May 25, 2010
Dear Ernie & Cathy,
First, let us apologize for the delay in sending this long overdue letter - it's hard to believe it has been over a year already since we closed on our house in Bent Tree Plantation.
We do, however, want to give credit where credit is due. Building a new house 700 miles away from where you live was no small undertaking. Not being able to just drop by on a regular basis to see it grow each step of the way was both disappointing and frustrating on our end. (Although I'm sure Spirit Airlines appreciated all our trips over the course of the construction) But all of you certainly did your best to make it easy and pleasant as possible by always keeping us well-informed of the progress and aware of any issues or questions that arose from time to time. (Whatever did we do before email and cell phones?)
All of your suggestions for changes from the original plans were well-thought out, especially Cathy's re-design of the master bath. It turned out perfect and every time we walk in we question "what were we thinking" with the original plan. We absolutely love the Carolina room in the back and the kitchen still takes our breath away every time we walk in the house.
Having had the pleasure to meet with many of the sub-contractors, it is easy to see why you build such great houses. Everyone was equally pleasant and always anxious and willing to do whatever it took to make sure we were pleased with the final job. It is no wonder you are one of the most respected builders in the area - everyone who works for you seems to have the same high values & expectations to do the best job possible. In this day & age, it is refreshing to see such quality workmanship and pride in doing a job well done.
Please extend our sincere thanks to all of your crew - they are true professionals. It was a pleasure getting to know both of you and we look forward to seeing you when we are in OIB. Our biggest disappointment is that we are not in a position to live in our beautiful house full-time right now and that we can only visit it a few times a year, but hopefully that will change in the near future and we'll be able to be full-time residents of Ocean Isle Beach.
Again, Ernie & Cathy, thank you so much for everything - you knowledge & expertise, insight and most of all patience. It was truly a pleasure working with both of you.
Sincerely,
Jim and JoAnn Vincent
April 14, 2010
Dear Ernie, Cathy and staff,
We've been in the house a few weeks now, and as much as we loved it from the start, we love it more everyday!
We want to thank you and praise you for the process and quality of building our dream home. You were able to make every step seem like clockwork., even the decisions we were apprehensive about. I think it was a matter of trust and we felt 100% comfortable with you the entire way.
Many, many thanks!
Jim and Juli Miller
December 6, 2009
Ernest G. Crews Construction, Inc.
P.O. Box 6668
Ocean Isle Beach, NC 28469
Ernie:
Sharon and I just wanted to let you know what a great experience it was to have you build our house at Shallotte Point. From the very first time that we sat down with you and Cathy to review our plans until the day that we moved into the completed house, the experience could have not been more pleasant. All of your employees and subcontractors represented your company extremely well. Not only was the quality of work far above our expectations, but the guys building our house were a pleasure with whom to interact. And as we expressed to you many times, Cathy's contributions to the building process were invaluable. She brings a special worth to your organization.
Ernie, if any potential client would like to see an example of your work, or talk with us about our building experience with you guys, please feel free to give us as a reference.
Thanks again.
Robert and Sharon McGirt
March 23, 2009
To Ernie and his superb Team:
A great big Thank You to all of you for the wonderful job that you did in building our home here in North Carolina! From the very first meeting we felt that you had given us your undivided attention. Your care, suggestions, guidance and expert service plus the quality of your workmanship is unsurpassed. The house is beautiful!
It was difficult for us building our retirement home from 2600 miles away, but our concerns were always met with your full attention and understanding. Ernie and Cathy, you always left us with the feeling of comfort knowing that our desires would be accommodated.
It was such a pleasure working with you. Please know that you may include our name on your list of very well satisfied and happy clients.
Thanks a million,
Bob and Sue Houser
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September 14, 2006
Dear Ernie & Cathy,
Thank you so much for making our beach house dream a reality. The building process was much more enjoyable than stressful. Your availability and responsiveness made us feel like we were your only client. Cathy was always organized and accommodating and knew exactly what was going on at our site. And, fortunately for us, your budget estimate was realistic and accurate.
