Testimonials

Peter & Irene Ambrose
Fairfield, Connecticut

Integrity, responsiveness and expertise. One doesn’t often associate all three words with building contractors. We do with the name J. Tallman Builders.

David and Beth Barrett
Southport, Connecticut

This past week marked our second anniversary in our home at 114 Westway Road. Although it seems like yesterday that we were working with you, Tom and all of J. Tallman Builders, planning and building our dream house.

Each and everyday we’re delighted with our home and its quality, design and livability. We are grateful to you and your entire team for your efforts, patience and outstanding craftsmanship. Tom, in particular, was great to work with, and provided thoughtful and responsive service every step of the way.

We’ve enjoyed showing off our home to many family and friends, and talking about the great job J. Tallman did for us. Thanks again for helping us create the home we’ve long dreamed about in Southport.

Mark R. Baus DVM
Newtown, Connecticut

I wanted to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the work you did on our new facility for Fairfield Equine. What I appreciated most specifically was the excellent communication that took place during the formative stages of construction.

Furthermore, the project was completed on time and easily within our budget. Your team did an excellent job of leading us through what is normally an arduous task.

Octavio and Nela Choy
Southport, Connecticut

It was a pleasure to work with J. Tallman Builders, as evidenced by the fact that we are still happy four years after they built our home. During the building process, there was an organized approach to each room and each item was thoroughly discussed with multiple alternative solutions to each idea.

We never felt rushed, and were always given the best advice even when our thoughts were beyond the usual. All of our desires were fulfilled and the project timeline was well planned ahead of schedule and it was achieved very much on time.

The end product is a proud achievement for J. Tallman Builders. We have been more than satisfied.

Katie Coleman
Southport, Connecticut

It has been my pleasure to be associated with J. Tallman Builders for over ten years. It started with a major renovation on an old Georgian colonial. Seven years later, we bought property, and a new custom home was built. This past year, they became my partners in building a custom spec home.

I have had an excellent experience in every project. They will answer every question with complete expertise. Their attention to detail and quality of workmanship has the utmost superiority. The partners at J. Tallman Builders are innovative, and have the ability to bring Old World charm to new construction. I have enjoyed working with all employees at J. Tallman Builders, and hope to continue on with another project in the future.

Travis and Anne Engen
Weston, Connecticut

When you buy an early 1800’s house with 4 inches of water in part of the basement, wiring from the 1930’s, and an outside windowsill which breaks off in the house inspector’s hand, you know you are going to need exceptionally capable builders to bring the renovation to successful completion within a reasonable cost. We feel very fortunate that we found the team of people at J. Tallman Builders who were up to every construction challenge and who, in addition, were always a pleasure to work with.

The renovation of our Weston house was a complicated project. We removed a small part of an earlier addition, completely renovated the 1800’s part of the structure together with its 1930 addition, and added a new section with a full basement beneath it. We installed new plumbing, wiring, heating, and cooling systems throughout. The house has a new roof, new siding, and new interior trim as well as custom reproduction historic windows and trim. We renovated old doors, floors, and walls, moved a couple of walls, added French doors in place of existing windows, renovated fireplaces and chimneys, built stone walls, a timber frame barn, and a native stone-faced workshop which has a standing seam copper roof. We relocated the driveway and installed deer grates, moved the stone wall at the driveway entrance, and did extensive re-grading of the property for water runoff control.

The J. Tallman Builders people had prior experience with all of the various renovation challenges and knew how to approach every aspect of the necessary work. J. Tallman’s way of organizing and decision making, using regularly scheduled weekly meeting with minutes circulated to us following the meetings, made our participation in the thousands of necessary decisions a well organized and smoothly staged process. J. Tallman always demonstrated a dedication to excellence. Some of my enduring memories of the construction process are of the many times Tom and John worked out the solution to a construction issue- often with John on his knees measuring out some spacing to the fraction of an inch as they sought to achieve the perfect result was always their goal. From the beginning we were impressed with J. Tallman’s ability to accurately estimate costs. As we progressed with the project there were many major decisions which required multiple estimates in order to determine the most appropriate way to proceed. We were always appreciative of J. Tallman’s cost consciousness on our behalf as they worked to find the most capable subcontractor to do the work at the best price.

Having been in our new house for fifteen months, it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to express our thanks once again to all the people at J. Tallman Builders for a job very well done.

Morgan Fine
Rowayton, Connecticut

Phoenix Restoration has successfully renovated two homes using J. Tallman Builders. Both jobs were completed on time, without exceeding the estimated cost. The quality of work and professionalism was evident throughout all aspects of the job.

