We recently moved from the Trois Rivières region to Val des Monts. Originally we intended to build our own house with the help of a local contractor but a quick look into the market convinced us we needed help in selecting the right people for the job. We were referred to Paragon homes for project management and F.Murray, the president has helped us bring our project to a stage where we could take over the completion of the building ourselves. Paragon Homes supplied us with all the necessary materials as a house kit and we were able to select our own subcontractors using the complete list of bidders recommended by the company.

It has turned out to be a good decision and Frank and his capable site manager Dan Bergeron have delivered beyond our expectations. We are pleased to recommend Paragon Homes to anybody who is thinking of building a new home.

Thank you Frank and Dan.

Daniel

Dear Frank,

On behalf of our family, I am writing this letter to thank you for your services in the construction of our new log cottage. Having just moved in, we are very pleased with the results and the process over the past few months.

We purchased a Canada Log Home kit, and hired Paragon as the project manager and designer for a new cottage on our family land. We shopped around for 6 months and interviewed several builders and kit suppliers before deciding on a Canada Log Home. At the completion of the project, we are very happy we did, and would hire them again.

The Canada Log Home kit came with everything promised and delivered on time, and now that it’s built, we notice how all the components are excellent quality, and no details are forgotten.

The Project Manager process was new to us, but we are very glad we did it. It allowed us to modify and change things as we went along. Some steps in the building process came in above budget, and some below budget, but the PM process allowed us to make changes along the way, knowing exactly what each step costs. Dan Bergeron was great to work with, and handled each situation like a pro.

Thanks for everything.

Desmond White and family

Hi Frank,

Regarding the Paragon Kit Home package, Monika and I are extremely happy with the products supplied to date, just as you are proud of providing them. The wood, windows, doors, shingles and aluminum included in the Paragon Kit have all been of the highest quality without a doubt. In my eyes it is the little things such as the triple levers on the windows that stand out and define the products in the Paragon Kit as a very high quality product.

As much as we can say good things about the Paragon Kit we can say just as much about our project manager Dan Bergeron. Dan is truly a stand-up guy who handles every situation in an extremely honest and professional manner. From scheduling and inspection to the occasional conflict resolution with the trades, Dan has provided a service greater then our original expectations of a project manager.

Sincerely,

Kevin & Monika

When we first started thinking about building a house, one of the biggest decisions we had to make was how we were going to go about doing it. Since we wanted to be involved every step of the way, going with Paragon was the perfect solution. With both of us working full-time, Paragon took over coordinating trades, doing on-site inspections, and solving a bunch of problems, among many other things. I’ll be honest, I think we ran into more than our fair share of problems with this project, but at the end of the day Paragon was still there supporting us and doing their best to solve any issues that still popped up. Not only did they look after coordinating and supervising the trades, but since we purchased a kit from them they also looked after ordering all the materials. Other than choosing colors and styles, everything else was done for us. Now that the project is over, we have a well-built house that is everything we could have asked for. I would like to extend a big thank you to Dan on behalf of my family and I for all the big and the little things he did to help us throughout the entire project. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Annete and Derek

Dear Frank,

Fiona and I are writing this letter to express our gratitude for managing our lake house project this year. Your Paragon team as well as all of the trades’ people that were involved from beginning to end worked really hard to make the result a remarkable success. Such a project does not go without its frustrations but in the end, we have a sense of achievement and a beautiful home in an inspiring location for family and friends to enjoy.

Your project management framework made it easy from the beginning to go from concept to design to planning. Your help was crucial at this early stage to help translate our light industrial” concept into practical solutions. We really enjoy the look and feel of our home and the Paragon hybrid kit which we purchased as part of our project served us well in that regard. We had the opportunity to meet many of the potential sub contractors before beginning the construction. Your guidance and negotiating skills made it possible to obtain what we feel was the best value for money. While there were many challenges with our site and concept, most of the trades accomplished their job professionally, even if this was not necessarily done in the timeliest manner in all cases. In this context, our on-site manager Dan Bergeron stands above all in terms of his dedication, capacity to solve issues and unbounded commitment to the success of the project. His support and reliability was simply amazing despite his managing several Paragon projects at once. Dan was constantly in communication with us and always available to hear our observations and requests.

