“Little did we ever think we would find ourselves writing a love letter to a professional home builder. But as we become more and more acquainted with the beautiful space that you have created for us, the feelings of awe, appreciation, gratitude, warmth and joy do seem very akin to those of sharing one’s heart with someone very special.
You are indeed a special man who invests his work with his outstanding values. Everywhere we look, we see your integrity, love of perfection, creativity and playfulness. Your inventiveness and resourcefulness, and I might add, your generosity, gave us much more house than we paid for. You stayed within our budget, gave us no surprises, got the job done well ahead of time and provided us with a beautiful home that is an expression of our own taste and values. When we shook hands with you at the start , we did not count on it including coming home to made beds and hung pictures. Then there is all that you have done to help us since that is so beyond the call of duty.
As you know, we have renovated several homes in the past and have always felt compelled to closely supervise those jobs. But, after seeing the quality of the workmanship in your two Woodstock houses, after meeting your family and getting to know you for your honesty, perfectionism and work ethic, we felt totally confident to leave the job in your capable hands while we wintered in Florida.
Friends who have seen the before and after of our home have been—and I do not exaggerate—flabbergasted. Words like amazing, mind-boggling transformation, stunning have been used to express what we and everyone keep asking: how can this be the same house? We like to brag about the clever ways we saved money—fancying up the stock windows, beams and old kitchen cabinets with the famous Ambrose trim magic. Butcher block counter tops and farmer’s sink at a fraction of the normal cost. It is a special tribute to you that your work runs the gamut from high style to the modest magazine-cover feel of our lovely, sunny cottage.
Clearly, Chris, as you create such stunning environments for your clients, you are following your own bliss. So may we wish you much success and more bliss as you brighten the lives of other lucky people with your personal being and your professional gifts.
The only sad thing is that with the work completed, we will not get to see you as often, but we trust that we are at the beginning of a long friendship with you and your family.”
— Shoshanna & Joanne, Barnard, Vermont
“Chris and Brigitte,
This is a thank you letter for making our homebuilding experience exceptional. We were extremely hesitant about building our retirement home while living out of state, but our fears were unfounded. You and Brigitte and the crew inspired our confidence from the start and made the entire build stress-free.
If you remember, we came to you after six months with another builder that ended up fruitless and frustrating. By our first in-person meeting, Brigitte had drafts and floor plans reflecting our vision that far surpassed our months with a (very expensive) architect. By our second meeting, we were confident and ready to proceed with the build, COVID economy be damned!
Jim and the build crew are craftsmen of the highest order, and we looked forward to seeing them every site visit. Subs Matt, Alan and Tom were exceptional as well. Well done putting together such an exceptional group of tradesmen.
The house was finished months early, and on budget. We moved in, our small punch list was done immediately, and there is not one single thing we would change about the house… .your attention to detail and to our design vision are notable.
Thank you again for making our modern farmhouse a reality! Please consider us as a reference of the highest order and we will be glad to share our experience and open our home to any future clients.”
— Charlie & Susan, Hartland, Vermont
“We have been vacationing in Woodstock Vermont for many years, enjoying all that Woodstock has to offer all year-round and especially during the holidays. We love the area so much that in 2010 we started to look for a home to spend vacations with our teenage boys, as well as for our future retirement. After looking at new and older homes as well as condos for well over a year, our realtor introduced us to Chris Ambrose. We spent a full day with him looking at property, reviewing his portfolio of work and actually touring one of the homes he recently built. After one day, we were smitten with his sense of style, gracious manner, willingness to work within our budget and his overall professionalism. We knew right away that Chris and his design partner and wife, Brigitte were the right collaborators for us and that we could build our Vermont custom home with plenty of character and space to enjoy now and grow into- to support our future needs.
Chris worked diligently to clear the land and develop a site plan and design to support our desires. We made some last minute changes that included a two car garage right before we broke ground and Chris and Brigitte moved swiftly and succinctly to accommodate this change and redevelop our overall plan. The end result, a gorgeous 2300 square foot home, leveraging energy star and green home standards, high efficiency systems, reclaimed material and multiple architectural details. Chris and his team were recently featured as the cover story for Vermont Builder/Architect magazine with our home on the front cover.
We are so pleased with our lovely Vermont Greek Revival Farmhouse and can’t wait to come home to enjoy it every time we walk through our front door. Chris was a real pleasure to work with and a total professional in every way. As anyone who has ever built a house understands, it is a lot of work and a painstaking process. We worked in close collaboration on every detail of the home and it became a labor of love guided by Chris and his team. We found that Chris cared as much about getting things as perfect as possible as we did! Chris’s experience, tremendous eye for aesthetics and follow through skills with our joint ideas was exemplary. He is technically savvy, a tremendous communicator and has terrific taste and capability in all that he implements. His strong interpersonal and excellent written communication skills make him a professional worth waiting for and working with. We highly recommend Ambrose Custom Builders. You will be so pleased with ACB’s unique approaches and visual appeal. Thank you to Chris and Brigitte for building our dream home!”
