What our clients have to say
November 5, 2018
Dear Tony,
We are writing this letter to let you know how so very much we have loved and enjoyed our home at 17 Belmont, Newport beach which you built for us 29 years ago. We thought our plans were quite good to begin with – but your ideas and additions made them absolutely perfect for us. Your contractors and workers were really good guys and their workmanship excellent. They as well as you always strived to make us happy. Then our relationship didn’t end when we moved in. You were (and still are) invariably available to us by phone – or even in person. Whenever a maintenance issue comes up, you always refer us to someone whom you know and trust to solve our problem.
Tony – we sincerely thank you for all your thoughtful and caring attention over the years. Our friendly relationship has meant a lot to us in every way. We are so very happy with and so very proud of our Tony Valentine built home.
Sincerely,
Tony Valentine did an extensive two-year renovation of my roughly 5,000 sq ft home in Laguna Beach during 2004-2006. He has since done addition work.
My experience with Tony was excellent. The workmanship was very high quality. His subs were all very good to deal with. Tony was always responsive, attentive and took the time to evaluate the work, problem solve, coordinate subs, and check everything was done to standard. Since it was a remodel there were a number of complex issues and he and his subs handled them all very well. He has extensive experience and I always felt he had good advice on what to do and how to approach the work in a quality, reliable fashion. He is flexible and patient, always very responsive on changes that we wanted along the way
Tony is fair, highly professional and a pleasure to work with. He took a genuine interest in our home and wanted it to be great for us, and it is! And his work has stood the test of time.
Tony has also been very helpful on follow up work as needed over the years.
I can recommend Tony with full confidence.
Kerry,
Thanks for your quick response and help to make it through the contingency period. The buyers would like a walk thru by you and Tony before close of escrow. Close of escrow is scheduled for May 30th. They may be contacting you directly or through their agent or is. I’ll let you know.
Al and I cannot fully express the appreciation and “good times” we have experienced planning and building this home with the both of you and your team. You both are of the highest quality of gentlemen, professionals and skilled custom home builders. We thank our blessings that our paths have crossed. We plan more interesting projects in the future with you.
We have thoroughly enjoyed our home and its beauty. But we feel pulled to be in San Diego more with our grandchild. So our life has changed somewhat.
Thanks again,
(July 2007) – Three years ago we moved into our new home that was constructed by Tony Valentine. At that time we wrote a glowing letter of recommendation letting potential customers know how impressed we were with Tony both as a contractor and a human being. It is now three years later and we realize that our initial letter was not glowing enough. We believe an update is in order.
Any reputable contractor will be responsive to a customer during the first year warranty period. How many contractors will have a crew at the customer’s home within twenty minutes, three years later because of a perceived problem? Tony is one of those rare individuals whose loyalty to his customers doesn’t expire as the calendar pages turn. Tony has remained responsive to any phone call we have made whether it is for advice, repair or referral. Tony’s employees are always courteous and professional and will often spot something to be adjusted or fixed even though they are there for a different purpose.
After three years we have a deeper understanding of Tony’s commitment to quality in the homes he constructs. We continue to spot little details that Tony added or changed from the original architectural plans that improved our home immeasurably. We continue to enjoy the benefits of a business relationship that is wonderfully personal. We say this, not only from personal experience, but also from the vantage point of knowing other customers, (whose homes are older than ours), who still rely on Tony. Thank you Tony for being all that you are.
Tony Valentine was originally recommended to me by Architect Brian Jeannette. Brian knew my home was to be constructed in Newport Beach, on the ocean, and was going to be built with great detail involving more interior woodwork that he had ever designed in a house of this size. He was also aware that the home would be my fourth custom home and I was very meticulous and wanted perfection. Thus began my relationship with Tony.
I can say without exception Tony had and still does have the finest sub contractors available in Orange County. Their work is unsurpassed and truly professional in every sense of the word. Most having been with Tony throughout his career and his father’s before him.
Tony himself was a personal delight to work with. His attention to detail, follow-up and personal pride in building a beautiful home is something not found in this day and age.
Over the past 35 years I have dealt with many builders and sub-contractors. By far, Tony and his crew are the best. I can only say that selecting Tony Valentine as my contractor was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
After 9 months of living in our new house, Linda and I felt overdue in sending you a formal thank you letter. The process to build a custom home can be lengthy and time consuming, however you and your team made it a very enjoyable experience. All of this in 11 months from building permits to our wedding in the new house! We cannot thank you enough for building to our time frame and ensuring that our wedding day was a beautiful and successful event.
We are very pleased will all of the attention to detail, and follow up work that you have been so diligent to finalize. You have been available whenever we needed, which helped conform to our busy travel schedules. In addition, your subcontractor selection was excellent and we were always impressed with their level of honesty and skilled craftsmanship. There is nothing about our house that we would change!
This letter is to express our appreciation for your fine advice, workmanship, and thoroughness in general managing the construction of our home. Liane and I have raved to many people about the process and much of the credit for the successful project goes to you and your staff who kept us advised, kept us on time, kept the sub-contractors in the field, and helped us make judgments about cost issues as we went through the process. We also wish to thank you for the continued attention and follow-up, even now that construction has been completed.