Your subcontractors were also incredible. I especially liked working with Larry, John & Brian, Sonny, and of course, Jack Echard. I'm not sure if I met Earl, but he's a phenomenal carpenter.
We also appreciated how Keith, Ryan, and Rich kicked it into high gear during crunch time - those last few weeks before our first renter. I'm going to miss our weekly visits! You're absolutely the best builder in OIB.
Grateful,
Ken & Jody Myers
March ~ 2006
Dear Ernie and Cathy,
Thanks for a great house! It was simply a pleasure working with you and your entire team. Your attentiveness to us during the entire building process was greatly appreciated! Should we ever build another house, we certainly hope we can call on you again!
Continued success,
Pam and Bob Callihan
April 24, 2005
Dear Ernie,
We have been living in our new home at Sea Trail Plantation in Sunset Beach for three months and are thoroughly pleased with the results. We want to thank you, your entire crew and all the sub-contractors for the outstanding job they did throughout this project.
This is our first experience with new home construction and we entered it with some trepidation, particularly since most of the work was to be done while we were not present. We were still working in New York at the time. At each stage of the process you managed to keep us informed, returning calls promptly, alerting us to upcoming decisions and warning us about potential problems. Cathy, in particular, monitored the progress of our home and often treated our project as if it were her own. Without her knowledge, attention to detail and personal touch, we would not have been able to build the lovely house we now have. On more than one occasion her intervention prevented us from making mistakes.
The process is not an easy one. We experienced a delay of about six months that was beyond our control. In spite of this, you consistently reassured us and guided us through the home building process. At every stage we found you and your staff competent and helpful whether it involved finances, difficulties with a sub-contractor or simply sending us photos of the progress being made.
Despite the difficulties we experienced and the changes we made during construction, you were able to complete the house very close to the original budget. We thank you for your commitment to producing a quality home and your integrity in doing it for the agreed upon price. We also appreciate your supervision of the sub-contractors and intervention on our behalf when necessary.
With your assistance and professionalism, we were able to build our "dream house" despite our lack of experience with new construction. Your staff was extremely helpful and reassuring and made the entire experience an enjoyable one. We will always be grateful to you for the excellent job you did and look forward to many years of happiness in our new home.
Gratefully,
Mike and Cheryl Campbell
September, 2005
Ernie and Cathy,
Just a note to express our appreciation to your attention to detail and concern in the construction of our dream home. The Mort we come down to use it, the more difficult it is for us to return to Richmond. The more we visit, the more we fall in love with it.
We are extremely pleased with the quality of the construction and how it weathered the recent hurricane.
Sincerely,
Lyn & Larry Haines
November 8, 2004
Dear Ernie and Cathy,
We are writing this letter to thank you for the beautiful home you built for us. We started this adventure not knowing what to expect. We purchased the land and Bernie Thuersam (Shoreline Design Group) designed our home. We interviewed several builders and asked for references. Crews Construction gave us the most comprehensive list of everyone they had ever built a home for. We were immediately impressed!
I called references and was amazed by the overwhelming response. Everyone enthusiastically described how great their experience had been. As we have told you several times, people don't just like you, they love you!
Cathy and Ernie, from the first time we met five years ago, and now after the completion of our dream home, you have proven to be a special combination of everything it takes to build a custom house. We only visited a few times during the building process. Everything was handled professionally and with great detail. Problems were minor and quickly and correctly addressed. You have assembled a fantastic group of sub-contractors which are all outstanding. Judy is also a valuable asset to your company, we will miss her.
Sincerely,
Linda and Jack Anderson
January 6, 2003
Dear Ernie and Crews,
When Marilyn and I decided to move to Ocean Ridge to build our "dream home", most of our friends thought we were out of our minds. They asked if we really understood the hassles and stress of building a home from scratch.
Our feeling was that it isn't very often we have a chance to do something the way we want it done. In order to do this we knew the key was to have a first class Builder and Design Team. Simply put, you and your team along with Bernie Thuersam of Shoreline Design Group, who created the design to fit our unusual lot, made our building experience a very enjoyable smooth process. We consider ourselves fortunate to have been able to work with such a First Class Team.
