Testimonials


Dear Dale,

Contracting with you to build our home was the wisest thing we ever did. Thank you does not begin to describe our feelings about this experience. We will recommend you whole-heartedly to everyone. It was a pleasure to work with professionals who are honest, genuine and trustworthy. Not easy to find these days. Your attentiveness to our budget and accessibility to our calls gave us much needed confidence in this whole process. Thanks to your creative ideas, we now own a beautiful custom home. All your suggestions were superb; you are truly unique craftsmen, willing to go the extra mile for those details that make an outstanding end result. Your crew demonstrated excellent workmanship as well as being polite and very conscience of their surroundings. The Babcock brothers are great craftsmen, their work is amazing. We would not change a thing about this home build. Thanks to you and your crew, our home has far exceeded our imagination and expectations. We have been blessed to have had the opportunity to partner with you in the building of our home. we absolutely love everything about it and thank you from the bottom of our hearts. May your business prosper tenfold as the quality you put into your work reveals your experience, integrity and craftsmanship.

Sincerely,
Greg & Tone Futo


 

To Whom It May Concern:

I give Wolverine Custom Homes an unqualified recommendation. (By this I mean I would absolutely recommend Wolverine Custom Homes) My wife and I used them as the builder for our high-end residence in Bay Harbor, Michigan, and we would absolutely use them again. If you have a residential construction project, I strongly recommend you use their services as general contractor. Although we cannot say enough good things about Dale Dubey who runs the company, here are some key points of recommendation:

  • Absolute integrity
  • Experienced, organized
  • Excellent quality work, stable of responsible trades
  • Honest, realistic cost estimates
  • Substantial cost savings
  • Provided helpful recommendations to our architect during the planning stages and to us during construction
  • Smooth relations with design review board and building inspectors
  • Attentiveness to emergency, punch-list and post-completion items.

Sincerely,
Jeffrey D. Modell

The Modell’s ended up contracting us for a second home in Bay Harbor in 2013.


Dear Dale,

This is a letter of recommendation to future clients & a letter of sincere thanks for acting as general contractors on our cottage on Long Lake. I am exceptionally pleased with the way Dale oriented the cottage on the property and the subcontractor, Larry Everingham, he selected for site preparation. The final contouring of the land to the water was perfect. Dale utilized excellent subcontractors and was on-site regularly to supervise their work. I was especially pleased with Matt’s finished carpentry both inside and out, the railings by Modoc Log Furniture and the pre-finished stain work of Fred Hershey. The cottage was customized to our specifications. I believe that you and your associates helped substantially in providing ideas, helping us evaluate options and managing the building process. Colleen was very responsive in providing me the detail I needed to keep track of expenses. Anytime I needed something, you and your staff responded quickly and positively to my requests. Prior to construction you provided a clear understanding of what could be done, set realistic expectations and met time frames. Dale always exhibited a “can-do” attitude which made working with you folks very positive.

Sincerely,
Molly & Gary Ferguson


Dear Dale,

Just a note to say thanks, not that Chris and I haven’t already said it to you and Leo Cody many times since we started our home with Wolverine Custom Homes back in the spring of 2004. With your help we were able to select a home layout that suited our needs. Now that retirement is here we are looking forward to our new home in Gaylord. Since completion of the project in late 2004 we have received nothing but complements from friends and neighbors on the outside and inside of our home. Your knowledge of the building process, allowing us to work closely with your skilled trades in order to obtain the effect we were looking for; how to handle changes required by building codes and the fact that you handled everything we asked for, made the whole process enjoyable. As Chris and I enjoy our home with all of its amenities, like the up-graded Merillat cabinet, granite counters, stone fireplace and the fieldstone on the outside, we can only say with high regards and recommendation that you will have a customer that appreciates great craftsmanship.

Sincerely yours,
Bob and Chris Biallas


Dear Dale,

When we purchased our property in 1997, we began to envision a home of distinction and quality in which to spend the next phase of our life. We researched several custom home builders and we are very pleased that we chose to work with you. With your help, our vision is becoming a reality as we put the finishing touches on our new home. During the planning stages the designer you provided was able to take our ideas and customize a design that was functional yet unique. Your estimates of time and materials to complete the foundation, framing and exterior finish were very accurate and helped us to stay within our planned budget for the project. The quality of workmanship, most of which was done by Matt and Rich, was excellent. The finish carpentry work is certainly easier when the framers have been accurate and neat. As we looked at building materials to complete our project, we found that the cost of the products that you carry were most often the best value. When we’ve had questions about particular construction or installation issues, your help and expertise have been greatly appreciated. Thank you again for doing such a great job for us.