It is my pleasure to recommend Mr. Tony Valentine as a quality builder of custom homes. Tony completed a 7500 square foot house for me last summer and I was very pleased with his work. Whenever he needed to be on the job, he was there. His subs were very conscientious and performed the work in a timely manner. The subs were aware of the neighbors concerns and the job site was kept clean and neat.
After having worked closely with Tony and his team for over a year, I would say that his three strengths are service, quality and reliability. He is a person to be trusted and I would recommend him highly.
We used Tony Valentine as our General Contractor to construct our home at 182 Shorecliff, Corona del Mar. The project involved the demolition of the existing improvements. Re-grading the site, retaining walls and complete new construction. The home was built within one year with great detail to our contemporary design. All of the sub-contractors used were on time, neat and clean, and have come back for any follow up detail. We are looking forward to having the opportunity of working with Tony again.
In March, 1986, we contracted with Tony Valentine to build our custom home located in Turtle Rock Crest, Irvine.
In selecting our contractor we evaluated his prior work and relied upon a strong recommendation from our architect. In addition, we were concerned with
The following criteria:
l. the ability to remain within budget
2. the scheduling & performance of the subs
3. the contractor’s attention to detail
4. the contractor’s ability to work with the home owner
5. the need to complete the project within an agreed upon
time schedule In each of the above cases, Tony performed equal to our expectations, and in fact, generally exceeded them.
We were particularly impressed with not only his attention to details, but the fact he spent much of his time on the job site in supervising and directing the subs and working with the home owner to make the necessary step-by-step decisions required in building a custom home.
Lastly, we moved into our home within 6 months of commencement of construction without sacrificing quality or excellence. Because of this positive experience we look forward to building another custom home with Tony Valentine Construction.
We would be pleased to share our specific experiences in greater detail if you would like to contact us.
I preface this letter by saying that working with Mr. Valentine on the construction of our new home was a refreshing experience. Mr. Valentine conducts himself with integrity and dedication that sometimes seems lost in today’s business world. I found him to be all he presented himself to be and more. He never downgraded on materials or workmanship agreed upon, yet met the proposed budget.
My wife and I contracted with Tony to build our new house with a floor plan in excess of 15,000 square feet. Our plans included a 20-car subterranean garage, formal 2 1/2 story entryway with spiral staircase, and numerous finely detailed appointments.
Mr. Valentine goes above and beyond even the most discriminating of prospective clients. Upon our first meeting with him, he agreed to take our plans from the architect’s office to the city for approval and return them; all of which was done before he even had a signed contract with us.
His professionalism is also apparent in his choice of subcontractors. Each and everyone of them, be it plumbers, brick and concrete masons, and excavators to frame and finish carpenters and electricians, each was obviously chosen to meet the high expect ions Tony sets for himself and those that work with him. His expertise made the transition from the first movement of earth to the finished product a pleasure for my wife and I to work with.
Tony’s knowledge of building goes beyond the house construction to superior design for the fine detailing that makes one’s home built with a personal touch. His qualifications enabled him to make some fine choices for both the interior as well as the exterior of our new home. He personally designed and built a gorgeous pool and Jacuzzi area, as well as a 10,000 gallon koi pond complete with waterfall. This was all accomplished to perfection while preserving the view of the Pacific Ocean.
We are very pleased and impressed with our new home. It was a supreme pleasure to work with someone with the integrity, sincerity and fine capabilities of Mr. Tony Valentine. He comes highly recommended by us.
During the two years of construction, including demolition and building the new seawall; I was greeted each day by genuinely hardworking people who displayed pride of ownership of their craft. I always looked forward to meeting you and Kerry in the morning to go through every inch of the house. The amount of detail that was to be considered was at times staggering, but as always, you both handled it professionally. Above all, I very much appreciate the fact that you finished the job on time, and per our original schedule, working six days a week, with tens of workers on the job everyday.
We have been living in our home for five months and it is quite fantastic, everything functions, as it should. Our family and friends who have visited us in the new house are amazed by the workmanship and attention to detail, and of course the home itself. You are quite well known in Orange County, and after referring you and some of your subcontractor’s names to people; many say, “of course, Valentine does the best homes in Newport.”
Some people say that building a home is a lengthy and difficult process, but when I say that I actually had a lot of fun and a great time building the home and made a friend in the process, they can’t believe it. You and your team did a great job and my family and I appreciate our home every minute we are in it.
Tony, I am very appreciative of our friendship, you are a kind, hardworking, and honest man and I wish you the best in your future projects.
This letter is written in high recommendation of Tony Valentine Construction. Tony Valentine built our house over 20 years ago. We are the second owners. When we purchased our home we did not have any knowledge or experience with Tony Valentine Construction.
A few years after we moved in we experienced a gas leak in the pipe leading to our patio barbecue. The leak was so bad that the gas company shut off the gas to the house until we were able to get it fixed. In review of the situation it was unclear where the pipes were located and we could not confirm weather or not the pipe to the barbeque was leading into the house or not We contacted Tony Valentine Construction to ask if they might have any plans on file that could show us how the piping was routed. We were not expecting a response but we were desperate. Not only did we get a response, we got one within minutes of placing the call. We were immediately contacted by a Bruce Hodgson, a Project Manager for Tony Valentine. He was at our house within an hour of our call to assist us to correct our problem. The problem involved a complete tear down of our barbecue station to access the corroded pipes He called in his resources and by the end of the day our pipe was fixed and the gas was back on to our house.
