Hey why not? Customer service is serious business around here and for good reason, without them there is no business.

We’re grateful there are folks out there searching to lower their carbon footprint and build green and…who let us know we’re doing a good job!

“I have nothing but good things to say about Artisans Group.  The entire staff has been with me every step of the way from the initial design discussions to the final product!  They have been available by phone, email, and in person whenever I have had questions.”

“We are very excited about our passive house built by the Artisans Group! After interviewing many home builders, we chose Artisans Group because of Randy and Tessa’s knowledge, team spirit, and commitment to building quality, energy-saving homes.”

“Our experience of working with the Artisans Group was remarkably smooth. The outcome exceeded our expectations. We feel we got what we paid for – a well-built home using much less energy than the average home, that will be comfortable to live in for many years, with no headaches during the building process.”

“They seem just as excited as I am about the project and its realization!  I feel very fortunate to have found this company to build my house AND I have a new group of friends as well!”

“Great job and we will definitely (and are already) recommend your company to others.  There is hardly a day that goes by that someone, usually walking their dogs through the neighborhood, doesn’t comment on the wonderful looks of our home!”

“The idea of a passive house was new to us and we chose it because of its overall view of environmental sustainability – one that would reduce energy use by design, rather than one dependent on technology. Thank you Tessa and Randy for introducing this idea to us!”

“We were impressed by the home The Artisans Group designed for us. Its simplicity belies the many requirements we had (we wondered how they would accommodate them all) and included pleasant surprises that creatively solved some of our issues.”

“The complexity involved in all the details of building a house is huge; we were impressed by the complete professionalism with which Artisans Group carried out their job.”

“The quality, creativity, expertise and service have been second to none. We had tried to build a home a year ago with another builder, but our needs weren’t being met. The Artisans Group was empathetic about our prior experience and since working with them we have been extremely happy!”

“You can’t greenwash this. You have to be a terrific builder to do this…”

” The windows never feel cold, nor do the concrete floors, even though they don’t have in-floor heating… I’m so impressed with the outcome, I would never have imagined it would work so well!”

“Whether you are building a custom built or a spec house, the people at the Artisans Group are high touch, highly competent professionals.”

“The numbers speak for themselves… I can’t see why anyone would build any other way than a Passive House… it just wouldn’t make sense! Thanks Artisans Group!”

“From the beginning, The Artisans Group very clearly organized our huge project by providing information and a chronology of decisions we would have to make.”

“Most importantly, the company’s system of having the same production manager and site supervisor involved throughout the project (six months in our case) always made us feel that our home was in the hands of people who truly cared.”

“These people are just plain fun, talented and easy to work with!”

“Quality is what first comes to mind when I think of The Artisans group. Quality shows in the materials, guidance, workmanship, timeliness and especially the people.  We are so pleased with our house AND we actually missed them all when they were finished!

“The project was a pleasure for me from start to finish.”

“I love our house.  I love it when I am weeding in the back-40 and looking back toward the house, patio and water feature.  I love it when we drive in the driveway.  I love it when I am washing the dishes. I love the office nook and use it for hours some days…”

“Everything has been absolutely fantastic!”

“My association with Artisans Group has been very satisfying. You produce a quality product and ALL of your employees are friendly, helpful, and talented. You can be sure that I will recommend you whenever I have the opportunity.”

“The things I can say regarding The Artisans Group is number one, you have a great team!“

“The Artisans Group care for detail; the subtle things that are so important in the final look and feel of the home were outstanding! The integrity of you and your team doing your best at what you all do was evident throughout the project.  After living in our home now for over 3 months, we have nothing to complain about…nothing!”

*These quotes are direct quotes from our clients, however, purposefully left anonymous. We’d be happy to connect you up with past clients as you are doing your homework.

Tessa Smith with her proud dad after recieving award.

Recently the Rotary Club of Olympia presented the Artisans Group with their prestigious Environmental Protection Award. An honor given for “outstanding service for a safer environment“. We were surprised and delighted to receive this award, thank you Rotarians for the recognition and appreciation!

Tessa Smith, designer and co-owner of the Artisans Group accepted the award on behalf of the company.

And if that weren’t enough, we won Judge’s Choice for the Home with the BEST Green Features…. and if THAT weren’t enough, we had two other homes on the tour that we designed, and they won BEST in Show and BEST Curb Appeal.

We sure appreciate OMB for hosting this event and creating this wonderful opportunity for the building industry in Olympia!

Best Green Features

Best in Show- Design by The Artisans Group

Best Curb Appeal- Design by The Artisans Group

We were greatly pleased to win the award for the Best Whole House Remodel in the $150,000-500,000 category. The home we submitted was a charming and modest, albeit, funky waterfront home that was due for some serious attention. I wrote up a three part posting on it a few months back if you are interested in the full story.

The short story was that it badly needed a new roof; time had it’s way with the old one and the framing was severely compromised, also  the kitchen and baths were seriously outdated as were all surfaces: floors, walls, ceilings. The home is located on a stunning east facing parcel that stares Mt. Rainier in the eye… it’s a fabulous location!

The home owners wanted to keep the project in perspective with the modest nature of the existing home. The result is a very fine example of how excellent design can bring together smart selections based in value. Once in place, all the individual pieces culminate in a space that is refined and sophisticated yet personable and retreat-like.

We all really enjoyed this project, and the client”s were outstanding and very engaged in the process.

Below are a few ‘After’ images, for more pics, check out the full story.

By the way, this home will be in the Tour of Homes this summer, hopefully you’ll get a chance to come out and see it… it’s worth a visit!

Pretty exciting news first thing Monday morning! It appears we took the highest place in The Olympian newspaper’s on-line poll for  “Best of South Sound” contractors.

What is Best of South Sound? Best of South Sound is an annual special section published by The Olympian that showcases businesses chosen by the community as the “Best of South Sound” for the previous year.

How does it work? The Olympian’s readers may vote online from February 8th until March 8th. Each reader will be limited to one ballot and one vote per category. First, second and third place winners will be featured in The Olympian’s printed version of this special section, which publishes March 28th, 2010.

Truly, we feel very honored by these kinds of ‘awards’ more than many. To be voted so favorably by an anonymous method tells us that we must be doing something right. We constantly push ourselves to offer the best possible service to our clients, subcontractors, vendors, community and ourselves… it’s really rewarding to get feedback on occasion that specifically tells us we’re doing a good job.

A big THANK YOU to our community!

…and possibly more importantly,  looking over the results in the other categories tells me that the preferred place in town for a burger is Eastside Big Tom’s…

Enjoy!

Zeta

Earlier this week our team attended the Olympia Master Builders Tour of Homes Award night at Little Creek Casino. We are very pleased to announce that we won the ‘Peoples Choice-Best of Show’ and the ‘Judges Choice-Best Kitchen’.

The project we had entered into the 2009 Tour of Homes was a Builtgreen Level 5 Craftsman style, built  on the prairie south of Olympia. Our designs were based on the client’s childhood memories of her grandmother’s house. She wanted a home that felt as if it had been around for a long time and one that typified the charm and craftsmanship of earlier times.

Along with wholesome design, the millwork and finishing details really make the home feel as though it’s been a family house for many generations.

One of the primary ‘green’ aspects of the home is that it was entirely insulated with sprayed on icynene foam. This has superior air sealing qualities, which makes the home inexpensive to heat or cool and very comfortable for the homeowners.

We are grateful to the Olympia Master Builders for hosting the 2009 Tour of Homes, it’s no small effort to manage this event! We are also glad to have been able to participate with other local builders. We look forward to 2010 Tour of Homes!