Marc Ekhause Home Builder and Custom Renovations

While we did not use Mark for our home remodel, we definitely would have had he been available for the job. We hired Mark to do our home inspection and he did a great job! He was extremely thorough and knowledgeable. His experience in building homes is extremely evident when you talk with him and I would trust him with any job, construction or inspection.

Marc built our beautiful old world home 14 years ago. Time and wear eventually took their toll and we needed help restoring our home to its full glory. We called Marc to coordinate professionals and within days he had artisans and professional workers lined up to assess and make bids. With great expertise the work was completed under Marc's orchestration. We are thrilled with his attention to detail and the efficient coordination of all the people involved. Marc was available throughout the process to answer questions and make sure all commitments were kept. We are so grateful to him for his creative abilities and his professional integrity!! Cal and Kathy LeMon

I met Tammy when she first started work for White River Hardwoods. Tammy is very professional with her customers and, as well, she is very friendly and has an inviting personality. She habitually goes the 'extra mile' to help her customers find wood trims and architectural pieces; those 'just right' products for their projects. I highly recommend Tammy for her friendly profesionalism and her knowledge of Architectural products and accents. 'Marc Ekhause Home Builder and Custom Renovations'

Marc managed our whole-house renovation including completely gutting our kitchen and both bathrooms, and two bedrooms upstairs, as well as an exterior upgrade including siding, windows, a new deck, a new detached garage, and fresh paint and new columns and banister on our front porch. Marc was an amazing asset during this process for a multitude of reasons. First of all, Marc was with us literally every step of the way, and came by our house almost every weekday, spending long hours in the midst of some of the more intensive projects. He was easy to reach, and handled any problems immediately. He was straightforward and detail-oriented, always giving us clear expectations, and met them (or exceeded them!) in a timely manner. For this reason, even when we ran into odd problems related to working on such an old house, we felt confident. Marc is highly skilled as a carpenter, which saved us money because he handled installation and many wood-working projects personally. For instance, he rebuilt our privacy fence twice, after we added a garage and then the deck. He was quick to do this so our dogs could use the yard again as soon as possible. He did a lot of framing and was able to adjust things to fit into our not-totally-square 100 year old craftsman home. Marc is familiar with a multitude of materials and construction methods and helped us solve problems and meet our needs at every turn. I also caught him sweeping and cleaning up a lot! Not only is he technically skilled, he is creative and has refined taste, guiding us through the sometimes painful process of shopping for tile, paint, and other fixtures and materials. His sense of design is impeccable. The deck has a beautiful vaulted ceiling. The kitchen was reworked to include a peninsula, a genius solution to utilize the space (I love to cook, so I am happy as a clam in there). He had the idea to take out a wall to combine two small barely functional bedrooms upstairs, to make a beautiful master suite, and was able to find a way to miraculously turn tiny closets into huge closets by utilizing attic space. Even the garage is gorgeous. He helped us negotiate pricing and scheduling a great deal, by turning on his signature charm and through his professional relationships from being in the business here in Springfield for over twenty years. Our house went from being very odd and outdated, and a hodge-podge of cheap fixes, to looking like something out of a magazine, yet totally functional and comfortable for us (with added insulation, an updated heating/cooling system, efficient appliances, heated floors in one bathroom, etc). I kinda wish we had more stuff to do on our house because we liked him so much! We grew to trust and care about Marc a lot! He is reliable, trustworthy, artistic, and skilled.

We hired Marc when we remodeled our 2 bathrooms, kitchen, laundry room, family room, and sunroom. It was a long process( almost a year) and because we lived in the house while the renovation was going on, it was very stressful at times. However, Marc made things run efficiently as possible and was very respectful of our space. He is very honest, dependable and hands on in his projects. We were really dreading the renovation process but Marc made things so much easier on us. I would recommend him( and have already done so to anyone who asks) without any hesitation.

I contracted Marc Ekhause (Home Builder and Custom Renovations) to design and build a portico – an entryway – on the front of my house. From the description of the cozy look I wanted to achieve, Marc created a wonderful design. It was incredible to think that my house could look like the drawing – then I watched it happen before my eyes. Marc stayed on track; everything happened how and when he said it would. From the design to the finished product, I always knew what to expect at each step because he kept me informed and continually checked to be sure we weren’t going over budget. He hired subcontractors that I trusted and felt comfortable with, and would be glad to hire again. Marc is completely dependable, always there right when he said he would be, and the construction kept moving forward at an impressive rate. He’s easy to work with, pays a great deal of attention to detail, and always has helpful and creative suggestions based on his design and building experience, as well as his good taste. He’s worked in all phases and aspects of building, and it shows – he knows his stuff! Best of all, he transformed my house from what looked like a box with siding to an attractive bungalow-style cottage. In addition, I had been plagued for years by flooding in my garage. Marc efficiently worked out a drainage system for my driveway and patio and installed it. It works beautifully - it's great to go into my garage in the rain without having to wear my Wellies!

Marc built my family a beautiful house! He was on the job site everyday. He watched the subcontracters And was involved in every aspect AND every detail. My wife and I looked for over two years before We discovered Marc. I will never forget the first day when I walked Into a spec house Marc had built. At once we saw The difference in true quality and exquisite taste! Now a few years later our house is still beautiful And Marc and I have become good friends. Marc was always a phone call away, and his Work ethics are first class. He offered so many Great ideas, and gave us many options that saved us money. Marc is honest, hardworking, and is dependable!

