Custom Home Builder reviews in Denver, Colorado

Was told our kitchen, without them even seeing my home or knowing the size, STARTS at 100k to remodel. 😆 silly.

We highly recommend using Factor Design Build. They are a very professional, high-quality, design build firm.

Factor did a great job adding on to our nearly 90 year old home in Denver. We wanted to addition to look like it was always there - and it does and we love it!

Service was amazing. Had a new project with my home, we were picky with every detail and they were understanding and helpful. Their team made a seemingly challenging remod effortless and helped us with our vision all the way to the end. Couldn't recommend them more

Factor is one of my company's contractor's. I was installing some of their plumbing for them. They try and keep us busy and for that I am appreciative,in return, we try and do the best we can with quality and dedication.

I rarely write reviews, good or bad, as I'm not a huge fan of putting my own opinion about another's business out there for the entire world to see. If I'm going to take the time to thoughtfully write about a company and my experience, it has always been for only two reasons; either it was very good, or very terrible. In this case, it was over-the-moon great. My wife and I recently bought a new home in the past year. While we did finish the basement during construction, we did not complete it to the style and functional levels it deserved. We knew we needed to warm it up, create textures and turn it into a space where people wouldn't want to leave. We also wanted to add a wine cellar. While my wife and I have done remodels in the past, we knew we needed to align with a company that could take our vision and get it completed in the most accurate representation of what we believed we wanted. This is very challenging when working with contractors/builders, normally. We've never been blown away by anyone we've used in the past and would by no means recommend those businesses to anyone. To the contrary, we've always been underwhelmed by those companies. In this case we were so incredibly happy for many reasons. First, FDB treated us with a level of professionalism that, quite frankly, is completely lost on that industry. From the design process in their office and at our house, to the meticulous care they took to keep our house immaculately clean during construction, everything they did, every move they made was done with dignity and professionalism. We had weekly review meeting to ensure vision and course that always made sure we were in the loop. And here's the best part....they actually finished ON TIME and ON BUDGET. If you've ever been a part of a remodel you know how seemingly impossible both of those things are. If you are thinking about an in-home project, I'm telling you right now, call these guys. I've played the game of trying to get the best "deal" before and have gotten burned every time when, inevitably, they were over-budget and late. What's piece of mind worth to me? In this instance EVERYTHING as I got all that I wanted and then some.

Factor Design Build has been a generous supporter of Colorado Trout Unlimited and our work on protecting, conserving, and restoring Colorado’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Factor Design Build’s corporate giving program is a testament to their commitment to community and the environment.

Called for a basic project - single family addition with the potential to pop the top. Read all the great reviews online and scheduled a call with Josh. The call was fast and confusing, Josh said that he could see the google street view of my house and said that was most of what he needed to know. I was quoted ~ $1k/ Sq. Ft on the high end and asked for a 10k retainer. It seems like when they don't want to take on your project or are too busy, they just throw something out there and hope it sticks. Josh never followed up and I was discouraged at best. I would look elsewhere unless their project load is small and they will give you a serious consideration.

EDIT: 2 Months Later and no follow up from Josh as Promised below, not surprised based on our first interaction.

Factor Design Build represents the best of design build industry. Josh and Kent are straight forward and completely trustworthy. I've worked with them on multiple projects and they are the best in the business. I can't recommend them enough!

My wife and I started our design-build journey in the Spring of 2017 with an idea that we wanted to create a true master suite in our mid-century home, something that was not a priority in that era. After much consideration we figured out that the “easiest” way to accomplish our goal would be to demolish an old sun room, knock out a wall, and combine two existing bedrooms to create the space needed for a large bedroom, bath, and walk-in closet. We consulted an architect friend of ours, who suggested that we look into design-build firms, largely to ensure a consistency of vision and communication throughout the project.

