Houk Construction

Mr. Houk gave us a low end and high end on a bid proposal for the completion of new house construction. He reassured us that we were in budget up until what we thought was the end of the project. He never provided invoices. He did not want to go over details on the budget because he would rather «get the work done». Needless to say, we were surprised when he informed us that we were 68K over the high end of that budget from one week to the next. After issues with the building inspector, the project dragged on for another nine months and we literally did not have a legal home to live in. He abandoned the project at one point to his brother to go on a long trip to Mongolia and his brother walked off the job. He finally agreed to complete the job only to bill me even more for items which should have been part of the original scope of work including a very high hourly wage to secure the certificate of occupancy. When I asked for invoices again, he did not deliver. He would not release my drawings or documentation on the house. He botched my driveway and sewer lateral installation and never completed all of the items on the punch list. He threatened to file a lien on the property past the legal timeframe. Then he filed a suit in small claims court against me. This was all in an attempt to threaten and bully me. He did not show up in court. The judge ruled a maximum judgment against Mr. Houk in my counter claim. I was also advised that my case had warrant to proceed to civil court. Please very wary to hire Mr. Houk.

Houk Construction did extensive work on our 1890s Victorian, including remodel, new foundation and raising the house to add another storey below. He is extremely professional, efficient, and friendly. His attention to detail is incredible. All (ALL) work was done within budget.
As time went on we continued to use Houk for the issues of an aging home. He was always able to fit us in, and would either send his very competent crew, or come himself depending on the size of the job. He has remained an expert on the quirks of our house and has been readily available when we needed expertise for the 15 years we’ve worked with him.
We have moved away, but will likely pay for his drive to our new location because we trust him and his work so thoroughly.
I don’t even have a personal hair stylist, but because of my experience with Houk, I do have a personal contractor.

We hired Houk Construction to finish our spidery, pea-​green, extremely ugly and nonfunctional ground-​level basement and reconstruct the attached garage. They moved pipes and ductwork; insulated everything; added walls to create an office, a laundry room; a room for the furnace and water heater; installed new windows; painted; etc. It was a messy job that turned out beautifully in roughly the amount of time predicted. Chris Houk provided excellent suggestions for improving on the design as the work progressed. Charges for changes were reasonable. The work crew was friendly, organized, neat, and multi-​skilled. Would use them again.