— Peg & Ted, Woodstock, Vermont
“Words alone cannot express our satisfaction regarding our experience with Ambrose Custom Builders and we would recommend them without hesitation. From initial concept, design and construction, through final details and finishing touches, Chris and Brigitte exceeded our expectations time and time again, all the while keeping a keen eye on quality and budget. It is evident in the way they conduct themselves that they are not only consummately talented, but they truly love what they do for a living. We are proud to say we have an Ambrose custom home. We are even prouder to call them friends.”
— Marissa & Scott, Barnard, Vermont
“Chris, we are extraordinarily pleased with the home you and Brigitte built for us. Our experience working with you as a builder has been outstanding in every respect. We could not be more pleased with the results of your efforts on our behalf and the warm friendship we have developed as a consequence. Every day, literally, Jen and I say to each other how much we love the house and all of its incredible features from the architecture and construction to the eight foot high doors and super insulation that won us a great energy star rating and the promise of very low heating costs.
We were particularly impressed with the way you completed the tasks for which funds were escrowed when we closed on the property in February. You finished each of those tasks on schedule and within budget, and never sacrificed quality of materials or workmanship. We greatly appreciate your help finding timely and inexpensive ways for us to do the finishing woodwork Hugh could not do after fracturing his arm.
We are indebted to you for your impeccable tastes and guidance in selecting paint colors, fixture styles, finishes and all the small but important touches that made the ordinary special. Your attention to all of those details contributed to the impressive look of the New England home we now treasure.
Please use this letter in any way that may help other people engage Ambrose Custom Builders, Inc. as their builder; you have our highest recommendations.”
— Hugh & Jennifer, Woodstock, Vermont
“Chris, Brigitte and their team were so outstanding and amazing. Their excellence in every possible category – professional, knowledgeable, wonderful aesthetic, craftsmanship–so far exceeded what we had hoped for, time tracking, cost tracking, impossibly on time and on budget. We had a vision – but what they came up with and created was so far beyond what we’d hoped and dreamed – every single day we remark on the comfort and satisfaction of our dreamy hideaway.
We initially had some concern about being at a distance during much of the construction, but there was absolutely never a problem. We ended up having 100% confidence and trust in Chris and his truly outstanding team. Many of our neighbors commented on the punctuality and consistency of the team’s work. Chris seemed to know and had figured out exactly how we wanted the house to turn out, his vision and wonderful taste expanded and informed our ideas, we soon had total trust in Chris and his team to make decisions and figure things out, and he was constantly in contact with us about any details or questions that arose. The amount of incredibly granular detail that he carried in his head was astonishing, even as we know he had multiple other projects going on simultaneously, we always felt he was giving us 100% of his attention and we were constantly astonished by his focus.
The craftsmanship was outstanding, every single thing was built with such care and attention to detail and the quality is superb. Again, lots of communication with the team about the details, and they made tons of recommendations and suggestions to constantly improve the ultimate look and feel of the place.
We’ve done renovations of other homes in the past, and had actually had wonderful luck and results and felt that the work had been excellent, but the level of professionalism and commitment from Chris and Brigitte and the Ambrose team was heads above – they are simply outstanding. It is impossible to express our joy and gratitude to them all.”
— Jody & Paul, Barnard, Vermont
“My husband and I purchased a small house to use as a rental, thinking we would slap some paint on it and fix a few things. Well, when we got in there it needed a lot of work. Chris came to give us an estimate, and we immediately liked what he was about. He spent time with us going through what he thought was important to fix and he never pushed his views, just made the suggestions. Nothing with Chris was ever a mystery, he always gave us a read out of what things were going to cost.
He kept in touch with us throughout the project (since we lived out of state). Sent us pictures to see the progress. Every detail was taken care of. My husband and I couldn’t have been happier to see the end result.
We have never worked with anyone quite like Chris. Honest, professional, and fair all of the time. And now a friend. ”
— Chris & Debbie, Barnard, Vermont
“It is with great pleasure that we highly recommend Ambrose Custom Builders. Chris and Brigitte are an amazing team and the kind of professionals we needed to bring our dream home to life.
Totally new to the process of building a new home, we could not have imagined a better experience and outcome. We were so impressed with Bridget’s ability to listen to our wish list and, with little to no modifications, design the functional open floor plan with the “New England” look we wanted.
Chris’ work exceeded our expectations in every way. Not only for his attention to detail and quality craftsmanship, but his willingness to work closely with us every step of the way, even though we were in Maryland. He made our long-distance build very easy with his frequent calls, emails, weekly photos and timely responses to all our questions. He is a consummate professional with a home building process rooted in a precise schedule with planned milestones along the way. Chris’s enthusiasm, knowledge, support and advice (willingly given and always accepted) made the building process an adventure rather than a stress or a worry. He was always there when we needed him.
While our home was being built, we visited off and on and had the opportunity to meet Chris’s crew – the excavators, carpenters, plumbers, roofers, electricians and painters. Not only did they all provide high quality work and craftmanship, they were always professional, courteous, friendly and willing to answer our many questions.
We are settled now in Vermont – our dream for many years. Without a doubt, every day we share our love for our incredible new home – its design, character and quality. We attribute this fully to Chris and Bridget.
