November 20, 1997

Dear John and Tom,

How do we thank you enough for making our "dream home" a reality? How do you write a love letter to your home builder?

After months of searching for merely a "suitable" home, and finding nothing, we placed our trust in your ability and your integrity as professional home builders, We could not have made a wiser choice.

There were many naysayers, claiming this would be the end of restful nights and predictions of cost overages and major headaches. Our real estate agent, family who now shudder at the mention of their builder's name and newspaper articles on local home builders who did not deliver on their promises - all saying to be wary. More about them later.

At the beginning, before we even signed a contract for you to build our home, we were impressed with the time you took to help us research our budding project. Your foresight in calling in a professional landscaper architect for his opinion on the house placement has resulted in our new home, surrounded by 30 year old homes, getting compliments from all the neighbors and friends on how well the house blends in with the charm of the neighborhood.

We were informed every step of the way once the construction began as to what was happening that week. Any questions or concerns from us were addressed immediately and to our satisfaction.

The thorough research, done at the beginning on materials, costs, etc., put us into our home at the original budget, with the exception of a few upgrades we selected. There were not too many changes, because the materials, wood trim, paint quality, etc., are all so lovely that there wasn't much room for improvement.

Building a home takes tremendous hard work, number crunching, many revisions and foresight. John and Tom, you work in such an efficient fashion that allowed my inclusion as the quasi-project manager and made me feel like an associate of yours, instead of just a client. It was a true partnership from beginning to end, and served as a testament to your reputation as honest men.

As for the naysayers mentioned before - they were wrong! To our real estate agent - we did not end up $10,000 over budget. To my brother in Dallas - we consider John and Tom as friends. And to the unfortunate people left out in the cold by their builder - you should have done your homework and called JST Builders.

Sincerely,

Karen, Robert, Meghan, Matthew and Caitlin Bredehoft