Lehto Design/Build

After many attempts to get in touch with the owner, I have no choice but to share my experience working with Lehto Design/Build. Lehto Deisgn/Build not fulfilled our contract terms. Per our contract, owner has to address all the maintenance issues after one year after the house is completed. As of today, we are going on 20 months, and still, many outstanding issues the owner promised to address. He is now not responding to any of our attempts to contact him. He was paid in full. Not only the owner hasn't fulfilled the house contract, but during the build, the owner wasn't always pleasant to work with, especially when he is taking over a month to produce receipts of invoices that he was billing us for. He made a big fuss about how none of his clients have ever asked for receipts, and when we kept pressing for them, that is when he said he made mistakes on his invoices, after overcharging us thousands of dollars. Overbilling us was an issue on multiple occasions and was only corrected when we asked for receipts. The garage was built with extra insulation without a proper ventilation system, therefore, the garage has an ongoing conversation problem. After taking over a year to somehow attempt to fix this issue, he installed a fan in the garage, which helps with the condensation but it didn't eliminate the problem. Nick also promised us a highly energy-efficient home, but our electricity bill is still high for the majority of the months. He said energy-efficient homes don't have humid basements, and currently we are running our dehumidifier 24/7. There wasn't a whole lot of attention to detail with our build when the CO was issued - barn doors were all misaligned and not installed properly, fixtures were taped on with double sided-tape (instead of actually screwing it in), cabinet door hinges/screws were not installed properly and doors not properly closing, one of the garage doors not sealed properly and leaks rain and many more. This contractor is not honest and not trustworthy - next step - he will be reported to the state dept. Consumer Protection Board unless he contacts us asap to arrange to address outstanding items.

Hull Forest Products - Wide Plank Floors has had the opportunity to supply wood flooring for Lehto Design Build, using wood that was grown, harvested, and manufactured within 100 miles of their various project sites. We have enjoyed collaborating on these projects, and we appreciate the quality, integrity, and energy efficiency of the Lehto homes, including the fact that they strive to incorporate local materials.

We interviewed several contractors for ideas concerning a possible remodel or rebuild for our seasonal cottage to a permanent home. Nick gave us such an appealing approach with net-zero building. When we were ready, we called him immediately. Nick was able to help us design and build our custom home within a short period of time on schedule and on budget. He has a great eye for design, scale and function. We highly recommend his company if you want a high quality reliable builder who really listens to you. We chose to build a net-zero, solar powered year round home that we have loved living in for the past year.

In 2011, we met with Lehto Design/Build to construct our new residence. We had no experience with this Company; we were not too familiar with "green" homes; and we were residing in a different State at the time. We were very impressed with the quality of work on other homes Lehto Design/Build constructed. Nick Lehto guided us and provided clear information; efficiently and professionally throughout the entire build process. This partnership resulted in our new home being completed ahead of schedule. We are extremely pleased with the quality and functionality of our new home. Even after we relocated, Lehto Design/Build kept the lines of communications open to reassure us that if we need them, they are there. In a world where all you hear are horror stories regarding a build, we are very fortunate to have met them as we did not experience one issue as we worked togther, as a team. They wanted us to be happy with the build and we trusted them to utilze their experience to provide that to us.

Lehto Design/Build built our net zero energy home in Connecticut. We were very impressed by the knowledge this contractor has about the various aspects involved in building this type of house. We were kept informed every step of the way and were constantly consulted and updated. Our input was always listened to and treated as valuable. When we decided to add a 3-season room to the house, Nick Lehto and his Dad made it happen within the timeline. We were definitely partners in the project. Our questions were always anwered directly and with respect. We never felt that our questions, or we, were a bother or distraction. They stayed within the agreed upon budget but didn't cut corners to do so. They met deadlines, were cautious, diligent workers and brought us no surprises. The challenge of building a house can be very stressful but we had as stress-free an experience as anyone could hope to have. If we had to do it all again, we would not hesitate to use Lehto Design/Build as our builder.

In 2013 we began planning our new custom built home. We knew we wanted a very energy efficient house so we decided to go for net zero. Our new house would combine solar panels with a highly efficient structural design resulting in zero energy bills. We knew what style we wanted but we needed a skilled designer/builder to incorporate all the features needed to achieve our goal. After interviewing multiple builders we decided to hire Nick Lehto. Nick was awesome to work with! He completed our home on time, within budget and with outstanding quality. He brought with him a team of incredible workers that were always pleasant and kept the work site neat and organized. We have now been in the house for almost a year and we love our high performance net zero home!