I look forward to working with J. Tallman Builders on future projects. I hope you will find the foregoing of value to you during your selection process. You may reach me with any further questions.

Mitchell Friedman
Weston, Connecticut

We first hired J. Tallman Builders to build a large out building on our property in ’94. In ’96, J. Tallman transformed our basement into an office and a guest room, as well as added a lovely porch off the front of the house. In ’99 we once again turned to J. Tallman to do the work on our new home, an antique farmhouse.

The existing house was modernized with all new plumbing, heating and electrical systems. The crew performed this delicate task without in any way affecting the charm of the house. In addition, a large new section was built onto the house. We were thrilled with the finished project in every imaginable way, and everyone in the company, ranging from the foreman to the person answering the phone at the office, was a joy to work with.

As importantly, we have learned that when J. Tallman Builders takes you on as a client, you become a client for life. This means that if there is any follow-up work to be done, down to a loose knob on a cabinet door, they will take care of it. Further, they are happy to do small projects that normally would not be something they would take on, such as renovating a bathroom or a kitchen.

Michael Goldstein
Westport, Connecticut

J. Tallman Builders recently completed a project on our 1930’s home that included detailed restoration and reconstruction of historic architectural space, as well as a new construction of added space. The thought and care invested by J. Tallman in the planning and execution of the project was impressive…. Moreover, since we lived in the house throughout the project, J. Tallman made every accommodation for the comfort and safety of our family, and went “beyond the call of duty” to do so.

J. Tallman Builders’ service since the project was completed has been equally impressive…. Our issues have been slight, but attended by J. Tallman with speed, no hassles and full accountability.

J. Tallman Builders’ willingness to stand behind their work is a true testament to their professionalism and the quality of the individuals who manage their projects…. Our home is special to us in many ways and there is no builder other than J. Tallman Builders that we want to undertake future renovations or construction projects.

Patricia Graebner
Southport, Connecticut

Ten years ago J. Tallman Builders did a major renovation on our house in Southport. I cannot say enough nice things about the work that was done or about how easy Jeff, Johnny and all of his men were (and are) to work with. They did a top-quality job, including beautiful custom kitchen cabinets as well as bookcases and a butler pantry. For the past ten years, anytime I have needed help or had a problem at my house, they have come promptly and solved the problem. This has been invaluable to me as a homeowner. I would recommend highly J. Tallman Builders to anyone. They have made my life so much easier.

Steve & Jacquie Homscheid
Westport, Connecticut

We chose J Tallman because we felt they brought professionalism, expertise, and an experienced team to the project, and we were not disappointed.

Robert A. Jacobs, RA, AIA
Westport, Connecticut

As an architect, it was a pleasure to work with you on what was arguably a quite challenging project.

Karen Jeffers & Richard Worth
Fairfield, Connecticut

Building a house can be a daunting experience. J Tallman Builders enabled us to complete our new house on time and on budget because they worked closely with us from start to finish.

Roger Leifer
Westport Country Playhouse

J. Tallman Builders acted as the General Contractor for the Westport Country Playhouse’s 2004 renovation of it’s Rehearsal Barn and attached offices. The 8,000 square foot gut renovation and reconstruction project was handled by J. Tallman Builders in a most professional manner. They came in on budget, had numerous helpful suggestions to improve the design and specifications, executed beautifully and completed the work on time. Their communication with the owner’s representations through weekly job meetings and ad hoc meetings as necessary was thorough and conscientious. The result was perfection! I highly recommend J. Tallman Builders. Please do not hesitate to call or contact me to discuss this further.

Ken & Kathy Kingsly
Fairfield, Connecticut

To this day, we cannot believe how effortless the project was from our perspective.

Denise & William Kolbert
Weston, Connecticut

The quality of your work as well as your meticulous attention to detail made this project a great success; Denise and I have the house of our dreams.

Gerry and Melanie Luminoso
Weston, Connecticut

It’s been about a year since we initially sat down with J. Tallman Builders to discuss the possibilities of a home renovation/addition. The work has been completed now for about four months, and we have enjoyed every day of living in our “new” home. It has been a wonderful experience dealing with you and your associates from the early planning stages right through completion. We truly appreciate the fact that the project timeline went according to schedule and our budget objectives were maintained. Everyone that has been to our home recently has commented especially on the design and craftsmanship that went into the kitchen and bathroom, as well as the total exterior makeover. Thank you—to you and all your associates—for doing such fine work and making our renovation/addition a positive experience.

