Testimonials

Our testimonials are the stories told by Fireside Home Construction's past and current clients.

We encourage you to read them — they help us prove our statements about superior quality, performance and customer service. But, please, don't stop there!

Ask for our references. We are proud of our work and would be delighted to have you speak with someone who has experienced our services and can talk about the experience candidly.

Even More Testimonials:

We would use Fireside again in a heartbeat

"Bob was wonderful to work with and we recommend his company without reservation. They finished our basement 3 yrs ago which involved putting in a family room, full kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. The crew was extremely courteous and receptive to our needs, and they were quite easy to have around during the project. Bob did our design work himself and we are extremely pleased with how everything turned out. He stayed on budget and on time as well. We really don't have any criticisms and would use Fireside again in a heartbeat."

- Jennifer

Extraordinary Creativity Made Experience Enjoyable

It is my great pleasure to write this testimonial letter for Bob Burnside and Fireside Home Construction, who were the main contractors for some remodeling work to my Westside Ann Arbor home. Many contractors say that they treat your home as if it were their own, but with Fireside Home Construction, that statement is much more than a cliche-it governs every aspect of the work that Fireside does, from the initial customer contact through the final stages of the project work.

I have been involved in a number of house remodeling projects over the years, and have been pleased with most of the contractors who have done work at my house. However, it is rare in my experience to complete a project with the feeling that remodeling really is an enjoyable experience and it would be fun to do it again! But that is the feeling I had when Fireside completed their work at my house.

Honesty and integrity are perhaps the most important qualities I look for in someone doing work for me. Is a contractor willing to inflate a price or try to convince me to buy something that I don't need or want in order to increase his profit? Is a contractor willing to cut comers in materials or workmanship behind my back? I was again and again impressed by Bob Burnside's honesty and straightforward approach, a reputation that was also confirmed by other home construction professionals with whom I spoke regarding his work.

I was also impressed with how carefully Bob listened-not only to the elements of the project that were important to me, but also to my budgeting priorities and constraints. 
I enjoyed very much the nature of our collaboration-he used his considerable technical experience/expertise to translate my needs and constraints into construction possibilities. If he saw a problem with something I was suggesting, he would let me know what pitfalls he saw and why. His comments and suggestions were always supported by good reasoning and solid data.

Bob also pays careful attention to all the details and always does what he says he will do-including staying on schedule and within budget (sometimes even coming in under budget!). He uses quality materials and takes great pride in his workmanship. He selects with care the tradespeople working for him, and all the tradespeople whom he engaged to work on my house demonstrated the same high standards as Bob and Fireside.

Finally, I think Bob and Fireside demonstrate an extraordinary creativity/problem-solving ability and a very big commitment to customer satisfaction.

It is my great pleasure to give Bob Burnside and Fireside Home Construction my highest possible recommendation. In my experience, it would be difficult to find a better person and company to work with to design and carry out a home construction proj ect.

- Barbara L.

I was blown away daily by the hard work, attention to detail and genuine kindness that was shown to me and my home

THANK YOU to you and your crew!

We are so grateful for the care and attention that everyone who worked on our roof, gutters and windows showed on this project.

I was blown away daily by the hard work, attention to detail and genuine kindness that was shown to me and my home. Thank you!!

And to you Bob - thank you for all of the pre-project trips you made out to South Lyon. Since Mitch usually was the one to meet with you, I have no idea how many times you drove out, inspected, measured, coordinated other meetings, emailed, phone called, etc.... but I know it was MORE than just once :0)

I have no doubt that the reason our project was competed so smoothly is because of your behind the scenes coordination and dedication to detail. THANK YOU!!!!

It may be a while before we are ready for our next big project, but let's face it... With our house being over 120 years-old there are sure to more needs! And when we are ready, I can think of only one person to call - that's you!

Sincerely,
Laurel & Mitch
South Lyon, MI

We couldn't be more thrilled by how the whole process went

The door looks GREAT and we couldn't be more thrilled by how the whole process went. There are so many horror stories out there about contractors promising one thing and the process disintegrating along the way.

• You said the install would take a single work day and it took a single work day.

• You said that you and Roy would arrive at 8am and you guys arrived at 8am.

