It was very important to us to find a builder we felt comfortable with. I tend to do a lot of research before making any purchase, as building a house may be one of the biggest projects/purchases we ever make, we took a few steps to find the best fit for us. We interviewed 6 different builders with Bay Lakes being our last meeting. We wished to build a more modest home. A number of other builders left us feeling that we were not worth their time in comparison to the higher cost projects they have. Dawn and Paul asked us questions that the 5 other builders did not which supported that they listened to our needs and took us seriously. They spent an hour and a half with us on the first meeting, in comparison to others who spent 15-20 minutes.

Additional Comments

Additional Comments - We love our house and we would definitely recommend Bay Lakes if you are building in the area.

this is the second time with Bay Lakes and the quality is spot on, The allowances are also better than most

Employees & Subcontractors

Employees & Subcontractors - everyone was great to work with from the employees at Bay Lakes to the electrician, plumber, and all of the subs

Areas Of Satisfaction

Areas Of Satisfaction - Paul Soletski went over and above in helping me secure my lo t and in the redesigning of my master bathroom, Dawn Soletski is knowledgeable and fun when selecting designs, and Ryan Soletski is precise and accurate in all of the budget processes!

Areas Of Satisfaction

Areas Of Satisfaction - They did a very good job communicating.

Recognized Excellence

Recognized Excellence - All of Bay Lakes employees/professionals provided good service.

Areas Of Satisfaction

Areas Of Satisfaction - They were kind and very professional. I am convinced that, with their many years' experience in this locality and in this market, Bay Lakes Builders was the right builder for me.

We built a house with Bay Lakes 20 years ago and had a great experience so we went back to them to build our next home. Our recent experience was even better. It was a smooth process that was fun. The staff is all good people who enjoy their job and want your home building experience to be a positive. My wife really enjoyed working with Dawn who is an exceptional interior designer.

Absolutely! I wouldn't go to anyone else

Communication

Communication - Everyone who works at Bay Lakes or works for them responded right away either by phone, text, or email.

Problem Resolution

Problem Resolution - Bay Lakes was on top of any question or concern we had and they talked us through it so we understood. Even offered suggestions they thought would be a good fit for us and our family

Sales Knowledge

Sales Knowledge - They are professionals and know what they are talking about which made trusting them very easy

Areas Of Satisfaction

Areas Of Satisfaction - Building a beautiful home and coming in below contract. Never thought that would happen

Additional Comments

Additional Comments - I would give them 10 stars if I could! Building our first home couldn't have gone any better or any easier. EVERYONE was beyond helpful and professional. Paul, Dawn, Ryan and Mike are great to work with. Always happy to see or hear from you

Yes, we wouldn’t hesitate recommending Bay Lakes Builders, in fact we already have.

Communication

Communication - Absolutely and in a very timely fashion.

Condition of Home

Condition of Home - Yes and when we did the walk through Dan was even more meticulous about details than even we were.

Quality Of Workmanship

Quality Of Workmanship - We were very much satisfied with the quality of workmanship.

Problem Resolution

Problem Resolution - When we wanted the fireplace hearth raised, Dan kept his cool and initiated contacting all the subs involved and had it done within days.

Professional & Organized

Professional & Organized - Very much so!

Punchlist

Punchlist - We wanted to use materials from our old cottage and they made it happen. We told them that we wanted to put a bell tower on the garage and they took care of making sure the garage was structurally strong enough to support it.

Likes & Dislikes

Likes & Dislikes - We like the layout, the interior and exterior finishes, and that the bonus room allows us to use it in multiple ways now and in the future.

Recognized Excellence

Recognized Excellence - Ryan was extremely helpful with keeping us informed on cost issues and Dan went over the top meeting all of our requests. Dawn also was very helpful with design ideas. Paul gave us good input in the planning process.

Areas Of Satisfaction

Areas Of Satisfaction - They finished our project on time in spite of brutal weather conditions for three plus weeks.

Recognized Excellence

Recognized Excellence - Mike was on top of things ;Ryan kept the books straight , Dawn was always available for decorating ideas,Dan always made himself available for Questions and helped when needed. Paul knew his trade and was well versed in all aspects of the construction from the choice of products to the actual building process!

The process was smooth. Everything was high quality. I was very happy with the quality of workmanship and professionalism.

