Rich & Crystal
Background. I’ll start by saying we were completely new to the building process and had a very complicated design-build process. It was a multi-year project from initial architectural design to completion and move-in was 3-4 years. Our home is a fairly large, highly energy efficient timberframe, and probably a bit out of place in the prairie bluffs of Minnesota. Few builders or supply companies in SE MN had experience of the building type or the types of materials that we were interested in (lots of real stone, big timbers, nothing simulated or – as Jon now knows well ‘I hate fake’). Since many things were going to need to be coordinated, it quickly became clear to us that the general contractor/builder would need to be the key person that would make or break this somewhat unique and hybrid construction process. The saga began in 2011.
Since we spend a lot of time in the mountain West, we had become familiar with an architectural and timber firm (MTN Architects, PrecisionCraft) in Idaho and initiated the design process. This took almost 2 years with multiple revisions until we were set to build. In 2013, PC began the interview and vetting process of potential local builders and presented us with a list of potential candidates. Bids were obtained and we interviewed several of what were considered at the time to be the premiere ‘high end builders’ in the area. Suffice it to say at the end of this process we were concerned; None really stood out, and the folks we met seemed to have an overall lack of enthusiasm in approaching their jobs. With the scope of our build our biggest issue was that it was clear several had not looked at our specific plan but had bid more generic construction based on square footage and suggested we could save money by stick building and inserting faux timbers (impossible based on size, loading, and weight bearing spans as confirmed by our engineer especially regarding wind and snow loads in our area). Others simply had a lack of attention to detail, and/or were quite overextended on both time and resources (i.e. multiple larger cookie cutter McMansion projects going at the same time).
Meeting Jon Range. Enter a friend who, along with her husband, run an excavating and landscape business in town and work intimately with many of the Rochester area builders. After hearing our concerns they immediately recommended Jon Range. In 2013 Jon had only done a few large projects, but they reassured me as to his character and quality of his work. Several references were beyond glowing, and we met and toured their homes. Ultimately we set up a meeting at Jon’s home office and were immediately impressed. It was clear at the outset that he had studied our plans at length, familiar with every intricate detail. He was genuine, enthusiastic, personable, and obviously genuinely interested in us and our project. Over the course of several meetings he asked all the appropriate questions, provided in depth answers, and suggested multiple tweaks and improvements from his years of experience in the industry first as a framer and more recently as a GC. We signed a contract and began building in late 2013.
Personalized service. My wife and I are both busy physicians working 60-80 hours per week on average. There was no way we were going to get down to our township and county meetings to obtain approvals and permits to start building. Jon did it all for us, including dealing with several difficult people by phone and at meetings at our township at 8pm on a Monday night in the tiny village of Hammond 20+ miles away from his home. For other decisions he met with us at night, on weekends, via email or phone as necessary… always at our convenience. He had suppliers stay open late, open early, or open specially on weekends if we couldn’t make it during regular business hours. And he was (and still is) always available by phone or text message. He may be the first of what I would describe as a “concierge builder,” at least in the SE MN area. For over a year he was like our third wheel, always there when we needed him, but gave us enough space to come to our own conclusions on decisions independently. We still swear that Jon doesn’t sleep.
Jon is in a unique position to build in Rochester. He grew up in town and seemingly knows everyone. He started framing in the building trade and knows almost every sub and supplier in town. Through his engaging and good-natured personality he has fostered many great working relationships, and I can attest that all of his sub-contractors provided first rate service and quality installations. The value of this cannot be overemphasized. He had subs staying late, showing up on Saturday and Sunday, and going above and beyond to provide truly customized work while staying on schedule – absolutely necessary for a project of our size with many co-dependent processes requiring coordination of things such as cranes, properly timed deliveries, and the right people being in place at the right time on the right day. It was clear that through experience he has determined the best person for each job, and we were able to benefit from this intangible knowledge without having to go through a trial and error routine. Moreover, his open bid and open invoice policy provides complete transparency, and he passes all of his builder discounts on to you. In fact, we continue to receive his discounts at the local lighting store and several other suppliers for other items we have purchased since project completion.
