Jeff at Casa Rio Builders handled the construction of our 600 sq foot addition on an existing 1000…read moresq ft 1957 home in Crestview. We bought the home in July 2015, began working with an architect to help us through the city permitting process, and were linked up with Jeff shortly after. Given City of Austin complexities, we were able to start building in November. Here are the high level highlights followed by the details:
High level:
Construction began November 2015 with a projected completion date of April 2016. Jeff finished the home in mid-February 2016, we were able to move in on Feb 22nd (4-6 weeks ahead of schedule), and the home and experience exceeded our expectations in every way. Not only was our project completed ahead of schedule, but it was on budget - as in, exactly on budget. These details alone (on budget, ahead of schedule) may be enough, but I'll go on.
Details:
Prior to beginning construction, Jeff was very real with us. He made sure our expectations in terms of budget and timeline were in line with reality. We added a 4th bedroom, 3rd bathroom, and large dedicated dining room onto an existing 3/2. He helped us see the budgeting realities of adding a full bath but also helped us to save throughout the project where we could. We are not "high end" people, although Jeff certainly can cater to high end people as evidenced by his portfolio. Despite that, he encouraged and helped us to select finishings that would save us (for example, a pre-fab rather than custom vanity, mid-range tile and flooring that is gorgeous, etc) so that we could splurge on a few important areas (wall-to-wall, floor to ceiling custom built-in buffet in the new dining room, tankless water heater for the whole house) and also to account for the few unexpected needs that any home renovation will encounter. For us, it was discovering that the original house had NO insulation in the walls. We couldn't very well insulate the addition and not the original part of the house, so that had to be accounted for. Even with this, we still ended our project on budget.
It was important to us, living in Central Austin, to ensure the house stayed looking and feeling like the neighborhood around us. Casa Rio Builders kept that priority in mind during the design and construction and made sure the house still fits right in with our (grateful) new neighbors.
Extra touches:
Jeff and Stephanie (a force in her own right - brilliant, helpful, and sharp) met with us every 2 weeks on site once construction started. We went over the prior and upcoming action items and they kept us on task. We so looked forward to our bi-weekly meetings with Jeff and Stephanie that even though we only lived a few blocks away, we would stay away from the house between meetings so we could have an unveiling of all the progress every time!
Jeff and Stephanie both went the extra mile where they really didn't have to to ensure we were living in exactly the house we wanted - a few examples:
- We agonized over a new front door style and a chandelier for the dining room. Stephanie scoured and researched to help us find the perfect options for us.
- We originally were just going to put two floor to ceiling bookshelves in the dining room. About 2 weeks before the cabinet maker was to build, we decided we wanted a wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling buffet. Jeff had it designed lickity split and it was GORGEOUS. This upgrade cost us a total of about $1800 - couldn't get that kind of storage at that quality with a piece of furniture, and it adds so much style to the room.
- We realized about a week before our final walk through that the en suite bathroom in the guest room on the original house - not even where Jeff and his crews were working - was missing a door. We hadn't lived in the house so we just hadn't noticed. A few weeks later, Jeff showed up with a door, painted and installed!
- Since we've moved in, a few very minor issues have come up, as one would expect from any new construction. In particular, our door out to our carport was settling which made it difficult to close and lock. Jeff was here in MINUTES (literally, minutes from my email) to fix it himself. We were so grateful for his quick action!
Overall, we cannot recommend Jeff, Stephanie, and Casa Rio Builders enough. They were always upfront, always on time, always on budget, and just the friendliest people you could meet and do business with. Everyone I talk to about our build is surprised at what a great experience we have had - nobody LOVES their contractor, but we love ours.
Do yourself a favor and call Casa Rio for your major home project. They know what they are doing and will make sure you have fun on the way.
You can take a look at our addition on the Casa Rio Builders portfolio under "Strite Addition."