Testimonials
I CAN’T SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS
I can’t say enough good things about our experience with Wirtanen Homes building our dream home in Alaska. What I thought would be an overwhelming undertaking considering we were doing this from out of state was made so much easier by Wirtanen and their building process.
Everything went as explained, in order as they said and in a very transparent and organized manner. For us the real game changer was the ‘Builder Trend’ client site that they provide. It laid everything out front for your project for all of the building aspects and most importantly for us…..we saw a running total on the costs of the project as it progressed. There were no surprises and we were fully aware of any additional costs caused by upgrades that we chose because we had to sign them off before Wirtanen would go forward with these changes. Again, I don’t know how it could have gone any better thanks to the whole Wirtanen team that we dealt with including Steven, Arliss, Ryan our Project Manager and Karen at the front desk. It truly felt like we were treated like more than just another client !
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Sean & Sue McGilvray
A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH
Being first time home builders, we were apprehensive about building a custom home, especially from 3000 miles away. After meeting with Steven, seeing how the BuilderTrend software would keep us in the loop, and phone discussions with Joe to iron out the design, we were confident we had made a good choice.
Wirtanen’s allotments were appropriate for the level of quality we desired in our new home, allowing us to get what we wanted without significant change orders and cost overruns. Their signature woodworking on doors and trim resulted in a beautiful custom interior without having to upgrade from “contractor grade”.
Joe was a pleasure to work with and also worked well with the subcontractors. He provided valuable advice as we refined the house design, oriented the house and utilities on our site, and selected trim details and appliances.
Not everything went perfectly, but Wirtanen obviously takes great pride in their products and worked to make things right. We are very happy with our new home and would recommend Wirtanen to anyone thinking of building.
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Craig & Tammy
WE MADE THE RIGHT DECISION
After spending several years and countless hours looking for a larger home with some acreage for a reasonable price my wife and I decided we would be better off keeping our home and adding on.
We then had the challenge of finding an ethical contractor. We checked with the reviews of several contractors and even contacted several Real Estate Brokers. There are a lot of horror stories of contractors in Alaska and we did not want to be another customer with an unsatisfactory impression through the building process and end up spending money to have regrets. So we wanted to make sure that the contractor we hired was honest, ethical and had the knowledge and experience to complete this large addition.
Everyone kept telling us to check out Wirtanen Homes. Fortunately, one of my friends had contracted with Wirtanen so we went and looked at his project. We were surprised and impressed with the workmanship and quality work that Wirtanen had done at his home.
Shortly thereafter we met with Steven at Wirtanen Homes. He explained in detail their policies and procedures. Steve introduced me to Joe and then they went to work creating the addition we wanted down to the smallest detail. When we were confident that the addition was exactly what we wanted Joe started the project almost immediately we realized we had made the right decision. Wirtanen crews were exemplary. Our questions and any concerns were always answered timely. In a short few weeks we had the addition we had envisioned and it was grander than we had hope for. Joe and his crews delivered on every commitment and promise they had made to us. We would not hesitate to use Wirtanen Homes in the future and have and will continue to recommend them to all of our friends and family.
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Steve Roushar
WE WILL FOREVER RECOMMEND TO OUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES
You spun up a winter build with very little lead time after authoring a final design that two licensed architects couldn’t get right. You are the only one who could match our design to our budget and made several critical design additions and suggestions which we are extremely pleased with. You dug a well and septic completely on budget which was a nervous time for us. You surveyed the layout of the house perfectly, as evidenced by the beautiful light and mountain views throughout the house. You helped us bring the house to a 5 star plus energy rating with very little added expense to us. The appraisal, another very nervous aspect for us, came in ABOVE the project budget, which was pure magic. When the framing crew had scheduling problems, you worked tirelessly to keep the project on schedule and diplomatically dealt with grumpy clients and framers alike and made sure to compensate us with any inconvenience by moving a window at no cost to us and other efforts. Your communication was fluid, frequent, respectful and lighthearted regardless of how busy things got. You were an excellent listener when it came to laying out the hundreds of lighting, plumbing and mechanical details and never once expressed frustration when we changed our minds. When it came to finish work, we were ecstatic with Wirtanen’s custom doors and trim, the counters/vanities, the kitchen layout, the closets, tiling and lighting. You happily responded to what must have been 250 texts from Jamie and I dealing with the minutiae and details of the finish work, you drove all the way from Sutton to investigate a problem on a day you weren’t feeling well and planned to work from home and it probably wasn’t easy to ask the subs and trades to return again and again to make the extremely fine-tuned adjustments Jamie and I repeatedly asked for.
