Testimonials

Board Members:

After interviewing several general contractors in the area, we contracted, in January, 2003, with A. DeRose & Sons, LLC to build our new home in Ford's Colony. We selected architect John Tee Crabapple's Cottage house plans, modified by architect Jeff Bara, who was recommended by Anthony DeRose. It is approximately a 4,300 sq. ft. hardiplank-sided home with many design elements. The end product far exceeded our expectations. The quality of the finish work on the floors, walls and moldings is outstanding.

The DeRose's have assembled a group of top quality craftsmen to build their homes. Anthony is on the job site every day to oversee the construction processs, quality of materials and to resolve day-to-day issues in a timely matter. He keeps the new homeowner apprised of the construction progress and involved in the decision process. Along the way, he makes suggestions that would improve the structural integrity or aesthetics of your home. Any changes to the original plans or upgrades are discussed and priced in advance.

Mary Beth DeRose guides you through the maze of selections for brick, granite, tiles, paints, lighting fixtures, kitchen and bathroom cabinets so that these items will be selected in a timely manner. Mary Beth will accompany you on any of these trips if you wish. We found her expertise very helpful though this whole process. Anthony and Mary Beth form a dynamite team.

Finally, the home was delivered complete at the price quoted plus change orders with very few punch list items, and those items were resolved in a very timely manner. Over the past two years Anthony and Mary Beth periodically checked with us to see if any problems have arisen. The few issues were promptly resolved.

We would highly recommend the DeRose Team to build your dream home. If we were to build again, we would use Anthony and Mary Beth without hesitation. If you have any questions, please contact us (751)253-6904.

Very truly yours,

Ed and Dorothy Baird

To whom it may concern:

My wife and I currently live in Ford's Colony in a house built by Anthony DeRose. Our building contract with Mr. DcRose required, among other things, that:

1. The house be built in accordance with the architect's plans and specifications.
2. The house be built with certain materials, equipment and amenities.
3. The house be completed within a specified period of time.
4. The builder, when construction of house was complete, provide a warranty for the work done on the house and the materials and equipment used in the house.

As provided by the contract, Mr. DeRose did build our house in accordance with the architect's drawings and specifications. He also provided, without exception, all of the materials, equipment and amenities that were specified in the building contract. Finally, he complied not only with James City County's regulations, but he also complied with all of Ford's Colony's requirements. Our house was extremely well built - The work was of the highest quality and done in a professional manner.

Mr. DeRose was present at the building site at least once every day while the house was under construction, and provided close supervision of his subcontractors. The work on the house proceeded without interruptions and delays, and the house was completed within the time period stated in the contract.

Since we have moved into the house, some minor corrections or repairs have been necessary. Mr. DeRose has quickly corrected any problems or defects.

Those repairs have usually been completed within one or two days from the time we have notified him of a problem. To summarize, we are extremely pleased with the manner in which our house was built by Mr. DeRose. He has lived up to all of the commitments he made in the building contract, and since we moved into the house, he has quickly corrected any problems or issues which have arisen.

Sincerely,

John Hatfield, Jr.

To Whom It May Concern:

We are completely satisfied with our new custom home that was built and completed, June, 2005 by A. DeRose and Sons. This was an experience beyond our greatest expectations, and our dealings with Anthony and Mary Beth have and continue to be excellent.

As absentee clients, the DeRoses kept us informed of the building progress on a weekly basis. We were summoned when necessary to make choices and decisions as required.

Our new neighbors have informed us of how someone was always working on the site and the premises were always cleaned every evening.

The workmanship, quality and cooperative follow-up are unprecedented. Anthony visits daily for thirty days after move to resolve the smallest detail. Customer satisfaction is a priority concern for this builder.

A. DeRose and Sons, LLC builds beautiful, sound homes and we happily recommend them to anyone interested in quality, timeliness and elegance.

Sincerely,

Dave and Carol Bonesteel

To Whom it May Concern:

We have the pleasure of living in an Anthony DeRose house. When we met Anthony and MaryBeth, I felt they took great pride in showing us their workmanship. I was impressed with the beautiful interior details offered and the degree of thoroughness in each of his homes. My immediate impression was this is the builder for us!

My dream home became a reality in less than a year, with great attention paid to detail, quality and customer satisfaction. They care about the homes they build which are structurally sound and real works of art. When people walk through my home they are impressed with every aspect and often ask, who did your floors, your kitchen, fireplace, fixtures and so forth.

They were true to their word in every aspect Call backs were immediately taken care of as they are always available and never too busy to take care of my concerns. My next house will also be an Anthony DeRose built home.