We interviewed two. The second one was Factor Design Build, and we were done. We were in a bit of a unique position, as we were determined to live in the home while it was coming down around our ears. Thus, we felt a strong desire to find someone we could trust and, possibly even more importantly, enjoy spending time with while our lives were being disrupted. I cannot emphasize this enough—from the first moment we met with Josh Fiester (owner) and Jane Blumer (architect) at our home we could tell that Factor is a FAMILY that genuinely and earnestly cares about its clients. Months later, as the final paint touch-ups are concluding, we feel they are now part of our family, too.

We wanted someone who could help us enhance our vision for our home and was competent enough to actually accomplish the design. We could not be more satisfied. From interior design to solid construction to seamlessly meshing the new build with the existing structure, Factor continually exceeded our expectations. I should say that our home is the home I grew up in, so it was also paramount to maintain the “good bones” and homey vibe that had existed here for 50 years. No problem there. From the outside, you would never know an addition had been attached.

A few words about the people—they are very, very good at what they do. They are scrupulously honest, funny, and fun to be around. When you have someone in and around your home 8 hours a day for months on end, that’s important. Josh and Kent run the ship crisply, Jane is a fantastic architect, Jenny is a spectacular designer, Travis Orme is as skilled and caring as any project manager you’re likely to meet, and Travis Surkalo is a “carpenter” without compare (I use the quotes there because he can actually do everything from framing to cabinetry, plumbing, trim, and electrical, too).

I have no doubt whatsoever that the Factor team is imminently capable of executing a client’s specific vision down to the smallest detail. However, I will encourage any person considering a design build (Factor in particular) to relax a bit and engage with the process. Everyone at Factor from the top down is a creative person, and when given the opportunity to let their creativity flow, they work magic. If you can relinquish a little control and truly embrace their collaborative mindset, then your project will turn out more amazing than you ever could have imagined. Ours did.

Some things will not go smoothly. Some things will not be perfect on the first try. Some things will not go quickly. Construction is not a simple journey from point A to point B, any more than life is. But, like life, it is quite possible to enjoy the ride. We enjoyed the ride enough to cry when they finished.

We started our total remodel project with Factor in February of 2020. As you can imagine, building during the pandemic brought with it many challenges. We could not be happier with the end result. The quality is outstanding and it is exactly the house I dreamed of.

This is our 4th major home build or renovation. Factor has been amazing to work with. They stayed on schedule despite some tough circumstances and the pandemic supply chain. These kinds of projects are never easy and can be emotional but they handled it all like true professionals.

We are in the beginning phase of our master bath remodel and we have had the pleasure of working with a Junior Interior Designer, Danielle McCool. We couldn't be happier! Danielle is a joy to work with and an extremely nice person. In addition, she is always prompt, prepared and thorough. She keeps track of even the smallest detail and has come to understand our style and preferences. We look forward to moving on to the construction phase with Danielle's able assistance.

How often do you end a major home renovation project appreciating both the design firm and your contractor? Our family is extremely happy with our decision to choose the team Factor, Design and Build.

We have lived in Hilltop, in a 1940s smaller home, for over 20 years. My husband and I were tired both our cramped bathroom and our dark, cold and tiny bedroom. Factor designed a spacious and airy bedroom and beautiful bathroom that fits with the size of our 2000 sq foot house. The Factor Team is a great group of craftsmen to work with. Our contractor, Travis Orme, is a man who not only knows design but also understands the entire building process. If any new idea came up, or an issue, he would appraise the situation and come up with an efficient plan. He is a man of integrity who follows through with his ideas. His communication between his men and our family was direct and open; there were no hidden fees. He kept the chaos to a controlled level, as we continued to live inside our house. Patrick was the lead carpenter. I throughly enjoyed both his dry wit and his creativity in regards to his woodworking skills. Travis Cebula is another carpenter who was an actual Factor client himself and decided to join the team. He created so many details in our bedroom, but what i will remember the most is finding his 4 books of published poetry resting inside our magazine nook that he designed. We had discussed the fact that my father was a published poet as well.

