Amaris Custom Homes

We hired Raymond Pruban/Amaris Custom Homes to design and build our house in 2019. We were pleased with the design and planning stage as Ray put so much attention into the details and frequently communicated with us. During construction, many workmanship issues arose. Some were minor and were able to be corrected. Unfortunately, some issues were major (as defined by being outside the Builders Association of Minnesota Performance Guidelines). One major issue is uneven flooring in the kitchen. There is a 5/8 inch drop in elevation within six feet, the base cabinets were not shimmed, therefore, the countertop has a 5/8" drop also. A second issue is that the shingles buckled soon after installation. Once these issues were pointed out, communication with Raymond Pruban/Amaris Custom Homes became quite difficult. We ultimately hired a lawyer and in accordance with our contract sued Raymond Pruban/Amaris Custom Homes via binding arbitration. The arbitrator found in our favor. Raymond Pruban/Amaris Custom Homes did not pay the full sum that the arbitrator awarded us, stating he was unable to get the entire amount. We are disappointed with Raymond Pruban/Amaris Custom Homes in many ways. The way he treated us, the way he dealt with the poor quality workmanship issues, and the way he handled the binding arbitration award. We do not recommend this company.

I've had the wonderful pleasure of working with Ray for many years. I work with a lot of builders, and can honestly say Amaris is in the top percentile of them. They are very thorough in their work and go above & beyond to make sure their customers are happy. They have expansive knowledge in construction methods, and specialize in green building. Their professionalism and eye for detail ensure you'll get a great home...Amaris is great to work with and I highly recommend them as a builder for your project.

Amaris Custom Homes delivers on the promise of building safe, healthy, comfortable, durable and energy efficient homes by participating in the leading quality certification programs like the Department of Energy's Zero Energy Ready Home program. Amaris Custom Homes is the leading building builder in Minnesota!

We hired Amaris Custom Homes to both design and build our custom house. It was a big project. We had met with several builders and even designed a couple of houses with others, but nothing felt right until we worked with Amaris. More than any other builder, they listened to what our primary goals were and designed from there. Other builders seemed much more interested in presenting a slightly modified version of something they'd done before. We loved the ability to see the price for everything that went into the home. If we wanted to cut costs, we had the ability. But if we wanted to splurge on an item, we knew what it would cost. This was the biggest financial decision of our lives, and we're grateful we chose Amaris.

AMARIS walked us through the design and build process with patience and respect. We were apprehensive but were pleasantly surprised that the process went so smoothly. We have lived in our AMARIS house for 4 years and continue to be very satisfied with our choice. Energy efficiency and a healthy environment are most impressive qualities of our house. Would I use AMARIS again? Yes, definitely.

My custom home is exactly as I had envisioned it in my mind when I first contemplated buying the lot. This was a tricky lot to build on, with one viable spot on a steep slope in an historic district. Amaris was with me from prior to putting an offer on the lot, through the planning commission code variance request/approval process, through the Heritiage Preservation Commission request/approval process, design, and build. Ray listened carefully to my wants/desires/needs, and worked with me to arrive at a design that perfectly exploits all views and advantages of this particular building site. The natural light is spectacular. Lolli, the Amaris interior designer worked with me to carefully select every single finish. We spent one full day, and specified every finish in one shot. Those choices stuck all the way through to completion, because they were perfect. The building quality is excellent. It is quiet, draft-free, warm, and exactly what I thought it would be. Amaris is a green builder, which is why I selected them. My HERS rating is great, and the Department of Energy Net Zero Energy Rating classification is exactly what I was hoping for. I built in this style not only because it is good for our planet, but also because I have a family member who was exposed to a dangerous cocktail of chemicals on the job which caused severe and permanent damage to his lungs. He does not tolerate even odor or chemicals in the air that are imperceptible to "normal" people, and yet he didn't have one issue when he visited my home. The green and clean building style works. The attention to detail is spectacular, with a project manager who cares about excellence in everything he does. From the consultation to design to build process, this is an excellent custom builder. I have been in my home for 2 months now, and I every time someone asks about a punch list or the massive amounts of things undone, I just look at them blankly. I don't have that issue. Those who have built homes with other companies complain about the process all the time. I had a wonderful experience. Quality was baked in.

Amaris Custom Homes was a joy to work with, they were extremely professional and very understanding of how difficult building a new home can be. They really took the time to get to know us as clients to find out exactly what we wanted in a home. We would not hesitate to work with them in the future or to recommend them to anyone looking for an exceptional and unique home.