Testimonials
Whether it is one of our Custom Homes or a Home Remodeling project, our customers are always happy with the end result. View some testimonials from past Houston, Texas clients below:
David Sharp always said he’d live in a refrigerator box under a freeway before he’d build a house. He was only half joking, too. Then came Hurricane Harvey, and David and his wife had 12 feet of water in their home. They moved into a rental house and discovered they really liked the new neighborhood.
“We liked the country club, got along with our neighbors, and loved how centrally located it was,” he said. Across the street was a lot owned by Jack Knowlton of Envision Design Build, and David decided it was time to do the one thing he’d always said he wouldn’t — build a home. He was disappointed when he met Jack and realized how much he liked him. “I always said I’d end up hating any contractor I worked with,” David said. “But he seemed like such a nice guy.” He started with a blank sheet of paper. “I told him basically what we wanted,” David said. “With his help and advice, we tweaked and tweaked and tweaked the design. We started building and made lots of changes along the way. I can’t tell you how many times we changed our minds about a detail. Jack was unruffled, each time.”
One thing that struck David right away was that Jack lived in the neighborhood, too. “You have to be a good builder to live where you build,” he said. “We rented a place two doors down and I watched our home go up. The subcontractors he hired were all topnotch, and it was easy to see the respect they had for Jack, his project manager, Garrett Shaw, and the work they do together.”
“We’ve been in our home for two years now and I can tellyou there’s not a wall out of plumb,” David said. “There’s no other house like it in Houston. They built me custom shelves and gun racks and covered the office floor with longhorn steer hide. It’s 100-percent ADA compliant, so we can age in place. They installed an elevator and whole-house generator and even built us safe rooms. I can’t believe what a great experience it was, and the contractor I assumed I’d despise I now consider a friend.”
David Sharp
Suzi Colbert ran across Jack and Garrett when they were remodeling a home in her neighborhood. “I was really impressed with their work,” she said. “I liked the pride Jack took in the job he was doing and his attention to detail.” She was so impressed, in fact, that when she decided to build, Jack was the only person she called.
“The entire experience has been positive,” Suzi said. “Jack was great to work with and very patient. He made a lot of recommendations and suggestions and knew all the right questions to ask to help me consider what would work best for me. He really took the time to talk with me. We bounced ideas back and forth and he was so patient. I’ve had previous experience with builders but never one who took so much time to help me make decisions.”
Suzi found Garrett responsive to every little question or concern she had. “He’s kind and truly a pleasure to work with,” she said. “I’m a detail-oriented person. So, I asked questions about any and everything they did, and he was always happy to walk me through it. I’d certainly recommend Envision Design Build to anyone looking for a truly custom home that’s also extremely well-built.”
Suzi Colbert
“I have used Envision Design Build for four major projects over the last 14 years. These include major repairs after Hurricane Ike in 2008, remodel of four bathrooms in 2013, total kitchen remodel in 2014, and complete rebuild of ground floor interior after Hurricane Harvey flooding. Jack Knowlton, with his small professional crew and seasoned subcontractors, has never failed to do high-quality work with excellent communication throughout the project. Jack and his superintendents had the experience to understand our needs and offer options for getting the most satisfactory results. I highly recommend them for any project from a bathroom remodel to a complete new home.”
Dick Swan
“We were flooded from Hurricane Harvey. When we finally had some ideas on what we wanted to do, we thought of Jack. His daughter and ours were good friends growing up. Jack was patient and easy to work with during design as we fleshed out our thoughts for repairs, remodel, and additions (downstairs wing with laundry room, powder room, and Master Suite; expansion of the garage from 2 cars to 4 cars; and a lovely tiled covered porch in back). Armed with a complete design, we engaged Envision to perform all of the permitting and construction. Garrett was invaluable to the success of the effort. He used qualified subcontractors and craftsmen. He coordinated them efficiently such that there was always forward progress and no back steps. Jack and Garrett guided us to quality suppliers. Jackie enjoyed working with Garrett when choosing the various flooring, paint colors, hardware, and plumbing fittings. Both Jack and Garrett were easy to work with on details large and small.
Whether new-build or renovations to an existing house we highly recommend Envision Design Build with Jack and Garrett.”
David and Jackie Bergquist
“The process of building a custom house is filled with numerous decisions, challenges, and questions. Jack and Garrett have done an excellent job making that process as smooth as possible. Their insight, perspective, and initiative have helped our project continue to move forward, and if we have questions, Jack and Garrett are always available to discuss those items with us to address our concerns and keep the project on track. I would recommend Envision to anyone in the Houston-area that is looking to build or remodel.”
