Green Hammer

We couldn't have picked a better design-build firm for our house remodel! The Green Hammer team made our project happen smoothly from start to finish and did an amazing job transforming our modest bungalow into a completely chill, updated gem. The overarching theme throughout was mutual respect, a common goal of excellence, exceptional communication, and positive intent. Team members held each other accountable to make things happen as planned and on budget. Despite the Covid slowdown, the project schedule didn’t change drastically and everyone did their very best to get things to the finish line. As importantly, items that weren’t part of the original scope were handled in such a gracious way and provided some amazing added value. We're indebted to your firm for the excellent quality of work, work ethic, and exceptionally talented team. Every day, we feel so grateful to have had this experience and now get to reside in this beautiful place we call home.

We reached out to Green Hammer while in a desperate situation. Mold in our older home had caused my immune system to go on a rampage, making me 'chemically sensitive' to a wide range of fragrances, household products, plastics, and of course building materials with VOCs. Eventually I ended up living in my yard in a tent to get relief and could barely go in public with my new 'allergies." Crazy, I know! Anyways, we approached the GH team to build a relatively mold-proof, non-toxic ADU for us in our backyard. We needed exceptional moisture control and air quality. We were also, of course, scared as hell that we'd invest major $$ and I'd end up unwell in the new house anyways. However, from the beginning I knew we were in good hands. Each person we worked with was sharp as a tack, innovative, creative, clearly top notch in what they do - I was confident they could mastermind the many design considerations involved in achieving our particular 'health' goals. They also brought exceptional style and dedication to energy efficiency to the table. They spent an impressive amount of time reviewing finishes and building products with me, even giving me little samples of products so I could gauge my sensitivity. By this time I was kind of homeless, sleeping in open air at campsites in the desert in the summer heat just trying to get some relief...all the while sniffing their product samples and reporting back by email, crossing my fingers. HOPE HOPE HOPE. They worked hard to have the house ready by Thanksgiving. And they pulled it off- all of it. They built a truly next gen nontoxic oasis. I was able to move in right away with no problems - unbelievable. And now, ~7 months later, I feel fantastic. Almost normal, in fact. Having a healthy home to retreat to was a critical turning point for me. I guess you could say I'm pretty overwhelmed with gratitude. (And sad that we won't be seeing them as much now that the project is over - they're just pretty cool people, a pleasure to be around). Other things to know - the workmanship and attention to detail in every aspect of the ADU is phenomenal; everyone is personable and professional, coordination of the bazillion contractors was impressive, efficient and NOT something we could have pulled off ourselves; they managed our expectations well; and the best part - they truly care about doing a good job, about the client, about environmental impact. Across the board, I HIGHLY recommend Green Hammer. Note- the photos don't do justice!

As a local Landscape Architect in Portland, I am happy to add a review and commentary on my ongoing collaborative relationship with the Green Hammer team. I have had the opportunity to provide design services to GH and their clients on both a residential project, and a multi-family sustainable housing project, and have found all of the members of the team to be highly professional, creative, and results-oriented. I see that they place a high priority on providing their clients with very high quality, and beautiful work. I really enjoy meetings in their SE Portland office space, and am inspired by their sustainable design process, and excellent construction work. I would highly recommend the Green Hammer team for sustainable projects of any scale!

When we purchased a house that need a *lot* of work, we knew from the get go that we wanted a firm like Green Hammer to fix it up: local, environmentally conscious and sustainability-minded, and integrated. It didn't take more than a couple of conversations with consummate professionals like Erica, Michael, and Les to know that Green Hammer was the right fit for us. In a process that took well over a year, Green Hammer guided us through interior and exterior design and build, turning the somewhat unloved house we'd purchased into a beautiful energy-efficient home that we feel so lucky to live in every day. Erica came up with striking designs that integrated the historic part of the house with the more modern addition that the previous owners built. Thanks to Green Hammer's relationship with Urban Timberworks, our cabinets, countertops, and other wood elements are a frequent source of compliments from guests. Green Hammer also picked great subcontractors for HVAC, solar, landscaping, and other essential elements of the project. While every project has its schedule hiccups, we never felt out in the woods thanks to Michael's thorough project management and Les's frequent considerate check-ins. We recommend Green Hammer at every opportunity and are extremely grateful for all their hard work turning our house in a gorgeous sustainable home.

As a Home Remodeling professional in the Portland area as well, I always hear great news about Green Hammer. Especially with energy efficient homes, keep up the great work.

The team at Green Hammer was incredibly helpful, creative and responsive. We were hoping to do a fairly substantial remodel (first floor remodel including kitchen and minor addition) but knew next to nothing about the process and cost. The team we worked with at Green Hammer was honest and upfront about the costs as we went through various iterations of our project. It turned out that our ambitions exceeded our budget but thanks to Green Hammer we knew that before hammer hit nail and avoided overextending ourselves. Big thanks to Michael and Corey for the imagination, their patience with us, and for basically saving us a large sum of money. If we ever have the funds necessary to embark on such a project we won't hesitate to call on Green Hammer.

Green Hammer walks the walk when it comes to sustainability. They are a champion of truly green products and fill their projects with sustainably sourced, beautiful, high-quality materials.