These craftsmen are thoughtful, hardworking guys whom I completely trusted inside our home. Several times this winter I would wake up to find our driveway already shoveled by a Factor employee. Factor did what they could to make our home feel secure and somewhat peaceful. Jose Luis, another one of Factor’s contractors who works for Quality Tile, beautifully installed our bathroom tile. Factor is a team full of artisans and craftsmen who are a group of trustworthy and hardworking men and women. Of course there were a few bumps along the way, but we would choose to work with them again at a moment’s notice.

Julie and Charlie Farwell

The integrity and character of Factor could not be higher in my book. We had interviewed several firms as we were planning to pop the top of our 1920's bungalow. After several months, we decided to go with Factor and put several thousand dollars down as a deposit. A few weeks later, we found out we would be dealing with some major health challenges within the family and we sadly came to the decision that an extensive home renovation would be too much for us to handle. Josh graciously gave us our whole deposit back and was nothing but sympathetic to our situation. Even though we never went through with a project (yet), it was confirmed to us that we had made the right decision to go with them in the first place. I highly recommend Factor!

Factor was truly awesome to work with. Their designer, Brianna helped transform our interior office space in a way that re-energized the environment and our company. She listened to our design ideas, learned our tastes and turned out a plan that we would have never been able to create on our own. Factor was responsive throughout the entire project and exceeded our expectations all-around.

Strong community partners, like Factor Design Build, enable us to do what we do best at Denver Kids: help our students stay supported, in school, and on the path to graduation and new possibilities for their futures. From their financial contributions and gifts of technology, to lending helping hands at our student events throughout the year, Factor Design Build is making a difference for youth in our community and we are so grateful to call them our partner.

Great people. Great process. Great results. We couldn’t be happier with our new kitchen. Would work with Factor again in a heartbeat.

We had a wonderful experience with Factor Design. The entire process ran smoothly and was completed early. We were so impressed by the professionalism of both the Factor crew as well as all of the subs. We would absolutely use Factor again.

Factor Design Build completely remodeled my master bathroom and what an incredible job they did! From the first design meeting with Jenny to the completion of my project they have provided exceptional customer service while getting the project done on schedule. Travis Orme is a skilled and passionate project manager who was with me every step of the way. Lam La keeps the project moving smoothly and has excellent attention to detail. Richard Begando did a great job working on my bathroom from start to finish. Kent and Josh thank you for having an amazing team to help me create a beautiful master bathroom.

Posting this as a cautionary tale. I have no reason to believe that Factor cannot deliver a project that a homeowner will be happy with. In fact, based on pictures of completed projects, it's what prompted me to reach out to it in the first place. That being said, trust is a significant component of any renovation project. We had a nice first meeting with Factor. After meeting with a number of firms, we had down-selected it to be one of the finalists for our project. After waiting about two weeks for the follow-up action items to be communicated back to us, I reached out. The person I spoke with was apologetic, and indicated that we would hear back from someone soon. We did. We received a one line email later in the day indicating that Factor wasn't interested in our project.

That was definitively NOT the representation that was made during our meeting. Going back to my mention of trust earlier in this post, even if it came back now to say it was interested, we would not feel comfortable working with Factor. In closing, make sure you thoroughly vet any contractor with whom you are contemplating entering into a contract. With the local market being as busy/crazy as it is, you will find that some firms have been created/jumped in with limited credentials, and others, trying to manage too many projects, may not give yours the attention it deserves. In retrospect, we are glad to have found this out prior to having entered into a formal relationship with Factor.

*******

Re the reply from Factor, there isn't a need for a follow up conversation. The individual who called me to arrange the appointment, as well as the one who came to our home, asked a lot of questions - which was great. In both case, I/we were very clear about the scope of our project, and what it would entail. Again, there was no hesitation - only interest, in either conversation about whether or not it fit your criteria. My recommendation would be to further train your staff to flesh out what is a desirable project in advance of holding client meetings, to avoid wasting everyone's time.