During this time, Tony Valentine himself showed up to introduce himself. What a surprise! He informed us that when he builds a house he is responsible for it and that he will always service his customers and houses he builds. He ask us if we were happy with what was being done and he also asked us if there was anything else he could do. He then gave us his personal cell phone number to call him if we had any questions or needed anything WOW. In today’s culture of service or lack thereof a builder like Tony Valentine exists. How refreshing.
Needless to say, the barbeque station was rebuilt with some changes that we wanted to make. His resources were all over it and we are now enjoying many happy moments on our patio.
The quality of the house itself is great. We have done some remodeling and are very impressed of the quality of the construction. This is amazing also when you look at the houses being built today and over the last 20 vears. If we ever build a house we will use Tonv Valentine. Further, we now know that we have someone to call if we ever have a problem with our existing space.
We highly recommend Tony Valentine Construction for his quality work and more importantly the service after the contract is over. He and his team will own your project for a life time and we know this from personal experience.
Twenty years ago Tony Valentine built my home in Newport Beach. As I have said many times previously Tony has got to be the premier builder in all of Orange County.
My beach house was the fourth custom home that I had built and I can say without hesitation that Tony was wonderful to work with. He is accommodating to his clients many requests throughout the building process and his sub-contractors were true master
craftsmen.
Recently, after 20 years, I had a problem with water leakage after a heavy rainstorm in the upstairs patio area. I called Tony and asked him whom he would recommend to help me fix the deck leak. He immediately came to my home, assessed the problem and insisted that he would use his subs that originally worked on the house to fix the leak.
It amazes me that after this many years, while he is in the middle of building several mufti-million dollar homes, that he would personally take the time and effort to come to my home, while I was away at my desert property and each day unlock and unarm my security system so that his subs could complete the job. That kind of care is unheard of today.
It was also astonishing to me that most of the subcontractors that worked on my house twenty years ago are still doing Tony’s work. It is a testament to what a wonderful builder and person he is and speaks volumes about his character.
Anyone considering building a home with Tony would be welcome to call me personally and come to my home and see the magnificent house Tony built for me. I cannot express in words alone what an incredible experience I had and am truly thankful to have worked with him.
My wife and I had the good fortune to purchase a lot in Pelican Hill and after doing extensive due diligence and consultation with the Irvine Company, we chose a team consisting of an architect, a landscape architect and our builder, tony Valentine Construction. We were novices at this but Tony, who happens to be a fourth-generation builder, took us under his wings and provided us unparalleled expertise, patience, guidance, humor and represented our best interests at all times. Tony did a great job coordinating the construction of a three-story home with the other professionals on the team and for the most part, it was a seamless experience.
We have been in our home almost 10 years now and we can’t believe how this amount of time has gone by but we have lived happily ever after in our home due to Tony’s superintendent, Bruce Hodgson. Bruce has provided outstanding after care service and we marvel at his expertise in taking care of repairs and solving problems by listening and by being efficient regardless of the nature of the problem. Luckily, there have been no major problems. My wife and I would recommend Tony Valentine Construction without hesitation and trust you will have an engaging, positive experience like we did with him, his professional colleagues and his subcontractors. And, your warranty will be Bruce Hodgson.
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me and my prospective buyers to explain about the construction of my home. You were able to answer many of their questions about the quality of construction and foundation which exists, and they seemed to be very impressed with your knowledge and experience. I really appreciate your ability to stand behind the quality of the homes that you build, especially since ours was such a unique and difficult project.
We have truly enjoyed living in our Valentine built home, and have received numerous compliments from friends and visitors on the fine quality of workmanship. I am please to report that even after several Southern California earthquakes our home remains solid and secure. We feel that the true sign of a signature builder such as you is reflected in the fact that you have stood behind your work years after its completion.
I am writing this letter to strongly recommend the very talented and dependable builder Tony Valentine. Nearly six years ago, I was faced with the difficult decision of determining who I would select to build my custom home. I have never regretted choosing Tony Valentine. Even before construction of my home began, Tony was a reliable and courteous person who listened carefully to my needs and then did everything in his power to fulfill them Once construction was underway, Tony worked extraordinary hard, present at the site daily to ensure everything moved swiftly and without incidence. From the day we broke ground, until the day we moved in, the total construction time was ten months! This is not to say, however, that meticulous care was not taken, as Tony took a kind of great pride in his job that is unsurpassed by many builders today. I further feel his pride in his work is reflective in his work crews, as many members have stayed with the Valentine family of builders through several generations. With horror stories about individual’s building experiences prevalent, I feel good in recommending Tony as strongly as I do.
Thank you for being so generous by building “All the World’s a Stage” for HomeAid’s 7th Annual Project Playhouse. The event was a tremendous
success with the auction of the playhouses, sponsorships and ticket sales grossing over $230,000! The auction night was spectacular with our highest selling playhouse record being broken by $11,000!
HomeAid could have never achieved this goal without the dedication and commitment of Tony Valentine Construction and the many contributors that helped make this happen.
