Tombo Construction, Inc

Don’t. Just don’t call them. Lose their number. Not Helpful. Do not return call. Avoid this company.

We hired Tombo Construction to do a small bathroom remodel in our basement. The architect gave us several design options and we decided to expand our bathroom, which altered the laundry room as well, knowing that it would cost more than we originally intended to spend. It was the right choice. We LOVE our new bathroom.
The guys at Tombo Construction are very upfront and honest about their work and doing everything by the book. I was very comfortable working with them. Communication is very important to me. I was able to call or text the contractor with any questions, concerns or updates and I always received a prompt response. Work started on time. Demo was fast. We hit a few bumps along the way because our 100 year old house needed waterproofing and new plumbing. The contractor gave us multiple options and discussed how we should proceed step by step. With the additional work our finish date was pushed out one week. The whole project took about ten weeks to complete from the start of demo to the last coat of paint. We lived in the house during construction. The workers were very respectful of our space. I recommend Tombo construction to anyone. We did spend more than we expected, but the work was done right, finished beautifully, and worth every penny. And, I have peace of mind knowing that the work was done correctly the first time around, and that they stand by their work.

We had high hopes in working with Tombo. We met with them 3 – 4 times and discussed what we wanted and a budget we were comfortable with. We were given an original bid of $ 32,600. Although this bid was $ 10k higher than other bids we had received from 2 other design/​build teams, we felt in the end Tombo was the best fit. We signed the $ 3200 design fee and paid the 50% deposit.
We agreed that we would personally do the demo to help with our budget and took our space to the studs. And there it sat for two months, our master suite down to the studs as we (ourselves and Tombo), could not agree on a budget. Our budget quickly rose to $ 75k and this is before any work had taken place where we know, in living in an older home, problems like plumbing and electric were bound to come up.
The budget grew over what we were comfortable with. My husband and I would go over the budget line by line and see where we could take things off to save money. Tombo agreed to let us do our own painting and carpet instillation. We told Tombo the only way to go forward with them was if they got the budget to $ 50k. THREE WEEKS LATER they came back to us with a revised budget of $ 55k. Our master suite was down to the studs from October — December.
In the end we did not go forward with Tombo. We started our project with someone else and got EVERYTHING on our list that we wanted in our new master suite. All in all the project cost us around $ 42k.
Tombo billed us for the balance of the design fee after we parted ways. We strongly felt that they were not owed this balance as we have nothing (except a budget that doesn’t work for us) to show for it. No design plan was given.
Overall not a great experience yet, a lesson learned.

I really, really wanted to give Tombo a good review. At the beginning, there were great. They worked with us to schedule a time for an estimate, were very communicative and then after they conducted the visit for the estimate, they suddenly emailed to say they wouldn’t do the work. There was no explanation, no other recommendations for other contractors, and the work we’re doing to the home isn’t even anything drastic.
We had a hopes set on using Tombo, but then when they cancelled after doing the estimate visit (and didn’t even share their thoughts) we were forced to find another contractor. To me, reliability is key with contractors, and I can’t say I found that at all with Tombo.

What a difference a good contractor can make! Tombo recently helped us remodel and finish our 1920’s home basement, but they also helped remind us that home remodel projects can go well – if you choose the right contractor.
About two years earlier, we added a 2^nd story addition to our home, which did not go so well and ended with our ex-​contractor ditching the project before final inspection. Needless to say, we were wary about starting another remodel project, and already had 3 unsatisfactory estimates from new contractors we found through Angie’s List before we spoke with Tombo. We heard about Tombo from our neighbors (Chris grew up in our neighborhood) and decided to have them give an estimate. We knew we had found a good contractor immediately.
We chose Tombo not just because of Chris’ demonstrated knowledge of our type of project, but because of his eagerness to understand our goals and needs. Chris even offered to help get our 2^nd story remodel through final inspection, which ended up including a consult with the ex-contractor’s structural engineer and some additional structural work to remove a temporary support left behind by our ex-​contractor. The Tombo team was extremely professional while helping us clean up the remains from our 2^nd story project.
With the 2^nd story project finally behind us and through final inspection, the Tombo team started immediately on our basement. Bow, the lead who was at our home the most during the day was equally pleasant to work with and he clearly described the problems and options for solving issues that came up during the project (like some additional drainage for a leaky foundation wall found during demo). The only surprise we had with Bow was the day he showed up with short-​hair (we had grown accustomed to his longer locks).
There were times when we choose to pay more than what was estimated, and in each case, the Tombo team was clear about the original scope and when it changed, like a decision we made to move washer/​dryer hookups to our garage. They also found ways to help save money from the original estimate, like finding a metal worker who essentially did twice the work for some custom stair railing. We appreciated having Angela’s support in tracking the overall budget progress, and it was great to track overall project status using the Basecamp web site.
Overall, we were very happy with the quality of work, timeliness of completion, and the people we worked with. We’ll look to Tombo for any new project we have (but hope they understand if we take a break from remodels for a little bit).

Tombo did an amazing job on my place and in record time no less.
Check out the video.
And here’s a collection of images while the work was going on

Tombo Construction is a build and remodel general contractor that serves the greater Seattle area and I highly recommend them. We hired them to complete a major basement remodel in our home in West Seattle. We were nervous about hiring a contractor and we knew that the key to a successful result was three things: a comprehensive quote detailing the scope of work; a fair and balanced contract that spells out responsibilities on both sides, and; frequent communication along with documentation of changes.
We met with Chris, the owner, and walked through the basement and discussed our goals. He was happy to work with our existing design and build from where a previous framer had left off. We appreciated his environmentally responsible focus; a few simple suggestions made our space healthier and the project much «greener.»
Chris has a great approach of working with you to create a comprehensive budget; it lays out the scope of work in detail and all costs and charges are open and transparent. We worked together to focus our remodel dollars on the items that were most important to us. The contract was thorough, fair and balanced.
Chris did a great job of communicating with us constantly as the job progressed; he is very proactive in this regard! He would engage us quickly as decisions needed to be made and frequently made sure that we were happy with things as the job was progressing. We received weekly updates to our budget showing exactly where money was being spent. All change orders were documented and were reflected in the budget as well. When some unexpected items popped up (as they do when you are doing a big project) we were able to quickly and easily work with Chris & crew to make the changes necessary to keep the project on-​track, and to understand what the impact of those changes were. They also did a great job of managing the various subcontractors that were involved, and we appreciated how they would tidy up here and there as the work went along.
At the end of the day we were very happy with the outcome of our project. The workmanship was excellent and we are proud to show off our new space. The job was done on time and even came in a little under budget which was a very nice surprise.
I highly recommend Tombo Construction and they will be our first call when it comes time to do our kitchen remodel and bathroom remodel.

Tombo could not help me directly with what I needed but they gave me lots of great referrals over the phone. They are very professional and courteous. Thanks Tombo!

I’m a house sitter. I worked in a home Chris remodeled. I also walk his dogs. I was blown away by his work. The house I’m speaking of is in some of the photos on this page. When I was talking with the owner of the house she told me it used to be a duplex. That was shocking. I house sit in many homes and this one is gorgeous absolutely gorgeous. Chris is the kind of guy you want to get to know and be friends with. He’s a trustworthy, honest, nice person, that is really good at what he does.