Justin and Amanda Scott
We have worked with Jack and the Envision team twice and both were full remodels. What we appreciate the most about them is the way they helped us to build what we wanted in the most cost-effective way. This applied not only during the planning process but also when the inevitable curve ball is thrown by an older home. From design to construction, we trust Envision to deliver, and they are batting a thousand.
Katherine and David
“A colleague of mine who had just built his vacation home referred me to Jack. From our first meeting with Jack, my wife and I knew he was very detailed oriented. He wanted to meet my wife and visit our lot so he could better understand the best way to position the house and make most use of the space.
We were choosing between a designer that had done many homes in West University and between Jack, who hadn’t done a West U home in many years. We had a fair amount of hesitation as this was our first custom home and we wanted to work with someone who had “done” West U before. However, we decided to go with Jack because he cared more and he would be patient enough to hear our views on what we wanted in our house rather than just designing what he wanted or what he thought was best. The process was completely collaborative and that made it fun.
Jack’s experience designing and building helped immensely when we were deciding between a few options and different building materials. Jack is unlike many designers don’t spend time in the field so they don’t have a good pulse on what products are available and what building materials are most suitable. Jack and I spent many hours on the plans and one of the most helpful things about working with him was the 3D and other tools he has to provide the client with a good feel of the house before it is built. His programs and experience ensured rooms, windows, built ins, cabinets, etc were “right-sized” to avoid costly change orders and time delays because of changes that were made in the field. Jack is a big proponent of measure twice cut once.
Some other things that helped were that Jack worked around my schedule. He was always affable, committed to working hard and extremely patient in listening to the client. He knew that we were trying to move fast so he turned things around quickly. He also knew we were extremely sensitive to my concern around his West University experience. So he met with the head of West University planning twice and had numerous clarification calls to make sure everything was right. I don’t know anyone who got their plans through permitting on their first shot. But due to Jack’s preparation (he read through the whole dizzying West University book of codes and regulations), we had only to make some super minor corrections to our plans which Jack turned around in 1 day.
Even our builder as well as other builders and people in the business remark on how “clean” our plans look – they are easy to follow and read. We have had builders who have long ties to other designers ask for Jack’s number based on the work he did for us.
He is very passionate about what he does and enjoys people. I enjoy calling him a couple times per month to check in and see how he is doing. He likes to hear how our construction is coming along and see pictures.
We wish you the best in your design/build process but we would highly recommend you consult and hopefully hire Jack to make sure your process goes as smooth as possible”
Ryan and Avril
Jack Knowlton and his team at Envision Design remodeled our home and transformed it from an outdated, inefficient, uninviting house into a spacious, better-than-new dream home with all of the modern amenities. Jack is truly exceptional at what he does. We would highly recommend him to anyone interested in building or remodeling a home.
Jack’s attention to detail is second to none and he takes great pride in his work. Because of Jack’s creativity, we have all of the conveniences of new construction, including light and open living spaces, large closets, and beautiful bathrooms, with the charm of a 1950s home.
Even more impressive than the quality of Jack’s work, though, is the quality of his character. From our first meeting with Jack, he was completely open and honest with us. Jack helped us make the best decisions to get the most out of every dollar and treated us fairly during the entire remodel process. He never took shortcuts and did not view change orders as a way to boost his profits. Jack delivered on every promise he made throughout the remodeling process and consistently went above and beyond to make sure that we were happy. He was available and responsive and truly made us feel like our’s was the most important job he had ever worked on, even though he was working on a much larger job at the same time.
The design skills and building expertise that Jack and Envision Design offer are unsurpassable, but the primary reason that I am honored to recommend Jack is his honesty, integrity, and fairness. If you have any questions or would like any additional information about our experience with Jack or Envision Design, please feel free to contact us at (713) 409-6053.”
Nick and Jen Deutsch
I have known Jack Knowlton of Envision Design for over 3 years. When it comes to designing a new home or doing a remodel there is simply no one else I would ever consider.
My home in Spring Valley, Texas is beautiful, unique in design and is simply the most desirable home in the neighborhood. Jack designed and managed the construction of another home for my family in Sunset Cove on West Galveston Island and this house is a design right out of the old south. Our new home is the type of southern architecture and charm that belongs on the cover of Southern Living.
Jack is an exceptional listener and a master of creativity. He will turn your “Dream House” into reality. Jack’s work ethic and high morals are another reason we will never use another Designer/Builder. Jack has a keen eye for detail and will never accept anything less than perfection. Jack creates and remodels homes because of his love of fine architecture and design.
I would welcome any inquiries on Jack or his company, Envision Design. I promise you will not be disappointed with a new home or remodel.”
Michael E. Brennan