Hiring a contractor is a dicey situation -- too many under-deliver and overprice. That's not the case with the two talented bothers who are "Seattle Homework." Two very engaging and pleasant guys -- without the pretenses of other contractors we have experienced. We interviewed them for a kitchen remodel after a less than satisfactory experience with another contractor -- who had all the answers (his) regardless of what our preferences were -- as we stated them. Seattle Homework got it right from the beginning. What sets Seattle Homework apart is that they listen and understand what the prospective customer wants. That was evident from the outset -- and equally important they set about delivering exactly what they promised to deliver. We were extremely impressed with the solutions they had for the various challenges that emerged along the way -- and for their skill in delivering an excellent result. Firstly they encouraged us to be involved in the selection of cabinets and countertops -- to ensure that we would be satisfied with the end result. We followed their advice -- and it led to great experiences with a highly knowledgeable staff member at Dunn Lumber, who carefully explained the tradeoffs in alternative cabinets, and expertly referred us to a local countertop provider that delivered equally expert results. Equally important was the quality of the three subcontractors they relied on for individual aspects of the remodel: electrical, plumbing and ceiling insulation. Each of them demonstrated knowledge and skill to driver their part of the job -- and were "in sync" with the owner/operators of Seattle HomeWork -- good listeners to what was desired, providing creative solutions for the kitchen remodel to our 1947-vintage house, and expert completion of the job. Amazing guys -- which speaks so highly to Seattle HomeWork -- that have the right associates to complete the job, on schedule and "in-budget." By prior experience I was unprepared for a telephone call during the effort -- while we were awaiting delivery of cabinets -- when I was asked by the contractor how well they (and we) were doing in keeping within budget constraints -- considering two new appliances, cabinets, marble countertops, and their overall teardown and installation of the new kitchen (including subcontractors). They got it done right -- and be assured, if future contracting needs emerged -- they will get the call. They know their business and driver excellent results -- and exceptional customer satisfaction. Merl and Liz S. read more

Renovating a house or apartment can be, and all-too-often is, a nightmare. No-shows, cost overruns, poor oversight, many do-overs, the list goes on and on. NONE of that happens with Seattle HomeWork! My condo in Belltown needed a complete renovation: new floors, new appliances, countertops, plumbing fixtures, cabinets, tiling, paint, woodwork, the works. These guys busted out the old stuff in a day and got the debris to the dump, constantly cleaned up after themselves, kept in touch with the building staff to make sure the work was in compliance with the regulations, evaluated and supervised the subcontractors, offered good opinions on decorating choices without being domineering, worked hard and fast and maintained a robust sense of humor and enjoyment throughout the experience. They don't low-ball the bid and then hit you with big bills. They bring years of experience to assess the costs and top-notch skill-sets to get the job done not only right but elegantly. Worth every penny in terms of time, workmanship and trustworthiness. You can feel safe handing over the keys and letting them do the job right. Once the project was finished, I had a beautiful new apartment that got snapped up the minute it was listed on the rental market. Thank you, Seattle HomeWork! read more

I reviewed Seattle Homework before but am updating the company since they have completed two more projects for me. I am a very picky client because I studied briefly studied architecture and am a professional engineer and therefore very detail-oriented. I'm not a building professional but I do know how important it is to work with a company that is focused on communicating well and being realistic about budgets and scheduling. That said, I just had Doug and Seattle complete a third whole-house remodel for me and am again extremely happy with both the process and the results. I purchased a new home in late 2009 and after interviewing numerous contractors I chose Doug because of the knowledge he shared when we initially discussed the project, the very positive references he provided, and because I simply liked the guy. So glad I did. Six months later I had a completely remodeled residence and have enjoyed it ever since. Since that time I have had Doug complete two other whole-house remodels for two very nice rental homes I purchased. He offered a lot of very valuable design and cost insight and managed the whole process so I could focus on family and my own 60 hour work weeks. He's a real pleasure to work with. Give him a call. read more

