Olson Defendorf Custom Homes

OD Custom Homes built us our dream home. Eric provided a thorough and complete proposal that included his ideas, with our ideas, to make our home one of a kind. During the construction, Troy was accessible, involved and ensured the details were met as intended. In the end, the house exceeded our expectations and it would not have been possible without OD Custom Homes. For our next project we will use them again.

I worked with Eric on a project last year, and he was an absolutely delight to work with. Eric and his team are extremely professional and build gorgeous custom homes. His outdoor entertainment areas will blow you away! The house we photographed went on to win multiple awards and featured on a variety of publications. I look forward to working with them again!

We loved our experience with having Olson Defendorf Custom Homes build our house! Building a home can be stressful - but Troy and Eric are SO organized and attentive to detail, they make it easy. We felt guided through the process every step of the way (these guys know their stuff)! Our home is gorgeous and the craftsmanship and little details throughout make it so special. We are very thankful to OD for building our dream home!

My wife and I originally contacted Olson Defendorf (ODCH) in the summer of 2015 to build our custom modern-ranch-style home in Leander, TX. We worked with a separate architect firm to design a set of plans which we presented to Eric Olson at the initial meeting. His courteous professionalism in meeting with us, clear experience in managing complex projects, focus on customer satisfaction during challenges, ODCH’s shared-accountability business/profit model, and their consistently positive feedback from recent clients really differentiated ODCH from other builders we explored. Yes, we interviewed our builders before we selected one! Eric quickly and effectively led us through an initial selection and bidding process with an expert designer and we were able to have an approximate scope, duration, and cost for the project in about 45 days. Due to our financial position at that time, we decided to postpone the start of construction so that we could get the home we wanted rather than sacrifice features or square footage. That decision was after multiple discussions with Eric about potential ways to reduce cost. He was consistently patient and accommodating as we explored what were probably even silly options and he brought creative ideas to the table. He managed our expectations and was transparent and forthcoming the entire time. We ultimately delayed the start until the summer of 2017 (2 years), and while we knew that we would continue to use ODCH when we were ready, we didn’t expect them to be available to us in the interim. To our surprise, Eric reached out periodically and remained available for us to ask questions and even crunch numbers on occasion. When we started discussions up again, we were immediately impressed by how prepared he was to resume our project, even having all our original documents and notes in mind (from meetings 2 years ago). We felt like we picked up where we left off, rather than started over. That gave us even more peace of mind that we picked the right team. When we officially broke ground in November 2017, Troy Defendorf became our primary contact as our project lead. He proactively reached out a minimum of once a week – usually a lot more than that – with status updates, upcoming design decisions, issues and resolution ideas/options, plans for the week and the following week, etc. We felt informed and that we were doing this together throughout the entire process. The total construction time was approximately 16 months, which is to be expected with the complexity of a custom project and duration was in-line with the initial estimate Eric gave us when we started - not to mention, we had a wet 2017/2018 winter which delayed foundation, and had repeated challenges with the city (permitting/inspections) which caused weeks of delays over time that were outside of ODCH's control. Regardless of the obstacle, ODCH worked behind the scenes to expedite resolution to keep the project on track. Throughout the project we brought friends and family over to see the progress, some of whom are in the residential and commercial construction field. They consistently commented on the high quality of building materials used and the cleanliness of the project site. Custom projects are complex and will have changes and challenges: The wrong component is delivered or installed. Vendors/suppliers don’t do things according to expectations. Selections are discontinued and must be re-selected. 2-dimensional architecture plans don’t necessarily work in 3-dimensional space and certain trades may collide. In a custom project, it all comes down to cost, time, and the homeowner’s final decision. Troy and Eric were always available if we had concerns or weren’t happy with a particular result and would work with us and the related suppliers to meet our expectations. We always felt heard, that they were our advocate and partner. One of the many things I appreciated about Troy is that when things came up that needed a decision, he would present refined options with pros/cons in a timely manner, and ultimately let us decide on what we wanted and then coordinate everything needed to reach our desired outcome. Kathleen, who manages the accounting, communications, etc. for ODCH projects always ensured we had an accurate running project cost/budget so we could make cost-conscious decisions during a project that is inherently fluid. Additionally, ODCH uses BuilderTrend.com for their projects so we were all on the same page every week and could anticipate any impact to cost or features when changes arose. We even received weekly pictures and status recap emails showing the site progress so we could check in if we were traveling and informing us of what we needed to be doing (i.e. next selections). They really gave us peace of mind at every turn and we knew what to expect. Even long after the project completed and we moved in, ODCH is still checking in on us to make sure everything is meeting our expectations and, if anything comes up, they are quick to coordinate suppliers and/or punch crews to remediate an issue. In summary, after nearly 4 years from our initial meeting, we are still 100% certain that we selected the right team to build our home. In this day when accountability and ownership are rare, it’s so wonderful to find a firm that really delivers. In fact, we are planning a pool expansion next year and will definitely give Eric a call when we’re ready!

