Big Moose Development

I DO NOT recommend using for large scale projects. Steve Wilson came recommended by a local relator and turned out to be an incredible disappointment. He is a handyman trying to get into the business of larger remodels. I want people to know so they don't go through a similar experience. I'm a designer who previously worked for a high-end Design/Build firm and made sure to ask the realtor if this guy would be the right fit for the level of quality and expectations that I am used to. She claimed he's worked on a few large projects for her clients lately that have been satisfied, so we proceeded.

We met with him on Jan 8, 2021 and told him whatever project scope we committed to need to be completed by end of March because I'm pregnant and due in April. We showed Steve a laundry list of things on the first visit - a kitchen remodel, partial updates to 3 bathrooms and 2 fireplace updates. He gave us a project range from $60K to $100K and we confirmed we were willing to spend that much. The second visit, one week later, he brought his cabinet guy and we talked through the kitchen plan & there was a small section of wall that would make for a much better plan if we were able to remove it. He felt like he knew what could be done structurally & when I asked what sort of cost increase we were looking at for that, he said about $3,500. I immediately contacted my engineer, had him out the next week, invited Steve to attend and had stamped engineering drawings in 1 week. From there, everything fell apart.

First he asked me if I wanted to get started right away or go through the permitting process. That was red flag #1. I've never worked with you before, my house is on a steep hill, we're about to spend a substantial amount of money and we're about to change the structural integrity - uh, yes, I want your work to be permitted and inspected to make sure you're doing it right. He was out of town when I received the stamped drawings, so I filed the structural permit with the city myself & kept him copied & in the loop. Cabinet pricing was supposed to be available in 1 week. After not hearing from Steve for 2 weeks, I followed-up only to discover that the cabinet guy had put my file aside claiming he was waiting for drawings from me that I had already sent 2 weeks prior. Steve had dropped the ball and not followed up with the cabinet guy. Red flag #2. I wrote a full Scope of Work so Steve would have something to help him price by and made sure to let him know we needed the pricing broken out so we could decide which projects to tackle. Weeks kept passing by, no response. Red flag #3. He hung up on my last call so I wasn't able to leave a voicemail and didn't respond to my text. Red flag #4 and #5. I had my husband call because I knew Steve didn't have his cell number and he answered immediately, giving excuses, but promising pricing the next day. Several more days passed, still no pricing. My husband followed up again... more excuses. He finally responded today, Feb 24, 2021, after 6 weeks of wasting our time, saying that he cannot meet our deadlines & costs. Mind you, he never provided us with costs on the full scope or various projects - just a verbal $60K to $100K range. It slowly and painfully became clear that he doesn't want to take the time to price large scale jobs because that's not his bread and butter. Everyone does business their own way, but he was fully aware of our situation and tight deadlines and could have easily told us he wasn't the right fit so we could move on to someone that was. Since then, I've researched and discovered he doesn't even have an active license. However, the city of Lake Oswego makes the homeowner sign a document stating that all contractors must be licensed that are filing for permits, which I included in the Scope of Work, so this was probably another reason he was being squirmy.

If you have a small job and he can be in and out quickly without doing too much effort in the way of written documentation and contracts, maybe you could give it a try. Otherwise, move along, there are much better resources out there.

John Hancock, I completely disagree with your review on the home on Spring Garden. As the listing agent of this property, I would like to set a few things straight. First, the property is 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths & 3750 square feet. It also sits on a 1/2 acre lot in Multnomah Village, how much exactly do you think that is worth in Portland? The home was on the market for less than 60 days and sold for $620,000 cash...so apparently the market spoke and it wasn't grossly overpriced. I will also tell you that in this market, and in that price range, that is a VERY quick sale!

This is a beautiful, special house and I am sorry that you have nothing better to do then make incorrect statements about it and Big Moose Development. I know for fact the lighting was not off the shelf Home Depot, as I helped choose it. Also, the "closets" you refer to are actually a half bath, pretty necessary as there are no other bathrooms on the main floor. The windows are high end, wood Jeld Wen windows (as opposed to vinyl). The siding is not T-111 it is fiber cement (hardi plank). The "cheap door knob replications" you refer to are actually the knobs that were original to the home, Big Moose had them re-mounted to the new (solid) doors, which was very costly. The countertops t/out the home are Quartz and all cabinets t/out are custom...are you seeing a pattern here John? In the future it would be appreciated if you kept your incorrect reviews to yourself. Should you have any other questions about the home or any of Big Moose's other renovations I would be more than happy to discuss them with you. My e-mail is [email protected], and my cell is 503-481-3478. Thank you!