Sincerely,

Kathleen and John Stanco

Anthony and MaryBeth,

It was great meeting you and your son last week. You have a very impressive business and you are obviously highly regarded by your friends and clients in the community. All of your custom homes were well above my expectations, and I can see why you don't have a tremendous amount of competition at that high level. I am looking forward to working closely with you, and look forward to our next meeting.

Thank you for your overly generous hospitality and I really enjoyed our dinner at The Fat Canary.

Have a great week and thank you again for everything.

With warm regards,

Bradford R. Orben

Dear Anthony and Mary Beth:

Faith and I are writing to express our sincere gratitude to you for the personalized manner in which you assisted us with our new home in Ford's Colony. We have owned several houses in many different areas of the country and have been exposed to diverse levels of quality control. Through our experiences, we have become demanding individuals.

Throughout this complex process, your relentless efforts to achieve the highest ideals in craftsmanship and quality of construction have been exemplary. Our expectations were set high and you have exceeded all of them. Anthony's composed demeanor, blended with a demand for perfection, kept everyone involved on track and working together, when dealing simultaneously with all of the wide-ranging aspects of construction.

MaryBeth's unwavering efforts to help Faith select the myriad of appliances, fixtures and untold features necessary for a successful outcome are commendable. Her ability to coordinate the numerous facets of permits, inspections, and administrative details left me wondering how she accomplished so much with such apparent ease. Together, you two are a formidable team. I know that your reputation for quality construction is categorical and I would recommend your services without reservation. Anyone who is fortunate enough to have you as their builders will be rewarded for their decision.

Once again, we would like to convey to you our thanks and appreciation. You have made a project that will impact the rest of our lives most gratifying.

Sincerely,

Gary and Faith Smagalski

Dear Anthony:

I have wanted to write this letter for a very long time. During our summer holiday in South Carolina, I wrote it in my head over and over again. Now I finally have that precious time to put in writing what has been in my heart and head for the past month.

Most importantly, I want you to know that you and your family hold a very special place in my heart, but that is not what this letter is about. What it is about is our home. From the very first moment that I saw our house from the road 1 knew that it was the house for us. Year after year would pass and I would find myself standing in the hallway or walking into the bedrooms saying, "I can't believe that this is my home!" You see, I had great dreams of one day living in a lovely home, but I never dreamed it would be one like this.

Everything is relative and I know that there is always bigger and better, but I believe that God blessed me when he allowed me to make this my home where I would raise a family. I can still remember as if it were only yesterday, walking thorough this house fifteen years ago after much needed work was completed, and feeling a sense of pride that words could never fully express.

I thought it was a once in a lifetime feeling but I was wrong. Anthony, just prior to our leaving for South Carolina I walked around the property and began to take pictures of all the wonderful work you so successfully completed to make our home a very special one. I stood back in awe at the beauty of this new structure and all at once I felt the pride that I felt fifteen years ago but, that pride was accompanied with tears of gratitude.

I want you to know how grateful I am to you for giving a tired old house new life again. Anthony, you have been blessed with the gift of perfectionism. Not many people can accomplish the completion of a vision as seen through their own eyes. Most can only stand back and hope they chose the right man for the right job, but you stand with them and work with them and don't have to hope because you're part of the vision.

Well that is what I have been wanting to say. I think your'e pretty terrific! As you look at the pictures of our home, know that you were responsible for it's beauty and for the pride we feel in our hearts.

Lovingly in Christ's peace,

Nanette Pierson

Dear MaryBeth and Anthony:

We have been so busy enjoying the fantastic work you did on our house that we are long overdue in sending this letter. When we bought this house, we knew we were buying quality because it was one of your homes. We were thrilled to no end that you were willing to take on our addition project to join the main house to the garage, to add the screened porch, and to renovate the kitchen. The finished product far surpasses our expectations.

We wanted to do the renovation primarily for function. Not only have you improved the functioning of our home for our busy family, but you have done so with beautiful craftsmanship from the wood floors to the gorgeous molding. No one can believe that the addition is not original to the house. The transition to the new space is seamless and the charm and curb appeal of our home are still amazing! The in-law suite turned out fantastic. Our guests are sorry to have to leave. We love the new laundry area. The powder room and mudroom areas have proved to be well-used - great decisions! And best of all, no more outside after we pull into the garage!

The changes we made in the kitchen are just perfect. We are still amazed at the cabinetmaker’s ability to match the existing cabinets and how the new butler’s pantry and island blend in as if it was designed that way from the start. We could not be more thrilled with the result unless we are talking about the new screened porch. What an amazing room! It is like no other screened porch we have seen. The brick columns and floor, the wood work on the ceiling and of course the AV system make it our favorite place to be! We have lived out there and entertained out there constantly since the weather broke this Spring!