Your contribution and involvement is helping to improve the lives of hundreds of homeless men, women and children in Orange County. HomeAid Orange County has successfully built or renovated 28 shelter projects in the past nine years and currently has 5 projects in the construction or planning stage. These projects directly benefit homeless individuals and families, women in crisis pregnancy, battered women and their children and homeless youth.
Thank you again, Tony for participating in HomeAid’s 7th. Annual Project Playhouse. Through your kindness and generosity, HomeAid Orange
County continues to serve its mission: of sheltering homeless in our community.
When my wife and I decided to undertake the daunting task of building our custom dream home in Pelican Hill, the first and best decision we made was to compile an A+ dream team of true professionals in the disciplines of general contracting, architecture and landscape architecture. This is where we decided to invest our money and the return on our investment has been paying off every day since we broke ground in 1999.
The head of this team was Tony Valentine, a third generation general contractor whose experience, craftsmanship, quality, value, delivery and budget management are unsurpassed. He was more than ably supported by the best sub-contractors in the business, whose work we admire daily and regard them as old friends.
Tony was most enjoyable to work with. His ready smile and easy-going manner masked his perfectionist personality and his demanding attention to detail. This same spirit has carried over to his commitment to stand behind his product by making himself and his sub-contractors readily available to assist us in any way that was necessary. Also, as we add finishing touches to the home he has extended his complete cooperation in helping us eagerly.
Over 200 people came to our Open House and many more have visited us to tour our home in awe of the attention to detail and craftsmanship.
This simply confirmed our quality motto which is, do it right the first time (by hiring Tony!)
I am writing in reference to our current business relationship with Tony Valentine Construction. We began working with Tony Valentine back in the spring of 1996 on the construction of our new custom house project in Pelican Hills, Newport Coast
We have just recently finished the “tough” stage of the construction project, adhering to an extremely accelerated pace/schedule. Throughout the entire process (which continues on into the “finish”), Tony and his entire staff have maintained their artisan integrity and business acumen, through their:
• Attention to detail,
• Anticipation and immediate resolution of issues, and
• Requirement of high quality.
Their management of finances has been astute and prompt, constantly precise m their billings on the 1st and 15th of every month. In negotiating and administering contracts, Tony always has the client’s best interest in mind, economically, aesthetically, and timely. One example is their use of “on terms” affording percentage discounts on subcontractor’s draws, provided by timely payment schedules.
I would like to thank Tony for his partnership with us in our family project, and I appreciate the opportunity to share with you the insights and perceptions of working with Tony Valentine Construction.
My wife and I had the pleasure of working with Tony Valentine Construction during the building of our new home in Corona Del Mar, California. The home was ahead of schedule in August of 1996. It is a beautiful home overlooking the water and we couldn’t be happier with the outcome. Perhaps the most unique aspect of our relationship with Tony Valentine Construction is the fact that we handled the entire process with Mr. Valentine, the architect and designer from Richmond, Virginia.
The traditional concern relating to building your own home never materialized with Mr. Valentine. In fact, it was quite the contrary. The quality of work (within budget) coupled with their absolute responsiveness (both during and after the project) to our wishes far exceeded our expectations.
It follows that we could not give Mr. Valentine higher marks for his work on our home at 3600 Ocean Blvd., in Corona Del Mar.
Four years ago our home in Newport Beach was completed by our contractor, Tony Valentine. Having a custom home built can sometimes be difficult and frustrating, especially if you select the wrong contractor, so we were very cautious in our selection.
Both my wife and I felt that Tony was pleasant to work with as well as very knowledgeable. His selection of sub-contractor’s was excellent, and his creative ideas for on-site changes were very good. Tony is a person who does quality work, and does not forget you after you move into your home.
Should we ever build another home in this area, we would have no reservations to call on Tony again.
It was my pleasure to contract with Tony Valentine to build our 7,000 sq. ft. personal residence in the Harbor Ridge area of Newport Beach, California.
The selection of Mr. Valentine was made after receiving bids from and interviewing several contractors, as well as Mr. Valentine’s past clients. During the entire construction, and in the three years since completion, we have found Mr. Valentine to be knowledgeable, responsive and dedicated to fulfilling our wishes.
I have never seen finer workmanship or quality of construction as we enjoy in our home. What we were advised would be a difficult experience at best, in fact proved to be extremely pleasant and rewarding. This was due largely to the enjoyable relationship that Mr. Valentine developed with my wife and me.
It is without reservation that I can highly recommend Mr. Valentine to serve as a general contractor for the construction of any quality residence.
Tony Valentine was recommended to me by Brian Jeannette, who was the architect that designed my home, at 3006 West Oceanfront, Newport Beach.
This is the fourth custom home that I have had built. I can say without reservation that Tony Valentine is the best custom home builder I have dealt with, and in my opinion is one of the best in Southern California. I am personally a perfectionist to a fault and do not feel any other builder could have completed my oceanfront hone to such a high degree of quality with attention to detail. Tony did not sacrifice quality or craftmanship in any area in order to save money and put more dollars in his pocket.
It’s hard to believe that four years have passed since our home was completed.
We were thrilled with it that June 21st. and we haven’t been disappointed. You built a quality house for us.
The construction period was hassle free. Minimal problems occurred because you planned well and provided quality, professional workers. Your attention to detail and construction expertise enabled us to make modifications that enhanced the quality and value of the house.
