In Bert Flexer, Georgia Coast Design & Construction, we found the perfect builder because of his professionalism, honesty, integrity, and patience. This was the first house that we had ever built which was made more challenging because we lived 700 miles away during construction. With our backgrounds in Engineering and Management, we understood the many challenges of turning an idea into reality, and Bert helped guide us through the process. In fact, Bert’s wife, Gail, is a very talented decorator who offered great ideas in the design and construction phases. As a result, our forever home is even better than we had ever dreamed.
Probably the most important factor in choosing a builder is to work with someone you trust. Obviously, many builders “cut corners” such that the homeowner does not learn of the resulting problems until years later. Bert always went to great lengths to insure the quality of our construction. A few examples that quickly come to mind: Bert installed extra reinforcements into our footings so that there will be no settling in the years ahead; he was so thorough with our HVAC system and insulation that our utility bills have been unbelievably low; he used Energy Star windows which had built-in UV protection to save energy and minimize the fading of furniture; he found an interesting piece of reclaimed live oak that we used for our mantle, becoming a focal point of our living room and great conversation piece; he used quality products such as paints, properly priming as the manufacturer stated; and he willingly reworked a couple of items that just did not turn out right the first time. After all, building a house is very difficult, and changes are just a part of the process in making your plan a reality. The key is communication and being able to jointly find solutions.
In summary, you will never find a better person to work with than Bert. Having been on St Simons Island his entire life, he has life-long friends and relations which come in handy. For example, during construction, Hurricane Irma played havoc with the island, and our garage level was flooded. However, the vents that were installed for that purpose worked perfectly, and Bert “went the extra mile” to insure that there was no mold or mildew residue. While Bert is always so modest, we imagine that his relationships helped get subcontractors to our house when the demand was great.
Probably the best testimony to Bert is that our families have become friends. In fact, early on, Bert introduced us to other families for which he built homes. To us, that was very impressive as people are so often unhappy with their builder and just glad that they don’t have to see each other anymore. To us, Bert values each personal relationship like he does the quality of his homes in that he is always looking long-term.
Sincerely, George and Michelynn (Mike) Carellas
146 Sunrise Drive
Saint Simons Island, GA 31522
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