Likes & Dislikes

Likes & Dislikes - The quality is excellent. The woodwork and trim are spot on. The builders delivered on everything in a timely manner including the septic work. The appliances were excellent, and everyone was professional. All around it was a great experience.

Areas Of Satisfaction

Areas Of Satisfaction - They exceeded my expectations in how fast the process was, and how little work I had to do on my end. They also exceeded my expectations in the quality.

This is my first time ever building the house and I thought it would be hard but this was a smooth process. The only hiccups were because of the weather.

Areas Of Satisfaction

Areas Of Satisfaction - I was most satisfied with the design process, it was really good. I also liked how the staff resolves the issues appropriately and timely.

We already have, to a several friends and co-workers

Professional & Organized

Professional & Organized - we built a home before, with a different builder. This experience was COMPLETELY different. Paul and co. are very detailed. Compared to our first build, we had no fears of surprises.

Construction Quality

Construction Quality - The crews were very detailed and did a great job. One example I can give - when the house was being framed, I noticed that there were small gaps between the sheathing, where the brackets were attached. You could see a little sliver of light between them. I asked if those could be filled before insulation, to cut down on air infiltration. There was no complaining or telling me that it wasn't necessary - they just did it. Dan (the site manager) actually noticed a tiny dent in the door of the dishwasher that we didn't see, and called Van Vreedes to have it replaced.

Easier Than Expected

Easier Than Expected - I mentioned it in an earlier question, but compared to the first time we built, this was much easier and less stressful. Building a home is a huge project and there will always be a couple issues that come up, but this went as smoothly as I could imagine possible.

Areas Of Satisfaction

Areas Of Satisfaction - From our first meeting, I was impressed with Paul's level of detail. I'm extremely detailed, and he was bringing up things I hadn't thought of. We had met with other builders prior to our initial meeting with Bay Lakes Builders, and the difference was apparent right away - very professional, very detailed, very organized.

Areas Of Satisfaction

Areas Of Satisfaction - I was very satisfied with the quality of construction and workmanship from Bay Lakes and their subcontractors. They also stayed on schedule throughout the process.

Bay Lakes Builders created us a beautiful, well built home just as we had envisioned.

Areas Of Satisfaction

Areas Of Satisfaction - The suggestions and input from the staff throughout the process was very helpful.

Additional Comments

Additional Comments - Now that we are settled into our new home, we are very pleased with how everything has come together and appreciate all the work and coordination that goes into building a home. Thank you Bay Lakes.

Yes. Very satisfied. If I could suggest an area of improvement it would be holding all trade people accountable for cleaning up after themselves {treat the home like it was their own}.As for Bay Lakes Builders, we chose them to build our home because of their creative designs and floor plans. They do not promote 'cookie cutter' homes. They are truly custom designed homes, built to what the customer wants. I appreciate Paul's energy and enthusiasm before and during the entire process. We truly felt like he was designing our house with our wants and needs in mind, but at the same time adding/suggesting some unique and interesting concepts in our plan, which we did incorporate.

Communication

Communication - Mike, Dan, Ryan, Paul were all very responsive. Questions were answered quickly. I appreciate the extra time taken to further explain issues/items that I had no prior knowledge about in the building process, to at least get me an understanding of various steps in the building process.

A wonderful experience from start to finish!

Areas Of Satisfaction

Areas Of Satisfaction - The build process went very smoothly and quickly. The selection process was painless as well. Bay Lakes was very willing to price out options and help us to meet our budget.

The team at Bay Lakes compliments each other nicely. They have Paul's insight on the home design and functionality side coupled with Dawn's interior design and aesthetic selections is awesome. But then they add Ryan, the financial guy, who works on the budget and keeps things realistic by being upfront in the beginning stages on whether you can keep things close to budget or not based on what you want your house to be. Dan, the project manager keeps things moving and on task and is quick to follow up. Every subcontractor we worked with was great!

If you're in the market for a quality home I'm not sure why you would use any other builder.

Professional & Organized

Professional & Organized - Paul is very good at conceptualizing and Ryan, Dan and Dawn accurately converted the concept into reality. Several of the subcontractors indicated the level of organization and competence exhibited by Bay Lakes was unequaled by any other contractor.

Schedule

Schedule - The house was finished on the exact day that Dan predicted and came in on budget.

Budget

Budget - They are very cognizant of costs. The initial proposal allowed for quality materials throughout. When we exceeded the budget because we wanted upgrades such as the heat pump, air exchanger or tankless water heater, Ryan immediately indicated the exact price for the upgrades.