We appreciated that construction stayed on schedule and that you were on the site supervising progress. You kept us informed of upcoming stages, providing us time for selections and decisions necessary to move forward. You were available by phone and patient to discuss our questions.
I think it is rare that a builder maintains a concern and interest in his product as you have done. This is a sign of integrity; and we commend you.
We would be happy to recommend you to anyone who is interested in building a beautiful, quality home while enjoying the construction process.
This letter is to express our appreciation for your fine advice, workmanship, and thoroughness in general managing the construction of our home. Liane and I have raved to many people about the process and much of the credit for the successful project goes to you and your staff who kept us advised, kept us on time, kept the sub-contractors in the field, and helped us make judgments about cost issues as we went through the process. We also wish to thank you for the continued attention and follow-up, even now that construction has been completed.
Tony Valentine did an excellent job in workmanship on my home at 31 Ridgeline in Newport Beach.
I’ve always known him to be honest and straight forward with me and he has continued to correct defects in my home even after the warranty has expired.
I cannot recommend any other builder for a quality home.
We just wanted to let you know it was a pleasure working with Tony Valentine. We were very pleased with the quality and workmanship that went into our home. Tony was eager to please and always responded quickly and decisively to our needs. It was great working with a contractor who shows integrity, pride in his work and is of good character. We live in the days where those qualities are rarely seen. It is refreshing to know people who place a value on integrity. And also the fact that they take pride in their craft and know that what they have built is a reflection of themselves. We highly recommend Tony Valentine Construction, it was a pleasure working with Tony.
This letter is to commend and recommend Tony Valentine Construction. We had severe problems during the construction of my waterfront home. Tony Valentine stepped in and literally resolved all of our problems.
With his expertise and personal attention to every and all details. He kept me abreast of all phases of construction and left no stone unturned. I highly recommend Tony Valentine Construction.
It’s hard to believe that four years have passed since our home was completed. We were thrilled with it that June 21st, and we haven’t been disappointed. You built a quality house for us.
The construction period was hassle free. Minimal problems occurred/because you planned well and provided quality; professional workers. Your attention to detail and construction expertise enabled us to make modifications that enhanced the quality and value of the house.
We appreciated that construction stayed on schedule and that you were on the site supervising progress. You kept us informed of upcoming stages, providing us time for selections and decisions necessary to move forward. You were available by phone and patient to discuss our questions.
I think it is rare that a builder maintains a concern and interest in his product as you have done. This is a sign of integrity and we commend you.
We would be happy to recommend you to anyone who is interested in building a beautiful quality home while enjoying the construction process.
Tony Valentine built our home in Harbor Hill which was completed in January 1990. Based on our experience we believe Tony is the best custom home builder in Southern California.
Tony deserves the highest quality in terms of material and workmanship. And he does so at a cost that provides outstanding value.
Tony and his sub-contractors are all a genuine pleasure to work with, and they constantly come up with excellent suggestions to improve the comfort and appearance of your new home. And Tony Valentine absolutely stands behind his product year after year.
Simply stated, you could not select a better builder.
Tony Valentine built our home at 2717 Shell Street, Corona del Mar, approximately two years ago. We would highly recommend Tony as a custom homebuilder tor anyone who seeks a builder who can deliver top quality in the shortest amount of time. Our particular project was a very difficult one, due to a unique building site on the oceanfront which required very complicated foundation work, and Tony was able to successfully complete the job to our satisfaction.
Our home reflects the finest in materials and craftsmanship, and we feel that Tony’s experience and knowledge was a tremendous asset. In addition, Tony’s attention to detail and personal supervision of our project resulted in a home that we can all be proud of. Most important, he stands behind his work and will return to correct an item long after the job has been completed. We appreciate the fact that he is proud of his work and builds his homes for the long term satisfaction of his clients.
This is to recommend Mr. Tony Valentine as a builder of fine homes. Ours is a Valentine home in Harbor Ridge which we purchased new in 1985. At the time of purchase, Mr. Valentine made several alterations for us including installation of an elevator and conversion of a bedroom and bath to a laundry, sewing room. This, work was carried out most efficiently and with
quality workmanship and materials throughout.
We have been very pleased with our home and every aspect of its construction. We also appreciate Tony’s ready availability when ever we had questions or needed work done including remodelingand restoration of rental property.
Martha and I would like to thank you for the unbelievable home you built for us. You did prevail through myself and Martha, Ann Fraiser, the architect, removed five feet of rock and sunk 60 caissons. You stuck with us during the entire two years.
We are very proud of our home. Should a prospective client of yours wish to view our home, we would be pleased to show it.
We are rapidly approaching three years since you completed our home in November, 1993. Tina and I wanted to send this letter as a reminder of how much we appreciate the job you and your people did and the ongoing support you have provided in keeping our home perfect. In a time when companies attempt to avoid living up to their warranty commitments, you and I have always dealt on a “handshake agreement” and you have delivered consistently on whatever we felt we needed. That, in and of itself, would convince Tina and I to use only your firm when we build again.
