Remodeling your home is a vulnerable experience that requires immense trust. You’re paying a substantial amount of money for someone to enter your home, demolish your living area, and build something that you hope will turn out as promised.
As a residential remodeling firm, our team at Lamont Bros. knows the many challenges you face throughout the process of remodeling your home. Since our start in 2008, we’ve operated on a set of basic principles that have allowed us to meet the remodeling needs of hundreds of Portland-area homeowners like you. You can read all about our company’s 7 core values below.
Listen well & communicate clearly
When designing a custom home remodel, communication can make or break a project. Many construction contractors have a reputation for being poor communicators. They might not tell you when they encounter an issue you should know about. Or, worse yet, you end up with a surprise bill at the end of the project for work you didn’t ask for.
It’s our goal to never be those guys. When Lamont Bros. remodels a client’s home, the client remains in control of the project. This means that we keep them informed on progress, changes, and issues that arise throughout the project. Neither the scope nor cost of a remodel should change without the homeowner’s explicit permission.
While speaking is a necessary part of communication, the most important part for us is listening. As a remodeler that specializes in custom-designed remodels, this is especially true for the design team at Lamont Bros. It’s our job to provide clients with a remodel that meets their needs. To do this effectively requires our design staff to listen carefully to a client's desires. Once the designers understand the challenges the clients face, then we can help them find viable solutions.
Take care of the team
One of the ways we as a company provide top-notch remodeling services to our clients is by employing top-notch craftsmen and carpenters. The way we do that is by providing a work environment that empowers our team members to do their best work. This is essentially built on the belief that when a company takes great care of its team, the team takes great care of the client.
Some construction companies will run their team ragged to boost their bottom line. The result is almost always a harsh work environment and high employee turnover. At Lamont Bros., we pay our staff above industry-average wages, offer excellent benefits, and promote a company culture of collaboration and excellence. This in turn allows us to hire industry-leading designers and craftsmen to work on our remodeling projects. The end product is a higher quality, more enjoyable remodeling experience for you, the client.
Never stop learning
This core value reflects a growth mindset that we as a company expect our team members to adopt. Regardless of the level of excellence our team achieves, we believe that there is always an opportunity for improvement.
We live in a constantly changing world. New construction techniques, state-of-the-art equipment, and innovative building materials are added to the market every year. As a company that works in a changing industry, Lamont Bros. recognizes the importance of embracing new trends and technologies.
The drive to never stop learning influences how we conduct business at every level. For our leadership team, this means always seeking better ways to operate efficiently and support our clients through the remodeling process. At the carpenter level, it means that we expect our field staff to constantly be learning and improving their craft.
Always do the right thing
While a commitment to ethical business practices might sound like a no-brainer, it’s one that we like to make clear, nonetheless. Construction permitting and regulations establish a bare minimum baseline for good construction practices. However, doing the right thing goes beyond what is “legally required” for a builder to pass inspection.
To us, doing the right thing means holding ourselves accountable to our principles — even when the law doesn’t necessarily require it. Doing the right thing can look different in different situations, but it ultimately is about making decisions that balance each of our core values. How do we maintain our commitment to do whatever it takes while also taking care of the team when the two conflict with one another?
The answer isn’t as simple as we often wish it was. Our approach when making these types of difficult decisions is to choose the solution that we believe is the most ethical — not the most profitable, not the most utilitarian, and certainly not the easiest.
Do whatever it takes
This core value reflects our commitment to the ownership of a remodel project. When you work with our remodel team at Lamont Bros., you won’t find a group of employees who simply do what they’re told and achieves the bare minimum. Instead, the professionals at Lamont Bros. creatively consider all of the options, taking ownership of their work to make your remodel a success.
Part of this principle means continuously asking ourselves, “What does it take to do this job well?” We want to provide every client with a custom remodel that perfectly fits their lifestyle. Since each remodel is different, no two require the same treatment. When we commit to “do whatever it takes,” it means we consider the specific needs of your remodel and make sure those are met.
Now sometimes, the construction industry throws us a curveball. Sometimes, things don’t go expected, be it a shipping delay or subcontractor who doesn’t show up on the job. In situations like these, it can be easy to pass responsibility off to another party and expect them to solve the issue. However, shifting blame doesn’t get your project closer to completion. Stepping up, taking ownership of the project, and solving the problem does. That’s why our team is prepared to go above and beyond what is typically expected of them to ensure you have a great remodeling experience.
It’s also important to recognize that this core value isn’t a blank check that guarantees we’ll solve problems that aren’t our place to solve. We’re happy to serve our clients to the very best of our ability, but we’re still a business that operates on a strict budget. So while we don’t always cover the bill for circumstances beyond our control, we do commit to working with our clients through difficult situations, helping them find affordable solutions that fit their expectations.
Build things that last
As a remodeling firm, it’s important to us that the product we offer satisfies our clients for years to come. For many homeowners, there’s a fear that their contractor may cut corners, which in turn could negatively affect the quality of their remodel. While there are certainly unscrupulous builders out there who do this, That’s not us.
When Lamont Bros. works on a remodel, we give the home the quality of work that we would give our own. This is the place you’re going to live for the foreseeable future, and we want it to serve you well as long as you’re there. This is why we employ top-quality craftsmen and carpenters on each of our build teams. Another way we guarantee our build quality is by offering a three-year warranty on our workmanship and much longer warranties on other aspects of a project.
Our commitment to building things that last goes beyond the work we do on the jobsite. Part of this commitment is to build lasting relationships with our clients, as well. The design-build process works best when we foster trust and rapport between our team and the homeowner. It’s this relationship that results in open communication and ultimately, a remodel that the homeowner loves.
Connect to people with empathy
Every stage of remodeling your home comes with its own set of challenges. While our team goes home at the end of each day, it’s you who has to live in a remodel site day after day until it’s finished.
Many members of our team have been through the remodeling process in their own homes. Having experienced the feelings of vulnerability and anxiety that often come with it, we strive to recognize ways to mitigate these issues and empathize with our clients.
Throughout the remodeling process, you’ll have a dedicated team to work with you, help you make decisions, and advocate for you. When the time comes to begin construction, we’ll take extra precautions to make sure that our remodeling efforts are as least invasive as they can be. It’s one of the six promises we make to our clients: “We’ll respect you and your home.”
It’s important to us that you feel supported and equipped to handle the process of remodeling. While we can’t promise it won’t come with some inconveniences, we do believe that it all becomes worth the work when you finally get to start using your newly remodeled space.
Is Lamont Bros. the right remodeler for your next project?
Do you want to learn more about Lamont Bros. after reading about our core values? Check out more of our website! Here, you can find tons of remodeling resources, including sample project costs, our work portfolio, and tons of useful information on our blog!
If our core values have convinced you that Lamont Bros. is the right fit for your next remodel, we would love to hear from you. Click the button below to schedule a video call with one of our design consultants. We’ll help you get started on your remodel project right away.