I contracted with Sawhorse in 2012 to replace my entire HVAC system, encapsulate/seal my basement/crawlspace, install a new hot water heater, waterproof and install a proper drainage system at the back of my house, and provide some miscellaneous electrical, drywall, and flooring work. 1. The HVAC and basement encapsulation work was subcontracted to Vis Viva Energy Services, who then hired two additional subcontractors to perform the bulk of the HVAC work. Communications between the Sawhorse VP/Project Manager, Justin McAusland, and Vis Viva was poor. On the first day of the project, Vis Viva began to re-use existing ductwork during the installation. Working from home, I caught the mistake and the NEW ductwork that was contracted for was installed. 7 years later, I found out that the condensate drain pan for the attic heat pump installed by Vis Viva was too small, resulting in damage to the living room ceiling below when the system leaked. 2. Howard, responsible for the ductwork/HVAC sealing (this was a newer service that Sawhorse was offering) did a good job overall, but made a simple mistake (improperly sealing the vents in each room during multiple HVAC leak tests) that resulted in continued testing, chasing "leaky" new ductwork, for several weeks, maybe a couple of months, beyond the initial time estimate. Vern eventually caught the mistake, and did a great job throughout the entire project. 3. I was quoted $2,775.60 for a hybrid, electric/heat pump hot water heater (materials sourced by Vis Viva, and installed by the plumbing sub-contractor) that ended up being significantly more than the same exact model I found at Lowes ($1,173.91 delivered with a 5-year extended warranty... that number doesn't include installation). I understand adding labor for the plumbing contractor and a 10% general contractor markup, but not the $1,600 additional that I was quoted/almost charged. Justin did return the materials that Vis Viva ordered, and ended up purchasing the hot water heater on my behalf at Lowes for the lower cost. Again... I'd expect my general contractor to provide competitive pricing the first time, without me having to check. 3. Justin appeared to be taxed, managing multiple projects. One day, he dropped off a sealant to be used in the waterproofing/drainage system at the back of the house that was clearly marked, "do NOT use under grade." When I brought this up, he was confrontational, condescending, and argumentative. Matt was brought in to help resolve the situation, and we ended up using proper materials for the task that I found with the help of a local distributor... again, work/management that I should not have had to do. 4. Matt, after I signed the contract, was largely absent from the day-to-day management activities of the project. IMO, for the premium that Matt/Sawhorse was charging, I should not have had to stay on top of Justin and Vis Viva the way I did, and the quality of the project management and technical competence should have been much higher. 5. The electrical, plumbing, drywall, and flooring subcontractors were great. read more

I regularly view this guy's Youtube videos to do what maintenance and home repairs I can myself, since I live outside the city and it can be a problem getting someone to come out quickly and for a decent fee. I love his videos. He sticks to the point, shows clearly what he's doing so I can follow along, and he gives suggestions of things to do next, if that didn't fix the problem. Such a huge help! read more

I have greatly enjoyed working with and learning from Matt Hoots and Sawhorse. Matt's a building science expert with decades of experience, and you can tell he wants to get the job done right! I'd recommend Matt and the Sawhorse team to anyone who cares about quality and also if you want to learn about sustainability and about healthy building materials. Matt is great at explaining not just what needs to be done, but why, and this is so appreciated. read more

I have worked with Matt Hoots of Sawhorse for over 10 years now. There are only a couple of General Contractors I would trust with my company's modern residential design work. Sawhorse is at the top of the list. They are detail oriented with quality at the forefront of every decision they make. They are willing to put in the extra time and effort required to do modern high-end residential work well. Most importantly, Sawhorse gives great service to my clients, which makes my life as the architect and the project process so much better. Bryan Russell Dencity LLC read more

As a designer of high-performance custom homes and remodels, it's especially critical for me to know which contractors I can depend on to deliver a high-quality, or else all my work is just a waste of paper. My reputation's on the line when I offer my clients a referral, and I'm proud to share the name Sawhorse construction! read more

I needed help with my washer filter and this showed me how to fix it step by step. Great advice

I signed a $4K contract in 2014 with Sawhorse for "design" --after Sawhorse's president verbally gave me a target of $60K for my sunroom. Imagine my shock when he presented a sketchy $100K budget! A smaller room was then presented for $80+K! After 8 months, I gave up on the idea that he would ever provide a budget for the original $60k estimate he had suggested. His contract was carefully worded: I knew I'd have to pay the labor costs for the team that prepared those outrageous estimates, even though they were never anywhere near the original budget. Bottom line--I was a victim of 'bait and switch': he used my deposit to design a project I couldn't afford, and I had to pay for that wasted effort (he has better lawyers than he has estimators.) I also paid for an unnecessary tree survey (confirmed by my city planner) which he promised to credit me (and didn't). After talking with other contractors it became clear that the hours charged to my project were inflated- if not made up, misappropriated, wasteful, or exaggerated. I tried to negotiate a fair estimate of hours expended. His token offer was insulting. I lost respect for him and the company brand. It would have been honest (after the first budget) to admit his pricing style couldn't meet my price point. I might have gotten a sizeable portion of my deposit back. Instead, he drug it out and spent my money. I could never trust him to bid a job. I made naive assumptions--be smarter than I was. You may never get a budget for the job you can afford --and you'll pay dearly to find that out. read more