Sincerely,
Thomas C. & Carol A. Baldwin


Dear Dale,

The purpose of this letter is to formally thank you for a job well done. Joyce and I are very happy with our new home, and we are really enjoying living in it and entertaining our kids and grand kids this summer. It is everything we hoped it would be. We are very happy that we selected Wolverine Custom Homes as our builder. It was a pleasure to know and work with you. We received lots of good advice and help from Dale and others at Wolverine throughout the project as we made our decisions on various materials and designs. It was also a pleasure to know and work with our Project Manager, Bob Bolinger. He was responsive to our questions and concerns; and he made sure that the work was scheduled in proper sequence and properly completed. In fact, everyone that we dealt with at Wolverine and through Wolverine was a pleasant experience for us. It is apparent that Wolverine has successfully identified very good subcontractors and merchants to deal with. We would recommend Wolverine Custom Homes to anyone seeking a fine builder. As described in some detail in the attachment to this letter, the project especially the inside of our new home turned out even better than we envisioned at the start of the project (9-20-05). The problems we have experienced have all been relatively minor. The duration of the project was longer than originally anticipated, but we were able to move in on September 1, 2006. Inclement weather, a later start in September than anticipated, demands of other projects and initial drainage problems probably contributed to the delay. Thanks again for all your efforts and best wishes for all your future endeavors.

Sincerely,
Larry & Joyce Andres


After buying a two bedroom second home near Indian River, it was evident that the size of our 1350 foot “cabin” was not big enough to accommodate our married daughters and our grandchildren, or all of our friends that we like to share our “up north” experience with. After discussing our plans with several builders and reviewing plans and project budgets, we decided to contract Wolverine Custom Homes to complete the project. Besides our comfort level in discussions of the project with them, we contacted several prior customers of Wolverine & were impressed with the consistent satisfaction of the people we talked to. Our plans called for adding over 1800 feet of living spaced to the house, making it a four bedroom, three bathroom 3200 foot home, complete with a master bedroom suite and a modern full size kitchen which has become everyone’s gathering place. Most builders will tell you that this type of expansion is difficult to complete due to the many unknowns of changing wall and room structures, but we felt comfortable with their ability to plan out the project. Our project began in early April & was completed by October, well ahead of the promised December project completion date. The project was professionally managed in all aspects and was completed within the agreed upon project budget. We are very pleased with the quality of the workmanship and received many complements on the obvious quality of the finished carpentry throughout the home. During the project we were totally informed of project expenses and received timely communications of any minor modifications needed to coordinate the look and feel of the expansion with the existing home. Since this project was not our primary residence and we could not always be at the site to review progress, it was good to know that we had a builder that we could totally rely on. We are using the home more now that we are retired and have continued to be totally pleased with the home. Friends still complement us on the quality of the work done and we have not found any reason or problem to have the builder correct. We would recommend Wolverine Custom Homes to anyone attempting to complete this type of large complicated expansion.

Thanks again for a job well done.

Leo Juip


Dear Dale,

We just returned from spending our first Christmas in our new home in Harbor Springs. The home is beautiful and really looked great with all the snow this year. We had many guests and received many complements regarding our home. Several inquired as to who the builder was and, of course, we were happy to head them your way. We are very pleased with the finished product. The quality materials and craftsmanship is evident through out the home. We especially like the cedar both inside and outside the home. The stone fireplace and accents on the exterior really came together very well. Building a home is a significant task where ideally one can be on site frequently to watch the construction progress and to identify any needed changes. As you know, we live a great distance from the home and our choice in builders was largely based on the amount of trust we could place in the builder. That is why we chose Wolverine Custom Homes. You and the whole team at Wolverine Custom Homes did an outstanding job of keeping us up to date, answering our questions, and managing the costs. Thank you very much. We will certainly continue our referrals to Wolverine Custom Homes.

Sincerely,
Jim and Maria Olson


Wolverine Custom Homes,

I am writing this letter of recommendation for Wolverine Custom Homes. As we were looking to build our dream home on Otsego Lake in Gaylord, Michigan, we searched the Web for cedar home ideas. One Sunday afternoon, we decided to stop and visit Wolverine Custom Homes. We shared our desires and general ideas with Ralph and Dale with a print we found on the Internet. They shared that they had just completed a similar home like we were considering. We proceeded to view these prints and went to see the similar home they had built. We also went to visit other homes they had completed to see the quality and type of work they do. We were very impressed. After several questions, we were not sure how to proceed, so they guided us through the process. We met with their recommended Designer, Steve Mann, and shared our own drawings and plans. We purchased a base set of plans and modified them to meet our desires. We proceeded to cost the project out, and after the costs came in, we decided we would not bid our home with another contractor. My experiences told me that it was not necessary. Within five weeks of our initial contact with Wolverine Custom Homes, we signed a contract. Our home was started in March of 2007 and completed in October of 2007. This (as I understand it) was the fastest home they had built from start to finish. We were very organized and so were they. Our home project was fun, exciting, and very easy. We were assigned a Project Manager, Leo Cody, who walked hand-in-hand with us, and delivered us a beautiful home. We were way ahead of schedule and stayed within 3% of our budget upon completion. Leo was awesome! Through this building process, we acquired many new friendships. We not only built our dream home with them, we purchased flooring, stone, decking, tile, lighting, and furniture from their interior company at competitive prices. In summary, Wolverine Custom Homes is a great builder. Ralph, Dale, and Leo, along with Brenda, who helped my wife, Gayla, on the interior design, are great. They all are good, honest people, you can trust.