Last night Jamie and I went over to the house and spent some time just sitting in each room and in those moments, we realized that after a three year journey we had finally arrived home. To have a small corner of the world to call your own is one of the greatest things, and that’s what you made for us. Your grade on this work, without reservation, is A+.
For our part, we would like to pay back your effort by supporting Wirtanen in any way we can. You can ask us for a written recommendation any time. You can use quotes from this message or others on your website or publications. You can take photos of the house and you are welcome to bring clients over to walk through. We will write five star reviews on any website you like, and we will forever recommend to our friends and colleagues Wirtanen as the ONLY contractor to use. Sometimes I get a sense that folks think Wirtanen is too high quality/custom/expensive for their budgets but I am convinced that in the end clients save thousands by having everything built right the first time, notwithstanding the immense psychological relief of not having to manage subs and trades.
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Jim and Jamie DePasquale
EXCEPTIONAL TO WORK WITH
We love our custom Wirtanen home. We had purchased our lot 25 years ago, and had a lifetime of dreams in folders and in our head as to what we wanted. Taking these many ideas, photos, thoughts to exactly what we wanted was not the easiest task! From conception to completion, Steven and his top notch crew were exceptional to work with. All aspects of the process were seamless. We had heard that building a custom home would be difficult & challenging, but Wirtanen brought a level of professionalism and understanding that made the process a pleasure.
As in all complex projects, there were a few things that needed to be tweaked after the keys were turned over and this is where Wirtanen shined. They listened to our concerns and made everything right. We would not hesitate to recommend Wirtanen to anyone interested in a custom home. Wirtanen earned our respect and admiration and we are so glad we chose them to build our dream home.
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Bonnie Honkola & Larry Junker
THE HOME IS AMAZING
We highly recommend Wirtanen. My wife and I searched the market for a house that would accommodate my wife and kids along with an additional space for friends and family, to no avail. In our search, we walked through a ten year old Wirtanen home that seemed brand new…no creaks in the floors or stairs, and even temperatures throughout the home. The craftsmanship of this home led us to contact Wirtanen. From helping choose the land (walking properties and assessing the ground), through the complete design of the home, Wirtanen’s insight and know-how helped forge the house of our dreams. They kept us involved with every step of the build, and overcame every obstacle. If something didn’t look right to us or to them, they made it right. They also finished when they said they would. Furthermore, their up-to-date online scheduling let us know what and when our selections were due and relieved most of the stress you hear about amongst couples building a home. We’ve lived here a year now. The home is amazing. Our last place was almost half the size and cost more in heating and electric. Plus, we have a solid home that has zero cold spots in the winter and stayed amazingly cool during a very warm summer. My respect and appreciation for the Wirtanen clan knows no bounds. If you are in the market for a custom home, give Wirtanen a call.
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John and Denise Evey
THEY DELIVER WHAT THEY PROMISE
Having our home built by the Wirtanen Custom Homes was an amazing process. From the very start to the final finishing touches, the building process was a pleasant, engaging, and enjoyable experience. Steven and Arliss were great at developing a vision for the project and executing on the details.
Not only are the Wirtanens enjoyable to work with as people, they use user friendly computer software to help their clients visualize the finished product and provide constant status updates throughout the project. The “custom” detail of our house speaks volumes for the craftsmanship that Wirtanen Custom Homes creates. We would recommend anybody who’s considering building a custom home to work with Wirtanen Custom Homes. A quality, locally based Alaskan company, they deliver what they promise and do fantastic work.
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Jon and Jamie Coon
QUALITY, ATTENTION TO DETAIL, AND PROFESSIONALISM
We are so happy that we went with Wirtanen Custom Homes. Going into building we had a floor concept that we already had in mind. Knowing that, we knew we didn’t want to go with a contractor that did not specialize in custom homes.