Nothing is harder than finding the best contractor/builders in Seattle, so for me, finding Doug and Greg Howes, brothers extraordinaire, of Seattle HomeWork, was like being a grubby goldminer who finally located the motherlode! From their first job on the house nearly 20 years ago to the most recent, it's been nothing but quality, absolute reliability, total honesty, an amazing array of skill, and an ethic of "work hard, work well with precise attention to detail, and make the result as perfect and strong as it can be." What's amazing is that they have been completely consistent over all these years in doing not just great work, but-- and this is a fact-- the best work. I watched them turn a truly ratty detached garage into a study with a bathroom, and when it was finished it was a solid, charming, and beautiful, not to mention comfortable, space. And this wonderful little building is what sold the house some years later--or maybe it was the renovated kitchen, or the added room, or the deck, or.... These two are warm, funny, highly competent and intelligent people who I look forward to knowing for another twenty years. Highest recommendation from me to you! read more

Remodel??? - Remodel!%$!& - Remodel!!! An excellent experience from beginning to end. I've heard so many nightmare scenarios about contractors (who hasn't?), but Doug made them all seem like a myth. We did a remodel of a bathroom and a massive kitchen remodel, removing walls, adding structural support, and rebuilding the whole thing from scratch. And we were living here the whole time. We needed someone we were going to want to see every day. Doug genuinely cared about doing the right things for our job, right from the start - I attribute this to taking pride in his work. He quoted a price and stuck to it. Finished the job on time. And answered the phone every time I called (even when I called with a question over the weekend, which is a call you know he didn't want to answer.) We're going to do another big job on the upstairs of our house, and there's absolutely no question that we'll be using Doug. That, more than anything else, is the best review I can offer. read more

Just had these guys do a kitchen, bath and family room remodel. We were really concerned because we wanted to remove two walls to expand the kitchen and make the dining and family room part of the space. They gave us instant feedback and cost analysis on installing a hidden beam into the ceiling and it worked great. Like all remodeling projects there were a lot of decisions, but they let us know what and when they needed things to complete the project. We are very happy with the end result. The space is great for entertaining there's so much more natural light. Thinking of having them install an outdoor covered patio next so don't take up all their time. We bought another new home on the East side and had these guys do a similar remodel as the last one but with a custom stairs and deck. Again they listened to our ideas and created and built a design that was better than we imagined. Makes it so much easier when you know what to expect from your contractor. read more

Very impressed! I work on fishing boats in Alaska and was worried about getting my remodel done in Ballard because I would be away for many weeks during the project. I do some building work myself both on the boat and in some buildings in various locations in Alaska but my building style is "rustic' to say the least. I respect competence and professionalism and found it working with this company. We discussed what I wanted on my 1912 home, agreed on design details and a budget, and off I went to Alaska to avoid the chaos. We did have a number of calls while I was there to discuss design details but I was very impressed when I returned home to watch the project get completed. A great kitchen, two baths, an entertainment area and an outdoor cooking area - gotta love those Salmon. A construction project that gets completed on time and on budget - unheard of. Wish I could get these guys to do some work up in Alaska. Maybe if I bribe them with enough fish? read more

Love these guys! We bought a very large fixer upper in Shoreline and we only had lots of ideas and photos from magazines and the web for design ideas and these guys made it al happen. The house took a long time to close so it was delayed but they worked hard once we had the keys. It was a long process since we basically remodeled the entire house with all new plumbing and electrical (yes, they took it down to the studs in almost the entire house). Four months later we moved in and were very glad we had everything done before living there. I don't know how we would have done it without these guys to turn our ideas into reality. And you certainly get to know your contractors goign through a process like this. We know and very much liked working with them and I know you will too! Give them a call - and look at some of their photos of other projects for ideas! read more

These guys are great and we really benefited from their experience. After years of waiting to remodel our Ballard home we finally took the plunge and started contacting builders to give us estimates on remodeling our kitchen and two bathrooms. We had lot of ideas but were not sure about the costs and what we could really afford. A friend suggested we contact Doug and we are so glad she did. We discussed a lot of options with Doug and he made a lot of suggestions about different ways we could update all three rooms and stay still on budget. It was really helpful working with the same person to define design details and then have the same person do a lot of the work and manage the sub-contractors. I definitely appreciate the advantages of working with an experience and small company to get what you want and stay on time and on budget. Give these guys a call! read more

We recently purchased a home and hired these guys to remodel our home including a new roof, gutters, skylights, electrical and plumbing upgrade, furnace, refinished wood floors throughout the house and a new kitchen. What we really liked about these guys is that they listened to our ideas and then used their experience to improve upon our ideas. Our new home was a classic 1906 home with to many walls and doors and they moved a wall and expanded a doorway from the dining into the living room giving the kitchen and the ajoining rooms a whole new feel with lots of natural light and flow. We also appreciated the quality of their subcontractors. The crew who refinished the wood floors and staircase exceeded our expectations. Basically they did the job they said they would on a stated budget and were just good people to be around. read more

