Dear Cory

Jerrod and I wanted to thank you for all that you did for us with our kitchen remodel. We knew that remodeling would bring some bumps in our lives, and it did, but you made it as smooth as we imagine it could have been. You were a pleasure to work with, so much so that our kids were happy to see you on days when you came to work on our house. It was invaluable for us to know that you had our best interest at heart, could give us helpful guidance in navigating the many aspects of a remodel, and always had the attention to detail in the finished product. We cannot imagine finding a better contractor and will recommend you to anyone we know, and would be happy to provide a reference for you for future potential clients. We look forward to possibly getting to work with you again in the near future. Thanks again for all you have done.

Sincerely,

Julia Bagley & Jerrod Davis

Coopers Living Room

April 4, 2010

Olympia Master Builders
1211 State Street Ave NE
Olympia, WA. 98506

Dear Building Association,

We are writing to acknowledge the superior workmanship and management skills of one of your members, Cory Eckert of Laupen Homes. We could not be more pleased with Cory as our builder in our recently completed green home at 123 West Bay Drive NW in Olympia. Completing this project was not the easiest task for several reasons.

First, because of massive cost overruns and problems associated with a difficult sloping lot, the original contractor was unable to continue even on our build to price construction agreements, and we were left with a foundation and partially framed shell, facing a wet winter and disgruntled subcontractors. The project languished for five months. As we approached other green builders , many felt that taking over a project using unfamiliar methods and materials on such a challenging site was too much to tackle. We were discouraged to say the least.

Cory Eckert was suggested to us by our designer, Tessa Smith of Artisans, and we were immediately excited by his enthusiasm and “let’s get going” attitude. He was excited by the possibilities and challenges in both the construction and, just as importantly, in making this project affordable for us.

Cory, with his phone in one hand and a hammer in his other, set to work. He hired capable subcontractors and workers and demanded a consistently high quality work. If something was not done right, it was redone immediately.

Cory himself proved to be the magic ingredient. His positive attitude and congenial manner soon reassured concerned neighbors and city building inspectors and gained the full cooperation of the subcontractos.

From the start, Cory worked with us to keep the costs down while also working for a LEED certification. He was very willing for us to do as much of the work as we could which included staining all the wood surfaces, painting some interior and exterior surfaces, and doing the daily clean-up and removal of debris. He didn’t blanch when our grandsons and friends pitched in to help although I am sure this made more work for him in many ways.

Secondly, Cory proved to be very creative, innovative, and resourceful in solving the nightmares that arose from the original builder’s errors in siting the house. What was to be a carport for a single car was left 6 feet above the driveway making the main entry a terrible challenge. We know that Cory lost sleep over this problem, but managed to solve the problem by incorporating a beautiful, ecological waterfall with a 1000 gallon tank to collect rain water that both masks the error and greets guests in a lovely, welcoming way.

Another example of Cory’s flexibility was his willingness to work with us in other smaller design changes that we requested such as moving the fireplace back 4 inches or adding desks in the library. He always said, “Sure, we can do it!”

Finally, when the project was within a month of completion, we suffered a garage fire caused by spontaneous combustion of staining rags we, ourselves, left in a pile causing considerable smoke damage to the entire structure. Cory was on the scene immediately and the next day was on his phone calling all sub-contractors for bids for reconstruction and cleaning up the mess. This was his second resurrection of the project. He even adopted a new motto, “We do it nice because we do it twice.” He didn’t miss a beat and had us into our new and redone home with minimal delay.

We love our new home and credit Cory for resurrecting this project at least twice. He is a perfectionist who wants building done right, and also has both the people and time management skills to make this happen in a congenial way. He is an extremely hard worker and absolutely trustworthy.

Cory Eckert of Laupen Homes was the right man at the right time for us. We feel he would be for anyone with a custom construction project.

With our highest recommendations,

Dennis and Kay Cooper
123 West Bay Dr. NW
Olympia, WA 98502