I know that Paragon has learned a great deal in tackling our project (as we have!), particularly in relation to building and managing work in such a difficult site. There were challenges right up-front and throughout the project because of slope, access, etc. and our wish is that this would have been better anticipated, particularly from a budget stand point. There were a few other budget surprises which we had to manage in other phases of the house construction and our only recommendation here is that you be more comprehensive in the budgeting process with future clients. We can say, however, that when issues arose in the construction process or in relation to the materials purchased through the Hybrid kit, communications were open and frank, always leading to a fair resolution for both parties.

Working with Paragon in a project management approach requires a true partnership because of the huge amount of decisions required throughout the life of the project. We have felt very much supported in this partnership and as such, we have invested considerable time in participating in the different phases of the construction. Time, patience, and the love of building something special are the real investments needed to make this kind of project a success.

Sincere thanks again to Paragon for a job well done!

Charles Brassard & Fiona Stott

Building our cottage on the Ottawa River has been a project of the heart from the onset. We knew it would be a place to relax, enjoy the peace and quiet, and a place to re-connect. Finding someone who could understand our vision and appreciate our motivation was something we really worried about. This place would need special people to build it. And we found them all.

Paragon is a lot of different people who do their jobs very well. From the beginning, we felt very comfortable and at ease with everyone. They never minded our countless questions, emails, or phone calls and we were warmly welcome all times at their offices or on the job site.

Paragon designed our cottage. Standing in it today, it is so very obvious how they honoured all the details that were so very important to us. With their considerable experience in the business, they could take our ideas, improve and embellish them, adding touches we never would have even dreamed about. They enhanced our vision. And when it needed to be done, they also helped us alter our vision to suit the reality of our building site and our budget.

We are not experts in house construction and our huge gaps in understanding sometimes made the building process stressful. Again, Paragon was there; managing the project; patiently answering our questions; anticipating our concerns; explaining the situation; and, supporting us along the way. Building our cottage would have been impossible without their expertise (and good sense of humour!)

The cottage that we envisioned is now a reality. Even before we moved in, it is full of stories of interesting people. All the contractors and the sub-trades left their mark and are part of the fabric of our cottage. They did wonderful work and we cannot be more pleased with the outcome.

If we had to do it all again, we would unquestionably run back to Paragon. They earned our trust and our respect.

Dr. Paris Vachon

We used the services of Paragon Homes for designing, planning and building our country home on Lac St. Pierre. Having now gone through the experience, I realize we could not have done it without them. I heard many horror stories from people when I told them we were planning on building our own place. We experienced some problems, as any project as complicated as building a home would, but they were all handled in a professional manner to our satisfaction. The following are a few of the things the experience of Paragon brought to the project:

• We worked with them to design our house. They made many suggestions that we incorporated and we’re glad we did.

• At the start, we didn’t know what we didn’t know. We were very naïve about building a house, especially in a rural area. We didn’t always like what we were being told by Paragon but they opened our eyes to reality.

• Planning was a key. Paragon took the time to make sure it was done thoroughly, preventing any big schedule and financial surprises once the project was underway.

• The key to a project of this nature is getting good trades people. Paragon knows the industry and were able to connect us with good trades people and subcontractors. We didn’t always select the low cost supplier but worked with reliable trades.

• With a full-time job, there is no way I could afford the time required to manage the building of a country home an hour from our house – nor did I have the expertise. Paragon provided this service making sure the subcontractors did what they were contracted to do.

This was a big project for us. Paragon was the reason it was a successful and enjoyable experience.

Bob and Helene