We hired Green Hammer as our general contractor/designer/architect for major renovations to the mid century Portland home we had just purchased. We have lived many places and owned five homes and done many renovations over the years. But none came close to the quality and discipline of Green Hammer. Their planning, budgeting, and communication and inspection processes were superb. Green Hammer is the first architect, construction and design firm we have worked with that projected and then complied with a budget and time frame for construction. Their design services were creative and economic. They really understood our goals and sense of design. We are honest when we say, this was a uniquely good experience, and are happy to show our home off to any one thinking of hiring Green Hammer. Joshua and Beryl

Green Hammer masterfully turned my dark, outdated, unhealthy and poorly laid out bungalow into a work of liveable art. From the design, to the wood craftsmanship, to the selection of beautiful fixtures and uber-efficient appliances, Green Hammer came through beyond expectation - all with a positive, professional and calming attitude! And as much as I love the look, function and feel of my house, perhaps the most exceptional part is what cannot even be seen: a ventilation system, vapor barriers, and whatever else the stuff is called that is consonant with Green Hammer's commitment to environmental stewardship and human health. I highly recommend the team at Green Hammer for all your design-build needs!

I am the owner of LandCurrent Landscape Architects and worked with Green Hammer on the FineLine Custom Home. This was an exceptional project with outstanding craft and attention to detail both in design and construction. The Green Hammer team made the integration of design and construction work seamlessly which shows in the the results of the work. Outstanding results are only possible if design and construction professionals work towards the same goals in a deep collaborative manner.

In Spring 2009, we hired Green Hammer to remodel the kitchen in our 1890's Victorian in Portland, OR. We were looking for a green remodel and had seen GH's work displayed at a couple of green home tours around town. After meeting Stephen A. (owner) and seeing their work on display, we were set on working with him and his company. It was a great decision and the end product, six years later, continues to provide us with joy and comfort each and every day. It is just be coincidence, that we received an email today from an artist friend in the process of designing his own kitchen remodel, asking to come over to study ours! he said he wanted to replicate our "comfortable, good-looking, and good working kitchen." There are many things to praise about Green Hammer. First, GH takes green building very seriously. The crew that demolished our kitchen sorted everything that came out for either donation to a recycle center or re-purposing. At no time was a dumpster ever on the site. They were incredibly tidy and, even though we lived in the house during the five month remodel, their end-of-day clean-up made it possible to do so comfortably. Several of the materials used in our project were themselves recycled or re-purposed, for example, the cabinets were made from Doug fir that had previously lined maraschino cherry vats in nearby Corvallis. They are incredibly beautiful! The soffit under our porch was reclaimed fir from a house they worked on previously. Many of the other materials used were green (i.e., paperstone) and/or sustainably harvested (i.e., tiger wood from Bolivia). in each case, the GH design-built team listened to our ideas and helped us make good decisions. They were collaborative and creative with the final project being a blend of both our ideas and theirs. A few words about the GH team: They are smart, extremely competent professionals, who are shining examples of the company's values. They really love their work and they convey that enthusiasm readily. Our project manager, Michael S. was an absolute gem. After hearing horror stories from friends who had under-gone remodels, we couldn't believe how easy it was to work with Michael and how easy it was to develop a relationship with him. He is warm, has a great sense of humor, and a truly genuine person. As for all the others with whom we came into contact, every one of them was friendly, considerate, and pleasant to have around. Several of the crew rode their bicycles to work, many spoke of their off-work hobbies and, in that sense, became people we really enjoyed getting to know. The GH craftsmanship is bar-none. GH prides itself on being excellent and they excel at it. We fondly remember the lead carpenter, Robert W. who we once observed sanding a shelf in the driveway with such concentration it seemed as though he was sanding his child's cradle! Their attention to detail is without rival. They are exacting and really care about getting it right. If Stephen or Michael aren't satisfied, you can be sure it will be done again. We had twice monthly meeting to discuss the progress and budget. We were impressed with their ability to predict costs and stay within budget. We ended up expanding the scope of the project, which naturally, increased costs and this was anticipated with accuracy. The cost of working with GH may be higher than other design-build companies but know that if you chose GH, you will be getting the very best of everything! It might seem odd to write a review after 6 years, but I was motivated to do this because, once again, the folks at GH came through for us this week by helping us out with a favor that was totally unrelated to our house. We can't thank them enough for being such wonderful generous people. We highly recommend GH to anyone who values quality, transparency, congeniality and wants their project to be as earth-friendly as possible. If these are your values, GH is the obvious choice. It certainly was for us!

I’ve been honored and delighted to collaborate with Green Hammer on two residential projects in Portland. It was evident from the beginning what a unique experience they bring to the table. From a client perspective, Green Hammer provides exceptional guidance on budget and timeline. The well-balanced, highly attuned staff and extensive subcontractor connections enable them to cast reliable projections, and instill a high degree of confidence in clients. From my designer perspective, Green Hammer’s highly organized approach provided me with a clear map from which to develop an efficient design strategy. While parameters were clearly outlined in both projects, which helped to focus and streamline design solutions, it was never at the expense of creativity. Fresh ideas and alternative solutions were always encouraged. The Green Hammer team and I effortlessly reached a stride of mutual appreciation in our brainstorming sessions, which naturally carried into the subsequent design and build phases. Exceptional communication and organization are at the heart of Green Hammer’s success. They provide clients with consistent budget and timeline updates to help maintain realistic expectations. In addition, as the name would suggest, Green Hammer’s knowledge base in sustainable building practices is second to none. It is the combination of clients’ satisfaction with the design-build process and outcome, and the friendly and knowledgeable staff I’ve had the pleasure of working with, that made our collaborative experience so positive. Green Hammer truly provides a well-rounded and highly competent service for clients. I strongly recommend the team for any residential or commercial project seeking a unique, informed, and greatly enjoyable experience and outcome.