Signed design build contact. . $2500.00 Designer did a good job on layout ...2 months later After constant delays...3 days before Christmas They give me a price 100 thousand over budget. $100,000.00 over budget! Owner tells me that 1 million is the new $100,000.00 Sawhorse did not have the correct license. ..or expertise. ..wasted valuable time...as I am a 100% disabled veteran, dx with ALS. I've contacted with a licensed contractor for my original budget of 120 thousand. know that you are paying 100% more than market read more

I continue to be impressed by Sawhorse impeccable quality of service and work. Their approach to starting and completing a job on time and impact with knowledge & cost-saving suggestions is priceless. I highly recommend them as your go to contractor for all renovations, design-build & new construction needs. read more

Matt and the team at Sawhorse provide a quality of work that is tough to beat. The attention to detail and true dedication to making sure their work is both beautiful and done well is impressive. I would highly recommend this company! read more

The Best! We recently had our dream house built by Sawhorse. We love our house more everyday. We are happy we went with a reputable company. They are very honest and trustworthy. We are in love with the quality of work performed. They stick behind everything they build to the end and beyond. Thank you Sawhorse! read more

What a fantastic operation. Matt and his team are so professional and skilled. They take wonderful pride in their projects and the finished product certainly reflect that. Matt could not be more courteous, professional and skilled. There is no doubt that anybody who utilizes SawHorse will be thrilled with their finished product. read more

I have always admired Matt and his design team work at SawHorse. Their cutting edge design and construction has given me some great ideas for my house... read more

I have had a chance to study SawHorse's work and am very impressed with their attention to detail. Their experience with creating amazing designs is evident by their body of work read more

Matt and the SawHorse team are professional, efficient, and honest. They have helped CHRIS Kids on numerous projects. They are experts in the field and provided leadership to ensure we received EarthCraft certifications on 9 of our individual group homes. They have outstanding customer service and we are proud to have them in the CHRIS Kids Family. They are committed to our community and making it a better place to live, work and volunteer. We highly recommend their services. read more

If I could give them less than one star I would. Cancelled an appointment to come to my house an hour after they were supposed to be there. I had to call them by the way to find out why they hadn't gotten there yet. They rescheduled for another day and when they didn't show up on time again I had to call after waiting 45 minutes for them. While at my house they never even measured anything not wrote a single bit of information. I knew I wouldn't use them anyway after having 3 other contractors out that were on time and very professional. But, this was 2 months ago and I have never received anything from them. No bid, no call, nothing. It doesn't surprise me, I would never recommend this company. read more

Sawhorse did an incredible job on my first floor renovation! We did a floor to ceiling renovation of our kitchen, including knocking out a few walls and repurposing a back hallway area into a large mudroom. We also renovated a bathroom, laundry room and wet bar, all exactly to our specifications and redid all the flooring on the whole first floor of the home. Sawhorse absolutely exceeded my expectations. The work was impeccable and the communication from management made the entire process a breeze. Thank you Sawhorse! read more

Sawhorse did a home energy assessment on my house and made improvements such as sealing and wrapping duct work and installing spray foam insulation in the upper floor, which one day I will turn into a work area and studio, with the help of the company. Howard and crew were nothing less than professional and friendly and explained every step of the process. All work was performed on time and with care and professionalism. My energy costs have dropped dramatically as a result. I look forward to working with them again to complete my upper-floor project. read more

As a designer it was easy coming up with a concept for a movie set. The hard part is actualizing the construction of the set. Matt and Taylor at SawHorse were absolutely wonderful to work with. They helped me decide on detailed plans for the set and they built it to a much higher standard than I ever expected! They were friendly and professional along the way. I would highly recommend them to a friend. read more

SawHorse just completed a complete renovation of our kitchen (even changed the kitchen footprint) and it looks FANTASTIC! Our new kitchen design was created by the very talented Interior Designer Tim Odom of Kitchen+Bath Artisans. Tim made the process easy in that he personally searched for the perfect granite, walnut tops, tile, appliances, lighting. electrical and more. He was with us every step of the way- and worked closely with SawHorse. He recommended SawHorse because he's worked with them many times before and he has trust in the quality of their work. He was not wrong! Right from the start, SawHorse VP and project supervisor Justin McAusland closely followed every detail of the project on a daily basis. He kept us well informed when different subcontractors were coming to the house and was responsive to our questions and concerns along the way. Very accessable... The project turned out great! The final price of the project was higher than we initially expected, but that was mostly due do to us adding things to the original scope of work- like woodtone air vents in the floor, adding a second AC/Heating vent on the floor, adding high-end Maestro dimmer switches and a beautiful true coffered ceiling. They definitely produced a top quality result, and we plan to use them again in the Spring of 2013 when we renovate our master bathroom and closet. You might pay a bit more for SawHorse construction compared to one of those fly-by-night home remodelers you can find around town, but if you're looking for a high degree of "polish" on those small finish details, they're definitely the right contractors for your project. read more

Matt inspected my home and made some excellent suggestions for reducing my energy bills and making my home more comfortable. I'd use him again! read more