You will be hard pressed to find a more organized, communicative and professional custom home builder than Olson Defendorf Custom Homes. They have always brought great value and openness to the projects we have collaborated with them on. I know the clients which we have recommended to them have appreciated those qualities applied to their individual projects immensely. I have known Eric Olson for more than two decades and look forward to future successful collaborations for our mutual clients!

It has been our absolute pleasure to work with Eric and his team! We currently have four active projects together. Eric is outgoing, funny, kind, and so talented. He’s a blast to work with on every project. Even early in the process, our clients are thrilled with his work. What’s more, Eric and his team are organized, detail-oriented, process-driven, and respectful of our client’s budgets. We’ve worked with countless builders over the year, and Olson Defendorf Custom Homes is the whole package!

Olson Defendorf Custom Homes is an incredible company to work with. My wife and I made a decision to build our "Dream House". We had a lot of unique ideas of what we wanted in our home. I'm a tech guy, and I wanted all the newest automation, A/V, and hi-speed networking in every room. My wife is more classic, and wanted a house that hearkened back to the classic American Foursquare's of the early 1900's. We met with multiple "custom home" builders that were anything but custom. They were only willing to offer a handful of options and finish outs, and were not willing to use any materials not directly sourced from their vendor. Olson Defendorf were the only builders we spoke with who were willing to do all of the custom touches we wanted. Ultimately, those custom touches are what really make our house perfect for us. The craftsmanship of their trades people and subs is top notch. We had an antique newel post from 1910 that we really wanted used on the stairs. Their trim craftsman was able to design and build a base that perfectly matched the original and brought the antique piece up to modern code. We had a 1900 stained glass door unit with sidelights and transom that they were able to install in a way that it looks original. The trim work is incredible. They were actually able to save us over $20,000 vs the local "custom closet company" simply by having their trim carpenter build out our custom master closet, and it looks awesome. Any project of this size is going to run into issues. Sometimes those issues are with the City and specific codes that seem to change every other month. Sometimes those issues are due to simple miscommunications. You have to expect that issues will arise, and hope you have a builder that will resolve them for you. Eric and his team addressed every issue we encountered quickly and professionally, and ultimately resolved all of them to our complete satisfaction. This home is very likely the largest purchase that we will ever make. Eric and his team at Olson Defendorf made the process as stress free and smooth as I think it could be. Ultimately, we couldn't be happier with our home and with our experience with Olson Defendorf. Thanks Eric, Troy, Jay, & the rest of the team for making our dream home a reality!

Our architect recommended Olson Defendorf, we were exceptionally pleased with the end-result and overall quality of the project. Throughout the entire build process Eric and Troy communicated consistently, stayed within the contracted budget and quickly remedied issues as they arose. Navigating a project like this as a first timer was not without trepidation; Eric and Troy offered a team that alleviated much of the stress associated with a first time build.

Eric & Troy built a home I designed that required superior attention to detail. They communicated well from the moment they were brought on board as the builder and throughout the entire construction process. They remained level-headed through the most difficult times during construction and always worked to achieve excellence. I am thrilled with the results of their efforts and look forward to working with them again in the future.

As an architect, you are always looking for good builders to work with. And I have been very happy with the many projects we have done with Olson Defendorf. They are a very organized company that has a great process for how they do things. The quality of their work is exceptional, as is their attention to detail. We've had many happy clients work with their company, and it's hard to ask for more than that!

Eric, Troy and their team are truly the best guys to work with! They are professional, respect their trades, and are a pleasure to do good business with. They always put their clients first and work hard and stay dedicated till the end. They build a beautiful house and Each of their homeowners are completely blown away with the end product.

Had a very good experience working with OD custom Homes. Our house turned out beyond our expectations. They have a great system for selection process and change orders which minimizes errors during construction period.