when you first introduced me to the concept of constructing a SIP panel house. As you know I was very skeptical and somewhat reluctant to consider a “non-traditional” form of construction. By the time we started talking SIP , and since this was my fifth adventure building a house and never having any issues with the traditional stick build construction, why change now right? But after several conversations and extensive research I can tell you I’m very glad I followed your advice. The biggest selling point was definitely your patience when answering all my questions and your extensive knowledge of the SIP product and the construction process. And while I’ve worked with several contractors over the years that have claimed their product and services were superior to others, I was most impressed with your commitment to deliver on all the claims and promises you made to me. If I were to summarize my experience with you and your crew the words that come to mind are dedicated, honest, and experienced. But most importantly everyone I meet was committed to doing whatever it took to make me, the customer happy. This was demonstrated every time I stopped by to check on progress with construction. One of your crew would always stop what they were doing to explain where they were at and what they would be doing over the next couple days. They would ask me questions about what I liked, requested feedback on the quality of their work and offered suggestions which would improve the overall house plan. It is the little things like that which make a big difference and your crew was more than willing to go the extra mile without adding cost to the project. Another example was when the fireplace installer had trouble fitting me into their schedule so one of your crew worked on a Saturday install the framing so the fireplace could be installed the following Monday. Finally, one of my greatest concerns when building a house has been accessibility of the contractor. Both you and your dad were very accessible anytime of day and if you didn’t answer your cell phone I could always count on a prompt call back. You claim you “do it right”, and I want to thank you for doing it right!Enough about you, I want to tell you about the house and my experience over the last six months. As I said earlier, I was very skeptical about SIP but knew the energy efficiency aspect of SIP was probably good. Little did I know how good it would perform! I hate to admit it but I was completely wrong about my initial concerns and so glad I made the investment. From October to December I was able to heat the entire house on two highly energy efficient mini-splits and my electric bill was only $23 a month. Since December the main source of heat has been generated from natural sun light keeping the house at 70 degrees. It is amazing how much natural heat is retained throughout the entire day. I’ve only consumed only 650 gallons of propane since October . While the temperature has fluctuated between 40 and 60 degrees over the past several days, the interior temperature has consistently stayed between 68 to 71 degrees without any heat source other than natural sunlight. In summary, I’m expecting to spend about $1800 in electric and propane through December for a 2900 square foot house. Not too bad! Thanks again for all your hard work. I highly recommend your company.Sincerely,Ron McKinnon

Eric Lauer2127 Columbus AveDULUTH, MN 55803Categories: Builders - HomesRemodeling - Kitchen & BathroomServices Performed: YesWork Completed Date: July 01, 2010Hire Again: YesApproximate Cost: $94,000.00Description Of Work: Kitchen remodel, including installation of a return air system. They were also hired to install a large beam in our ceiling to stabilize a flat roof over the kitchen which was deflecting. These projects were carried out concurrently. The cost to repair the deflecting roof was approximately $14,000, and approximately $80,000 was spent on the kitchen. Member Comments: Knutson Custom Construction was hired to do our kitchen renovation, which was completed in July 2010. Estimates were competitive with those received by other contractors, but we chose to work with Ken and Andrew because we had seen their work in other homes and were impressed with it. Both were punctual, adaptable and extremely meticulous in the planning phases of the project. An emphasis on clear communication was made in particular by Ken, the elder Knutson. During the planning for this project, we considered numerous ideas in detail and Ken was able to give a thoughtful breakdown of the logistics and financial considerations for every option we explored. His patience and professionalism during this phase was commendable. The project stumbled briefly when our designer left the company we had contracted with to complete that portion of the work. Ken worked hard to bring the new designer up to speed and smooth over tensions that arose during that time. This project included subcontract work from an engineer, a designer, an HVAC specialist (for return air), electricians, plumbers, and a painter. Ken's meticulous attention to detail was crucial as he brought each of the subcontractors on board. He helped prevent numerous costly missteps as materials were being ordered and the scheduling of the project got underway. When we got to the demolition and building phase, that attention to detail persisted. Andrew oversaw most of the "hand's on" aspects of the construction and solved day to day logistical issues as they arose at this point. Ken played a smaller role in the actual construction but was the primary liaison coordinating work on the part of each of the subcontractors. He picked up on and corrected a handful of small mistakes made by the plumber and electrician, and saw to it that those issues were resolved quickly with as little inconvenience to us as possible. It was clear as the project progressed that Ken and Andrew had well established relationships with each of the subcontractors they brought into our home and that these were people who could be trusted. The project was completed within a week of the projected timeline, which considering the scale of this job was pretty impressive. We did not go over budget despite numerous last minute changes and adjustments. In the end, it turned out better than we could have hoped for and the new kitchen is now far and away our favorite part of the home. Best of all, this renovation was performed on a home originally built in 1909, in the "mission transitional" style, and they were able to see to it that the new construction meshed perfectly with the older part of the home. Most of our guests are actually surprised to hear that the kitchen was remodeled a hundred years after the rest of the home. At this writing, the kitchen is a year old and we have seen no issues with the quality of workmanship they performed.I was impressed enough with the Knutson's work that we again hired them to do a very nice shed for us last Fall. We would refer anyone in the Duluth area to them who is looking to do high end renovation on an older home in a style which is consistent with that of the original architecture of the home. Overall APrice AQuality AResponsiveness APunctuality AProfessionalism A