Here’s what our clients and trade partners are saying.
We hired John Shaffer Custom Homes to build our dream home with high expectations and he well exceeded them. We chose to hire John early in the process – before we had even purchased the land or hired an architect – and would highly recommend this method to others.
He guided us every step of the way, and we always felt he had our family’s interests as his guidepost in everything he did on our behalf. He was adept at both handling the ‘intangible’ goals that we had with the project, as well as the more detailed budget, quality and functional goals we had. He helped hire and manage our architect, identify a construction lender who trusted his work, navigate all town approvals while pushing the boundary on what was possible, and we executed the project without a designer, all because of John’s holistic approach to building a home not a house.
During the build process, John collaborated in real time with us, inviting us to review steps as often as we wanted, and making real-time adjustments (e.g. moving doors and windows as well as adding custom shelving / drawers) to ensure every aspect of the home would be perfect. John has a high bar for any subcontractor or vendor he works with, and has earned trust with them, which made it easy to know we were getting the best service and selections across the board – and this has continued after moving into the home.
We can think of numerous examples throughout the project where John approached us with an upgrade option with a balanced view of the pros and cons and we found that we almost always went with his recommendation but felt we were empowered to have the full decision context. From a budget standpoint, this $1M+ project came in under budget (except for items where we explicitly decided on an upgrade) and with a mortgage appraisal above what we spent – thus allowing us to enjoy the home with no additional financial stress.
We are very detail oriented and John kept an online folder with every single invoice that went into the project (incl the $5 hardware store receipts!) as well as an updated line-item budget that we could always review. He was also never shy about proposing items that could be done after construction, even when that meant a reduction in his general management fees. In summary, we feel that if your family is fortunate like ours to be able to invest in a custom home project, you won’t find a better partner than John Shaffer Custom Homes.
“My wife and I were shopping for a new home in Haddonfield, NJ and came across a home that John had worked on in the area. We loved his workmanship so we decided to reach out to John and hire him to help us build our dream home just up the street. John was with us from the very beginning and even helped us shop for land!
In an industry where you are never sure what you are going to get, I can honestly say you can bet on John to do the right thing and treat your money as if it were his. He is the salt of the earth kind of guy; reliable, trustworthy and straightforward.
Building our home was the largest, most expensive project I have ever been a part of, but because of John it was also the easiest project. If you ask anyone who knows me, you will learn that I have extremely high expectations and a very keen attention to detail. I do not settle for mediocrity and I have to commend John on the quality of his work. His expectations are just as high as mine and it’s no surprise he has such happy customers… including me!
During our project, we also worked with a designer for our home and both John and our designer worked extremely well together. John even brought his own design, architecture and construction ideas to the table so we walked away with even better solutions together.
It was a five-star experience and I would recommend John Shaffer Custom Homes to anyone who asked.”
“John Shaffer and Restored Traditions are simply the best. John built us a custom home. The craftsmanship is incredible. He cares about every detail as if he were building the home for his own family. He is honest, punctual and wonderful to work with in every way. Materials used are top quality. Even after settlement, he followed up on our punch list items in a timely and caring way. He truly wants his clients to have a perfect home.
We have had numerous experiences with other builders and contractors and John is head and shoulders above the rest. If you are thinking of working with John, do it. You will never second guess your decision. We rarely take the time to write reviews but given how hard it is to navigate the endless choices in the construction business, we wanted to share our wonderful experience in hopes that we could save others a lot of headaches down the road.”
“As an owner of an interior design firm who has worked with many custom builders, I found the experience working with John Shaffer Custom Homes an absolute pleasure. John was a true professional throughout the entire process. He’s trustworthy and focused on every detail. Ensuring a client’s satisfaction is his proven skill. The custom home we first worked on together turned out gorgeous! Any request made by the client or myself was handled quickly and efficiently. His communication and response time is the best I’ve experienced in the business. A true team player and collaborator which is so important on large projects. I look forward to working on many more projects with him and his team in the future!”
“My wife and I engaged John to build us a home in Medford. We met with many builders and did our due diligence. After initially meeting with John, we thought it too good to be true. He was professional, meticulous and listened to what we wanted. Throughout the construction process, he surpassed our high expectations and we couldn’t have been happier. John was on site every day checking work. He was quick to answer our questions and was available 24/7. My only complaint is that we didn’t find John sooner.”
“John has been one of the most conscientious builders I have had the pleasure of working with. His organized methodology and attention to detail makes him a great asset to a building team. His projects run smoothly and efficiently and he has quality subcontractors who work with him on a regular basis. The homeowner clients enjoy his expertise and knowledge of construction. I feel comfortable with his work and recommend him as a builder of fine custom homes.”
—Thomas B. Wagner,
Architect
“We spoke to several contractors and John was the only one who made us feel the job would be done correctly with integrity and honesty. His price was competitive and truthfully, my husband and I were willing to spend a little more for John’s knowledge, attention to detail and professionalism. John stuck to his detailed proposal in terms of budget, timeline and quality. If we are ever interested in doing another construction project, John Shaffer is the only person we would want to work with.”
—Holly Garber,
Home Owner/Client
“I am a homeowner who worked with John Shaffer on four projects 15 to 20 years go and am still loving each of them. I learned about John through another client, and have likewise referred him to others over the years. I call John an artist who works with wood. That is an oversimplification, for sure. But, clearly John combines aesthetics with solid construction.
For us, John remodeled a kitchen, family room, created an outdoor living space and reconfigured and enlarged windows in our entire upstairs to let in more light. He is a gentleman to work with, very creative, fast and hard-working, clean and trustworthy. His sense of beauty, knowledge of industry tools/trends are superior. Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing the newest home he designed and built, and it is simply breath-taking. I cannot say enough good things about John Shaffer.”
—Valerie Schlitt,
Home Owner/Client
