Testimonials

“Reed and Greta Dewey
Relationship: Client
Project Date: June 2019

Aaron, Collin, and Ralph are fantastic in every way. The Shore brothers are wonderful guys who do great work – very friendly and exceedingly accommodating. Ralph Varn’s experience as a builder shines through in his architectural skills and creativity. As a team, they’re punctual, polite, and insightful when it comes to all of the elements – small and large – that go into creating a beautiful home. Our project was a small studio home for our mom to comfortably live in during extended stays. She’s elderly and has significant mobility issues. The Shores and Ralph did everything with our mom in mind, and the result is a gorgeous place she loves and can maneuver about in easily and safely. She loves the place!

Starland was able to begin work in the winter, which was fantastic given it allowed our mom to walk into a finished studio late in the spring. Even with the inevitable and uncontrollable Ithaca weather, the Shores and Ralph plugged away to get the project completed for summer use. They also did so within the agreed-upon (and very reasonable - especially given the quality of work) budget.

My wife and I (and our mom) could not recommend the Shores, Ralph, and Starland Builders more highly.”

“High quality work. Very eager, flexible and creative on coming up with solutions. Great job on keeping the jobsite clean during construction.”

“Ralph Varn has worked on two projects for our family. He did the architectural drawings and designed the houses with us from the outset, all the time understanding our needs. His understanding of the construction process and his design expertise also helped us stay within our intended budget. Ralph has great ideas and pays attention to details. We would highly recommend Ralph Varn and Starland Builders.”

“Ralph is a very conscientious and talented builder. He worked closely with us on a complex design of very energy efficient custom Craftsman style home that included solar PV , solar thermal, and geothermal heat pump energy systems. He modified our original plans to meet NY standards and to save us money with several creative changes, Ralph was also quite helpful with interior design choices and did an excellent job on the interior woodwork, hard wood flooring, and tile work. He was pleasant to work with and kept us informed about any delays with the subcontractors that were needed for certain jobs as a result the complex structure and energy systems (e.g. heat pump installation, wall and attic insulation and excavation work) for the house.
My wife and I were very pleased with the result and would certainly recommend him to others.”

“Working with Ralph was a pleasure from start to finish. Creatively inspired by drawings at the outset, Ralph developed our vision for a new house with professionalism, creative flare and vision.
Sensitive to the requirements of our location, the house was built in good time, allowing for a few hick ups along the way (always to be expected).
His after care has been excellent.
I can thoroughly recommend this company.”

“Our experience was excellent. We had a five week window between closing and moving in, and the guys worked very hard to get the job finished. Ralph was very helpful in finding some of the specific hardware at a good price. They worked with our suggestions and offered many helpful ones of their room. I would recommend Starland unconditionally”

“The Shore brothers are the very best. Not only are they gifted craftsmen at reasonable rates, they bring a pride of craftsmanship and work ethic to the job site everyday, something money can’t buy. I own a very special victorian hotel built in 1873, named “Inn at Taughannock” and these professionals are our primary team invited to work on this magnificent home.”

“Ralph did a major renovation of my 150 year old house. Not only is everything now modernized and efficient, but it looks true to the style in which it was built.”

“Starland Builders is amazing! Kirk Tolhurst, M.D. and I were in our home on schedule, July 28, 2017, and within budget. The quality workmanship and creative solutions that Ralph Varn, Aaron and Collin came up with, stunned us❣️ We are now enjoying the fruits of their labor on West Hill in what we believe will be our final home.”

“I stopped at the job yesterday to look at the spray foam insulation. I thought it was one of the nicer workmanship that I have seen.”