Why Choose Bowers?

DESIGN: Award-winning, on-staff architects and designers work with you to customize a design that is just right to meet your wants, needs, and budget. Even the most well-thought through design requires the designer’s involvement throughout the entire construction process. We work as one team, design and construction, totally focused on your satisfaction. In addition, our proprietary Bowers Design Survey makes it easy for you to communicate your design priorities and unique lifestyle data so that it can be incorporated into the design; making it truly custom made for you. Our designers and architects use REVIT, the most advanced architectural software available. The benefit of REVIT is that its intelligence allows for faster design changes during the design process and the ability to give the client a 3D view of their home; all elevations, interior and exterior. For those clients who are “creatively challenged” this tool makes your renovation come to life and therefore, you are much better able to make good design decisions.

BUDGET DEVELOPMENT: Using our 20+ year experience designing and building renovations and new homes, we are able to design projects that keep your budget parameters in mind. We take the time to educate you on the true, complete turn-key costs of design and construction. Bowers specializes in “value engineering”; a process of identifying “must haves” that make your new home or renovation truly special to you while minimizing items where the cost does not produce value for you.

PRICING: Our reputation for “no surprises” pricing means we include ALL costs for your home construction project. And, because we are totally accountable for the successful outcome of your project, we make sure the design and upfront planning are as complete as possible. This reduces the need for “change orders” during construction that can increase costs and delay the project unexpectedly. The “change order” process is, unfortunately, a common practice with some builders. The price they give you up front may seem reasonable, but the price may continually increase during the project for work that you felt was part of the original scope of work. Bowers past clients will tell you that the price we gave them up front is what they paid for the complete, all inclusive, turnkey experience with 100% post construction support. In a national independent survey, 96% of our clients said that the price they paid for their project with us worth the overall value… compared to other builders in the survey who averaged only 86%. While we strive for 100% satisfaction in every area of our customer satisfaction, our difference over other builders is measurable.

DETAILED CONTRACT DOCUMENTS*: Detailed design plans and detailed construction contracts help ensure that you have no monetary or timing surprises during construction. Detailed documents help to give you peace of mind that you know exactly what you are paying for and our contract price is all inclusive… meaning that we outline everything needed to complete your home. (We know some of competitors charge extra for tasks like painting… which we think it kind of silly. You are paying to manage the complete project, not just parts of it.) In addition, the contract outlines start and completion dates for your project. We are happy to provide sample copies of our contracts to demonstrate their detail.

PRODUCT SELECTION: Our past clients tell us that pre-construction, they underestimated the value of Bowers on-staff interior designers and their product selection assistance but once they experienced it, they truly found the help invaluable. There is an enormous amount of plumbing, lighting, flooring… etc. products in the market. There is a tremendous benefit of having an expert walk you through the process to help you narrow choices from literally hundreds of product options. This approach is very efficient and saves you from spending hours and hours in showrooms only to still feel overwhelmed. It also saves you money by reducing the amount of “shopping” you need to do to get the best product for the best value. It also helps us because product decisions can be made more efficiently and we can keep our time commitments to you. Bowers is truly a team dedicated to making sure your project goes smoothly.

DESIGN SPECIALTY: Bowers interior designers not only help you choose the right products for your needs; but can also make sure your finished product compliments the rest of your home… from colors to textures to finishes (inside and out). After construction, our interior designer can be available to help you with other aspects of interior design not necessarily associated with your renovation; like draperies, furniture, etc.

PERMITTING PROCESS: Bowers handles all of the detailed County building and trades permitting processes that are required for a safe project and county/city approval. For some projects, this includes site engineering work and assessing impacts on well and septic systems. (These costs are also included in our pricing.)

DEDICATED LEAD CARPENTER/SITE MANAGER DURING CONSTRUCTION: You will be assigned one of Bowers highly skilled Site Managers. Your Site Manager manages your project and your project alone, for the duration of the project. Your Site Manager adds value by performing some of the carpentry aspects of your projects as well as the total construction management of your job. Our carpenters average more than 25 years of experience in residential construction and many have been with Bowers for more than 10 years. Your site manager manages all subcontractors: know precisely what work needs to be performed; have all the necessary materials needed for the job; respect the Bowers rules of professionalism and performs their work in a high quality and safe manner. Because your dedicated Site Manager is on your job every day, you will not find yourself responsible for managing a subcontractor – that is our responsibility!

PRODUCTION MANAGER SUPPORT: Each site manager reports to and is supported by our Production Manager. Our Production Manager is an experienced construction management expert with more than 30 years of construction experience. He is in contact with each Site Manager daily and is accessible to our clients at any time to ensure a 100% high quality, safe and timely project.

SPECIALTY TRADESMEN/SUBCONTRACTORS: We hire tradesmen/subcontractors (plumbers, masons, etc.) that pass our high quality standards. Most of our subcontractors have worked with us for many years and have a proven track record with us. Each of our subcontractors is certified professionals in their craft, carry all the necessary insurances, licenses, and warranty their work. We routinely assess our subcontractors against their competitors to make sure they are always doing their best to deliver excellent craftsmanship at the best possible value.