• You said that you and Roy would clean up when the installation was done and I came home to a finished project with no evidence of construction having occurred.

• You answered ALL of our questions, did the product research, adjusted the product proposal when we landed a little over budget. . . . .You did EVERYTHING you said you would do and we can't thank you enough for helping move our farmhouse restoration project a little closer toward its final vision.

Thank you Bob and I hope that as we have other construction needs we can work with you again one day.

God Bless,
Mitch and Laurel Zoet

Energy Efficiency Detail Creates Comfort

We are still enjoying the enhancements you did for us in our attached garage last spring. Our garage was the only "stick-built" portion of our home, a Riverbend timberframe home built back in 1998. It got incredibly hot in the summertime sun, and was as cold as the outdoors in the wintertime, because almost no heat leaked into it from our super-insulated home. Your foam insulation in the walls, cellulose insulation in the ceiling, and wallboarding throughout has made the garage as 'tight' as the rest of our home. During this past summer, the indoor temperature never rose above eighty degrees and usually was in the low 70s, with no air conditioning. Now that it is cooler, I bring my hot car into the garage after driving, rather than leaving it outside for a cooling-off period.

I am looking forward to turning on the new overhead gas heater when the temperature gets colder, and commuting to work in a 50-degree car even on zero-weather days. The garage is also a workshop for me, and will be useable even in the most extreme outdoor temperatures. It is a lot brighter on the inside, with the finished drywall instead of the original studs and backside of the exterior siding on the inside before this work.

I will recommend your company for anyone who wants to have a hassle-free home improvement, or to have a home built. The renovation went very well, and the end result is as good as we hoped.

- Don and Kathie

Impressive and Dedicated Team Adds Value

Dear Bob,

We are so pleased with our lower level remodel. You essentially took an entire floor of our house, which started as an empty shell, and created a warm, welcoming apartment out of it.

From the beginning planning stages, we were impressed with your suggestions about the design of our project. We never felt the need to hire an architect because your design plans totally incorporated our needs. Your work team is truly impressive, especially since you have had long working relationships with so many of its members, so we felt comfortable as we watched them do their jobs with obvious experience and expertise. We especially appreciate how flexible you and your team were when we changed our minds about details during the construction process - you were able to accomplish just about anything we asked for, even when it wasn't part of the original plan. Your team cared for our home and kept it extremely clean and neat throughout this large project, which made it easy for us to continue our regular activities without being inconvenienced. We appreciate the fact that the budget was realistic and provided great value for the price. And it's amazing to us that we finished our project totally on budget and even ahead of schedule, which is practically unheard of!

So thank you for a wonderful job. We would recommend your company without reservation to any of our friends, and we look forward to working with you again on our next construction project.

Sincerely,

Jennifer and Alon

The entire process, from start to finish exceeded our expectations!

"We recently had an exterior door installed by Fireside Construction.  The entire process, from start to finish exceeded our expectations!  Bob personally came out to measure for the new door and explained the various options we had in choosing a new door.  The door was quickly ordered and delivered to our home.  Bob and his crew installed the door perfectly.  Bob worked around our schedule, so there was no inconvenience.  Bob took the time to personally clean up the work-site after the instillation was complete.  When they left, it was like the door had always been there!  We could not be happier with Fireside Home Construction.  Many thanks to Bob and his crew on a job well done!"
 
Thanks again!
Jesse & Katy

Bob’s integrity and commitment to ongoing service with his clients and his business are unsurpassed

I am pleased to write this note of thanks and gratitude to Bob Burnside and Fireside Home Construction.

Bob’s integrity and commitment to ongoing service with his clients and his business are unsurpassed.

Our home was built in 2000.  The entire experience was enjoyable and educational. We have had the home examined by other professional builders and knowledgeable friends and family.  It has received great reviews and compliments on the construction and beauty.

We recently had a problem with a hot water dispenser at our kitchen sink.  It was assumed there was a leak in the water heater.  The replacement process would have cost approximately $700.  Bob sent one of his plumbing representatives to do the repair and he reviewed the problem and found it was simply a line leak.  As a result the repair cost only $100 versus $700.  Just another example of honesty and a job well done.

Thanks again to Bob and his associates. Sincerely from a Happy Home Owner,

Jim B.
Burton, MI