Building process with Range Custom Homes. Due to the complexity of our build, the timberframe needed to be erected by the company from Idaho, but required that the base framing be done by Jon. Then SIP panels enclosed the structure and finish work ensued (taking an additional 10-12 months). To quote the timber company guys, they had never seen such a perfectly level and square prep job like Jon provided. They still rave about it to this day. No need for shimming, adjustments, anything. The whole frame went up perfectly and was SIP’ed in within a few days. The same can be said about Jon’s finish work. He does most of this himself, including all of our interior wood finishes, railings, etc. Amazing attention to detail. Friends, family, and colleagues visiting our home always comment on the finish and quality. We are beyond happy with the final product. He worked with the HVAC company to design a geothermal and HVAC system and run the ducts completely hidden within an open beam house – not a small or easily achievable task. Again his expertise was on display when he recommended a redesign of the initial suggestions by the HVAC company to assure that hot water and heat would be delivered appropriately through all areas of the 8000+ sq ft house.
A big concern when building is “not knowing what you don’t know.” Jon made sure we were prepared both during the prep and build phases, but more importantly for what he calls “after the dream is complete:” How to live in and maintain a house of this size and quality. He knew that with our busy schedules that anything that could be automated should be in an effort to keep day to day and scheduled maintenance to a minimum. It also helps that he works closely with a home automation guru that set up everything from a first rate theater and AV systems to property-wide surveillance cameras, thermostats, and lighting that can be controlled and viewed anywhere via the internet. We are really appreciating this aspect now several years out from job completion!
Summary. After an almost year and a half building experience and 4+ year relationship we are confident that we can provide our highest recommendation to Jon Range. Both his work and his character are of the highest quality. His professionalism, dependability, and integrity are beyond reproach. With a project of this size, Jon has become like an extended member of the family. He remains amazingly available despite being done with the job and immediately available to fix or help with any of the inevitable little glitches that occur in a new home.
Quick take. Jon Range Custom Homes provides high-end quality work with the utmost reliability and integrity, on-time and on-budget. Jon handled our complex project with ease, provided personalized service to the two of us – much appreciated with our busy schedules and being completely new to the building process. He is truly what we would describe as a “concierge builder,” walking us newbies through each step, helping with easy and difficult choices alike by providing his recommendations and expertise. Where we couldn’t come to a good decision we went with his - and never were disappointed. Although our project was well into the 7 figure range we know Jon’s character and have and continue to visit his latest projects. We can attest that he provides the same effort and quality work, no matter how big or small the job, or what the price range. Please feel free to contact us for further information or questions.
Since we spend a lot of time in the mountain West, we had become familiar with an architectural and timber firm (MTN Architects, PrecisionCraft) in Idaho and initiated the design process. This took almost 2 years with multiple revisions until we were set to build. In 2013, PC began the interview and vetting process of potential local builders and presented us with a list of potential candidates. Bids were obtained and we interviewed several of what were considered at the time to be the premiere ‘high end builders’ in the area. Suffice it to say at the end of this process we were concerned; None really stood out, and the folks we met seemed to have an overall lack of enthusiasm in approaching their jobs. With the scope of our build our biggest issue was that it was clear several had not looked at our specific plan but had bid more generic construction based on square footage and suggested we could save money by stick building and inserting faux timbers (impossible based on size, loading, and weight bearing spans as confirmed by our engineer especially regarding wind and snow loads in our area). Others simply had a lack of attention to detail, and/or were quite overextended on both time and resources (i.e. multiple larger cookie cutter McMansion projects going at the same time).
Meeting Jon Range. Enter a friend who, along with her husband, run an excavating and landscape business in town and work intimately with many of the Rochester area builders. After hearing our concerns they immediately recommended Jon Range. In 2013 Jon had only done a few large projects, but they reassured me as to his character and quality of his work. Several references were beyond glowing, and we met and toured their homes. Ultimately we set up a meeting at Jon’s home office and were immediately impressed. It was clear at the outset that he had studied our plans at length, familiar with every intricate detail. He was genuine, enthusiastic, personable, and obviously genuinely interested in us and our project. Over the course of several meetings he asked all the appropriate questions, provided in depth answers, and suggested multiple tweaks and improvements from his years of experience in the industry first as a framer and more recently as a GC. We signed a contract and began building in late 2013.