MS PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE: Your Site Manager works from a detailed project schedule developed in Microsoft Project that outlines exactly what activities will take place in your home during what time frames. This schedule is updated as the project progresses and your Site Manager is available daily to update you on the project’s status. You can work directly with your Site Manager to set up formal communication meetings as often as you like. Lastly, all our Site Managers are equipped with laptop computers and can send you an e-mail updates as well. We customize our communication to meet your unique needs.

COMMUNICATION: In addition to your Site Manager and Production Manager, the whole Bowers team is available to assist you. We are only a phone call or e-mail away. You will be given a list of contact information for our entire team so that you know you have complete support during your project.

QUALITY CONSTRUCTION: Bowers has phenomenal on-staff carpentry experts that guarantee the quality of work on your project. THIS IS KEY because the longevity of a problem free construction project is largely attributable to the quality of the carpentry.

PROJECT CLEANLINESS: Bowers cleans the project site EVERY DAY to keep the dirt and dust to a controllable level and keep your project safe for your family, your pets and your neighbors. This can make a huge difference if you are living in your home during construction. Dust and construction debris needs to be controlled daily to reduce the negative effect on the rest of your home. Ask any of our former clients. They will tell you that they had no idea how important this aspect of our work was before construction, but it is one of the first things they reference when talking about the experience after the fact.

SAFETY FIRST: All of our site managers are first aid and CPR certified. In addition, they are all EPA Lead Safe Certified. Your Site Manager will take extreme care when working in your home. In addition, Bowers Safety Manager visits your home periodically to ensure your project is as safe as possible.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: When your construction is complete, someone from the Bowers team meets with you to walk the project and address any questions that you may have. Bowers is not done until every aspect of your project meets our standards and yours. This focus on the customer is why Bowers tied for first place, nationally, for the highest level of customer satisfaction in the remodeling industry as determined via customer surveys conducted by Professional Builder magazine.

POST CONSTRUCTION CLEAN AND ORGANIZATION HELP: After construction, Bowers professionally cleans your home. Additionally, resources are available to help you move furniture and hang window treatments and art work. All of this is intended to help you start to enjoy your new space as soon as possible.

WARRANTY: After construction, Bowers offers you a full two year “bumper to bumper” warranty on ALL work conducted and five years on any structural features. Our construction standards will meet or exceed all quality guidelines as outlined in the National Association of Homebuilders Construction Performance Guidelines. A copy of this booklet will be provided to each client. However, long after our warranty coverage is over, we are always there for you for any home services need. We are just a phone call away!

Note: Some builders have introduced longer term warranties. Be careful to read their warranty data carefully. We have found most of their warranties to be so tightly worded that in effect, very little of a project is covered.

ORGANIZATION: At the end of the project, we will give you a “How To Maintain Your Home” binder, complete with all your product selections, paint colors, home maintenance guide and product instruction booklets. This reference book is an invaluable tool as you maintain your home in the future.

CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR LIFE: As a value added element, all Bowers’ clients have our commitment to service for life, even if it’s not associated with the work we did on your home. We will help any client with handy man work or other projects on their home for life. Our past clients tell us that our lifetime support is very comforting. When you have any house related need at all, we are there to support you. And, former Bowers clients enjoy discounted handy man rates.

INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP: We are not only members of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, but we have been on the Board of Directors at the local and national level. We are always raising the bar for our industry and encouraging other companies to follow in our footsteps.

NATIONAL AWARD WINNER: Our list of local and national awards for excellence in design and construction are voluminous. To see a complete list, go to our Awards/Media page.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: We believe strongly in supporting the local communities and the schools where we work. We donate more than 200 volunteer hours and make financial contributions annually to charities that are important to us and our clients. A special focus for us is to reduce homelessness in the DC area.

EMPLOYEE DEDICATION: Our employees are passionate about creating delighted customers. They go out of their way to make sure every unique client has the dedicated attention they need. Working with great clients is just one of the reasons Bowers has been named consistently as one of the Top 100 companies to work for in our industry. We attract and retain the industry’s best so that you benefit from their expertise.

Last but not least, we are the best because we have a passion to be the best. We specialize in home renovations and care deeply about our reputation. Therefore, our whole team does whatever it takes to create delighted clients. That’s why our bank recently featured us in their industry magazine as one of the best run small businesses in any industry. We may have received all the top awards and recognition for excellence in design, construction and management; but the true measure of our success is creating satisfied customers for life.

* We do our best to help you envision all the different aspects of your project in advance of construction. However, whenever a client wants to make changes once construction has started, we do our best to accommodate those changes. Our construction management experts can assess the requested changes and make recommendations for achieving your goals in the most effective manner, often within the scope of the contract price. If additional costs are incurred due to changes you decide to make, we make sure you know the costs before we make the changes, giving you an opportunity to weigh the cost benefits of your choices. Again, you have our promise: No surprises!