Greenbuilders, Inc.

We knew we'd need to renovate our kitchen when we moved into our house about a decade ago. Since then, we tried out several contractors for smaller projects with an eye toward the kitchen. Fortunately, by the time we were ready to tackle it, our choice was easy and clear: Polly Bart at Greenbuilders. Polly's professionalism and skill at problem-solving made the whole process smooth. Her high standards for skilled workmanship meant that we didn't need to worry about whether the work would be done right. And at every step along the way, Polly's collaborative approach, attentive listening, and clear communication put us at ease. The end result: Polly gave us our dream kitchen -- on time and on budget! It's been a pleasure to work with Polly and we are already starting to think about our next renovation project with her.

We hired Greenbuilders,inc to add a screened porch with a living roof to our house and could not have found a better company to do the job. Polly Bart was exceptional to work with making sure that she understood our vision for the project and budget throughout. We were so secure in our faith and trust in Polly that we gave her a key to our house and left for Europe for five weeks while the project was completed. Polly remained professional and unruffled when working with the county and kept us updated throughout sending pictures of progress etc. We were wowed by seeing the completed porch and we would not change a thing. We would hire Greenbuilders again and again. And found a new friend in Polly Bart.

I contacted Penny regarding several projects I have on a newly purchased home. After a lengthy discussion Penny advised me that I in fact did not need her help, that it would be a waste of my money. You do not find this integrity everywhere. I truly WANT to really NEED her help on my projects. Even after she decided it was in my best interest to not pay her, she continued to give me her undivided attention to answer all the questions I had. If you are looking to work with someone with the highest level of integrity, look no further, you have found her.

My wife and I are just in the finishing process of the full gut renovation and reconfiguration of our kitchen that we worked on with Polly Bart, the owner of Greenbuilders, Inc. I have been working with Polly on and off for nearly two years now, which I just realized, and is kind of astounding to me! The whole process was delayed by life but once we actually got a contract signed and work schedule everything went remarkably smoothly. Not everything was perfect, mistakes were made by all sides, but through it all Polly has been a pleasure to work with and I fully intend to work with her again in the future. If you're not interested in the "standard" construction/renovation company or you are interested in a collaborative design process for your project I can not recommend Polly more highly.

Over the years we have interviewed various architects, builders and designers to expand the kitchen and create a workable home office space. Once we met with Polly Bart, principal at GreenBuilders, we knew we'd found the right person. She listened and heard our goals, and guided us through a design process that meets our needs and stays within our budget. Construction is now underway and we couldn't be happier. Polly's expertise is in understanding, developing and implementing green designs in ways that meet the needs of the homeowners and do not compromise aesthetics or budget - no small feat. We have chosen our materials, and are now in the construction phase of our addition over the garage with a green roof, and expanded kitchen - really three projects in one. Polly brings a unique experience and expertise to this role - it's not every day you get to work with environmentally conscious and knowledgeable professional female builders with 30 years of experience who have earned a great reputation with skilled tradespeople, designers, academics and, yes, homeowners. On time, on budget - a partner and a role model. My husband and I are both thrilled.

We have a 100 year old house with a 100 year old slate roof. Does seem like a long time for a roof to last and we'd been told by two contractors that a complete replacement was necessary. A number of secondary issues came up and through a circuitous route we met Polly Bart of Greenbuilders. Long story, short -- Polly routinely works with an excellent slate roof person who disagreed and did a masterful repair -- not a replace. It's about as "green" as it gets -- use something for its full useful life before replacing it. She and the roofer believe we've got another 25 years left in what's up there.

We got to Polly Bart (Greenbuilders) through a recommendation we received to a question we posted on our local community listserv. We were looking for someone to evaluate our 100 year old house assuming we needed a attic fan to keep the house cooler in the summer. Rather than just deliver what we asked for, Polly listened to our issues, climbed up in the attic, and discovered a completely different solution. That the solution was about 25% the cost of what previous contractors told us was necessary is quite good. That her solution worked more effectively that we expected -- is extraordinary.

Why do I highly recommend Polly and Greenbuilders? They saved EVERYTHING and reused or donated almost every scrap of what was in my original kitchen. They opened up my cold wall and sealed and insulated all of it, as well as the new window, to make my kitchen cozy and bright. Polly introduced me to wonderful materials. I designed my own countertop out of Durat, an eco-friendly material which is pretty, durable, easy to work with, and was affordable because Durat was happy with my ideas for design and made us a special offer. Polly’s crew made me matching knobs of the same pretty blue. They worked with me for convenience and dust control during the project—including an ingenious cat barrier that gave me access to my refrigerator, but kept kitties out. They love my cats and made sure they did not escape—a major requirement of mine. Their cabinetmaker came up with a custom shelving design which opens up the entrance to the room and gives you the storage space I most needed. My dream kitchen became a reality!

