Charlotte & Dolores

Dear Keith,

Building a new home in Nova Scotia while living 1,500 kilometers away in another province is, without a doubt, a major challenge. However, having a guide and ambassador of Marc Pontbriand’s caliber, with the name “Sawlor Construction” behind him, was definitely an asset when it came time to make our selections. It was an excellent way for us to meet the people who would be completing major components and the interior finishes of our home. It was obvious that Marc had built a rapport with them in prior business dealings.

Beyond simply introducing us to each supplier’s representative, Marc stayed for part or all of the selection process. This gave us the added advantage of having our Project Manager there to explain possible implications of our choices from the perspective of the new home’s inner workings (heating, electrical, plumbing, etc), which prevented us from making some choices that could have been problematic during construction.

The three days we spent with Marc started early, finished late, and were quite intense. The positive side is that we were never distracted from our purpose, and constantly focused on our selections and our overall vision of the home. After we had completed our “rounds” with Marc, we found it necessary to return to some suppliers to ensure everything still worked together. Perhaps allocating more time initially at some of the places where many decisions were necessary would have been helpful; assembling all the elements of a kitchen or a bathroom is quite complex. However, a second visit to review everything would probably be a good idea in any case.

For any out-of-town client building a new home, and even for clients living close, we highly recommend this approach. The choices we made that week have “stood the test of time”, which seems to prove that a strong focus on this aspect of the build, over a short time-frame, is an excellent way to get the job done.

Charlotte & Dolores