I strongly recommend Wolverine Custom Homes for building your future dream home.

Mark & Gayla Lamberies


Dear Dale,

As the development manager for the Woods Cabin Project at the Otsego Club & Resort, I am writing to express our sincere appreciation for the excellent work completed by Wolverine Custom Homes over the past several years. We have been very pleased with the craftsmanship and attention to detail exhibited by your carpenters as well as your subcontracted trades. In addition, we have been particularly impressed by your follow up after the job is complete. On any building project, there are always a few items that need to be addressed and your staff, especially your on-site foreman, Leo, have been outstanding to work with over these past few years. All in all, we are very pleased with the end product that Wolverine Custom Homes delivered to us and we will continue to call on you and your company in the future. Thank you for a job well done!

Scott Chesley, Development Manager Wood Cabin Village


Dear Dale & Ralph,

It is with great pleasure that we write this letter of recommendation to you & your construction team. Both Marge and I are absolutely pleased with the lake home that you built for us. As you know construction started approximately 1 year ago. The plans and furnishings that you developed with us are the best. We totally enjoy the lakeside windows, wood trim, the great room, and the kitchen and bathrooms. Life is good here. Furthermore, the workmanship of the construction crews is outstanding. The fit and finish on the trim, tile, and granite countertops is excellent. The painting is the same, the greatest. No trouble with any of the amenities. In closing, working with both of you was easy and very comfortable. A real treat. You did what you said you would do: on time, and on budget. Thanks.

Sincerely,
Marge & Jim Bothwell
Point Nipigon Resort


Wolverine Custom Homes – Dale & Ralph Dubey

Our family would like to personally thank you for our new home. The quality, level of workmanship your team put into it, the honesty of the subcontractors used along with all of the efforts made to stay within our budget. We were so excited to be able to meet our timelines and get into our home before the winter season. Please thank Colleen for all of her detail in handling the subcontractor billings, bank draws and any other personal requests we had. We look forward to adding our sun porch in the future. Please stop and visit us when you are in the neighborhood.

Happy Holidays,
Stacey Stokes Makela


Dale and Ralph,

We are very happy customers. You and the people you brought on to the job were very professional and they did a fine job on our lodge. At our recent Berkas Family LLC Board meeting, it was decided to pay your company a bonus amount in addition to our agreement to show our appreciation.

Thank you both, very much.

Tom, Carol, Steven, Bill, Jeff, Pete, Paul, Andrea, Ernie, Lisa, Mark, Marylou, Laura


Dear Dale,

We would like to thank you and the entire Wolverine Custom Homes staff for helping us realize a dream. While we did not have any experience in home construction, you were able to guide us through the process, bringing our ideas to fruition. We also appreciated your input on ideas. People who see our home and ask questions are always surprised that “ We love our builder ” and that we did not experience so many of the problems others have had. We highly recommend your company. Thank you for building a wonderful home where more generations of our family can enjoy the blessings of beautiful northern Michigan.

Sincerely,
Paulene McLaughlin


Dear Dale,

We were delighted to be asked to write a letter about our experience with your business because every time we walk into our log cabin, we still smile with satisfaction. The addition that Wolverine Custom Homes built for us on to a 55 year old log cabin on Lake Louise is a dream come true. Working with your business long distance could not have been easier and our confidence grew throughout the entire project. Leo Cody, the project manager was helpful, knowledgeable, skilled and patient as he guided us through many decisions. He always went the “extra mile”. Ralph and Dale were great communicators as far as timelines and expenses. They were concerned and trustworthy from beginning to end. If a problem arose, it was always addressed and taken care of to our complete satisfaction… even long after the completion date. We would highly recommend Wolverine Custom Homes to anyone that wants to build “up north” with confidence that it will be a great experience!

Sincerely,
Gary & Sandy Smith


To Whom It May Concern,

In 2002 my wife and I hired Wolverine Custom Homes as our builder. We found them to be very honest and trustworthy. They worked very hard to satisfy our questions and concerns. Their construction supervisor, Leo Cody, was on the job site every day making sure the project was being done correctly. We found Leo to be very personal and friendly. He often made suggestions for minor changes that improved the quality of our home. If we were to build another home in northern Michigan I would not hesitate to hire Wolverine Custom Homes to be our builder.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Ferd Bolser, Vanderbilt