Client Testimonials

Mila & Erica:
Pottery Studio 2004

Mila says:

"Nick and his crew built me a gorgeous studio in our backyard. It is a free standing , two room structure of 416 square feet.

There are different levels of 'green' in the studio. First of all, there is attention to the building fitting its surroundings; at one point we decided to add back into the design a window that we were going to scrap because it creates a lovely look out onto a live oak. The lumber was bought as environmentally consciously as possible, and the paint was always chosen to be low in off-gassing chemicals. I am most excited about the recycled denim insulation material, a triple green product: it avoids using the noxious alternative, it recycles cotton scrap, and it insulates the building so almost no heat is necessary.

The crew started the day after Labor Day and stayed until about mid-Feburary. To comment about having them everyday is summed up in a few words: I miss them terribly! I really enjoyed having them around. Win stayed on the project the most. In the beginning Walter was on the job a lot, and then Travis. Tenere and Nick came over too, and from time to time I saw Sara. I very much enjoyed meeting Reid, the plumber. I especially bonded with Win and Travis, they are eager, hard-working, sweet, socially engaged, politically savvy, and wonderful to spend time with. Everybody was terrific with my 2 year old son.

Seeing the building go up, piece by piece, was wonderful. But, again, I think that the best thing about this project was hearing the guys walk in every morning. I am very happy with my studio. It is light and spacious. Those were my two main criteria, so it is exactly what I wanted. I only wish we had budgeted in enough money for cabinets, worktable and shelving. I'll have to wait a bit to get those. But in a way, that is not all bad. This way I'll work in my space for a while and get used to it, and then I'll know exactly what I want to have where.

I would wish these people on anybody! If any potential clients would like to see my studio, they are most welcome and I'd be happy to show off the crew's handy work."

Diana & Larry:
Kitchen & Attic Remodel

Diana and Larry have been clients of our company for two years. Their project was a major structural and aesthetic remodel for their attic, which included a face lift and general improvements to their whole house. Included were new kitchen cupboards, cupboard fronts and reworking of old cupboards, updating their electrical system and removing all old "knob and tube" wiring. They chose to make all aspects of their project as green as possible. The crew was in their home for about eight months.

Diana says:

Nick and the crew are a delight, thoughtful and kind and very responsive, great with our children and dog...we missed them when they left!

Diana told us that one of the most pleasurable experiences working with our company was brainstorming sessions with Nick and the crew to solve design issues as they arose, "everyone was so thoughtful and invested in getting the best results."

Both Diana and Larry are more than satisfied with the work done. When asked if they would recommend Nicholas Christ Construction, Inc. to a friend or family member Diana says:

Absolutely! Because they are professional and completely invested in doing the best work possible for their clients. The high level of care they brought to work every day was expressed both in the way they treated their work, as well as in the way they treated our family and each other.

Hank & Joanne:
Major renovations

Joanne says:

We have been clients of Nicholas Christ's since 1979 with our first home. That house was worked on twice--once moving in and then, a couple of years later, the foundation and side walkway were reinforced due to an old stream coming to the surface.

Then we moved to our current home and NCCI did major renovations in 1987, 1996, 2001. In our current home NCCI put in a brick and sand patio, beautiful fence, French doors, remodeled rear deck with wood/plastic product materials.

The uprights on the fence and around the front patio used copper caps instead of more caustic chemicals. We also fenced in the back garden with deer-proof fences. Also, a long, thin bedroom upstairs was cut in two and [another bedroom] slightly enlarged over first floor.

Later, we took out one pair of glass doors in order to close off the den from dining room. It was fitted with a built in window seat, built-in desk and built-in bookcases. New windows--designed to match the rest of the downstairs windows--were created and installed.

Also, we remodeled the upstairs: creating a bathroom, with laundry facilities, from a sleeping porch, [adding] built-in bookcases that no one realizes were not original with the 1915 house.

[NCCI] completely remodeled the master bedroom: [they] weatherized the sleeping porch, put in new windows, took out a non-functional fireplace, turned the orientation of the room around so that we now face trees and sky instead of neighbor's windows, punched out an outside wall and enlarged windows in another bedroom.

I hope I haven't forgotten anything. Everything turned out beautifully--with fine craftsmanship and gracious styling. NCCI was in my home for quite awhile over the years. They were all, without exception, a joy to have in the house.

Phyllis & Preston:
Addition & Bathroom Remodel

Phyllis and Preston have been clients of Nicholas Christ Construction since 1986. A number of projects have been done on their house. Projects include a second-and-a-half-story master bedroom addition (over a peaked ceiling on the first floor), skylights, bedroom closet remodel, seismic upgrade and living room alcove remodel, fireplace surround, painting throughout the house, complete bathroom remodel with skylight, laundry room remodel, complete floor and subfloor replacements and smaller electrical and structural jobs.

Six months was the longest project at Phyllis and Preston's.
Phyllis says:

I cannot imagine a more welcome group of people to enter our home on that daily basis. I find them respectful of the intimate space a home is, as it is their workplace concurrently. That is unusual, and valuable.