Personalized service. My wife and I are both busy physicians working 60-80 hours per week on average. There was no way we were going to get down to our township and county meetings to obtain approvals and permits to start building. Jon did it all for us, including dealing with several difficult people by phone and at meetings at our township at 8pm on a Monday night in the tiny village of Hammond 20+ miles away from his home. For other decisions he met with us at night, on weekends, via email or phone as necessary… always at our convenience. He had suppliers stay open late, open early, or open specially on weekends if we couldn’t make it during regular business hours. And he was (and still is) always available by phone or text message. He may be the first of what I would describe as a “concierge builder,” at least in the SE MN area. For over a year he was like our third wheel, always there when we needed him, but gave us enough space to come to our own conclusions on decisions independently. We still swear that Jon doesn’t sleep.
Jon is in a unique position to build in Rochester. He grew up in town and seemingly knows everyone. He started framing in the building trade and knows almost every sub and supplier in town. Through his engaging and good-natured personality he has fostered many great working relationships, and I can attest that all of his sub-contractors provided first rate service and quality installations. The value of this cannot be overemphasized. He had subs staying late, showing up on Saturday and Sunday, and going above and beyond to provide truly customized work while staying on schedule – absolutely necessary for a project of our size with many co-dependent processes requiring coordination of things such as cranes, properly timed deliveries, and the right people being in place at the right time on the right day. It was clear that through experience he has determined the best person for each job, and we were able to benefit from this intangible knowledge without having to go through a trial and error routine. Moreover, his open bid and open invoice policy provides complete transparency, and he passes all of his builder discounts on to you. In fact, we continue to receive his discounts at the local lighting store and several other suppliers for other items we have purchased since project completion.
Building process with Range Custom Homes. Due to the complexity of our build, the timberframe needed to be erected by the company from Idaho, but required that the base framing be done by Jon. Then SIP panels enclosed the structure and finish work ensued (taking an additional 10-12 months). To quote the timber company guys, they had never seen such a perfectly level and square prep job like Jon provided. They still rave about it to this day. No need for shimming, adjustments, anything. The whole frame went up perfectly and was SIP’ed in within a few days. The same can be said about Jon’s finish work. He does most of this himself, including all of our interior wood finishes, railings, etc. Amazing attention to detail. Friends, family, and colleagues visiting our home always comment on the finish and quality. We are beyond happy with the final product. He worked with the HVAC company to design a geothermal and HVAC system and run the ducts completely hidden within an open beam house – not a small or easily achievable task. Again his expertise was on display when he recommended a redesign of the initial suggestions by the HVAC company to assure that hot water and heat would be delivered appropriately through all areas of the 8000+ sq ft house.
A big concern when building is “not knowing what you don’t know.” Jon made sure we were prepared both during the prep and build phases, but more importantly for what he calls “after the dream is complete:” How to live in and maintain a house of this size and quality. He knew that with our busy schedules that anything that could be automated should be in an effort to keep day to day and scheduled maintenance to a minimum. It also helps that he works closely with a home automation guru that set up everything from a first rate theater and AV systems to property-wide surveillance cameras, thermostats, and lighting that can be controlled and viewed anywhere via the internet. We are really appreciating this aspect now several years out from job completion!
Summary. After an almost year and a half building experience and 4+ year relationship we are confident that we can provide our highest recommendation to Jon Range. Both his work and his character are of the highest quality. His professionalism, dependability, and integrity are beyond reproach. With a project of this size, Jon has become like an extended member of the family. He remains amazingly available despite being done with the job and immediately available to fix or help with any of the inevitable little glitches that occur in a new home.
Quick take. Jon Range Custom Homes provides high-end quality work with the utmost reliability and integrity, on-time and on-budget. Jon handled our complex project with ease, provided personalized service to the two of us – much appreciated with our busy schedules and being completely new to the building process. He is truly what we would describe as a “concierge builder,” walking us newbies through each step, helping with easy and difficult choices alike by providing his recommendations and expertise. Where we couldn’t come to a good decision we went with his - and never were disappointed. Although our project was well into the 7 figure range we know Jon’s character and have and continue to visit his latest projects. We can attest that he provides the same effort and quality work, no matter how big or small the job, or what the price range. Please feel free to contact us for further information or questions.