Your staff of supervisors provide the same type of respect, timeliness mid quality that we have come to expect from you. I have told people on more than one occasion, if I were stuck in the space shuttle millions of miles away from earth, I would take great comfort in knowing that “Taylor VonDrak”, was working on solving the problem. Taylor can fix anything and only knows one way to do it – perfect.
Recently, Kane Cassidy supervised the job site across the street from our house and during the busy summer months, he kept the site clean and always took into account the privacy and rights of the neighbors as work progressed. All of my neighbors and I salute Kane on a job well done.
Hector Estrada was a great help to Tina and me in completing our home. Over the past three years, he has always been available to help us out, including spending the night on my roof with me, watering down the roof during the October fires. That is a night none of us will ever forget in this part of Orange County.
Thanks again Tony, and we look forward to the next project with your company.
Scott and I want to tell you how much we enjoyed having you build our home for us, Tony Valentine Construction is very high in our books! Not only was the workmanship first rate, but the subcontractors were so personable and wonderful to have around. Never was there a comment for me to get out of their way or an insinuation that I didn’t know what I was talking about when I was at the house almost 8 hours a day throughout construction (even
though sometimes I’m sure they must have thought it). They were always very polite to me. I credit this to your excellent choice of subs and staying on top of the project. As a result, our home turned out wonderful and we are enjoying it to the utmost.
Something that makes you extra special, is the fact that you didn’t forget us once construction was finished. After the first big rainstorm, it was you that called us, not us calling you, to make sure that there were no problems. Although it has been four and one-half years since we moved in, you still check with us periodically and occasionally when a sub is in the area he will stop to say hi and see how things are. That is really appreciated!! It shows you really
care and want to see that the customer is satisfied. Thanks again for being there to build us the kind and quality of house that you did, one that I hope we will be able to enjoy for many more years as much as we have so far.
I wanted to let you know, again, how pleased we are with the great job you and your team did building 174 Shorecliff Road. Our biggest problem is how to tell all the people who want to take videos and photos of the interior of the house “no.” The workmanship was better than first-rate and it was a pleasure to work with your team.
And speaking of your team I want to particularly mention a few folks. Gar and Hector were a joy to work with and consummate pros. Nothing was too much of a pain or too difficult. The guys from Audio Video Design not only put in a terrific system but offer over-the-top customer service. Gordon from Marbleworks and Steve from Swim also were terrific to work with. Really there are too many standout subs to mention them all.
Tony Valentine developed our home in Emerald Bay, California completing the home in November of 1996. The four level home (subterranean parking with three living levels) was a complex structure designed by Leason Pomeroy of LPA, Inc. Two sides of the structure are completely contained by retaining walls and much of the home is supported by structural steel. There is also a room to room 400 gallon glass salt water living reef and a 15,000 gallon koi pond with port hole and waterfall. Each of the features presented some challenging construction situations, and Tony and his team met these challenges beautifully with outstanding solutions.
Tony Valentine was instrumental in his involvement throughout all phases of the project including the following key areas of expertise and commitment:
1. As my wife and I were interviewing contractors, many of those we spoke to seemed extremely qualified, and we therefore were very diligent in the process of calling on references supplied to us by the various contractors in contention for the job (including Tony Valentine). After we made all of the calls to the references we were provided, it became very evident that there was only one contractor that satisfied every client we called on and that was Tony Valentine. Also of note is that Tony Valentine provided substantially more references than any of the other contractors we interviewed.
2. Because of our strict budget and complex structure, it was imperative that we developed a strategy with the contractor to implement value engineering early in the process to eliminate unnecessary potential cost overruns. Tony and his subcontractors were very beneficial in helping us through this stage to bring down the cost to a level that we felt was appropriate, allowing us to begin construction on a timely basis. During this phase, it became extremely evident that Tony, as a third generation builder, had a wealth of experience and knowledge that was to benefit us substantially.
3. The quality of the Tony Valentine Construction personnel was another factor that we were very satisfied with. In that regard, we benefitted from the services of Kerry Gorman as Tony’s full time office assistant who processed extremely efficiently and effectively all of our monthly draw requests and payments to all of the subcontractors. During the entire construction process of approximately 18 months, there was never a math error in any of the calculations. Unlike many of the other contractors we interviewed, Tony Valentine Construction is fully automated with software that is extremely easy to understand to track the job costs figures. Our job superintendent, Gar O’Connor, was, in my opinion, the most outstanding foreman one could expect to work with. Gar got involved in the design and construction of many very unique and difficult items in our home including a difficult custom mirror and a very unique table to support an exotic glass top.
4. Tony, as an excellent communicator, worked well as part of the team in his interactions with our architect, structural engineer, neighbors, county inspectors, community association inspectors, etc.
5. Because of the aggressive bidding and aggressive price per square foot that Tony was able to achieve, my wife and I were concerned whether the quality of the subcontractors would be up to our level of satisfaction. In that regard, the quality of all of the subcontractors that we dealt with was excellent as almost all of them had a fairly long term association with Tony Valentine Construction and that long term relationship put us in a position of benefitting in many ways. For example, there is an area of our home where we had utilized a non-tempered vision glass for a corner to corner mitered edge. Because of the weight of the glass combined with the roof design that caused extreme differences in temperature within one pane, we ran into a glass breakage problem. In that regard, Tony and his subcontractors stood by the process and provided us with a situation where everything was redone and corrected to our ultimate satisfaction.