I had Doug and his brother work on my little house in N. Seattle and it's not an exageration to say I woudn't be in it if it wasn't for them. They went way above and beyond! First off this was my first house and I used a mortgage that included a construction loan which dragged out forever. . .Doug stuck by me and even held his costs. This house was almost a total gut job, Doug peronsally replaced every floor joist in the house added structural beams and oversaw subs which included 100% new plumbing, a new roof (inlcuding sheathing, new windows, doors, etc. They did all of this with a budget that was beyond tight and had a good sense of humor throughout it. I can't say enough good things about Doug. . . read more

Greg and Doug recently completed a remodel on our new home purchase that included kitchen and bathroom upgrades and some new construction including a family room addition. We choose them over other contractors because they communicated their ideas well and made sure they understood our expectations. They also explained the construction process in detail from time lines, change orders, and when decisions needed to be made. Their estimated cost were in the middle of the other 2 contractors we interviewed. Never realized there were so many decisions/choices in a remodeling project. Glad we had someone to guide us effectively. read more

We had this company remodel our kitchen that included moving walls, windows and plumbing. They had good advice on design and the feasibility of moving walls, but what my wife really liked about them is that they made sure they understood what we wanted before making suggestions on how to complete the project. Also had them do a sunroom addition with a deck after the kitchen was completed. This was our 4th remodel and although nothing ever goes perfect. We had a very pleasant experience with these guys compared to previous contractors we worked with. Choosing the right contractor can make all the difference. read more

These guys did an incredible job remodeling our Ballard house AND our Belltown condo. Essentially they gutted our place after we bought it so they did a complete remodel including three bathrooms and all new wiring and plumbing. We had architectural "sketches" but we did most of the design work with them which was easy given there long experience in the industry and good communication skills. Our condo remodel was a much need updated to 20 year old rental unit. It looked great again after these guys did their magic. Highly recommended! - especially since it is so hard to find great contractors anywhere. read more

We recently had them do a 2 story 800 sqaure foot addition to our view home. Eventhough we had architectural plans, our is over 100 years old and structural and design questions presented themselves. They made sure it worked and the building inspector even told me it was a very good job. In the end the complex Nano walls and mitered corners of our cedar siding came out great. Finally we can enjoy the great view we bought the house for. Do miss having coffee with our contractors in the morning, but it is even better having our house the way we dreamed of and clean of construction. Thanks Guys read more

Our plumber referred me these guys because he had worked with them on a few previous remodels. And boy am I glad he did! We have worked with too many construction conmpanies over the years in Seattle and when we lived in Portland and we tried big and small companies but were never happy until we worked with these guys. The remodeled our kitchen, bath and entire upstairs (2 bedrooms and 2 more baths). Our house looks great, we like them even more than when we started (can you imagine?), and we would work with them again in a minute. GIve them a call. Say Hi from the Hansen family in Ballard. read more

We finally took the plunge and moved forward with our kitchen, bath and basement remodels. Our neighbors mentioned these guys as reliable contractors and we liked the work they did on their kitchen remodel so we called them. After multiple meetings and reviews of our "sketches" and ideas, we signed the contract and really got to know these guys and their work. It was great. Lots of decisions but now we are living in the homes we always wanted. It was actually fun to watch it happen. I don't know how we would have done it without their help. Thanks guys! read more

Ballard is more beautiful thanks to these guys! OK, so it is my house that this company worked on but I know they have done work on a lot of other Ballard homes so I am not alone - where do you think I got the referral from? We now have an updated kitchen that I am proud to entertain guests in. We also get repeated compliments on the remodeled bathrooms. I just wish I could have found a company like this when we did a massive update to our first home in Philadelphia - another story that isn't worth sharing. Give Doug a call and tell him that Lauren sent you! read more

These guys are great. I was really nervous about hiring a construction company because we can barely afford our house but with three childred we simply had to remodel. We couldn't afford an architect but these guys have so much experience that they could offer a lot of great advice and they remodelled our kitchen, two bedrooms, and living room from sketches we made. I just wish I could afford to hire them to redo the rest of the house and build a garage for us. Just hire them and ignore the horror stories you hear from your neighbors about contractors. read more