So many people I meet say that building their home was a nightmare. For us, it was a nightmare in many ways, but NONE of them had to do with our builder. Rich Karsten had a calming influence over the entire process. He's incredibly smart, committed to green construction, and is committed to extremely high quality building. He NEVER cuts corners. He communicated with us every step of the way, treated us with respect, and met with us on countless occasions to walk us through our options. Whenever it looked like we might go over budget, he called us or met with us about our options and worked with us to keep us within budget. And most important he started and finished the job ON-TIME. Also, he does most of his own work, and is highly skilled as both a rouch builder and finish carpenter. He works with excellent quality, respectful and responsive sub-contractors. And, he's a really nice guy.