About a year ago my wife and I decided to expand our small era ranch. We were plagued with so many unanswered questions like, how much it would cost, how do we go about hiring a reputable builder, would we need to use an architect, would we need a variance, and most importantly, what could we do with this simple little house to make it more to our liking. We began by looking in local newspaper ads and asking friends if they could recommend anyone. I made numerous phone calls, left many messages and met with representatives from more than five construction companies. What struck me most about these companies, especially the larger ones, was how nonchalant and even unconcerned they were. One rather cavalier salesman did a few quick measurements and gave a rough estimate that had a plus or minus deviance of twenty five to thirty thousand dollars. Another seemed only concerned with getting us to put down a sizable deposit before we even had any idea of what he had in mind.
Then Doug Hillman of Lifestyle Builders came along, whipped out his tape measure and spent more than an hour scampering all over our house. He even climbed onto the roof to check out how an older addition was tied into the main house. He asked numerous questions about what we were hoping to do and pointed out a number of situations we would have to deal with. One quite significant problem was that we would have to do away with the chimney to our fireplace in order to meet code.
I doubt any of the contractors even noticed the chimney or that it posed a problem. Immediately, I was impressed by Doug's thoroughness and attention to detail. It was obvious from the start that here was an experienced builder, one who really knew what he was doing. He was friendly, quite jovial and very affable. I felt I could really work with someone like Doug. He was honest, upfront, and real. His estimate was very reasonable and he explained exactly what it included and didn't include. He also gave us a reasonable estimate in regard to how long the job would take. He was attentive to our wants and desires and worked closely with me designing what the house would look like, he came back with detailed drawings of how we could best layout the new second story addition.
We were set and ready to go when I learned that I would have to seek a variance because of a pre-existing setback violation. Suddenly the wind was taken out of our sails. Going for a variance would delay our start and complicate things in general. It was at this point I realized that Doug Hillman was everything I thought him to be-patient, understanding and above all, flexible and encouraging. Essentially he said to go ahead and get the variance and keep him posted along the way, and although he would start another job in the meantime, he would keep us at the top of his list. Fortunately we were granted the variance and I called Doug to tell him the good news. He explained his situation with the other job he was on and gave us a date that he would start. His crew was there promptly on that date and began the transformation of our house.

Our renovation involved putting a second level on our existing one story house and took approximately five weeks to complete. Doug's foreman on the job, was a fellow named Mike, who really took a lot of pride in his work, and kept the crew of carpenters and helpers busy as bees. Often he would wait around a few extra minutes at the end of the day to talk and explain what they had accomplished. I really appreciate that. Everyone on the Lifestyle crew was hard working, mature, and responsible.
The place was always swept clean at day end and they even treated my dog well. My wife and I were always excited to come home from work each day and see how far they had gotten.
In general, we had decent weather during the construction period, but when rain did threaten, the house was expertly wrapped in huge blue tarps that kept the rain out. Doug's crew was versatile in that not only did they rip off the existing roof, do all the framing, put in all the windows and siding, but also did all the gutters, leaders, and downspouts. I couldn't imagine a better group of professionals!
There were times during our construction that I had questions that I needed answered. Doug always returned my messages promptly, and corrected any minor problems or changes that came up immediately. Never did we have a disagreement or conflict of any sort. My wife and I can say without the slightest equivocation that what could have been a very stressful and unpleasant experience, turned out to be quite exciting and pleasurable. We attribute that to Doug Hillman professionalism, reliability, and good humor.
If we were to do it all over again, there would be no doubt in our minds as to who we would choose. We extend to Doug Hillman and his Lifestyle Builders our gratitude for a job done with the greatest integrity, passion and professionalism. We highly recommend Lifestyle Builders to anyone who is looking for the best.
Bill & Nancy Schneberger, 271 Brookside Ave. Alendale