I’ve always wanted to build my own house. I’m a very creative person, I love design, and I work in real estate. At the end of 2017, the time was finally right to do it. So I got to work researching what features I wanted and brainstormed with my architect to design the perfect home for me and my family’s needs.

The original builder I was going to work with was moving, and she highly recommended Nate to replace her. She told me he did a quality job, that he had lots of integrity, and that he was good with people and relationships. I found out she was right.

Throughout the process, I could tell Nate went above and beyond just putting a product out there. He told me early on that he tries to build houses as if they are his own, when it comes to quality and attention to detail. He made sure the home was good quality.

As a Realtor, I’ve been in a lot of houses. You can tell the difference between stuff that’s sloppy and stuff that’s good quality: The corners are straight, the sheetrock is level, the trim is put together correctly and evenly, the painting job is neat. The materials themselves can speak a lot, too. During the building phase, I could tell everything looked steady, strong and secure.

Every tradesperson who came through the house would always comment, “Wow, this is really well-built! Who’s your builder?” I referred him over and over; they were so impressed with Nate’s work. When we had our final inspection, the inspector was having a hard time finding anything to fault. He said it was one of the most well-built houses he’d seen in a long time.

The build did take longer than originally planned. The weather was a factor. But also the more changes you want to make and the more specific things you want, it’s going to take longer. Anything I really wanted to do, he found a way to do it. He made it work! He gave input on my ideas and would let me know if there were extra charges or other considerations involved. I never heard him say, “I don’t know if I can do that.” It was always, “Let’s work it out and talk it through.” I wasn’t under a time crunch, and the process went well.

Nate and his guys were always calm. They were able to solve problems quickly and address any bumps in the road. And Nate’s communication was great. He listened to my needs, would get more info when I wanted it, and would answer my questions. I asked a lot of questions! I relied on his expert opinion, since he’s done this a few times.

Nate’s team was a pleasure to work with. I was over here a lot during the build, and the guys he has on his crew were great to work with. They were personal, friendly, very polite and really hard workers.

One of my favorite parts of the house is the open-concept kitchen, which is great for gatherings. It’s open to the living room with vaulted ceilings and a big stone fireplace. And windows. Lots and lots of windows. My other favorite part is the playhouse I asked Nate to build for my grandkids under the basement stairs. It’s an awesome feature in what is usually wasted space. This has been a great house to be quarantined in. It’s beautiful, comfy, cozy, welcoming and warm.