6. During the construction phase, if there was ever an item that we were not 100% satisfied with or the architect was not 100% satisfied with, the item was redone by Tony Valentine at no cost to us with no questions asked. In fact, in some instances where the architect and we as owners were satisfied with an item, Tony would instigate the change by saying he was not satisfied because it was not up to “Tony Valentine Construction standards” and the item would be corrected again, at no cost to us.
7. Tony Valentine, as an individual, has a strong commitment to making sure the client is 100% satisfied. Tony truly cares about the quality of the homes he builds and it is very evident as the process continues through the development of the home how much he cares about the clients’ ultimate satisfaction. Tony would attend all of the job site meetings and always was cheerful and positive in his demeanor. We also unexpectedly met Tony- at the site many times when he would just cheek on the job to make sure everything was going along as he had planned.
8. As the home was completed, and we were preparing and instigating the moving process, Tony and many of his personnel were extremely helpful in assisting us through this difficult and emotionally charged time. They were also extremely helpful in the process of helping us with fixturizing the home including hanging much of our artwork, etc.
9. After we moved in, we created a punch list of items that needed to be finalized or corrected. There was never an argument from Tony or his team regarding these issues and he diligently pursued the completion of all of the items on our punch list to our ultimate satisfaction. Admittedly, many of these items were very nitpicky because we wanted everything completed to a level beyond what many would consider reasonable.
10. My wife and I developed a strong personal rapor with Tony throughout the process. In fact, Tony had some leads on where we could find some vintage art that we were looking for to be placed in some prominent locations in the new home. In that regard, Tony took the time on a weekend day to join us and help us find and purchase some of this artwork that we are very satisfied with as it was very difficult to find.
11. Tony and his team of subcontractors took the time to educate my wife and me on all the (in some cases difficult) working mechanisms of the home systems, including the HVAC system, water main, gas main, electrical boxes, stereo and T.V, systems, koi pond system, aquarium system, kitchen appliances, etc.
In summary, Tony is the type of individual that you can count on in a pinch. I know that if I ever did have an issue or a problem with mv home in the future. Tonv would be there to handle It quickly and professionally. If I was to summarize my thoughts toward Tony Valentine and the Valentine Construction team in general, it would be the following: Tony Valentine truly cares about a high level of construction quality and he is 100% committed to satisfying the client.
It is all together fitting that on our national day of thanks we write you to express our appreciation for4 all that Tony Valentine Construction has done in creating our new home. On this Thanksgiving Day we reflect that what started out as a business relationship evolved into friendship, which In turn evolved into a sense of family.
When we were interviewing builders we were tremendously impressed with the letters written (and never solicited) by your customers. As we read them we were struck by how they were much more than letters, they were testaments. Now it is our opportunity and honor to express our appreciation so that future families may feel more confident that they are in the best hands possible when they choose you and your company.
There are many things that we would want others to know about you. Foremost among the lengthy list is the fact you are a man of the highest ethical standards. You are a man with tremendous values that is reflected in the way you treat your customers, your employees, your sub-contractors and your family. Your charitable work is something you never talk about but we know that you do much for your community. As we have learned you come from a family of contractors whose word has always been their bond.
We are so grateful for the many ways that you helped us through the homebuilding process. For the times when you told us ways to save money and for the times when you wisely suggested that spending a few dollars more was an appropriate investment we say thank you. We thank you for your wonderful sub-contractors. The relationship that you have fostered with them was invaluable when problems arose. We thank you for setting the highest standards. We well remember the times when you made something be torn out and redone because it wasn’t up to your standards. We would have never known, but you did.
We are also thankful for your employees. Every employee is special. To this day your employees still take off their shoes when they drop by. One example is worth sharing. We had a doorknob stick. When Tom came by he fixed the knob. He then went through the entire house and took every doorknob apart because he had seen something internally that the manufacturer had missed. We would never have known, but Tom did. You would never have known but now we want you to. Every employee was like that; Todd, Garr, Sheri and of course your dad Lynn. Lynn was more than special. Your dad approached the supervision of our home as a personal quest. We are deeply grateful him and to every member of the building team.
We would like to thank you for what you taught us about price versus value. We have three close neighbors who built within the same time frame we did. All three families considered Tony Valentine Construction but were influenced by a lower bid from a competitor. All three families have told us on numerous occasions that they deeply regret the choice they made. We have learned that with you we received even more than we paid for. We are glad you are paid well. You deserve it. You have more than earned it.
As we reflect on this year and how we are blessed we want you to know that you are part of the blessing that God has given us. We are truly grateful for all that you do and all that you are.
What our collaborators have to say
I am writing to let you know how much I appreciate the level of professionalism you command on your projects. Whenever I have the opportunity to work with you I am confident that our client’s wishes will be met because of your exacting adherence to specifications and drawings. I am pleased that this philosophy of excellence is shared by your entire staff.
You are unique in the construction community due to the level of respect you have earned from all you come in contact with. As an Interior Designer I appreciate our mutual level of understanding for each other’s work. Your passion for good design is apparent by the high standards you require from all trades working on your projects. This pleases me because of the fabulous end results.