When asked what was one of the most pleasurable experiences, Phyllis responds :

To me, it's a pleasure when people enjoy their work--especially when that work is in my house. It has a big impact. A few specific pleasurable experiences were having the crew on our bathroom remodel gift us a bag of coffee in thanks for the coffee [we] made for them--over and beyond!--and working out design details with them: I felt they cared in their own way as much as we did.

As happy as we were to come to completion of a particular project, I knew I'd miss the individuals on the job. That's amazing, in the context of a remodel (and here, I'm speaking most recently of our bathroom remodel).

They agree that they are more than satisfied with the work.
Phyllis says:

I would, [recommend NCCI] and I have, many times. I recommend NCCI on the basis of quality, integrity, and personal attention. Living in the same space of a home remodel is unique. To have a positive attitude about it, and experience [a positive] work crew doing the remodel is a joy. All the individual attitudes matter.

Tina & Mike:
Study, Kitchen & Bathroom Remodel

Tina says:

Nick Christ has worked on our house on four major projects that began before he was NCCI. In 1979, he worked on a project that turned a maid's room into a study and reorganized a bathroom and laundry room.

In 1981, he remodeled our kitchen, including an extension that required a new exterior wall. In 1989, he undertook the conversion of a ramshackle garage into an art studio with a full bathroom and storage loft.

In 2002, he completely remodeled a bathroom (including a new plumbing system throughout the house), reconfigured several closets, and rebuilt much of our exterior fencing and added new trellises.

Our early projects pre-dated Green awareness. However, all of our projects have included extensive insulation. More recently, he has encouraged energy-efficient lighting, the installation of smoke alarms (safety, if not Green), and the use of the least-toxic materials. He has been very careful regarding demolition work.

Our 2002 project took many months. Well done work takes a long time--especially in a small space like a bathroom where not too many people can work at once. Moreover, we kept adding to the scope of the job. If speed is your main criterion, choose another contractor...but whatever changes you are making to your house, you [will] live with those changes much, much longer than Nick and his crew are going to be around the house.

Nick and his crew are unfailingly pleasant and helpful to have around and I would recommend them without qualification. Our 2002 project involved so many different aspects that everybody spent a significant amount of time at our house: Nick, Tenere, Travis, Walter and Win. Tenere was the on-site manager most of the time.

Because I designed the new spaces, everyone consulted with me frequently. While interruptions are disruptive, that working style was what I preferred. It is not possible to foresee every detail when you are remodeling an old house. If you want to make the changes seamless, you must make adjustments as you go. Nick and his crew always treated me and my concerns with respect and consideration.

Watching a project take shape and working with Nick and crew to make that happen is extremely gratifying. Each crew member has his own attractive qualities--Nick is literate, well-read and extremely ethical. Tenere is meticulous and cleans up well and tells good stories. Walter is calm and trust-inspiring. Travis is an artist in wood. Win always has a smile. Nick has become a friend. We are completely satisfied with the finished product. The level of workmanship over time has stood up very well. The quality of NCCI's work is impeccable.

On a personal level, having a contractor and his crew around for months is a bit like having roommates. You have to like and trust each of them or your life is miserable and the finished product will be less than satisfactory. Nick and his crew are great roommates. Because we have been so satisfied with Nick's work, we haven't had much experience with other contractors. Our long association with Nick speaks for itself.

Roz & Gene:
Kitchen, Bathroom & Laundry room Remodel

Roz and Gene have been clients since 2003. Their project consisted of the kitchen, bathroom and laundry room being reconfigured and rebuilt from the foundation up. They chose to make all aspects of their project as green as possible. The crew was working in their home for approximately eight months.

Walter and Loren were the principal crew members on their job. Some of the most pleasurable experiences Roz and Gene had with NCCI were "evening chats."
Gene adds:

They were all wonderful, actually fun to have around...it felt like they were friends of the family. [We are] completely satisfied with our new kitchen. Superb workmanship.

Nicholas Christ Construction, Inc. [is distinguished by] the high quality of their workmanship and professional integrity. Although having construction in your home is never easy, everybody was easy to get along with and very professional. A high class organization.

Roz and Gene would recommend NCCI to a friend and/or family member due to "careful, precise workmanship, with a willingness to stand behind what they do, correcting any errors (few) without additional charge."

John & Trudy Ann:
Bedroom & Bathroom Addition

John and Trudy Ann have been clients of NCCI since 1999 when they added two bedrooms and a bathroom onto their home. They chose to use linoleum--a Green product--for the flooring. Work on their home lasted six months.

John and Trudy Ann agree that the entire crew is "good natured and considerate of our needs." Nick and Walter were the principal crew members on their job and they describe them as "very approachable, good listeners, friendly and conscientious."

One of their most pleasurable experiences with NCCI was "most days at [the] 3:00 break our family served tea for the crew and we would sit and chat for 15-20 minutes."

John and Trudy Ann say:

We are completely satisfied with the quality of work done. We strongly recommend Nick and all to anyone. We had none of the common contractor horror stories with Nick. We saw honesty, up-front and straight-forward information about costs, schedules and what to expect for the entire process.

This was our first large job with a contractor. We heard many stories about cost overruns and jobs going way over time and cost. We had no problems with anything like that with Nick. He was realistic about things from the start and there were no unpleasant surprises. Given the disruption of a remodel project, it was a pleasure having Nick and his whole crew (and subcontractors) in our home.