Steve and Emily, Plainfield

Building a Connor Home with Bickford Construction

Building a custom colonial reproduction Connor home in Vermont with Bickford Construction was a true adventure with a happy ending.  Connor Homes of Middlebury Vermont builds colonial reproduction homes which include panelized walls, woodwork and trim, cabinets and just about all of the “wood parts.”  This leaves the rest of the building process up to the owners - finding and developing a house site and making numerous decisions on heating systems, plumbing, electrical, flooring, countertops, etc.  It is the builder’s job to lead the homeowners through this process and then to implement all of the decisions.  Bob Bickford took us through this process from start to finish and demonstrated the value of working with a small custom builder. 
 
Our first meeting with Bob involved a walkthrough of our recently purchased property which included a protected field and a hilly forested area.  We found it very difficult to imagine what the land would look like once trees were removed and the ground was reconfigured for a building site.  Working with Bob and his site developer, we were able to set the house location to provide easy access, a great view, and a buildable location.  As we learned, this was a very complicated task because we were not just siting the home on a piece of flat land.  The time and attention put into this task was well worth it. 

As we moved through the process, Bob called in his suppliers and subcontractors to assist in detailed planning on plumbing, lighting, heating, etc.  A builder is only as good as his supporting team and Bob has an excellent group of  people supporting him.  Without exception, we were impressed with this group and the quality of work they did. 

Much of the actual construction of the house was carried out by Bob’s own employees.  Two experienced carpenters, Pete and Tyler, were at the site from early Spring though the Fall and did the carpentry, trim, siding, roofing and whatever else needed to be done.  These guys were great – they know their trade and get the job done as it should be. 

The building process is a complex exercise in project management, especially when it is time to bring in the various trades to do their part.  We were impressed with how this work was scheduled and carried out according to the schedule.  It is obvious that Bob has a good working relationship with these folks and this no doubt helps getting all of the detail work done according to schedule.  

Much appreciated was Bob’s assistance in developing a realistic budget and adhering to the expenditures we planned on.  Many of the costs were included as allowances pending final selections on items like plumbing and lighting fixtures.  These estimates were very close to the final costs.  Bob presented options at various stages and kept us informed of actual costs as we went along.  His effective management of costs to meet our expectations resulted in completing the house under budget.  

One challenge with building a house at a location 600 miles from where we were currently living is that it is difficult to be available when needed and to watch the building process.  Although we made monthly visits, we found that Bob was at the building site on a regular basis and through email with attached pictures and by phone, was able to keep us apprised of the progress being made and get our input on various decisions that were needed.  These frequent communications were a great help in reducing the natural anxiety of building a house from a distance. 

Building a Connor home with Bob Bickford was a far more pleasant and enjoyable experience than we ever imagined. 


Steve and Emily

Please click here to see photos of this home.