Any organization is only as good as its people, and you have good folks working with you. I can't remember all of their names, but we enjoyed their cooperation and positive attitudes. The patience to explain and answer our questions was greatly appreciated during our frequent visits to the house.
Lastly, a special note of thanks to Cathy Brown. She is superb in communicating and coordinating all of the details that helped everything come together. From the bricks to doors, to pillars, and shower windows, etc. She gave us ideas, guided us to various sources, set up visits to see what other homeowners had done. Her help was always so comforting.
Marilyn and I compliment you and everyone who helped create our lovely new home. We love it and are very proud of it. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Marilyn and Ed Wilkinson
April 15, 2002
Dear Ernie,
We would like to offer our sincere thanks and appreciation for the outstanding job you and your entire team did in building our new home at Ocean Ridge Plantation. Having decided on Ocean Ridge as the place we would like to live, we then embarked on the process of translating a dream and vision for our home into the necessary architectural drawings. You and your team transformed those lines and specifications on paper into the reality of our new home that as a finished product exceeded our highest expectations. You have created the home we wanted and will be proud of showing our friends (new and old) and our family as they visit us in the future.
The positive aspects of our entire experience are too numerous to list here, but we must elaborate on one of them. Building a new home is always a challenging experience for the homeowner. Building a home when you are hundreds of miles from the construction site is even more daunting. We entered into this with some trepidation, but it became quickly apparent that any fears we had were unfounded. Your professionalism, attention to detail, responsiveness to questions or concerns, asking questions when something was unclear and communicating progress in a timely fashion quickly assured us that we had hired a team whose number one goal was a satisfied client. We firmly believe this and will be happy to share our experience at any time with future clients of your firm.
Last but not least, we would be remiss if we didn't mention two members of your team. Cathy Brown and Robert Gordon, by name. Cathy kept us constantly on track, provided invaluable information on local resources, and offered advice and counsel on a myriad of things. We will always remember to do our homework assignments; it felt, at times, as if we were back in school. We can't help but think of how many things might have been delayed or missed entirely if it were not for Cathy.
And, of course, Robert, who was clearly the glue keeping the various construction pieces together. We didn't get to spend much time with him, but when we did, we knew he was listening to what we said and that when he made a commitment, it was as good as done.
We wish you continued success and are confident that with the way you conduct your business, we will be seeing your team building homes in Brunswick County for a long time to come.
Sincerely,
Shelia and Walt Stachura
July 23, 2001
Dear Ernie,
As you know, we were just recently able to sell our home in Richmond, Virginia, and move to our beautiful new home in Ocean Ridge Plantation.
This letter to you is overdue in that you finished our home in January, several months ahead of the projected schedule. While we have visited in the interim months between January and July, we have not truly been able to enjoy our new residence until the last couple of weeks.
We would really like to express our sincere appreciation for making our dream home a reality. With each day we discover anew areas and features that make us realize how very fortunate we were to have selected you as our builder. It is obvious that the materials used and the actual construction itself are of the highest quality.
We were cautioned against trying to build a home long distance and heard numerous incidences of major problems in doing so. Our experience with you and your company, however, could not have been better. All of your employees that we met or had any contact with were wonderful. Cathy Brown, construction coordinator, kept us frequently updated, sent us pictures via the internet of progress made, answered numerous questions, and very importantly, prioritized a list for us of everything that needed to be selected or chosen each time we visited. She spent an entire afternoon with us helping to select light and ceiling fan fixtures. Her input was invaluable and she is always pleasant and helpful.
Robert Jordan, the construction supervisor we met when we visited was also very knowledgeable, friendly and reassuring as we tried to visualize how it would all come together.
As work progressed, it was very apparent to us that you expect the same excellence and quality from your subcontractors that you expect from you own employees. We were so impressed with their desire to please us and make us happy. I remember thinking as we walked through the house with Tim, the electrical subcontractor, that he was asking questions about outlet locations, etc. as if he were going to be living there. It was certainly not a haphazard arrangement. When I saw the lighting he had so thoughtfully put in our kitchen, particularly under the cabinets/over the counter tops as well as the overhead can lights in the ceiling, it was apparent that much care was taken with his work.
