T. Michael & Anita D., Breckenridge, CO

After 40 years living in the swamps and deserts of the world, we decided we wanted to build our dream home in the mountains of Colorado. After narrowing our choice down to Summit County, we looked for a builder that would work with us from "concept to completion," work on a fee basis wherein the objectives of builder and owner were aligned, help us during site selection, due diligence soil testing and constructability evaluation, and help us with architect selection.

After some investigation and looking at homes in the 2006 Summit County Parade of Homes, our selection was pretty easy: David Koons of Kodiak Enterprises--professionally educated in building construction, 2006 Summit County Builder of the Year, prize winning participant in the 2006 and prior Parades, and builder of fine homes that reflected our desires for a home that was rustic yet elegant.

Since we were not local residents, we wondered how much time we needed to spend on site during the construction. We asked ourselves "would we buy a speculative home from this guy?" We said that answer was an obvious "yes," and that made the last two years of the custom home process a joy rather than a chore.

In the end, we got all we asked for and more. The house was built virtually without flaws, on time and within budget. On top of the building competence, David frequently made artistic suggestions that improved the final appearance. There were a few issues where we would have accepted the quality of materials or workmanship where David would not. David builds a home like he is going to live in it himself. The result was an elegant, energy efficient, sturdy home that is the answer to our dreams.