I enjoy the positive attitude that you always conduct yourself with at work. I look forward to our meetings because of this mutual love for fine home building. I feel that you represent one of the very few custom homebuilders that continue to “work out of the box”, stretching the level of refinement for each new project. Consequently, I know that the quality at the conclusion of each project is the absolute best available for our clients, without compromise.
I want to thank you for the wonderful job you did on the Neilsen residence on Ocean Boulevard. The project was completed in record time without any compromise. The team concept that we shared I think is the key ingredient to the success and efficiency of the last few homes we have done together.
When we have a chance to work as a cohesive team from the initial concepts to the finished project, it eliminates the chance for costly errors that so often happen without proper planning. That team effort has proved itself without question once again.
The experience and positive approach that you bring to each project makes the difference. It has been my pleasure to work with you and the wonderful people you have in your company.
Throughout the years, Tony Valentine has been the general contractor on several custom home projects designed by my office. He and his highly qualified personnel have always made great efforts to make these projects very successful. His attention to detail and his ability to interpret our plans has made our mutual clients very happy.
While a general contractor must have many qualities and abilities, Tony has several qualities which particularly impress me: his ability to lead his staff and subcontractors, his communication skills, particularly with clients, architects, designers and trades people, and his knowledge of architecture combined with an astute ‘eye’.
We are presently involved in some very interesting projects together and I look forward to working with Tony most enthusiastically in the future as he helps me to create our visions.
The phrase “custom home” is often overused in the building industry, but the Siemon Residence is truly a custom home in every sense. The universal attention to construction detail, which was executed to perfection on this project, is a rarity. In fact, in 16 years within this industry, I have yet to meet another contractor with a better eye for detail and as meticulous in carrying out those tasks that yield an exceptional finished product.
Your confident, skillful means of handling a multi-faceted, very involved process has made it a pleasure to work with you.
A note of thanks is overdue for your excellent work on the Clasen Residence. It was a pleasure to be associated on that project and we want you to know that the spirit of cooperation and the pursuit of quality exhibited by those involved with its
construction were much appreciated by our firm. We have a fine home to savor, but more importantly a very happy client.
Thank you for your role in facilitating that result ~ and a special thanks to Kane Cassidy for his day to day supervision skills in the field. We look forward to working together on many more projects in the future.
As we begin construction on the Fan residence I want to take a moment to tell you how very pleased I am that you and your construction team will be building this home. Over the many years (easily more than a decade) we have had the pleasure of working with you on the construction of a great many of our homes: You have executed the construction of each home with extreme care and thoughtfulness.
I have especially enjoyed the way in which you respect our design goals and the tremendous effort we expend to create unique and specialized architectural solutions. You epitomize the way in which the builder and architect should team together for the
ultimate goals of the owner. Each of our many clients for whom you have built have been thrilled with their homes. They have enjoyed the total experience of building and your eagerness to be available to them long after completion to assist them with the normal tasks of maintenance.
It has been a pleasure teaming with you on all of the homes you have built for our clients. My staff and I are looking forward to working with you again on the Fan residence. I look forward to our frequent site meetings together.
Recently I had the good fortune of working with Tony Valentine and his company, Valentine Construction on the Siemon Residence, located in Pelican Hill, Newport Coast.
Throughout this unusual project and at times extremely difficult scope of work, Tony maintained a concern for detail and brought to the job excellent trades who performed very well under his guidance.
His general cheerful demeanor and respect for all consultants, made it a very pleasurable experience.
The successful results of our project clearly show, and I hope to have the opportunity of working with him on another project.
In my eighteen years as a landscape architect, I have had the opportunity to work with many talented general contractors in Southern California. As in any business, these are only a few who excel, and in my opinion Tony Valentine is among the best.
I appreciate Tony’s “Team Concept” approach to projects that enables us to do a better job for our clients.
My experience with Tony is based on many projects over the years. His experience with diverse architectural style and difficult construction technology is what makes him “The” builder by which others are compared.
My association with Tony Valentine Construction dates back to 1982. Through the years I have seen and been involved in many Valentine projects. The care and quality that goes into a Valentine home far surpasses the typical custom home building project in Southern California.
As we are all aware, building someone’s dream home can be a painstaking project. Many ideas and designs are constantly being changed during the course of these building projects. Valentine Construction knows this and goes far beyond the call of duty to insure each and every homeowners request are met. His homeowners interest are foremost in this process. His care then proceeds to the subcontractors on his jobs. I have recently completed a project for Valentine Construction in Newport Coast where a homeowner for no apparent reason decided not to pay for materials received accepted, installed and currently used in this home. Mr Valentine personally paid for these products. Few people in this or any other business would even consider this.
I have been wanting to send you this note for quite sometime now, to let you know how much I have appreciated the opportunity to work with you on the Winder Residence in Newport Coast.
I feel that the best approach in designing and building a custom home is to form a solid team of Architect, Builder, Interior Designer and Landscape Architect. This team then focuses a collective energy to provide the greatest possible service to our clients. Working with a builder having the same philosophy has been a pleasure.
Valentine Construction and the selected sub-contractors on the Winder Residence have outdone themselves in the quality provided on the job and also in response to the changes required over the course of construction.
Anyone considering building a Custom Home or other construction project would greatly benefit in having you as part of their team!! I look forward to working with you again in the near future.