We started with an informal “sit-down” – what were we trying to accomplish. And, more importantly… WHY? How did we like to live…what did we do every day, what did we like in our current home and what would we love to have going forward? Essentially, they wanted to design a home around how we lived, rather than simply renovating what we had today. After a nominal up-front payment to complete the plans, Mike and his team spent weeks designing and estimating an ideal plan for us – they had so many creative, transformational ideas….and when we had thoughts as well, they incorporated those that made sense – and (rightly so) challenged us on some of our ideas that were a bit…”misguided”. Anyway, when all was said and done we had a design that flowed naturally for every “use case” we could imagine: Thanksgiving dinner with our 5 kids and (someday we hope!) dozens of grandkids; alumni club BBQ’s with 60-80 people; large team dinners and neighborhood block parties; and perhaps most importantly, everyday life of breakfast, getting kids off to school, lunch and snacks at the counter, Sunday night dinners with the family. In hindsight, after being back in the home for 6 months, we can honestly say that there is NOT ONE THING we would do differently….incredible. On to the construction phase. First, Mike and the team sat down with us and gave us a week-by-week plan on what would happen and when. And given the size of the job, it was amazing that everything went so well, and on time! Of course, in any significant renovation, stuff will go wrong. And the sign of a great builder is what they do when that happens – and Mike does whatever it takes to make sure that everything is 100% perfect! How does he do this so well? A lot of it comes down to his contractors – either they work for him directly, or he has worked with them for so many years, it’s like they are “part of the family” – and you always do right by your family! And so the result – the level of detail and perfectionism in the finished product is literally flawless. My father (now retired) stayed with us for a week and all he said was “Wow – I’m impressed”. And that’s saying something! Finally, I want to say a few words about the team. Mike has literally hand-selected every person on the team and each one was so good at what they did. Especially Sara, the designer – she really felt personally responsible for understanding us, our family, our lives – and how to design the house (especially the kitchen) to fit the way we lived. By the time we were done, all of them – Mike, Sara, Scott, Rick, and Doug – truly felt like part of our family. We almost did not want the job to be over (wait what?!?). And when we offered to throw them a housewarming party, to show our appreciation for all of their hard work over the 9 months, they said – “Great idea – bring all your friends and neighbors, and we will host it.” I mean, who does that?!? Without hesitation, would definitely recommend DiFabion Remodeling to anyone and everyone – small jobs or big jobs …. you’ll be writing a similar review when he’s done!!!