My wife and I are happy to offer this enthusiastic review for Polly Bart of Greenbuilders. This year, we enlisted her help to make some necessary changes to our home. We wanted a low impact outdoor space for our family to spend time together as well as a minor re-organization of our existing laundry and mudroom area. Additionally, the exterior of our home was in need of maintenance and updating due to rotting wooden trim and melted and discolored vinyl siding. We wanted to do all of this in as sustainable a way as possible – especially given that staying in our current home was a conscious environmental decision. We started with an architect, which turned out to be a bad experience. The project quickly spun out of our control with the end result being a proposal that was more than three times our stated budget. We were a bit sensitive after this experience and it turned out that Polly’s attentiveness and sensitivity to our situation made all the difference. We decided to go with a design and build contractor approach, through Greenbuilders, done by Polly and when necessary, enlisting the help of Julie Gabrielli of Gabrielli Design Studios. Having now gone with the design-build approach, my wife and I felt more in touch with “the process,” getting more of what we wanted in our project and less of what we didn’t. Additionally, it was much easier to communicate and stay within our budget range with this approach. The project finished on budget as set at the beginning in our contract and allowed for changes to the plan as needed without adding cost. Polly was a pleasure to work with and her subcontractors were polite and professional. The work was all quite good and we are extremely pleased with the final product! The exterior resurfacing and added details revived our home! The screened porch is perfect. The mudroom and laundry room has done wonders to help to organize our family/home. All of the materials were chosen for their sustainability OR so durable that they will not likely need to be replaced. Can’t wait to get out on to the screened in porch and enjoy the wildlife this spring.

Hiring Polly Bart to renovate/remodel my master bath was one of the best decisions I have made. Polly is detail-oriented, hard working and full of integrity. I own a 100 year old tudor in Baltimore. Its a great house which has mostly been renovated, but the master bath was awful. It was small, dark and dreary. I felt like even after I cleaned it, it never felt clean. Polly and I spent some time designing and iteratively improving the concept. 2 surrounding closets were absorbed in to the bathroom, toilets were moved and the layout required much thought. Polly did not rush this and she worked through my needs until I felt like we had all of my visions included. Polly's crew was respectful and clean. While any renovation is disruptive, I felt like they really respected my home and my space. The final product is wonderful. This went from the worst room in my house to a place I love to recharge in with my morning shower in a great walk-in shower. The heated floors work divinely. The vanity and pocket door which her master wood worker built are perfect. The soapstone was the right finishing touch. I got the bathroom I wanted and the some!

The first time I called Polly Bart of Greenbuilders, back in 2007, I was in severe distress: though my stone house was beautiful and charming, I hated it. Polly, in her soothing voice, agreed to an undefined appointment with me to see if we could figure out how the house and I might get along better. Polly arrived for the meeting with boxes of environmentally friendly and tempting materials for floors, counter tops, etc. We toured the house, walking from room to room, discussing what I found so irksome. My young son followed along, welcomed by Polly. From this, we developed a master plan of sorts, but decided to break it up into a series of smaller projects for purposes of cost and sanity. Unlike many contractors who want the immediate big hit, Polly was unbothered that work for me would be a trickle here and there. Just before we were set to begin the first project, a transformation of a 3rd floor room into my private, very personal den, and a upgrade of the 3rd floor bathroom, a minor disaster developed in the basement. As I howled to Polly about this on the phone, she wisely said, "Before we begin this project, you need to forgive your house." Some months later, my black heart softened and Polly began her work. She listened closely and patiently to my input, and managed her subcontractors firmly but respectfully. I felt like we were all in this together; and what resulted were wonderfully crafted, unique spaces on my 3rd floor that continue to offer me respite and joy. I should note that we used some really neat materials such as clay paint, marmoleum, and crackling paint. Over the next five years, Polly implemented the master plan, helping my home retain its traditional look but giving nearly every room, and parts of the outside, an uncommon, "green" upgrade. Polly's touch extends to each floor of my home, and also stretches to the outdoors to include rain barrels and various other landscaping features; our cobblestone parking pad is a highlight admired regularly by neighbors. There are some particular facts to note about Polly: 1. Every contractor potentially faces problems during projects and how one deals with this is telling. Polly owns up to issues and teases out a solution. 2. Polly is candid about the cost and, unlike some contractors, is not overly anxious to rip out old but perfectly functioning sinks, etc., but will build a design around them. 3. Polly does not orphan her subcontractors. 4. Polly hires someone to come in and clean up at the end of a project so that the only trace left behind is the beautiful work, not muddy boot prints. 5. If Polly is in the midst of re-doing your kitchen over Thanksgiving, she will invite you into her own home to celebrate our national holiday. 6. Polly will search high and low to understand and satisfy your design yearnings, no matter how peculiar they may be.

Polly Bart (President, Greenbuilders, Inc.) has been a godsend to my wife and myself. From the outset, neither my wife nor myself had any experience in creating a non-toxic environment for our retirement years. Then, fortunately, my physician recommended Polly Bart and I immediately contacted her and began a dialogue about green environments and my history of respiratory problems and allergies and sensitivities. Intelligent, patient, extremely knowledgeable and trustworthy, Polly led us carefully through the various mazes of hazards that had to be overcome. Without her advice, my wife and I would have been lost. In short, Polly was exactly the sort of person everyone always hopes to discover when attempting to solve a problem—but such a person is rarely found. So, whether the problem is round or square, large or small, I would offer my overwhelmingly positive experience with Polly Bart as a compass to use to help others choose the right path. C.K., Columbia, Maryland