Endorsement: 'Karen Catt and Larry' Our Dream Home was not based on a dream budget. We shared our dream ideas with Marc Ekhause and he gave a very accurate estimate for both cost and time of completion. We have heard many other people say they were pleased with the original bid from their builder, but it turned out to be grossly underestimated for the quality of materials they had in mind and/or the house was completed more than 6 months later than planned. Marc didn’t tell us some low numbers just to get our business. He gave us real estimates of what out Custom Home would entail. The quality of Marc’s workmanship is not just on the surface. The framers, electricians, tilers, etc all commented about the quality of materials Marc chose and his attention to details throughout every stage of the building process. The structure of the house is what keeps it in livable condition 30 years down the road. Marc also has a great eye for decoration and design. The idea of a Custom Home lies in the personal touches. Sure there are certain traits that follow the current trend or culture of where we live, but there are also details that fit our everyday life. We asked for the master bathroom to have an “Asian-spa” feel, while the rest of the home tend to be more traditional. We also wanted the main entrance to be a library that invited you into the home. In a way you could describe our house as eclectic in style, but instead of a scattered sense, Marc designed it to have a fluid balance by incorporating colors and textures to take you from one room to the next. We feel very much at home. I have to say---when I walked into my finished library for the first time, I had tears because it was exactly what I had imagined for years, only better! Even months after the home has been lived in and we have the typical random fixes, Marc is always there to take care of them. We highly recommend Marc Ekhause for his talent and his ethics.

I have known Marc for 20 + years.He is in my opinion one of the most creative builders around.Marc's attention to detail and his total involvement on his customers projects is not often seen anymore.Marc truly lives for his customer needs and concerns while he is working on their project.Marc has amazing design ideas and has the talent to take them from paper to reality He articulates all aspects of the construction process to his customers therefore reducing stress for all concerned.I would highly recommend Marc for anyone who wants their builder to give them a beautiful home and a enjoyable building process.

Marc Ekhause designed and built an extensive master bathroom remodel. This project included new plumbing, heated floor tile and a "Bain Ultra" air jet tub installation. The bathroom was rearranged resulting in extensive carpentry work. Trim, walls, ceiling and cabinets were updated. Overall, I was pleased witht the process of this remodel from beginning to end. Marc designed the bathroom while integrating my taste, and 2011 trends. He used the available space in a creative way, resulting in a useful, comfortable, elegant bathroom. I appreciated his supervision of each part of the work. He met each subcontractor at the site and explained in detail exactly what was expected He then monitored the progress of the work so that errors could be corrected immediately. He kept the work on schedule and was able to keep me accurately informed of the schedule. There were no unreasonable delays. I couldn't be happier with my bathroom and am now trying to decide what part of my house I want Marc to redesign next!!!

We had a very complicated remodel done by Marc Ekhause Homes and Custom Renovations which entailed removing the existing garage/back patio, remodeling back hallway, adding new garage with exercise/spa room above, John Deere room/shop, and separate mud room entrance. The remodel also incorporated a new screened-in porch and outdoor kitchen into existing covered patio areas while adding a new pavilion to existing house with new patio that included outdoor fireplace, stone wall and pergola/fountain/planting areas. We also replaced many old patio doors and windows, had new landscaping installed, replaced 4 huge columns on front porch, had extensive brick work done and then painted the entire house to make the transformation complete! The overall project went very smoothly from start to finish. We first met with Marc almost a year before we actually started the remodel. We told him what we were wanting to do and asked for his thoughts. We were quite pleased when he unextectedly drew up a beautiful plan for the back patio, pavilion and garage area--it sold us on the project. He then came up with a detailed project scope list with competitive pricing from the subs. He actually had to do this more than once because after we initially gave the green light to start, we decided to add to the new garage space and put in a large finished area above with full bath. We also decided to add a second entrance to our basement which was complex. This took a lot of extra work on Marc's part to get all new pricing but he kept a good attitude and did as we asked. The sub-contractors that Marc worked with did an exceptional job. They were extremely professional, courteous and took great pride in their work. We had many different aspects of construction going on for 9 months and we never once felt uncomfortable with the workers. Marc was on the job site constantly and that certainly took the pressure off us as the homeowners. He knew when we were getting nervous or apprehensive about something and would talk to us at length about what was going on and how we would deal with any issues that might arise. He also spent a lot of time fussing over small details that made the remodel very custom and quite beautiful. We have used Marc before on previous remodels in prior homes. We felt more than comfortable and confident in Marc's abilities as a contractor due to past jobs. He has been in the business a long time and has vast knowledge of construction. He also has great ideas, is extremely creative and has a keen eye for detail. Marc is a dedicated advocate for the homeowner, works hard and takes his job very seriously. We would not hestitate to use him again on future projects!

“Marc Ekhause Homes and Custom Renovations demolished an older bathroom and constructed a new one featuring a steam shower, heated tile floors and Cherry wood cabinets in my 80 year old house”.... “Marc took an architect's sketch, and developed it into a beautiful modern style tiled bath with steam. He determined all the project requirements, set them up in lists with hard prices attached, and gave me some suggestions for improvements. After accepting his written contract, he took us to various vendors to search for materials. Marc began the job at 8:00 AM on the chosen day, and made progress every day thereafter. He had all materials ordered in time, and all of the subcontractors did their jobs to contract specs on time and on budget. His subcontractors were uniformly efficient and skillful. In any case, Marc checked their work as they went along, planning each step carefully with the subs, while keeping me apprised of the schedule. The bathroom looks like it comes out of a book or a HGTV design show. Fantastic work”!