Barbara & Archie MacAllaster
Southport, Connecticut

The smallest detail was never overlooked, the outcome of which has left me wishing I could do one or two other projects.

Jim & Lorna Mack
Westport, Connecticut

I just wanted to let you know how pleased my wife, Lorna, and I are with our newly renovated home. We have built and renovated numerous times and were thrilled with the professionalism and honesty in your company. The expertise of your staff was beyond our expectations! Every detail was done with perfection. The billing was self explanatory down to the penny, and the product was finished in a timely manner. We wish you and your employees all the best!

Mark & Alexandra Maruszewski
Darien, Connecticut

I routinely tell people that we didn’t have a single issue with our contractor throughout the redevelopment project – a claim I’ve never heard anyone else make.

Elisabeth Morten
Fairfield, Connecticut

I am happy to be able to recommend the services of J. Tallman Builders, since we were extremely pleased with the work they did on our home at 130 River Street in Southport, Connecticut. The project included extensive new construction and it was, from start to finish, a thoroughly positive experience. The J. Tallman team, which included John Segerson, Rich Bilacic, and Kerstin Santa, was wonderful to work with. As individuals, they were responsive, professional and thoroughly reliable. The questions we had were answered in detail and to our satisfaction, and issues, when they arose, were attended to quickly. Billing was straightforward and clear, and any changes were dealt with promptly. The work was beautifully executed and, as a rule, problems were anticipated before they arose. I would not hesitate to recommend J. Tallman Builders to anyone.

Bob and Stacey Ramos
Fairfield, Connecticut

We have been through a number of renovations and always viewed building a house to be a most difficult task. We were wrong!!! After working with J. Tallman Builders for over a year we have completely enjoyed the creative and physical process that went into our new home. Jeff and his entire crew were always available and easy to approach with both positive and negative comments. It was truly a collaborative endeavor. J. Tallman Builders uses quality materials and all one has to do is walk through our house to know that solid craftsmanship was utilized throughout the house.

Stuart S. Richardson
Easton, Connecticut

I wanted to thank you for doing the addition to our house.

As you know our house is over 260 years old. Its charm is in its low ceilings, enormous wooden beams, huge fireplaces, and old wooden floors. I hated the idea of doing the kitchen over, breaking through a wall to make a bigger room, adding a screened-in porch and a patio. I believed any change to an old Salt Box was a mistake. My wife thought otherwise.

Well, your design was brilliant. It does have old beams, low ceilings and wooden floors, but the effect is totally different, original and fresh. The new end of the house flows into our hillside and ties us into our meadows, creating a wonderful new feeling of being connected to the land. The carpentry, plumbing and electrical work are perfect. Your painter is the most professional workman I have ever seen. I should say that again. Your painter, electrician and plumber and their crews are the best.

Is it the little touches that make it look so great? Wildflowers planted in the meadow. The enormous old wooden beams your Irish carpenters sawed by hand for the screened porch. Wooden cabinets in the kitchen with doors partially made with copper sheets punched out to make flower patterns. Hand painted birds along the top of the hallway walls, a tribute to my naturalist wife.

It would be enough to just have everything come out so well. But best of all is I know I can rely on you to put my interest before your own. I know I can trust you absolutely. Years ago, I asked you to bid on a job for a friend of mine. He chose a lower bid. Later he told me his builder quit and the subsequent contractor discovered that work already paid for was never done (duct work for heating and air, etc.). There are so many games that can be played, so many shortcuts that can be taken only to show up later. That is why people need a builder they can trust.

I want to thank you, Ariane and John Segerson and your whole crew for your excellent addition to our much loved home. I hope this letter will serve as a reference for you and that you send along anyone interest in seeing your workmanship.

Jim & Cindy Thorburn
Fairfield, Connecticut

We have been extremely fortunate to have had the privilege of working with J. Tallman Builders on several occasions…namely, two major additions to our home. To tell you that we are extremely pleased with the craftsmanship and courteous nature of all who work with and for J. Tallman Builders would be an understatement. There is no other design team or builder we would consult. And, we are constantly told how beautiful our home is. The attention to detail and design to compliment our home and setting is truly their gift to us.

We would never hesitate to recommend J. Tallman Builders to anyone looking for an outstanding company to work with for any size project.

Paul & Laurie Zollinger
Fairfield, Connecticut

The customer service and planning you told me about before we started the project is something that really separates J Tallman Builders from ordinary builders.