Additionally, the vendors you referred us to were also extraordinary in the care and diligence with which they received our business. Marcraft Cabinets, A Touch of Glass, The Right Angle, Shallotte Electric (Missy is great!), Beach Country Landscaping, and Jackie's Interiors are all wonderful to work with. Jackie Breeden has done an incredible job with carpet, window treatments and even the design and construction of my work-at-home office space.
As you are aware, we entered into an ancillary supervisory contract with our architect, Bernhard Thuersam of Shoreline Design Group in Wilmington. In retrospect, it was truly not needed. There was no question that our home was being built to specification with quality materials and as scheduled. The cleanliness of the construction site itself was unusual even above and beyond Ocean Ridge requirements.
Ernie, in working with you and your company we had nothing but a quality experience.You told us when we first spoke to you that if someone told you they could build a home and make no mistakes ~ they were not telling the truth! There were a very few minor things in the construction of our home that you corrected or fixed expeditiously and without any problem. We enjoyed our home building experience with you and would recommend you and your company without hesitation to anyone building a home in the area.
Thank you for helping to make our dream a reality!
Sincerely,
Suzanne and Stephen Harris
December 21, 2001
Dear Ernie,
We have waited a year to write this letter telling you how much Susan and I are enjoying the custom home you built for us at Sea Trail Plantation. Working from the design plans developed by our daughter, you built the dream house we wanted on time, with integrity, within budget and with good humor.
We appreciated quick responses, timely interventions, and the fact that we only had one minor change order.
Allowing Cathy to set up our appointments with vendors and then go with us, giving many confirming opinions and suggestions, enabled us to complete purchasing carpeting, floor finishes, fixtures, appliances and other accessories in two and half workdays! All of the vendors and subs worked with us to try and build exactly what we wanted. Y'all achieved that enabling us to move into the house on the appointed day and help us complete a smooth move.
Your courteous demeanor enabled us (particularly Susan, to have a very positive experience.) You should know our daughter, Elizabeth, came down two days later and went through the house tablet in hand ready to create a massive punch list. When she finished, she said, "Well. Mom. Ernie followed the plans to a T."
Thank you again, and we hope others will see what can be done when customers and your team get together!
Most cordially,
Susan and Ed Seidel
December 21, 2000
Dear Mr. Crews,
Please accept a great big THANK YOU for our beautiful new house. This is our first experience in building a new house, and we entered the process with considerable anxiety as we had heard and read of many construction horror stories. In actuality, we couldn't be more pleased with the entire building process.
It is clear that, at the start, you carefully studied the house plans and not only gave us a fair price, but gave us a complete price so that we were not confronted with surprise "add-ons" as building progressed. Throughout the building process you were available whenever we had questions or concerns, and addressed any issues promptly and fairly. We found all of your "subs" to be hard working, pleasant and easy to communicate with. Since we have been in the house, your responsiveness and that of the subs to any adjustments or fine tuning has been superb. We are also aware that during construction you monitored the work closely and had necessary items redone that were not up to your standards. Many of these items would not have been apparent to us.
Regarding Cathy Brown, your building coordinator, all we can say is bravo. She also was always available whenever we had questions, and did a great job keeping us up to date on the building process. She was a good sounding board for the various design selections, and nicely took care of handling Ocean Ridge approvals.
Robert Jordan, likewise, did a very nice job in monitoring construction, and particularly during the final stages, completing various items and correcting a few others.
As neophytes to new house construction, as really appreciate the ease of communication with you and your staff and everyone's good humor. It's hard to imagine a group that would be easier to get along with.
All of this may sound as if we are relatives (thankfully, for you, we're not), but in fact it is a true representation of our experience. Please feel free to share this letter with any prospective clients, and they are welcome to call us. You are also welcome to have prospective clients visit our home so they can see first hand the quality of your work.
Sincerely,
Rich and Pat Shooley