Construction Quality

Construction Quality - We are way beyond satisfied. We have a home of exceptional quality. The Focus On Energy blower test indicated that our home exceeded their standards by 69%.

Communication

Communication - Paul, Dawn, Ryan & Dan were all immediately available via phone or text.

Problem Resolution

Problem Resolution - They actually found problems we didn't notice. Dan spotted a minor problem with the granite and had it repaired before we noticed it. Dawn noticed a color matching problem between the woodwork and the cupboards and they called in a crew over the weekend to fix it at no cost to us. During the initial basement work Paul wasn't happy with the depth of the basement so he stopped all work until it could be resolved. It turned out that the lot had more drop on the west end than was originally thought & the basement was correctly poured but it's indicative of their commitment to getting things right.

Selections Process

Selections Process - We're not particularly good at color coordination but Dawn assisted us with the selections and always knew the relative costs of the options. We're extremely happy with the final result and certainly couldn't have come close to this look without Dawn.

Likely To Recommend

Likely To Recommend - We have in fact recommended Bay Lakes as an obvious choice to three of our friends who are thinking about building. If you're in the market for a quality home I'm not sure why you would use any other builder.

Easier Than Expected

Easier Than Expected - We had absolutely no inclination to build a home but couldn't find one that suited our needs. The process was actually easy and to our surprise fun, and came in on time and on budget.

I would recommend Bay Lakes Builders. They were easy to work with, professional, and do quality work. When searching for a builder to build our home, we interviewed other builders, but got the best vibe from Bay Lakes. They pride themselves in treating their customers like family-it did not go unnoticed.

Areas Of Satisfaction

Areas Of Satisfaction - It was easy to make our selection choices. Dawn helped out in that department tremendously. Ryan is extremely articulate and detail oriented when it came to budgetary matters. Paul is a heck of a sales guy, and Dan was able to stick to our time table.

Bay Lakes Builders treated us as friends from day one and not just another customer. We would highly recommend them.

This is third house we built with three different builders. Bay Lakes overall was best we have worked with. Dan the project manager is excellent to work with and always took care of issues we pointed out during the building process. He kept the sub contractor crews on schedule and there was not more than a few days during the 4.25 month build that there was not a contractor on site unlike our past houses where we had a week or two at a time waiting for contractors to do their part of the job. All subs were a pleasure to work with and do quality work. Building new is expensive and I feel Bay Lakes is not cheap or high cost for the quality, but probably middle to upper middle end of the cost to value spectrum.

Areas Of Satisfaction

Areas Of Satisfaction - Having Dawn available to help with picking out all of our items was a great help. Working with everyone when it came to questions was good also.

Additional Comments

Additional Comments - I really enjoyed working with Paul, Dawn, Ryan and Dan. They seemed to really be good people. Everyone that builds a home is going to run into some sort of issue and they did a good job of jumping in and handling issues as they came up.

10 stars! Highly rated! Fabulous experience building with this team of experts from Bay Lake Builders!We were most satisfied with the level of communication and the immediate response to any question. Paul and his team are equipped with an experience base that is outstanding and required to custom design a home. Every sub is an expert and they performed meticulous, perfect work and in a professional manner!

Areas Of Satisfaction

Areas Of Satisfaction - We were most satisfied with the level of communication and the immediate response to any question or concern with Bay Lakes Builders. Paul and his team are equipped with an experience base that is outstanding and required to custom design a home. Every sub is an expert and they performed meticulous, perfect work and in a professional manner! The woodwork, siding and stonework are fabulous. Sue worked with us choosing plumbing fixtures and she is also extremely efficient and helpful. The cement work is excellent. The finish carpenter is a master in his craft. The tile and cabinet work is also very well done. His wife, Dawn also assisted with color, floor and tile choices which can be very overwhelming. She really understands design and how it works together and she is able to communicate it as well. Ryan responds immediately and is very accurate and efficient while managing the project on paper. Dan is on the job and always available and helpful. Bay Lake Builders also tolerates a great deal of changes on our part. They are very patient and understanding while working with a family designing a home. We are extremely satisfied on every level. We highly recommend Bay Lake Builders!

Areas Of Satisfaction

Areas Of Satisfaction - Our overall experience was phenomenal! We had many trepidation's going in but we felt like part of the Bay Lakes family by the time we were done. Great company and people to build with!