Before deciding to go with Wirtanen Custom Homes we also spoke with a couple of other independent contractors. Although we were impressed with their quality of building we did not want to worry about the hassle of taking out a building loan ourselves. With Wirtanen Custom Homes being able to carry the construction loan, it was one less step of the building process that we didn’t have to worry about. Also, we felt that Wirtanen Custom Homes was the only contractor that we met with that really stayed true to our original design without trying to push floor plans that they had built in the past.
We are greatly satisfied with the quality, attention to detail, and professionalism with Wirtanen Custom Homes. Their “standards” package already had built into it many features that other builders would consider as extras that we wanted incorporated into the house. Being a family with younger children, durability was a big priority to us. The quality of craftsmanship and product has certainly met our expectations.
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Zach and Becky Bell
AN ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL EXPERIENCE
Wow, what an absolutely phenomenal experience from cradle to grave! I have to admit, that in general, my wife and I are quite picky and demand perfection. We knew that whoever we chose to build our dream home would have their hands full! So let me set the scene…
My wife and I were both retiring from the military and were stationed in Germany for our last assignment. We had purchased a plot of land a few years ago and had dreamt of building our dream home on it one day. As we neared retirement, it was time to start looking for custom home builders in the Palmer area. A quick Google search brought me to Wirtanen’s website and we found ourselves spending hours on it looking at the different houses, options and client testimonials. I emailed the Wirtanens through the website and received a quick reply from Steven (score one for the Wirtanens); if there’s one fast way to lose my business, just ignore my email. ? From the very beginning, Steven went above and beyond to earn our business. He even drove out to our land and took pictures and videos of the driveway we had installed from afar…we hadn’t even seen it yet. Keep in mind, this is BEFORE we signed with the Wirtanens to build our home. We then set up a Skype conference to start going over details and “met” Steven for the first time. My wife and I were both surprised as to how young he looked; do NOT let that fool you. We quickly learned that Steven was very experienced in the trade of custom home building. He was also very professional and after the conference, we knew we had chosen the right builder. Over the next few months, prior to our return to Alaska, we exchanged emails, text messages and phone calls developing plans and going over all the pre-build details that were needed. We wanted to hit the ground running as soon as we landed! After returning to Alaska, the smooth sailing continued as Arliss Wirtanen now enters the scene as our project manager. Again, super young looking with lots of experience and knowledge. Arliss was absolutely perfect throughout the entire building process and after. He listened to all of our suggestions and incorporated them if possible; if not, he would always make suggestions that were an excellent alternative. I want to share a common theme with everyone that happened during the building process. As most contractors do, the Wirtanens sub-contracted most of the manual labor such as framing of the house, roofing, plumbing, electrical…etc. Each and every sub-contractor that I talked to said that my wife and I made the right choice and that the Wirtanens’ were the best. “They don’t cut corners”, “They hold us to the highest standards” and “They demand perfection” were just some of the quotes from the sub-contractors. They were all right. After the house was done, Steven was not satisfied with the final grade (dirt work) around the house. Let me tell you, this man is a perfectionist. He took his own personal time after work and did all the work himself at NO CHARGE; he wanted to make sure that it was right and my wife and I were satisfied. That’s what I call good business… As I type up this testimonial , we have now lived in our dream home for 10 months and we couldn’t be happier; the Wirtanans are now part of our family. They continue to provide outstanding customer service just like they did throughout the entire process. I would highly recommend Wirtanen Inc. to build ANYTHING.
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Jason and Jennifer Baty
WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND
Our experience with Wirtanen Inc. was great. From start to finish, Steven, Arliss and Joe made the process of building a custom home easy to navigate. They were always available to respond to questions and offer assistance when needed. The entire team worked hard and went above and beyond to ensure we were happy with our custom Alaskan dream home. It is clear Wirtanen takes pride in their work and delivers a quality product. An important factor in designing a custom home is accuracy in establishing a budget. Wirtanen provided precise estimates which of course made us happy and able to plan for the rest of the home. We have already recommended them to friends and family, 3 of who are currently in active contracts building their custom dream homes with Wirtanen, Inc. and we will continue to recommend them to others. Five stars!
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Paul and Iris