It’s easy after a project is over to revel in the finished product, but we got more than just a finished product with you. From our first phone conversation with Anthony speculating if the project was even possible to the last details, he was prompt, attentive and on top of what was going on. We were so fortunate to have Gerald on site through the entire project. He is a major asset to your company and to your clients. He went above and beyond what he had to do, especially letting the kids check out the diggers and the cool construction equipment. They are still talking about it! And then there is Mary Beth. You were an absolute pleasure to make selections with. We have heard so many people stress over that part of construction, but you made it really enjoyable. It wasn’t just the members of your family who were easy to work with, all of the workers were great. They were neat, kind and courteous. We were blown away by this. We know that you truly care about each of your clients and projects and felt well-taken care of throughout the entire process.

Our words really can’t do justice to say how much we love the changes, use the new spaces, and brag about the work you did. All we can say is we would recommend you to everyone and anyone who is looking to build or renovate. Working with A. DeRose and Sons was the best decision we could have made!

Most fondly,

Stephen and Betsy Shonka

To Whom It May Concern:

Seldom in "real life" does anything really meet one's expectations, but DeRose and Sons did! There are no words to describe our gratitude for the wonderful job DeRose and Sons did in building of our new home in Ford's Colony.

Three years ago, we retired and resolved to build our home in Williamsburg. However, a large part of our new home construction would need to take place while we were still living in Northern Virginia. We interviewed several contractors but did not feel they were true "custom" builders. After our first meeting with the DeRoses, we knew we had found the right fit. Tours of DeRose homes, both completed and under construction, revealed quality workmanship and subcontractors who were true craftsmen. We saw attention to detail and an abiding respect for their customer's needs—a marked contrast from what we had seen at other builders' sites.

During the process of building our home, Anthony and Gerald DeRose were always available to answer structural and construction questions, while Mary Beth guided us every step of the way as we scheduled trips to Williamsburg from Northern Virginia and made decisions regarding such things as cabinetry, light fixtures, tiles, and paint colors. Her cheerful, cooperative and tactful support allowed us to envision and create the home of our dreams.

After we sold our home in Fairfax, we rented in Williamsburg until our home was ready, so timing was important to us. Our house was ready within days of the estimated completion date. In addition, after we moved in, post-construction follow up presented no major issues. Any minor items that needed attention were taken care of immediately with courtesy and consideration.

We were blessed to have had the DeRoses as builders, friends and counselors in this process. We are only too glad to recommend DeRose and Sons to anyone who is looking for a positive, quality experience.

John T. (Tom) and Eve Gee

Dear Anthony & Marybeth,

It is hard to believe we have been in our home for 3 1/2 years. The home you built for us is as impressive today as the day we moved in. The true test of a quality built custom home is how it looks and holds up over time. Our house has certainly passed that test.

Our family, friends and neighbors are always impressed with the quality, design and craftsmanship that was utilized. The hardwood floors, crown molding, windows and exterior siding/trim are all first class and still took brand new. The house is very solid and built to last.

As you may recall, we did consider going with another builder. That would have been a big mistake! Working with both of you during the entire building process was a delight! Your advice and patience listening to our needs was a real asset that paid off in a first class home delivered on time and at a fair price. Your follow through and prompt response to the minor adjustments needed during our early occupancy were greatly appreciated.

Kathy and I highly recommend you to anyone interested in building a quality, custom home.

Dan & Kathy Reilly

Committed to excellence, courteous, considerate, responsive to our needs, passionate about their projects - the DeRose's are the best contractors we have ever dealt with and the only ones we have ever recommended to others.

Ruthann and Bob Bradfield

Dear Mary Beth, Anthony & Gerald,

This is just a short note to thank you for the wonderful job you did building our home. This was our first experience building a house, and you made it very easy for us. This was especially important as we built long-distance and had to rely on your experience and oversight. We always felt that you were building our house as if it were your own.

The final product has exceeded our expectations. The craftsmanship and attention to detail are apparent throughout the house. The quality of the trim and finish work is terrific, and far better than any we have seen elsewhere. The attention to detail, such as making sure the chair rails and wainscoting was customized to fit our old family furniture, is an indication of your taking that extra step.

Knowing that the house was so meticulously crafted, along with your reputation for standing behind every house you build, gives us a sense of security that it will remain tight and problem-free for a long time.

Do not hesitate to use us as a reference for prospective clients.

Very Truly Yours,

Lyn & David Ross